Even
though Roger Moore played many roles, he was best known for playing James Bond;
and he made an indelible impression on the character. To honor the memory of the now sadly late
Roger Moore, I have been giving my thoughts on his Bond movies. Let me continue on now with where I left off last time.
“Moonraker” (1979)
First
of all, I already shared my favorite scene from this film in the blog on May
25th that I titled “The iconic career of Roger Moore” so if you missed that,
check it out. Moonraker is generally
panned as a disappointment, when in truth, for years Moonraker was the highest
grossing Bond film ever made. The
critics want to shred the story; they ask, “What is James Bond doing in
space?” What the detractors of this film
don’t seem to understand is the historical context. The original “Star Wars” trilogy was taking
the world of cinema by storm. The James
Bond producers incorporated elements of Star Wars into this story because it
was something that everyone was interested in.
And, once again, this idea worked as Moonraker was a massive hit.
Personally,
I don’t understand the unbridled hate that Moonraker receives. The story is well crafted. Not only is Roger Moore fantastic as 007
as usual, there is a memorable main villain; there is a competent love interest
for Bond; there is the welcome return of Jaws; and there is an exciting conclusion
where Bond saves millions of lives. Am I
suggesting that this film is a flawless movie?
No, I’m not saying that at all.
But it is not worthy of all the bad press it receives.
“For Your Eyes Only” (1981)
This
film – that was released the year I was born – is another top notch Roger Moore
Bond film. One of highlights of this one
for me is the Bond girl, Melina Havlock (played capably by Carole Bouquet). She witnesses the brutal murder of her
parents; this event launches her into seeking vengeance. Interestingly, it is Bond who repeatedly
discourages her from this course of action.
He says to her, “The Chinese have a saying: “Before setting out on
revenge, you first dig two graves.”” At
the pivotal moment, when she has the chance to get her revenge, Bond speaks up,
“No, Melina, that’s not the answer.”
This
storyline of cherishing human life – even the life of someone who doesn’t
deserve it and did something reprehensible – is a message that is regularly presented
on superhero shows like “The Flash” and “Supergirl” but it is refreshing to see
it presented in a James Bond film. It
reinforces what I highlighted in my comments on “The Man with the Golden Gun”. James Bond has a license to kill when he has
to do so, but it is a responsibility that he doesn’t relish or take lightly.
“Octopussy” (1983)
First
of all, I am ashamed of this title. I
think the original Ian Fleming book that this film was loosely based on was
titled “Property of a Lady” and that is a much better title. I feel like a parent should have pulled
whoever decided to call this movie what they did aside and say, “We don’t use
words like that.” It’s certainly not
fitting of the dignified, sophisticated James Bond.
However,
even though I don’t like the title, I love the film. I think this is one of Roger Moore’s best
performances as James Bond. One of the
memorable scenes is when Bond finds a bomb at a
circus. To find it, he has to dress up
as a clown. He finds the bomb,
and he disarms it while still dressed as a clown. This scene could have come across as
ludicrous and comical, but it is actually tense and humorless. Some want to criticize Moore for not being
serious enough as James Bond. I don’t
agree with this criticism. I would point
them to the bomb storyline in this film to give just one example (and there are
many other examples as well); while Moore’s Bond may have cracked jokes, when
things got serious, so did he.
“A View to a Kill” (1985)
There’s
no other way to say it: in Roger’s last Bond film he was overshadowed. Christopher Walken performance as the main
villain, Max Zorin, is just off the charts.
Zorin is so insane, unpredictable, and maniacal that he just makes the
audience shake their head in disbelief.
I think Zorin is the most monstrous, unhinged, and deranged Bond villain
in the Roger Moore era. Bond and Zorin’s battle reminds me of a battle that
Batman might have with the Joker. Just how
far is the Joker going to go in his mayhem before Batman finally stops
him?
Bond,
somewhat uncharacteristically, can’t hide his obvious contempt for Zorin. In one scene, after Zorin lays out his plan,
Bond sarcastically states, “Brilliant, I’m almost speechless with admiration.” The disdain for the madman clearly etched on
his face. At one point, he calls Zorin a
“psychopath.” True enough. But in the end, Bond saves countless lives by
sabotaging Zorin’s mad plan, and finally defeating him on the Golden Gate
Bridge. In fact, Zorin is so memorable
that he is referenced in the 2004 James Bond video game “Everything or Nothing”
(a game where Pierce Brosnan actually gave his voice to the project,
effectively providing a final performance as 007). Bond remarks that the two of them “once
played bridge together; he lost.”
In
conclusion to all this, Roger Moore is an important part of the legacy of James
Bond – and vice versa. In a pamphlet of
the special edition DVD for the film “Live and Let Die” it reads, “For an
entire generation of moviegoers, Roger Moore is the Agent 007, he…anchored many of the series’ greatest successes.” Well stated. For many, to paraphrase Carly Simon, “nobody
did it better” than Roger Moore.
Kevin
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