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Comments
The last time I watched LALD all the way through was as a double bill with GF...and I was left in no doubt which film has aged better.
His direction were just too boring.
True that actually. And when I said it's underrated I don't mean it's hated on necessarily, but I always think of it to be a bit above average for a Bond film. When a Bond film is unique for the right reasons, it's a good Bond film in my book.
It'd be fine, if there were some black good guys to balance it out. But even Rosie turns out to be working for the villains. There was Quarrel Jr but he wasn't much of a character and I'm not sure he really evens it out. And then there's that bit where Bond's in the cab and a bunch of randomers on the street are revealed to be in league with the villain: and every one of them is black. Kananga, Tee Hee and co fair enough but does every black man in Harlem need to be working with them? I get that mainly black people live there but surely there's room in Kananga's business for one or two white henchmen?. I don't really get worked up about it though because it's of it's time, same as the dodgy bits in Flemings books, but it does irritate me.
I read on here a few weeks ago that Rosie was meant to be white, and Solitaire black. It's a shame that the producers felt the need to change this.
Wasn't Diana Ross mentioned as a potential Solitaire?
Yeah Harold Strutter.
This is because they filmed the books out of order. In the novels Quarrel is in LALD and Dr No. But the producers filmed Dr No first so when they decided to adapt LALD, they invented the character of Quarrel Jr since they'd already killed off Quarrel.
I see; thanks for letting me know. I haven't read the books; so that was a good idea in the films.
Hey man, nothing is ever enough to appease the race komissars.
The double take crap is in MR, not Glen's films.
I'm more bothered by the fact that the main ally dies in ALL five of Glen's films.
Vijay in OP
Tibbett in AVTAK
Saunders in TLD
Sharkey in LTK
:))
Neither was Luigi. he was just there for a minute then poof.
Good point.
And also Sanchez had the Stinger missiles,threatening to shoot down a commercial airliner dont forget,which Bond had no idea about until half way through.
A nice little twist in the plot.
A Bond essay published in my country stated that Saltzman and Broccoli were afraid of the reactions of the white public in South Africa and the Southern USA States, where Bond was very popular. I read that another intention was to hire Macca just as the composer of the main song, and conversations with Aretha Franklin were on when suddenly they decided that turn Bond into an advocate of Civil Rights was an oxymoron. Bond is a racist in the novels, and decided that what follows was the best way to face it: create a band of black villains WAY smarter than Bond himself. This way thought that black public would root for them instead. And they chose excellent actors, it must be said: with the exception of Fred Williamson and Richard Roundtree, la crème de la crème of blaxplotation is there. And I love blaxplotation by the way.
I would have preferred a multiracial band of villains, too, but the reasons stated above regrettably stopped that from happening.
On another note. I have always thought the shoshine man in the Harlem scenes is a CIA agent. He's talking to Strutter on the radio. Why did they need more people if the smartass (and karma Houdini) cab driver was with Bond all the time, for crying out loud?
Well i always thought she was a human shield used by Bond,he does seem to whip her round,and the way he just disposes of her after she is shot backs up this theory IMO.
Right on target. Saunders is to this day the best supporting character of any Bond movie.
Yes, I have been to Harlem, and did not see a single white villain there. So this is one example of realism in that film.
I should have to put myself as a human shield. I quote myself: "Or is her just that jerkass?". Sorry: "Is SHE just like jerkass". Earn a Cambridge Proficiency in English diploma for that XD
Other than that, thanks, @barryt007!