Live and Let Die

Director: Guy Hamilton Guy Hamilton

Overview

Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Lisa McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection.

Product Details

Release Date:	09/15/2015
UPC:	0883904333173
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	PG
Source:	Mgm (Video & Dvd)
Language:	English
Sales rank:	4,565

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Roger Moore	James Bond
Yaphet Kotto	Kananga
Jane Seymour	Solitaire
Julius W. Harris	Tee Hee,Teehee
Clifton James	Pepper
Geoffrey Holder	Baron Samedi
Bernard Lee	M
Lois Maxwell	Miss Moneypenny
David Hedison	Felix Leiter
Gloria Hendry	Rosie Carver
Tommy Lane	Adam
Roy Stewart	Quarrel Jr.
Lon Satton	Harold Strutter
Ruth Kempf	Mrs. Bell
Joie Chitwood	Charlie
Michael Ebbin	Dambala
Kubi Chaza	Actor
Earl Jolly Brown	Actor
Arnold Williams	Actor
Madeline Smith	Actor
B.J. Arnau	Actor,Singer
Robert Dix	Hamilton
James Drake	Dawes
Dennis Edwards	Baines
Stocker Fontelieu	Wedding Guest
Alvin Alcorn	New Orleans Assassin
Lewis Alexander	UN Delegate
Irvin Allen	Fillet of Soul Waiter - New York
Keith Forte	Clifftop Guard
Lance Gordon	Eddie, State Trooper
James Clifton	Actor
Lon Sutton	Actor

Technical Credits

Tom Mankiewicz

Ian Fleming

Guy Hamilton	Director
Bill Bennet	Stunts
Albert R. Broccoli	Producer
Joie Chitwood	Stunts
Jerry Comeaux	Stunts
Ross Kananga	Stunts
Derek Meddings	Special Effects
Roger Moore	Stunts
Harry Saltzman	Producer
Bob Simmons	Stunts
Eddie Smith	Stunts
Tom Mankiewicz	Screenwriter
Ian Fleming	Screenwriter
Ken Barker	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Timothy Kiefer	Special Effects
Christopher Lancaster	Sound Effects
Teddy Mason	Sound Effects
John W. Mitchell	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Jim Shields	Sound Effects
Charles Staffell	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

Roger Moore's debut as James Bond has action and style to spare, but sadly falls short in the areas of story and pacing. Tom Mankiewicz's script creates an interesting villain in Kananga and starts off with an exciting barrage of action scenes, but seems to lose its way as it hits the midway point, failing to come up with an inspired motive for Kananga's villainous actions and neglecting to create set pieces that live up to the excitement of the first half. A bigger problem is that the story deviates too far from the usual Bond story line to create a mish-mash that borrows too heavily from the popular genres of its time. The drug-smuggling angle of the script could have come from any blaxploitation film of the era and a lengthy New Orleans-set boat chase in the second hour abruptly and unconvincingly detours the film into goofy Smokey and the Bandit territory (complete with a silly redneck sheriff). Despite these problems, Live and Let Die remains watchable thanks to efficient direction from Guy Hamilton that makes the most of the script's action opportunities. The best moment in this vein is a hair-raising scene where Bond has to escape from a tiny sandbar that is surrounded by a squad of hungry alligators. Live and Let Die further benefits from the committed work of a game cast. Moore brings an appealing dry wit to the character of James Bond and Yaphet Kotto delivers an appropriately forceful performance as Kananga. In the end, Live and Let Die is probably a bit too dated and inconsistent for the casual viewer, but offers enough inspired moments to make it worthwhile for the hardcore James Bond fan.

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