007/ 50: birthday Bonding #2 ~ rare but brilliant images of Blighty’s finest (1970s)

Breaking out the bubbly: as their faces suggest, this scene with Roger Moore and Barbara Bach may have gone wrong thanks to an overexcited champagne bottle, but don’t be fooled: The Spy Who Loved was a terrific return to form in a decade just as turbulent for 007 as everyone else

So, on we go, folks, it’s the second of the four posts celebrating not only the second birthday of this blog, but also the 50th of the cinematic James Bond. And the specific subject of this specific post? The 007s of the ’70s.

In the ’70s, the big-screen Bond was a victim of many of things that many peeps in the far less glamorous, far less exciting real world were too. On the lighter, semi-nostalgic side there were plenty of flares, safari suits and disco music, but on the more serious side by the middle of the decade the Bond films were threatened by econimic problems stemming from the break-up of Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman’s producer relationship; the latter, almost bankrupt, was forced to sell to the former his interest in the series, holding up production of next movie, The Spy Who Loved Me.

Spy had been preceded by Connery’s final ‘official’ fling in the role in the shape of the silly but sassy Diamonds Are Forever, then by the voodoo-inspired Live And Let Die and the admittedly lacklustre The Man With The Golden Gun. These two efforts had been TV star Roger Moore‘s first foray into the world of superspy superstardom; far lighter than Connery he may’ve been, but his box-office appeal seemed to be no less heavy. And in Spy, which turned out to be surely one of the very best of the entire series, he truly found his feet, alongside the steel-teethed giant henchman Jaws and several stolen submarines. Clearly then, once more the only way was up for Bond – indeed, it was outer space for him next in the campy-as-hell Carry On-esque romp that was Moonraker. The ’70s and 007? After the ’60s it may not have seemed it, but it really was kismet…

PASS MOUSE over images for more information/ CLICK on them for full size

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Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Directed by: Guy Hamilton; Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R Broccoli; Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz – loosely adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming (1956)/ Locations: Antibes, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Oceanside, Black Rock Desert and Nevada Desert, USA; Dover and Pinewood Studios, UK/ Cast includes: Sean Connery (James Bond); Jill St. John (Tiffany Case); Charles Gray (Ernst Stavro Blofeld); Lana Wood (Plenty O’Toole); Bruce Glover (Mr Wint); Putter Smith (Mr Kidd); Trina Parks (Thumper); Denise Perrier (Marie)

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Live And Let Die (1973)

Directed by: Guy Hamilton; Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R Broccoli; Screenplay by: Tom Mankiewicz – loosely adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming (1954)/ Locations: New York City, New Orleans and Louisiana Bayou, USA; Cornwall, Falmouth Lagoon, Half Moon Bay, Spring Valley and St. Ann, Jamaica; Pinewood Studios, UK/ Cast includes: Roger Moore (James Bond); Jane Seymour (Solitaire); Julius W Harris (Tee Hee); Gloria Hendry (Rosie Carver); Geoffrey Holder (Baron Samedi); Madeline Smith (Agent Caruso)

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The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

Directed by: Guy Hamilton; Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R Broccoli; Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz – loosely adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming (1965)/ Locations: Hong Kong and Macau, China; Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand; Pinewood Studios, UK/ Cast includes: Roger Moore (James Bond); Christopher Lee (Francisco Scaramanga); Britt Ekland (Mary Goodnight); Maud Adams (Andrea Anders); Hervé Villechaize (Nick Nack)

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The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert; Produced by: Albert R Broccoli; Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum and Christopher Wood – title taken from the novel by Ian Fleming (1962); Production designed by: Ken Adam/ Locations: St. Moritz, Switzerland and Mount Asgard, Canada (pre-title sequence ski chance and jump); Cairo, Giza, Luxor and Abu Simbel, Egypt; Sardinia, Italy; The Bahamas (underwater sequences); Faslane Naval Base and Pinewood Studios, UK/ Cast includes: Roger Moore (James Bond); Barbara Bach (Major Anya Amasova); Richard Kiel (Jaws); Caroline Munro (Naomi); Bernard Lee (M); Walter Gotell (General Gogol); Valerie Leon (Hotel Receptionist); Sue Vanner (Log Cabin Girl); Anika Pavel, Dawn Rodrigues and Felicity York (Bedouin Tent Girls)

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Moonraker (1979)

Directed by: Lewis Gilbert; Produced by: Albert R Broccoli; Screenplay by: Christopher Wood – title and other elements taken from the novel by Ian Fleming (1955); Title song performed by: Shirley Bassey/ Locations: Venice, Italy; Rio de Janeiro and Iguaçu Falls, Brazil; Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte, Paris Studios Cinéma, Studios de Boulogne-Billancourt and Studios Eclair, Paris, France; Pinewood Studios, UK/ Cast includes: Roger Moore (James Bond); Lois Chiles (Dr Holly Goodhead); Michael Lonsdale (Hugo Drax); Richard Kiel (Jaws); Corinne Clery (Corinne Dufour); Blanche Ravalec (Dolly); Irka Bochenko, Françoise Gayat, Christina Hui, Chichinou Kaeppler, Beatrice Libert, Nicaise Jean Louis, Anne Lonnberg and Catherine Serre (Drax’s Girls)

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