With Diamonds are Forever as its starting point, the Bond series takes its first steps towards a revolution. Although Cubby Broccoli had yet to introduce the style , technique and humour that the Bond movies employed to define the 70's Action/Adventure movies,didn't untill The Spy Who Loved me [1977], the blueprints to all the greatest 70's Bond movies are very evident and apparent with Diamonds are Forever. From the very start of the fantastic pre-credits sequence in wich Bond hunts down Blofeld, presumably to avenge his wifes death [On Her Majesty's Secret Service, 1969], the claim is made that this is going to be lighter and more fun than anything on a Bond movie since Goldfinger [1964]. This is thanks to three important factors, Guy Hamilton who directed Goldfinger is back to direct his first Bond movie since the 1964 classic. With him Hamilton brings along alot of comic book orientated ideas and a wondefuly imaginative and humourous writer in Tom Manciewicz. Manciewicz is youthful and more American in his ways of writing and this gives Diamonds a fresh and polished feel to characters and action sequences. Sadly the script for Diamonds is one of the less involving and suspenseful of the series but no less enjoyable. The third factor in Diamonds success is the return of Sean Connery. Relaxed and re-energised after his hiatus from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Connery looks to be enjoying himself, and this seems to be an inspiration to the rest of the cast and the overall look of the movie. In truth, Diamonds Are Forever is one of the most enjoyable and original of the entire Bond series.
It would have been nice perhaps that in the wake of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby and OHMSS's Director Peter Hunt had returned to do a follow up revenge story in wich Bond avenges Tersa [Diana Rigg] who was shot in the final moments of OHMSS. Sadly this wasn't to be. In its place we have the next best thing. Connery is back, the action is more fast and lighter, the sets are bigger and the characters are larger than life. Central to the success of the well written characters is the way in wich they are played, and Diamonds comes up with a killer cast. Charles Gray who was fantastic as a support in You Only Live Twice turns on the charm as a very subdued and eerie Blofeld. Perhaps working against Gray is the fact that the ghost of Telly Savalas, the best of the Blofelds echoes through the movie. Gray however is very comanding and humourous in the movie and it is refreshing to see a different look and style to the character. Equally impressive is Jill St John as Tiffany Case. St John comes over like Lucy from Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoons and in most movies this would seem out of place but gives Diamonds the humourous edge it needs. As efficient as St John is Lana Wood as Plenty O Toole. Wood is beautiful for the part and has a very apealing charm. Manciewicz provides Connery with one of the all time great Bond one-liners in conversation with Wood "Hi Im Plenty, Plenty O Toole" exclaims wood "After your father Perhaps" inquires Connery. Were as most Bonds give us one hench men, Diamonds gives us two, and homesexual ones at that. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd as portrayed by Bruce Glover and Putter Smith respectively are two of the most original creations of the action movie genre. The come across as some sort of Stoned Laurel and Hardy and again add to the humour and are vicious and nasty creations underneath the fun. Finally there is Jimmy Dean the Country music superstar who turns up here as the Howard Hughes clone Willard Whyte. Dean seems at first out of place in a Bond movie but eventually grows upon you as the humour escelates. Like most Bond movies there is at least one performance that doesn't work : Norman Burton as Felix Leiter. Burton has none of the style and charm Rick Van Nutter had in the role or the appeal that David Hedison would go on to have in future Bond movies. Burton is with out a doubt the worst of all the Leiters.
Add to all this the wondeful backdrop of Las Vegas. Vegas contains one of the most flashy glamorous settings for a Bond movie, and it is easy to believe what is going on there. Ken Adams sets are again a joy to marvel at, particularly Blofelds fortress at the movies climax and individual creations like the Moonbuggy, an ugly creation intentionally so. Guy Hamilton gets the direction right with the action sequences, and Connery once again in control of things throws himself enthusiastically into the role of Bond, more humour from Connery than we have ever seen before, and the action sequences once agin pack the punch. Diamonds however contains quite a few mistakes wich at times is distracting, the one obvious mistake is the sequence in the car chase in Vegas wich see's Bond and Plenty in a red sports car through a narrow alley, in order to fit in the car tilts to one side on its left wheels and an insert shot shows it tilting to its right side. Anyone who has ever tried that knows it is impossible! Mistakes come and go but with the pace so energetic you hardly notice. To support the energetic pace is John Barry's whirling and absorbing themes, a few notches down from them of OHMSS, But still efficient and mesmerising, and there is the traditional theme song, another classic sung with amazing skill by Shirley Bassey {Goldfinger].
Diamonds are Forever isn't all plain sailing. The plot of the movie is quite difficult at first to get stuck into, and as the characters a quite fresh and original it is difficult to appreciate them at first but they grow on you with time. The script as with You Only Live Twice has Bond struggling to grasp a space weapon from the hands of Blofeld, wich seems like an old song sung over. Thanks to Tom Manciewicz's fresh and enjoyable screenplay nothing seems tired, and Guy Hamilton milks everything he can from Comic Book/Pop Art humour and action. Manciewicz would later employ as simmilar writing style into Live and Let Die [1973] Superman:The Movie [1978] and Superman II [1980], but it is with Diamonds that he learned his trade. It is quite sad to see Sean Connery in his last official and EON Bond movie. But at least he went out with a bang and not a whimper. Over the years he BECAME Jmaes Bond and if it wasn't for the likes of Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan the series may have ended with him. Connery is fantastic in Diamonds are Forever, wich is a very enjoyable and well made movie, and a great start for Bond in the 1970's.
You know what they say Sean, Never Say Never Again.
It would have been nice perhaps that in the wake of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby and OHMSS's Director Peter Hunt had returned to do a follow up revenge story in wich Bond avenges Tersa [Diana Rigg] who was shot in the final moments of OHMSS. Sadly this wasn't to be. In its place we have the next best thing. Connery is back, the action is more fast and lighter, the sets are bigger and the characters are larger than life. Central to the success of the well written characters is the way in wich they are played, and Diamonds comes up with a killer cast. Charles Gray who was fantastic as a support in You Only Live Twice turns on the charm as a very subdued and eerie Blofeld. Perhaps working against Gray is the fact that the ghost of Telly Savalas, the best of the Blofelds echoes through the movie. Gray however is very comanding and humourous in the movie and it is refreshing to see a different look and style to the character. Equally impressive is Jill St John as Tiffany Case. St John comes over like Lucy from Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoons and in most movies this would seem out of place but gives Diamonds the humourous edge it needs. As efficient as St John is Lana Wood as Plenty O Toole. Wood is beautiful for the part and has a very apealing charm. Manciewicz provides Connery with one of the all time great Bond one-liners in conversation with Wood "Hi Im Plenty, Plenty O Toole" exclaims wood "After your father Perhaps" inquires Connery. Were as most Bonds give us one hench men, Diamonds gives us two, and homesexual ones at that. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd as portrayed by Bruce Glover and Putter Smith respectively are two of the most original creations of the action movie genre. The come across as some sort of Stoned Laurel and Hardy and again add to the humour and are vicious and nasty creations underneath the fun. Finally there is Jimmy Dean the Country music superstar who turns up here as the Howard Hughes clone Willard Whyte. Dean seems at first out of place in a Bond movie but eventually grows upon you as the humour escelates. Like most Bond movies there is at least one performance that doesn't work : Norman Burton as Felix Leiter. Burton has none of the style and charm Rick Van Nutter had in the role or the appeal that David Hedison would go on to have in future Bond movies. Burton is with out a doubt the worst of all the Leiters.
Add to all this the wondeful backdrop of Las Vegas. Vegas contains one of the most flashy glamorous settings for a Bond movie, and it is easy to believe what is going on there. Ken Adams sets are again a joy to marvel at, particularly Blofelds fortress at the movies climax and individual creations like the Moonbuggy, an ugly creation intentionally so. Guy Hamilton gets the direction right with the action sequences, and Connery once again in control of things throws himself enthusiastically into the role of Bond, more humour from Connery than we have ever seen before, and the action sequences once agin pack the punch. Diamonds however contains quite a few mistakes wich at times is distracting, the one obvious mistake is the sequence in the car chase in Vegas wich see's Bond and Plenty in a red sports car through a narrow alley, in order to fit in the car tilts to one side on its left wheels and an insert shot shows it tilting to its right side. Anyone who has ever tried that knows it is impossible! Mistakes come and go but with the pace so energetic you hardly notice. To support the energetic pace is John Barry's whirling and absorbing themes, a few notches down from them of OHMSS, But still efficient and mesmerising, and there is the traditional theme song, another classic sung with amazing skill by Shirley Bassey {Goldfinger].
Diamonds are Forever isn't all plain sailing. The plot of the movie is quite difficult at first to get stuck into, and as the characters a quite fresh and original it is difficult to appreciate them at first but they grow on you with time. The script as with You Only Live Twice has Bond struggling to grasp a space weapon from the hands of Blofeld, wich seems like an old song sung over. Thanks to Tom Manciewicz's fresh and enjoyable screenplay nothing seems tired, and Guy Hamilton milks everything he can from Comic Book/Pop Art humour and action. Manciewicz would later employ as simmilar writing style into Live and Let Die [1973] Superman:The Movie [1978] and Superman II [1980], but it is with Diamonds that he learned his trade. It is quite sad to see Sean Connery in his last official and EON Bond movie. But at least he went out with a bang and not a whimper. Over the years he BECAME Jmaes Bond and if it wasn't for the likes of Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan the series may have ended with him. Connery is fantastic in Diamonds are Forever, wich is a very enjoyable and well made movie, and a great start for Bond in the 1970's.
You know what they say Sean, Never Say Never Again.