Movie Review: Live and Let Die (1973) directed by Guy Hamilton
Three British agents die in 24 hours. One in New York at the United Nations, one in New Orleans, and one on the Caribbean island of San Monique. This may have something to do with the connection between President Kananga (Yaphet Kotto) of San Monique and Mr. Big, the mysterious crime lord of Harlem.
James Bond (Roger Moore) is assigned to investigate. He’s meant to work with Felix Leiter (David Hedison) of the CIA but Kananga knows Bond is coming thanks to the Tarot card readings of Solitaire (Jane Seymour). While the initial assassination attempt fails, Bond is not able to stop the wicked leader from departing with Solitaire and his henchmen Tee-Hee (Julius Harris), a man with a dangerous prosthetic arm, and Whisper (Earl Jolley Brown), who has a very quiet voice.
In San Monique, James Bond teams up with rookie CIA agent Rosie (Gloria Hendry) and boatman Quarrel, Jr. (Roy Stewart) son of Bond’s old ally who’d died on the island of Dr. No. After some back and forth, James leaves the island with Solitaire for New Orleans.
More action ensues, including an exciting boat chase across Louisiana, much to the chagrin of parish sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James). Solitaire is recaptured, and there is a return to San Monique, where Bond must battle Baron Samedi (Geoffrey Holder), who may or may not have the power of the loa. Time for the big finale!
This was Roger Moore’s first Bond movie, and some care was taken to show that his 007 was going to be a different style. No tuxedo, no hat, no martini, cigars instead of cigarettes. But a moment when Bond hears the phrase “Mrs. Bond” has a reaction that tells us this is still the same character who was in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The movie is a bit more over the top in some ways than Diamonds Are Forever but Moore’s James Bond isn’t quite as silly as he would get later.
The movie is a change-up in other ways. It’s closer to blaxploitation (a trend of the time) than the Cold War thrillers of the Connery years, and is the first time 007 kisses a black woman on screen (and has sex with her offscreen.) It was considered having Solitaire be black, but a few important markets such as South Africa would boycott the movie if there were on-screen interracial relations. So the minor character of Rosie got to be the black Bond girl and her romantic scenes with James were clipped in the disapproving markets.
Also, this is the only Bond movie where (maybe) the supernatural is real. Solitaire’s preternaturally good at predicting the future until for reasons she isn’t, and Baron Samedi is inexplicably alive after seeming to die.
There’s some great action and stunts, including that speedboat chase, and when Ross Kananga runs across the backs of crocodiles dressed as James Bond. (He was the owner of the crocodile farm the sequence was shot at and in gratitude they named the villain after him.)
Oh, and one of the top ten Bond theme songs, created by Paul McCartney and Wings. Don’t miss the nightclub version sung by Brenda Arnau.
Content notes: Loads of violence, often fatal, but not as gory as some of the other Bond movies. There is some blood in one scene though. Extramarital sex. People with ophidiophobia might want to skip as there are several scenes with snakes (at least one of which dies), plus there are crocodiles and sharks if you have problems with those. There’s an undercurrent of racism that’s kind of unavoidable, though it’s toned down from the book the story was adapted from, and ethnic slurs are kept to a minimum. The “voodoo” presented is of the Hollywood variety.
This is one of my favorite James Bond movies, and recommended to action fans.
