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It's faithfully adapted from the book, again, it's one of my favorites, and I applaud Hunt for adhering to the book, but I think as a director (I know he'd worked as an editor before, but being a director is a different job), this was Hunt's first film, his debut, so his inexperience when it comes to handling more wider parts is obvious, he's still a rookie in this film, after all.
When it comes to his non-Bond films (Gold and Shout At The Devil for example), I think he just kind of failed, really, his main mantra was editing, it's like authors cannot be scriptwriters, look at Hemingway, he's a great author but when he wrote a script (forgot the name of that film), it turned out to be terrible.
Just like Hunt, I applaud the guy, he saved OHMSS from Hamilton directing the film (please, no), and made the film closer to the source material, but when it comes to the more deeper responsibilities of a director, that's when his flaws are coming.
Oh yes, I wished he directed DAF as a revenge sequel, I'd liked to, but if that means of him handling Lazenby, to which he failed before, I doubt it would've been successful, I'd rather have Lazenby return with a different director who understands him and knows how to manage and guide him.
And what makes OHMSS worked aside from Hunt were Michael Reed, Syd Cain, and other staffs, they're the ones who made OHMSS, and without them, it wouldn't worked.
Michael Reed is the cinematographer
Syd Cain is the set designer
Richard Maibaum is the scriptwriter, along with Simon Raven.
So, really, it's not just Peter Hunt who worked in it to be great as it is, so Hunt returning for DAF would've been the same, because it's still the same staff like Mankiewicz, Ted Moore, and etc.
In any cases, Hunt's directorial vision was translated to the screen thanks to Michael Reed and John Glen (editing was the major part of Hunt's directorial vision). With Hunt returning, both men would probably have been back and I would have easily preferred to see this trio over Hamilton & Moore. With or without a script written by Mankiewicz.
Authors turned screenwriters... A few who won awards screenwriting...
Agatha Christie
George RR Martin
Joan Didion
Mario Pizzo
Michael Christin
Nic Pileggi
Gillian Flynn
F Scott Fitzgerald
Margaret Atwood
William Faulkner
John Steinbeck
Comac McCarthy
Truman Capote
Ray Bradbury
William Goldman
Roald Dahl
Nick Hornby
....
As @Herr_Stockmann wrote it may well have been the case that those individuals (or some of them) would have returned with Hunt at the helm. Also a director’s method of working with all the individual departments (editing, cinematography etc) is what allows that coherent creative ‘vision’ of a film. Without Hunt the film may well have been different even with those other members of the crew. We know Raven likely wouldn’t have been hired as it was Hunt’s idea to bring him in.
Also being an editor was and still is one of the most common pathways to being a director. You get a good sense of how different actors work seeing all the raw footage of the performance as well as knowing what to look for in each take. So I don’t think that’s a fair criticism of Hunt. Some of the best directors of all time started as editors.
why? I mean... why? They just made YOLT and Las vegas was in the DAF novel.
Broccoli and Saltzman didn't seem to be bother since they even considered to follow YOLT with an adaptation of TMWTGG set in Cambodia (or at least according to Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn, the authors of Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: the Unofficial James Bond Film Companion).
Regarding DAF,if you want to learn about the early drafts. A draft was mainly set in Bangkok, another in India. I guess, at the time, Broccoli and Saltzman thought that Las Vegas wasn't exotic enough for the audience.
OMG! Now I know why they hired Mankiewicz.
I agree with their initial assessment.
I think Blofeld might have had ulterior motives in romancing Tracy. Remember that her father is a Corsican mafioso, and that she stands to inherit quite a hefty sum. So, if Blofeld manages to seduce her, he stands to gain quite a lot in contacts and money.
Tracy doesn't care about Blofeld's aspirations because she's already a countess.
Lets move on to the first of the Roger Moore era. Celebrating 50 years, lets discuss Live and Let Die.
The screen adaption of this book was always going to be tricky given the tone of the book and the subject matter. The producers decided to take the film in the vein of blaxploitation films of the time. We got some voodoo, some heroin, a whole lot of chases and a new Bond.
Were there missed opportunities? Did the film miss a chance to do something different?
At one point Diana Ross was considered for the role of Solitaire. We have a score by George Martin as John Barry was unavailable to score this film. Does it hit the mark? For the first time since FRWL we have no Q appearance. Lots of meat on this bone for discussion.
What are the missed opportunities of Live and Let Die?
The film is one that seems to capture the 70's vibe quite well. The crazy fashion in this film firmly places it in the early 70's.
I would say they missed an opportunity to trim down the boat chase. To my mind it goes on a bit too long and loses the tension about mid way through. The large jump, which set a record for a boat jump is shot in a way that it doesn't have the feel of a world record jump. That is where I think they could have trimmed some time and increased the tension of the chase.
I agree with you on the boat chase. There's WAY TOO MUCH screen time focused on Sheriff JW Pepper. I'd switch Pepper with Felix Leiter, as the leader of the boat chase. It could show how much their friendship means to each other.
Oyster chicken coop driver stops at the patrol car pile-up and produces his very real and very valid driver's licence to one disgruntled (and upside-down) sheriff. Words are said and chicken coop driver finds himself making his way back to the jalopy rather swiftly, stepping faster with each consecutive profanity.
So if you read the latest issue of MI6 Confidential magazine (no. 69) it details the background to this photo! It seems when the crew were filming the boat chase, the local Coast Guard were on duty and invited Moore on board their 'mini battleship' for a tour! Moore was encouraged to pose behind this gun for fun, by the many photographers who were following the shoot! Apparently one of these photos made its way to the desk of artist Robert McGinnis who thought it would look cool in one of his poster designs, obviously unaware it was unrelated to the film!
I agree, it would be an interesting addition for an action scene. Just don't use ThunderBall as an influence!
I agree. However, that's usually the case, Jaws is a rare exception for me.
LALD looks like a cheap adaptation. I don't know why, the book was good.
That's a good one @Herr_Stockmann I agree. I know after the issues with George and the comparisons to Connery they went out of their way to make this a different Bond. As such no grand introduction of Bond. No martini's shaken not stirred, no tuxedos, etc.
Maybe they over-compensated, plus Roger signed up for 3 or 4 films before a single frame was shot. He was going to be Bond whether the public liked it or not, thankfully they liked it!
I think they did overcompensate, and not having Q and Moneypenny (and M, in LALD) in the traditional office setting when Moore started seems a mistake, in retrospect...
I have to disagree. I think that opening briefing sequence is a gem, and instantly there's a good prickly relationship between M and Bond, plus the added bonus of Miss Caruso!!!
This sequence is like a Flint movie.
LALD looks like The Saint too.