Review: "Octopussy" Not Quite an All Time High in Bond Franchise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

Octopussy (1983)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  U.K.
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:  John Glen
WRITERS:  George MacDonald Fraser and Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson (based on short stories and the characters created by Ian Fleming)
PRODUCER:  Albert R. Broccoli
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alan Hume (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Peter Davies and Henry Richardson
COMPOSER:  John Barry
THEME SONG:  “All Time High” – Lyrics by Tim Rice, music by John Barry, and sung by Rita Coolidge

SPY/DRAMA

Starring:  Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Louis Jourdan, Kristina Wayborn, Kabir Bedi, Steven Berkoff, David Meyer, Anthony Meyer, Vijay Amritraj, Albert Moses, Desmond Llewelyn, Lois Maxwell, Geoffrey Keen, and Robert Brown

This year is the 30th anniversary of the release of Octopussy, the 1983 James Bond film and British spy drama (specifically June 6, 1983).  Octopussy is also the 13th film in the James Bond film series, and the sixth time that actor Roger Moore portrayed fictional M16 agent James Bond, codenamed 007.

Octopussy is based on two short stories written by James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming, “Octopussy” and “The Property of a Lady.”  ‘Octopussy” appeared in the James Bond short story collection, Octopussy and the Living Daylights (1966).  “The Property of a Lady” was included in later editions of Octopussy and the Living Daylights.

In Octopussy the movie, 007 uncovers a terrorist plot tied to an international jewelry smuggling operation.  This is not a great Bond movie, but it is one I greatly enjoy, although I am not sure if I have watched it since it first appeared in movie theatres.

British agent 009 dies in West Berlin after being stabbed.  He is found wearing a clown costume and carrying a fake Fabergé egg.  James Bond, Agent 007 (Roger Moore) follows the trail of the fake egg to an auction of a real Fabergé egg.  There, Bond encounters Kamal Kahn (Louis Jourdan), an exiled Afghan prince.  Bond is attracted to one of Kahn’s associates, Magda (Kristina Wayborn), a beautiful young woman with a tattoo of a blue-ringed octopus on her back.

Magda leads Bond to the mysterious Octopussy (Maud Adams), a wealthy woman who leads an octopus cult, of which Magda is part.  Now, Bond must discover the connection between Octopussy, Kahn, and General Orlov (Steven Berkoff), a renegade Soviet general, and why that connection may mean a deadly attack on NATO forces in Europe.

The James Bond movies in which Roger Moore played 007 are not like other Bond movies, especially the latter half of Moore’s tenure.  Moore always seems like he’s having a good time, half-smiling and with a wink and a nod to the audience.  The audiences at the time of these films initial theatrical releases apparently enjoyed Moore as Bond, as the movies were successful.

Octopussy, however, is strange, and not just because of the salacious title.  First, the subject matter – the threat of an act of nuclear terrorism, and especially the threat of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union – was quite serious at the time because of its real world implications.  The movie is fairly violent, with several killings, and Bond even shoots a young soldier (who looks as if he is little more than a kid in his early 20s), point blank, right in the middle of his forehead, killing him.

At the same time, Octopussy is often humorous and sometimes plays like a spy comedy.  There is over-the-top silliness (like the Tarzan yell), some tongue-in-cheek humor (the gorilla and clown costumes), some gallows humor (the killing of a man in a clown costume), and some satirical humor (in the form of General Orlov, who seems as if he belongs in the film, Dr. Strangelove).

Octopussy is also a good-looking movie, especially because of the exotic Indian locales, in which much of the film was shot.  The interiors of Kamal Kahn’s “Monsoon Palace” and Octopussy’s hideaway are like that of high-end, luxury hotels.  All the costumes, from Bond’s attire and the military uniforms to the slinky and revealing wear of Octopussy and her harem, are eye-catching.

Octopussy’s villains aren’t great Bond bad guys, although Louis Jourdan’s suave turn as Kamal Kahn is a nice odd note.  But odd is the way to describe Octopussy, and that may be why it has a special place in my movie lover’s heart.  As a recommendation, I’d say, “Hell, see it for the girls and for Octopussy herself (nicely played by Maud Adams).”

7 of 10
B+

Friday, August 09, 2013

Review: Roger Moore Still Cool in "For Your Eyes Only" (Remembering Sir Ian Fleming)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 54 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

For Your Eyes Only (1981)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:  U.K.
Running time: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:  John Glen
WRITERS:  Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson (based on short stories and the characters created by Ian Fleming)
PRODUCER:  Albert R. Broccoli
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alan Hume (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  John Grover
COMPOSER:  Bill Conti
THEME SONG:  “For Your Eyes Only” – Lyrics by Michael Lesson, music by Bill Conti, and sung by Sheen Easton
Academy Award nominee

SPY/DRAMA

Starring:  Roger Moore, Carole Bouquet, Topol, Lynn-Holly Johnson, Julian Glover, Jill Bennett, Michael Gothard, John Wyman, Lois Maxwell, Desmond Llewelyn, Geoffrey Keen, and James Villiers

The first James Bond movie that I watched in a movie theater was For Your Eyes Only, the 1981 British spy drama.  For Your Eyes Only was also the 12th film in the James Bond film series.

For Your Eyes Only is based on two short stories written by James Bond’s creator, Ian Fleming.  The two stories, “For Your Eyes Only” and “Risico,” both appeared in the James Bond short story collection, For Your Eyes Only (1960).  For Your Eyes Only the movie follows James Bond-Agent 007 as he hunts for a lost British encryption device before it falls into enemy hands.

For Your Eyes Only centers on a special object that was aboard the British electronic surveillance ship, St. Georges.  This is the ATAC – Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator.  The ATAC can order submarines to launch ballistic missiles.  The St. Georges is sunk by a naval mine in the Ionian Sea.  If the ATAC falls in the wrong hands, such as Soviet Union and the KGB, they could render the British Royal Navy’s Polaris submarine fleet useless.

Now, MI6 agent, James Bond, codename “007” (Roger Moore), must retrieve the ATAC before the bad guys get it.  After the first British ally in the ATAC matter is killed, 007 tracks a Cuban hit man to Spain where the assassin meets another hired killer, Emile Leopold Locque (Michael Gothard).  Following Locque takes 007 into the shadowy Greek criminal underworld, where allies might be adversaries, but where adversaries can also be allies.  As 007 gets closer to finding the ATAC, he meets several beautiful women, including the vengeance-seeking Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) and the lusty young figure skater, Bibi Dahl (Lynn-Holly Johnson), who just can’t wait to get James Bond in bed.

As a youngster, I liked Roger Moore; he was my favorite James Bond, largely because he was the first Bond I ever saw.  I’ve changed my mind over the years, going from one favorite Bond actor to another.  [I’m currently crazy about Daniel Craig.]  Prior to recently watching For Your Eyes Only, I had not watched a Roger Moore Bond movie in well over a decade, partly because I thought that I wouldn’t like them.  Maybe, as a kid, I was more accepting of things for which people often criticized the Roger Moore-James Bond movies:  the over-the-top stories, campy qualities (to varying degrees), and the silly sci-fi/fantasy elements.

For Your Eyes Only surprised me, however.  I enjoyed it, and only found a little of it silly.  Its prudently-staged violence and edited-for-television sex and sexual innuendo are actually a bit charming.  The best of For Your Eyes Only are the action set pieces.  The stunt coordinators and crew should be commended for turning some comically-conceived action scenes into sequences that make this a better movie.

As for Roger Moore:  at that point in time, For Your Eyes Only was Moore’s fifth turn as Bond (out of seven).  He is just a bit too old for the role, but in the film, he looks up to the challenge.  Yeah, his charisma has a waxed-fruit quality, and his debonair air is a bit musty.  Still, Moore as Bond knows that he is too old for one of the women looking to bed a secret agent, and that counts for something.  Moore knows his limits, and at least, he seems determined to reach them, never giving less than the best of himself.  It seems, at least, that way to me.

Now, I know that I can watch and enjoy For Your Eyes Only again without waiting decades, and I’m ready for more Moore.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
1982 Academy Awards, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Music, Original Song” (Bill Conti-music and Michael Leeson-lyrics for the song "For Your Eyes Only")

1982 Golden Globes, USA:  1 nomination: “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Bill Conti-music and Michael Leeson-lyrics for the song "For Your Eyes Only")

Wednesday, August 07, 2013

Review: First Bond Film, "Dr. No" Still the Blueprint

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 11 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Dr. No (1962)
Running time: 110 minutes (1 hour, 50 minutes)
DIRECTOR: Terence Young
WRITERS: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather (based on the novel by Ian Fleming)
PRODUCERS: Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Ted Moore (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Peter Hunt
COMPOSER: Monty Norman

SPY/DRAMA

Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee, Anthony Dawson, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmuller, Lois Maxwell, and Louis Blaazer

Last year (2012) was the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the 1962 James Bond film and British spy drama. This movie, the first in the James Bond film series, was based on Ian Fleming’s 1958 novel, Dr. No.

The novel was adapted by three screenwriters: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather, from a treatment written by Wolf Mankowitz, who did not receive a screen credit. Dr. No’s director, Terence Young, also contributed to the screenplay. Dr. No was also notable for John Barry’s now-famous arrangement of the James Bond theme, which was written by Dr. No’s composer, Monty Norman.

As Dr. No begins, John Strangways, the British Intelligence Station Chief in Jamaica, is murdered. In response, British MI6 agent, James Bond (Sean Connery), codenamed 007, is summoned to the office of M (Bernard Lee), his superior. M sends Bond to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Strangways. Bond is also told to cooperate with American CIA agent, Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), in order to determine if the recent disruptions of rocket launches from Cape Canaveral is related to Strangways’ disappearance.

Bond’s investigation in Jamaica keeps returning to a mysterious figure known as Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who has a mining operation on the nearby island of Crab Key. With the help of Quarrel (John Kitzmuller), a local tour guide (of sorts), Bond heads to Crab Key to investigate Dr. No. There, Bond also meets Honey Rider (Ursula Andress), a local shell diver and the first “Bond girl.”

It had been many years since I last saw Dr. No, and even longer since I first read Fleming’s novel. After recently seeing the film again, I was shocked by how fresh the movie seems. It helps that the new restoration, re-mastering, or re-whatever makes the film seem to sparkle and its colors pop as if they were taken from a painting.

Beyond that, the film is clean in its execution, with a simple, straightforward narrative. Dr. No’s smooth pace allows the viewer to get to know Bond, which was important for both this movie and for selling future Bond films. Dr. No’s concise pace also allows the viewer to get to know the colorful supporting characters. I loved the laconic British home secretary, Pleydell-Smith (Louis Blaazer).

Dr. No is, of course, not like modern Bond films, which are full of explosive, kinetic action and wall-to-wall special visual effects. This is a spy drama on a slow, cool burn. For me, Dr. No is the blueprint from which all other Bond movies (and quite a few other spy films) sprang. No matter how loud other Bond films got or how much they looked like science fiction movies, they owe practically everything they are to this first Bond theatrical film.

Time has not tamed the Sean Connery that stars as 007 in this film. He’s a crouching tiger and one cool cat. He’s still the boss, and Dr. No remains a classic and a treasure.

9 of 10
A+

NOTES:
1964 Golden Globes, USA: 1 win: “Most Promising Newcomer – Female” [Ursula Andress – shared with Tippi Hedren for The Birds (1963) and Elke Sommer for The Prize (1963)]

Saturday, February 09, 2013