Another fun fact, the reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte (WW) is meant to evoke Howard Hughes (HH) who himself hadn’t been seen outside his Las Vegas hotel in many years by that point.
@@pigmeatmarkham898 And Jimmy Dean was employed as an Entertainer in Howard Hughes' hotel. He was worried that he would get fired for playing the obvious Howard Hughes. But it turns out that Hughes was a big fans and was happy to have Jimmy Dean play the part.
A long legal battle occured on this. Kevin McClory came up with both SPECTRE and Blofeld. The idea was that Ian Fleming's novels The Russians were typically the villains in the beginning, but McClory was looking at the future to a time when US and Russia may no longer be enemies so they came up with idea of an evil organization. After this film a legal battle broke out between McClorey and Broccoli. The courts ruled that he owned the rights to SPECTRE and Blofeld. Broccoli wouldn't pay for the license for these were cut out of all future Bond films. Until they acquired the rights for the movie SPECTRE. So the opening sequence to the next film was Broccoli's F--- You to McClorey.
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@@gerardcote8391 too bad it became more of a "F--- you" to the fan base.
@ Funny though Blofeld was a just a minor character in Thunderball, and never appeared in any other books. Hey Bond has many enemies, its like Batman having a hundred villains but every Batman movie has to have the Joker as the main villain.
@@gerardcote8391 "never appeared in any other books" are you dense? He gets introduced in Thunderball and returns in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and has his final fight against Bond in You Only Live Twice in the books. That's why those books are called "The Blofeld Trilogy".
@@gerardcote8391 "So the opening sequence to the next film was Broccoli's F--- You to McClorey." You mean the opening sequence to "For Your Eyes Only?_ Because that was five films later, not the "next" film.
The location of this Bond movie is one of my favorites. "Old Las Vegas". Bond drives down Fremont street, nowadays an enclosed pedestrian mall. It was so brightly lit, that even at midnight, you could drive that same stretch of road as Bond does, without any headlights. Campy as this movie is, I still love seeing the old neon lights of mob-ruled Vegas.
@@Britcarjunkie Figures. Keep the crappy parking lot, but tear down the old famous casinos like the Stardust, Sands etc. I worked at the Dunes back in the late 80s for a couple of years. Haven't been back to Vegas since 2001.
@@athos1974 Yeah, I miss all the old places, especially the Riviera: it was a happening place right upto the bitter end. I like Fremont, but I don't care much for what they did to it.
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Old Las Vegas was done in GTA San Andreas on the upper right quarter of the map. 😉
Licence to Kill also. I always took Bond's quest for revenge as him exorcising the demons from Tracy's murder in addition to getting justice for Felix.
@@arrgghh1555 - DAF starts in Japan (where YOLT left off, Bond could still be mad for after the events of YOLT - works both ways)...plus Blofeld isn't in a neck brace (after branching off in OHMSS), he is in a neck brace in FYEO, also there is zero mention of Tracy in DAF, however Bond visits Tracy's grave in FYEO.
Connery played Bond one more time in Never Say Never Again. It was technically not part of the continuous Bond universe. It was sort of a soft remake of Thunderball
Connery was four years shy of 70 buy he looked like he could beat up Pierce Brosnan with one hand tied behind his back. As far as I am concerned, The Rock featured Connery's final performance as Bond.
That’s only 10 years on from Dr No yet Connery looks about 30 years older, definitely didn’t keep himself in shape either. He did however donate his entire fee for the film (the highest salary ever paid to an actor in film history at the time) to a charity.
Yes, you're right. Charles Gray appeared as Dikko Henderson in "You Only Live Twice (1967)", here he plays Blofeld. Also, Shirley Bassey sings the theme song of this film, She previously sang "Goldfinger (1964)" and later sings, "Moonraker (1979)". Oh and, once you're done with the main series, you can move onto the 3 non-canon Bond films, "Casino Royale (1954)", "Casino Royale (1967)" and "Never Say Never Again (1983)".
26:52 No, Blofeld did not die. They ran out of money during filming and scrapped the scripted ending where he and Bond fight and Blofeld is killed. And after that, offscreen legal issues led to the rights for the character and SPECTRE to revert to Kevin McClory. That's why they're never mentioned in the next two movies, Blofeld was hastily rewritten to be another villain in The Spy Who Loved Me, and he was summarily killed off(without being named) in the opening of For Your Eyes Only. It's just frustrating that when EON finally got the rights back, they squandered the opportunity to do Blofeld justice with the underwhelming film, SPECTRE, and the stupid backstory for the character that connected him to Bond.
Yes, but it can also be viewed as Connery tracking him down after the events of You Only Live Twice. At no point does Connery hint that he is out for revenge for the death of his wife. They completely ignored OHMSS for this movie.
@@Rocket1377 You don't feel his 'interviews' to get the location of Bloefeld are a bit more aggressive than his usual style? Suggesting he's personally invested in finding Bloefeld?
No mention of his late wife, especially when he had actually fallen in love suggests ignoring that movie. Plus, the very first goon he interrogates was in Japan. The location from the last Connery movie You Only Live Twice. That's a pretty good visual clue other then the fact that Tracey isn't mentioned even in passing.
Willard Whyte actually is a reference to eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes. Legend has is, Hughes agreed to open some doors for the Bond producers in Las Vegas in return for an original film reel of the movie.
@@markplott4820 He was a true nutcase. While he was obsessed with cleanliness, he refused to cut his hair and fingernails for the last several years of his life. He also wore empty Kleenex boxes on his feet.
Plenty is played by Lana Wood, sister to Natalie Wood who may or may not have been killed by Robert Wagner. In 2000, Jill St John married Robert Wagner. He hasn’t killed her yet.
to me this is where the Bond franchise went off the rails - the whole opportunity to add dramatic depth to Bond's character with regards to exploring his grief over the loss of his wife was completely blown off - it should have been incorporated into his scenes with Blofeld and would have added such a gritty, emotional intensity to the entire film - having said that, I think this film was extremely entertaining if one just takes it for what it is: a new, over-the-top, spy thriller fantasy - and i must respectfully disagree with you about the 2 henchmen, Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd - i thought they were brilliantly conceived villains - almost more realistic than the rest of the movie as the actors managed to portray devious, murderous psychopaths as ordinary, neurotic human beings (who happened to also be gay on top of everything else) - take them both out of the story and replace them with standard 1 dimensional characters and the film would lose a whole lot of its unique vibe
The pre-credits sequence is Bond getting his revenge. By the time the real Blofeld reappears it has been some time and Bond has had a chance to greive, besides having gotten his revenge earlier. I mean sure it turned out that he revenge-murdered the wrong man (twice!) but emotionally speaking, the first one gave him closure. Also by the time he comes face-to-face with the real Blofeld he's got his mission to worry about and Bond is a professional, he can compartmentalize and/or prioritize.
@@jb888888888 In pre-credits sequence begins with Bond in Japan looking for Blofeld, only as the leader of SPECTRE who escaped in ''You Only Live Twice''. There is no reference to Tracy, to his marriage and there is no Draco and Irma Bunt.
@@ΜακηςΛ-ε5ρ It works either way. He never says why he's looking for Blofeld. If you approach OHMSS as canon then he's getting revenge for Tracy. If OHMSS isn't canon then he's cleaning up loose ends from YOLT (and getting revenge for Aki).
The part of Willard Whyte was played by Jimmy Dean. You might recognize the face or voice from the Jimmy Dean sausage commercials. Yep, same guy. He was also a country singer. Two of his notable songs were "Big Bad John" and "I.O.U."
Diamonds are pure carbon, they should burn right up. Oh, and in my personal rating this is the second to worst Bond movie. The only one worse is Quantum Solace.
Diamonds will not readily burn in the atmosphere on account of the air containing far too much nitrogen. You need to get diamonds hot in an 100% oxygen environment in order to see them burn.
Yes it is! I grew up on the Moore Bonds. Love Roger Moore. He always seemed like a class act. As a kid I also loved watching him in reruns of The Saint and as Beau Maverick on the great western tv series Maverick.
He's going chronologically, so Live and Let Die should be next. Looking forward to that reaction and review as the movie has lots of selling points. Introduction of Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto (from Alien) is in it, and the theme song is speeding ticket music. Who knows, maybe there will even be a car chase ...
This was the first Bond movie I saw in the theater. I was 7 and didn't really like it, the 2 hitmen were creepy and not in a good way. It was Live And Let Die that's when I fell in love with the Bond films. I think I liked Roger Moore because at home I was watching reruns of The Saint and Maverick, Moore was my favorite Maverick, Beau Maverick. I went from 9 to 21 watching the Moore Bonds. People say they were silly but at those ages they were perfect.
It's interesting that each generation has "their James Bond" that they identify with. Mine was Pierce Brosnan. Each actor portrayal brings a different aspect and flavor to the role which is interesting to observe.
@@albertcornett7408 Exactly. They were perfect timing for my age than. Just like Star Wars was on its opening day for my 13th birthday party. A 13 year old couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift.
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Those are my only favorite, Sean Connery and Roger Moore, the rest are bad except the contemporary Casino Royale.
In a behind-the-scenes documentary I saw on this film (...& I think there are similar documentaries on EACH of Connery's 007 films ).....they pointed out the fact that he kept driving past the Nugget casino in every shot. And how he drove into the ally with the car up on 2 wheels , but exited with it on the OTHER 2 wheels. They tried to edit out the mistake by filming a transition shot from inside the vehicle. I didn't like Connery's sideburns either....LOL.
It's kind of complex but this was Sean Connery's last appearance in a EON Film's James' Bond movie, but not his final apperance as James Bond, he returns in 1983 in Never Say Never Again , which is a remake of his 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball but produced by another company, in short and has a different feel from a regular Bond movie.
Kevin McClorey owned the rights to _Thunderball_ and had the legal right to make as many remakes of it as he wanted. It's an "actual Bond film" just not an Eon production.
@@jb888888888 he's saying it wasn't an "official" Bond film, and apart from character names, really doesn't feel like a Bond film whatsoever. It comes across more like a cheap imitation, and Connery was clearly too old to still be believable in the role. I think most Bond fans feel the same way about it. Just terrible. Connery deserved a much better film to star in as his last go round as 007.
If u really want u can consider The Rock as Sean Connery’s final bond film. th-cam.com/video/9FdnevXjqdc/w-d-xo.html but they do have some call back to on her majesty’s secret service in for your eyes only, spy who loved me & licence to kil.
The film starts with Bond in Japan, which is where we left him at the end of You Only Live Twice. (And Blofeld's escape in that film is sufficient explanation for Bond's dogged search at the start of this film.) Another hint at the lack of continuity is Moneypenny's tongue-in-cheek request for James to get her a diamond engagement ring, which would be unfathomable if Bond had just avenged his wife's death.
@@MAMoreno perhaps. How does that connect (if at all) to the opening of "For your eyes only", with Bond laying flowers at the grave saying "We've got all the time in the world" a quote from "Service"?
@@zvimur In FYEO, Blofeld wears a neck brace in reference to his injury at the end of OHMSS, as confirmed by director John Glen. Essentially, FYEO ignores DAF in the same way that DAF ignores OHMSS. (Of course, you can easily reconcile the problem by assuming that DAF occurs before OHMSS.)
I adore Diamonds Are Forever. It's at No. 5 in my top 5 Bond films. It's cheesy, has space lasers, helicopter attacks, puns from all directions and is utterly un-PC! Tiffany Case rates very highly on my Bond Girls list too, but I've always had a thing for redheads. I completely understand why it's looked down on, but It's a fun Bond film, which is needed every now and again. Now we're on to the Moore era, which is what I grew up with in the 80's. Can't wait.
I think it's underrated. IMO, it's a technical improvement of Goldfinger. The script is weak, but so too in Goldfinger (which IMO is the most _overrated_ Bond film). And it sort of established the formula for the Roger Moore era. And as a child--yes, when I was sick at home from school I would watch Bond movies--Diamonds are Forever was one of the Bond films I would watch. The procedural crime plot was hard to follow when I was young, but it's surprisingly easy to watch because of all its payoffs.
I really enjoyed your reaction to this one. I love Wint and Kidd as henchmen. I like Connery looking a little older here--he'll look even better in Never Say Never Again several years later. This movie is a taste of what the Roger Moore-era Bonds will be like, except they'll get way more silly and farcical, and at times cringeworthy. I often wish Connery had stayed around for one more (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and then handed the role off to Moore for this one. But I've grown more fond of it over the years. The actor playing Willard Whyte is very familiar to us boomers as singer Jimmy Dean, the sausage tycoon. The actor playing Burt Saxby is Bruce Cabot, who was Jack Driscoll in the 1933 classic King Kong. The special effects you pointed out looked just as fake when this came out as they do now, but audiences had more of a willing suspension of disbelief in those days. This Bond is indeed far from the worst--that won't come until (in my opinion) the wretched Octopussy. Your delighted reaction to some of the sillier moments in this one tells me that you may enjoy the Moore era more than not. As for Blofeld, I believe Eon Productions would lose their rights to the character to Thunderball co-writer and producer Kevin McClory (McClory was granted the legal right to do a remake of Thunderball which he did with Never Say Never Again). The pre-titles sequence in For Your Eyes Only features him without naming him, in a scene that provides a rather silly and anti-climactic end for the character.
Welcome to the Bond community. I’m a moderator on the MI6 Community forums. Connery actually does come back one more time in 1983, in a film made by a competing studio, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. By the way, I have DAF ranked 15th out of the official EON 24.
Charles Gray (Blofeld) is probably most recognizable in the role of "The Criminologist" in "Rocky Horror Picture Show". He was what in effect was the narrator for the film. Those that went to the midnight showings of "Rocky Horror" commented that he had no neck.
I always thought that the Willard White character, especially with the Vegas connection, was a reference to Howard Hughes, who was staying in a hotel in Vegas but not gambling, so when the manager wanted that top suite for a high roller, he asked Hughes to leave. Hughes response was to call the owner and buy the hotel. He was basically a hermit in the hotel for years.
They reversed direction with this film in reaction to OHMSS, which was relatively disappointing at a box office (half what You Only Live Twice made) and was panned by many critics. For many years it was regarded as the de facto worst 007 movie and Lazenby’s acting was mocked, but lately it has all been reevaluated and become much more highly regarded by fans. Because of all that the producers’ panicked and went back to Connery rather than find yet another new star. Diamonds was an attempt to replicate the success and style of Goldfinger - with diamonds in place of gold bars - but it’s let down by lots of little details. The plot makes little sense, and the tone of Diamonds is weird, lurching between flashy and trashy. There’s not much glamour either in cheesy Vegas or the unattractive desert. Connery is treading water, too. Over all, Diamonds seems like a thin movie with some notable scenes - the fight in the elevator, the coffin cremation - that stop it being really bad. But it’s a backwards step, and an attempt to steady the ship until a new Bond could come onboard.
Not a good Bond movie and Connery seems to be bored too. I don´t really understand the plot as in many other Bond movies. The worst plots is in the Craigs Bond movies, they are really hard to understand and Diamonds Are Forever is much better movie than the Craigs movies.
Probably my least favorite of the Sean Connery Bond movies tbh. If you don't like how goofy the movies are getting, I have some bad news about the Roger Moore era...
Love your reviews Shan, especially the Bonds as I'm a great fan. I read a lot of the comments too. I couldn't resist telling you this - you remarked great stunt work when Bond is mountaineering outside the Whitehouse to the background of the Las Vegas skyline... This is a very large, impressive model. It is very convincing, incredible in fact when you consider this was made in '71. Even though DAF isn't shall we say renowned for its special effects, this was awesome. A lot of people wondered how they did this as they absolutely believed it was real and high up, when in reality Sean is just a few feet up from a soft landing. The shimmering of the lights was created by a fine net between Connery and the Vegas model with a fan behind it giving the brilliant illusion.
When Bond is asked by Felix where the diamonds are hidden on Franks' body his reply is "alimentary" (as in alimentary canal) not "elementary". This is my favorite Connery Bond film. Great review.
A few things went into the decision to not make DAF a sequel to OHMSS as they had originally planned. For one, Ilse Steppat, the German actress who played Blofeld's henchwoman Irma Bunt, who shot Tracy, passed away shortly after the premiere of OHMSS. Out of respect to her they decided to not recast the role. And once Lazenby decided (foolishly at the time) to leave the role of James Bond, they decided to go back to a much more silly type of Bond film. A bad decision in my estimation, but you can see how the behind the scenes shaped this film. The budget for the action, etc. was quite low, since Connery demanded to be paid so much money and it sadly shows. It's one of my least favorite Bond films, but still fairly entertaining.
Charles Gray's not my favourite Blofeld, but you should check out 'The Devil Rides Out'. Charles Gray's great in that. Stars Christopher Lee and it's a Hammer Studios film, I highly recommend it if you want an example of good Hammer movies that aren't Dracula or Frankenstein.
_DAF_ is more like a non-canon parody Bond film - as with _OHMSS,_ Roger Moore would've been a better fit for the material - but the film is so much fun. Top 5 theme & score, Barry brings it. And Tiffany Case is top. Wint & Kidd are great baddies. Bond watch: Gruen Precision 510
Great reaction Shan. FYI when he said elementary he actually said alimentary. As in Gastrointestinal tract, also called digestive tract or alimentary canal, pathway by which food enters the body and solid wastes are expelled
I think Bond said "alimentary," not "elementary." So it wasn't just a Holmes reference; it was also a reference to the alimentary canal of the body, which includes the esophagus, stomach and intestines.
You missed the joke at 9:27 when Bond says “Alimentary, Dr Leiter”. Yes it was a Sherlock Holmes reference but it was a play on words: “Elementary” vs. “Alimentary’, the latter being where the diamonds are stashed… in the corpse’s alimentary canal (basically, up her arse).
The ending was cut short due to Connery having a clause in contract if the filming over ran resulting in paying him £10,000 per day. There was to be an ending with Bond chasing hanging onto a weather balloon and a final fight. This is the last mention of Blofeld by name until Spectre. The McClory lawsuit means the character name cannot be used.
No offense intended for the late Charles Gray (1928-2000) but he was probably the weakest Blofeld of the James Bond series. But he was quite a good British character actor throughout the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s in his native England. During this 1970s period, he was best known for portraying the Criminologist (the narrator) in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and a similar character, Judge Oliver Wright, in its semi-sequel Shock Treatment (1981). The actor who plays the creepy gay assassin Mr. Wint is Bruce Glover, a familiar American character actor who appeared in many known roles, among them he appeared as Deputy Grady Coker in the 'Walking Tall' trilogy.
There’s a deleted scene that explains how Plenty ended up in Tiffany’s pool. She sneaks back to Bond’s hotel room later and finds Tiffany’s address in her purse.
@@RighteousBrother Because that was obviously added to try and cover the mistake. If the alley is too narrow to get through on four wheels, how in the heck are you going to switch which side is up?
since you mention Charles Gray as Blofeld, he was in You Only Live Twice as Bond's Japanese connection.a movie you might consider is Night of the Generals,which features 2 Blofelds (Donald Pleasance being the other).
This was a terrible Bond movie. Like a Roger Moore entry starring a fat, bored Connery. And it almost completely ignored OHMSS. It wasn't til Licence to Kill that we got something even close to a pseudo followup(just sub Leiter and his wife for Tracy).
Whether or not it connects to OHMSS depends on your point of View some might say there ignoring OHMSS because when we last see Connery he's in Japan Where Diamonds Starts then you could look at like I do and say that's why he going on this rampage throwing people through walls and punching out henchmen at blackjack tables and of course Marie but either way we don't get the Revenge story that we probably would have gotten if Lazenby had stayed
"One does not simply kill James Bond and wait for the police to show up." I don't know if they meant to be funny with that line, but it always cracks me up when I hear it.
There was meant to be a big climax in a salt mine but they ran out of time and/or money so we were left with this very lacklustre ending with Blofeld's fate very unclear.
Another actor that you may or may not be familiar with that appeared in this film is Sid Haig. He's more notably famous in Rob Zombie's films. He was one of the henchmen in the hotel in the black suits.
Of course, this is not the best movie in the series. But it's very entertaining! It was so interesting to see the Las Vegas of the 1970s! And I have to say that this movie contains a lot of great stuff: Sean Connery(great as always!), Tiffany Case(what a woman!), Amsterdam scenes, Las Vegas car chase(Red "Ford Mustang": a real cutie!), all "White House" stuff(especially Bond vs. Blofeld in Penthouse!) and of course the oil rig battle!!! This is THE BEST ACTION-COMEDY EVER!!! And by the way, this is much-much better movie than any of Craig's....................
Mr Wint one of the henchmen was played by Bruce Glover father of Crispin Glover who of course played George McFly in Back to the Future. When you know this you can really see the likeness. Looking forward to your reaction to Live and Let Die.
I sorta felt the beginning was a mini reference to OHMSS, just because Bond was relentlessly hunting Blofeld, presumably about the death of his wife. But that’s just me. That plotline will be briefly referenced in the beginning of For Your Eyes Only. Charles Gray, who plays Blofeld was Mr Henderson in You Only Live Twice. I felt this was a weaker sequel, as I feel it just pushed in the usual flair, but this time with an American setting. There was a lot more cheesy lines, over the top acting, and the usual sexist jokes, and the Bond Girl was again the usual female trope of only there to look pretty. But this is the first of the concept of the diamonds in the satellite, which is why Die Another Day fizzled a little for me. While I loved seeing Bond again when I first was going through these movies, on a whole of all of the Connery movies, this didn’t hold up. This was a movie specifically written around Sean Connery in the style of James Bond, so the plot isn’t much. Never Say Never Again is the same thing. Still a good romp, if you love Connery as Bond, but personally for me, this is under You Only Live Twice and Thunderball.
Yes, indeed you will have saw Charles Gray before. Charles Gray played Mr Henderson in You Only Live Twice when he was a friend of 007 in Japan, a contact who had information for him but was unfortunately killed. Here he is back but as this time Blofeld.
Just some creepy background for you: Robert Wagner auditioned for the part of James Bond in this film. Lana Wood play Plenty O'Toole who drowns in this film. Her sister was Natalie Wood. Natalie Wood was married to Robert Wagner and died 10 yrs after this film came out in 1981 when she fell off a boat and drowned. Many people believe that he pushed her off after an argument, police investigated but couldn't prove it. Robert Wagner just months later married Jill St. John (Tiffany in this film) massively weird set of coincidences.
You liked it better than I figured you would; this one is one that in parts hasn't aged well. It seemed really popular in 71/72 due to Sean coming back as people lusted to have him back as Bond. It did a lot of things that people remember idea and look wise, but over time people have dropped on it to the point they find it a joke. I finally watched it for the first real time in July when I was on vacation from work. It's okay.. nowhere as bad as I remember from being a kid. But is it one of the greats? Nowhere close. This one seems like a parody of the series as much as an official movie. Mankiewicz the writer of the next two as well, went all out with the comedy while Maibaum worked on the serious parts of it and as a result the tone is all over the place. It feels out of wack especially after halfway. The movie lost steam for me after the desert chase scene.. it's so damn fun and goofy that once the car chase in Vegas starts the movie started to steam out for me. I actually fell asleep with 20 minutes left and luckily woke up at time to rewind it once the credits started. The overall villain plot is the weakest I've seen so far on the re-watches; it feels actually 3rd or 4th fiddle to the story. Blofeld's made into a total joke as well. I love Charles Grey but he was so wrong for the role. It's a shame because they coulda casted so many better guys who woulda been legitly menacing and it would have been so much better. Here they make him a joke and you never see him again officially for 44 years. The climax is flat out awful due to both them messing it up while filming and the fact Bond does little of anyhing to cause it. He's rather useless in it as is Tiffany. Blofeld just gets slammed into the wall and that's that. Wint and Kidd's death was fun as they were in general but the rest is just a mess. Visually the movie is painful to look at in spots due to the drab early 70's interiors and color choices, it makes me cringe. That love scene between Sean and Jill is just groan worthy. Thankfully the next one Live and Let Die is one of the best in the series imo. It's a great escapist action flick and has a lot of dark moments mixed with comedy and has the best climax in the series. Perfect debut for Roger as he just slips in and fills the role perfect, albeit they go out of their way to change his habbits. Mankiewicz does a much better job with the script as he throws some old cliches out of the window and the movie is more fun as a result for it. Each of the three acts offer something different and the villains are fantastic and Jane Seymour is super young and great eye candy. It revived the series after this movie made it a joke.
Fun fact Willard Wyatt is played by Jimmy Dean who was country singer and founder of Jimmy Dean sausage
Yeah, and I can never hear anyone say “Baja!?” Without hearing him exclaim “I haven’t got anything in Baja!” 😂
Another fun fact, the reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte (WW) is meant to evoke Howard Hughes (HH) who himself hadn’t been seen outside his Las Vegas hotel in many years by that point.
@@pigmeatmarkham898 And Jimmy Dean was employed as an Entertainer in Howard Hughes' hotel. He was worried that he would get fired for playing the obvious Howard Hughes. But it turns out that Hughes was a big fans and was happy to have Jimmy Dean play the part.
I know his commercials
Abe Froman… sausage king of Chicago?
"They wouldn't kill off Blofeld like that would they..?" The answer for that is for your eyes only.
A long legal battle occured on this. Kevin McClory came up with both SPECTRE and Blofeld. The idea was that Ian Fleming's novels The Russians were typically the villains in the beginning, but McClory was looking at the future to a time when US and Russia may no longer be enemies so they came up with idea of an evil organization.
After this film a legal battle broke out between McClorey and Broccoli. The courts ruled that he owned the rights to SPECTRE and Blofeld. Broccoli wouldn't pay for the license for these were cut out of all future Bond films. Until they acquired the rights for the movie SPECTRE. So the opening sequence to the next film was Broccoli's F--- You to McClorey.
@@gerardcote8391 too bad it became more of a "F--- you" to the fan base.
@ Funny though Blofeld was a just a minor character in Thunderball, and never appeared in any other books.
Hey Bond has many enemies, its like Batman having a hundred villains but every Batman movie has to have the Joker as the main villain.
@@gerardcote8391 "never appeared in any other books"
are you dense? He gets introduced in Thunderball and returns in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and has his final fight against Bond in You Only Live Twice in the books. That's why those books are called "The Blofeld Trilogy".
@@gerardcote8391 "So the opening sequence to the next film was Broccoli's F--- You to McClorey." You mean the opening sequence to "For Your Eyes Only?_ Because that was five films later, not the "next" film.
The location of this Bond movie is one of my favorites. "Old Las Vegas". Bond drives down Fremont street, nowadays an enclosed pedestrian mall.
It was so brightly lit, that even at midnight, you could drive that same stretch of road as Bond does, without any headlights.
Campy as this movie is, I still love seeing the old neon lights of mob-ruled Vegas.
I miss OLD Las Vegas , when I was 14 I went there put 25c in a slot machine and won $400 , but my Parents had to Collect the Prize.
The parking lot where they went in circles, is still there: it's across from the old Greyhound terminal.
@@Britcarjunkie Figures. Keep the crappy parking lot, but tear down the old famous casinos like the Stardust, Sands etc.
I worked at the Dunes back in the late 80s for a couple of years.
Haven't been back to Vegas since 2001.
@@athos1974 Yeah, I miss all the old places, especially the Riviera: it was a happening place right upto the bitter end.
I like Fremont, but I don't care much for what they did to it.
Old Las Vegas was done in GTA San Andreas on the upper right quarter of the map. 😉
Charles Grey as Blowfeld: “It’s just a jump to the left…” 😂
And then a step to the right.
@@douglascampbell9809 put your hands on your hips
Yep Charles Gray was in the Rocky Horror Picture Show... 😆
This is the least best of the Connery bond films imo
Yup, first time I saw Rocky and saw this guy. “Hey, wait a minute…”
If you want a more direct continuation of OHMSS, you'll get it in the 1981's James Bond film 'For Your Eyes Only' opening pre-credit sequence 😉✌️....
Licence to Kill also. I always took Bond's quest for revenge as him exorcising the demons from Tracy's murder in addition to getting justice for Felix.
The only thing about the FYEO open is it's so petty and childish and pathetic.
@@doughbafett man don’t spoilt it
How is this not a direct continuation? What do you think the whole opening montage of Bond looking for Blofeld is all about?
@@arrgghh1555 - DAF starts in Japan (where YOLT left off, Bond could still be mad for after the events of YOLT - works both ways)...plus Blofeld isn't in a neck brace (after branching off in OHMSS), he is in a neck brace in FYEO, also there is zero mention of Tracy in DAF, however Bond visits Tracy's grave in FYEO.
Connery played Bond one more time in Never Say Never Again. It was technically not part of the continuous Bond universe. It was sort of a soft remake of Thunderball
liked the Unofficial remake of Thunderball with Updated gimicks , but miss the Great underwater Stunts in the Origional .
I think it's worth watching
He played Bond in The Rock with Nicholas Cage too
@@Panzer4F2 that is a purely unofficial fan fiction. In the rock he was SAS
Never Say Never Again was awful and is best avoided.
At some point you should watch "The Rock" with Nicholas Cage and Sean Connery.
He mentioned he's rewatched it recently outside the channel and thinks it's great.
@@SlyRy It's supposed to be a unofficial sequel to Bond.
Connery was four years shy of 70 buy he looked like he could beat up Pierce Brosnan with one hand tied behind his back. As far as I am concerned, The Rock featured Connery's final performance as Bond.
@@ricardocantoral7672 agreed!
@@elskeletor3566 Then they should have had Connery with no beard!
That’s only 10 years on from Dr No yet Connery looks about 30 years older, definitely didn’t keep himself in shape either. He did however donate his entire fee for the film (the highest salary ever paid to an actor in film history at the time) to a charity.
He looks great
@@ethantoise4073 he doesn’t look bad, just not as cool and athletic as he did in the previous films.
He was mid-metamorphosis into a sexy silver fox
@@ethantoise4073 With a belly?
His look and performance would be perfect as Bond after Tracy's death, if was a revenge film and not a sequel of ''You Only Live Twice''.
Yes, you're right. Charles Gray appeared as Dikko Henderson in "You Only Live Twice (1967)", here he plays Blofeld. Also, Shirley Bassey sings the theme song of this film, She previously sang "Goldfinger (1964)" and later sings, "Moonraker (1979)". Oh and, once you're done with the main series, you can move onto the 3 non-canon Bond films, "Casino Royale (1954)", "Casino Royale (1967)" and "Never Say Never Again (1983)".
Later Charles Grey would play the Criminologist in The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
"Chuckie Grey, he's ok, he ain't got no fucking neck."
"Where are the diamonds?"
"Alimentary (canal), Doctor...."
26:52 No, Blofeld did not die. They ran out of money during filming and scrapped the scripted ending where he and Bond fight and Blofeld is killed. And after that, offscreen legal issues led to the rights for the character and SPECTRE to revert to Kevin McClory. That's why they're never mentioned in the next two movies, Blofeld was hastily rewritten to be another villain in The Spy Who Loved Me, and he was summarily killed off(without being named) in the opening of For Your Eyes Only.
It's just frustrating that when EON finally got the rights back, they squandered the opportunity to do Blofeld justice with the underwhelming film, SPECTRE, and the stupid backstory for the character that connected him to Bond.
Oh those pelvic thrusts.
It begins with Bond tracking down and 'killing' Bloefeld, so it does follow on from OHMSS
Yes, but it can also be viewed as Connery tracking him down after the events of You Only Live Twice. At no point does Connery hint that he is out for revenge for the death of his wife. They completely ignored OHMSS for this movie.
@@Rocket1377 You don't feel his 'interviews' to get the location of Bloefeld are a bit more aggressive than his usual style? Suggesting he's personally invested in finding Bloefeld?
No mention of his late wife, especially when he had actually fallen in love suggests ignoring that movie.
Plus, the very first goon he interrogates was in Japan. The location from the last Connery movie You Only Live Twice. That's a pretty good visual clue other then the fact that Tracey isn't mentioned even in passing.
Yeah, 100% - I disagree with the notion that it doesn’t continue on. Especially since we see Bond visit Tracy’s grave later on too.
Willard Whyte actually is a reference to eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes.
Legend has is, Hughes agreed to open some doors for the Bond producers in Las Vegas in return for an original film reel of the movie.
Supposedly, Hughes spent his last years repeatedly watching Ice Station Zebra, a so so thriller starring Rock Hudson.
I thought H.H. was already Dead by early 1950's. ok, Wikipedia says he Died in 76' at 70 yo.
did not know he lived beyond the 1960's .
Actually, I like this movie. Great submarine scenes. ^^
@@markplott4820 He was a true nutcase. While he was obsessed with cleanliness, he refused to cut his hair and fingernails for the last several years of his life. He also wore empty Kleenex boxes on his feet.
@@richardvinsen2385 - yes, I saw the H.H. film w/ Caprio.
Plenty is played by Lana Wood, sister to Natalie Wood who may or may not have been killed by Robert Wagner. In 2000, Jill St John married Robert Wagner. He hasn’t killed her yet.
to me this is where the Bond franchise went off the rails - the whole opportunity to add dramatic depth to Bond's character with regards to exploring his grief over the loss of his wife was completely blown off - it should have been incorporated into his scenes with Blofeld and would have added such a gritty, emotional intensity to the entire film - having said that, I think this film was extremely entertaining if one just takes it for what it is: a new, over-the-top, spy thriller fantasy - and i must respectfully disagree with you about the 2 henchmen, Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd - i thought they were brilliantly conceived villains - almost more realistic than the rest of the movie as the actors managed to portray devious, murderous psychopaths as ordinary, neurotic human beings (who happened to also be gay on top of everything else) - take them both out of the story and replace them with standard 1 dimensional characters and the film would lose a whole lot of its unique vibe
The pre-credits sequence is Bond getting his revenge. By the time the real Blofeld reappears it has been some time and Bond has had a chance to greive, besides having gotten his revenge earlier. I mean sure it turned out that he revenge-murdered the wrong man (twice!) but emotionally speaking, the first one gave him closure. Also by the time he comes face-to-face with the real Blofeld he's got his mission to worry about and Bond is a professional, he can compartmentalize and/or prioritize.
@@jb888888888 In pre-credits sequence begins with Bond in Japan looking for Blofeld, only as the leader of SPECTRE who escaped in ''You Only Live Twice''. There is no reference to Tracy, to his marriage and there is no Draco and Irma Bunt.
@@ΜακηςΛ-ε5ρ It works either way. He never says why he's looking for Blofeld. If you approach OHMSS as canon then he's getting revenge for Tracy. If OHMSS isn't canon then he's cleaning up loose ends from YOLT (and getting revenge for Aki).
"This was probably the best stunt I've seen in a Bond film"
welp, Golden Gun's gonna stun you :O
Also Rocky Horror Picture Show has forever coloured my view of Charles Gray in this ... :P
Just hope he mutes it at that point
I would have said Rick Sylvester's ski jump in Spy who loved me
The car stunt? As long as you ignore the terrible sound effect
@@taklampan650 well honestly, the car stunt was a big deal at the time. One of the first times a stunt was planned out on a computer.
The part of Willard Whyte was played by Jimmy Dean. You might recognize the face or voice from the Jimmy Dean sausage commercials. Yep, same guy.
He was also a country singer. Two of his notable songs were "Big Bad John" and "I.O.U."
I also heard he was related to James Dean. Not sure if it's true
As always I'm enjoying your reaction immensely. Funny how some people has never seen the movies others grew up on.
Thanks you as always for watching :)
Agreed. Grew up on Bond from very young age. Great seeing people viewing for the first time....especially now with things way more PC
Its so enjoyable watching you genuinely laugh when you catch the in film jokes
Great! 😁 Next time it's Roger Moore in "Live and Let Die". Completely different style. I think you will like that one! 👍
Diamonds are pure carbon, they should burn right up.
Oh, and in my personal rating this is the second to worst Bond movie. The only one worse is Quantum Solace.
Diamonds will not readily burn in the atmosphere on account of the air containing far too much nitrogen. You need to get diamonds hot in an 100% oxygen environment in order to see them burn.
@@slowerthinker Maybe so, I wouldnt risk it if it were my diamonds tho.
Worst? My first Bond movie I saw in a theater was Moonraker. Ugh.
That movie was so bad, I left before the end credits rolled.
@@slowerthinker diamonds will burn in air if the temperature is high enough (>900°C), and a cremation furnace is hotter than that.
The worst Bond film is A View to a Kill. Just awful. And, I personally hate For Your Eyes Only too. John Barry is not there and Lynn-Holly Johnson is.
Is the next one Live and Let Die? Looking forward to the Moore era, I find him so charismatic, sad the movies are a bit silly at times.
Yes it is! I grew up on the Moore Bonds. Love Roger Moore. He always seemed like a class act. As a kid I also loved watching him in reruns of The Saint and as Beau Maverick on the great western tv series Maverick.
He's going chronologically, so Live and Let Die should be next. Looking forward to that reaction and review as the movie has lots of selling points. Introduction of Roger Moore, Yaphet Kotto (from Alien) is in it, and the theme song is speeding ticket music. Who knows, maybe there will even be a car chase ...
I love Moore, and I agree some of the lines are cheesy, but Live and Let Die and For You Eyes Only are my favorites for the Moore era
@@firekrys The Spy Who Loved Me is my favorite Moore.
This was the first Bond movie I saw in the theater. I was 7 and didn't really like it, the 2 hitmen were creepy and not in a good way. It was Live And Let Die that's when I fell in love with the Bond films. I think I liked Roger Moore because at home I was watching reruns of The Saint and Maverick, Moore was my favorite Maverick, Beau Maverick. I went from 9 to 21 watching the Moore Bonds. People say they were silly but at those ages they were perfect.
It's interesting that each generation has "their James Bond" that they identify with. Mine was Pierce Brosnan.
Each actor portrayal brings a different aspect and flavor to the role which is interesting to observe.
Moore Bonds are good for kids, for adults, not so much.
@@albertcornett7408 Exactly. They were perfect timing for my age than. Just like Star Wars was on its opening day for my 13th birthday party. A 13 year old couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift.
Those are my only favorite, Sean Connery and Roger Moore, the rest are bad except the contemporary Casino Royale.
In a behind-the-scenes documentary I saw on this film (...& I think there are similar documentaries on EACH of Connery's 007 films ).....they pointed out the fact that he kept driving past the Nugget casino in every shot. And how he drove into the ally with the car up on 2 wheels , but exited with it on the OTHER 2 wheels. They tried to edit out the mistake by filming a transition shot from inside the vehicle. I didn't like Connery's sideburns either....LOL.
Thanks for the trivia!
well this was the 70's with Porn Star mustashes and Side burns.
It's kind of complex but this was Sean Connery's last appearance in a EON Film's James' Bond movie, but not his final apperance as James Bond, he returns in 1983 in Never Say Never Again , which is a remake of his 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball but produced by another company, in short and has a different feel from a regular Bond movie.
NOT an Actual "Bond" film.
Kevin McClorey owned the rights to _Thunderball_ and had the legal right to make as many remakes of it as he wanted. It's an "actual Bond film" just not an Eon production.
It was just awful, and the producer was a real piece of shit
@@jb888888888 he's saying it wasn't an "official" Bond film, and apart from character names, really doesn't feel like a Bond film whatsoever. It comes across more like a cheap imitation, and Connery was clearly too old to still be believable in the role. I think most Bond fans feel the same way about it. Just terrible. Connery deserved a much better film to star in as his last go round as 007.
If u really want u can consider The Rock as Sean Connery’s final bond film. th-cam.com/video/9FdnevXjqdc/w-d-xo.html but they do have some call back to on her majesty’s secret service in for your eyes only, spy who loved me & licence to kil.
1:04, are you sure?
I thought Bond was on a vengeance manhunt after the killer of his wife!
The film starts with Bond in Japan, which is where we left him at the end of You Only Live Twice. (And Blofeld's escape in that film is sufficient explanation for Bond's dogged search at the start of this film.) Another hint at the lack of continuity is Moneypenny's tongue-in-cheek request for James to get her a diamond engagement ring, which would be unfathomable if Bond had just avenged his wife's death.
@@MAMoreno perhaps. How does that connect (if at all) to the opening of "For your eyes only", with Bond laying flowers at the grave saying "We've got all the time in the world" a quote from "Service"?
@@zvimur In FYEO, Blofeld wears a neck brace in reference to his injury at the end of OHMSS, as confirmed by director John Glen. Essentially, FYEO ignores DAF in the same way that DAF ignores OHMSS. (Of course, you can easily reconcile the problem by assuming that DAF occurs before OHMSS.)
@@MAMoreno what puzzles me is the inclusion of Blofeld. Fleming's book has most of the characters, but no B or space laser.
I adore Diamonds Are Forever. It's at No. 5 in my top 5 Bond films.
It's cheesy, has space lasers, helicopter attacks, puns from all directions and is utterly un-PC! Tiffany Case rates very highly on my Bond Girls list too, but I've always had a thing for redheads. I completely understand why it's looked down on, but It's a fun Bond film, which is needed every now and again.
Now we're on to the Moore era, which is what I grew up with in the 80's. Can't wait.
Me too, redheads are my kryptonite.
I think it's underrated. IMO, it's a technical improvement of Goldfinger. The script is weak, but so too in Goldfinger (which IMO is the most _overrated_ Bond film). And it sort of established the formula for the Roger Moore era.
And as a child--yes, when I was sick at home from school I would watch Bond movies--Diamonds are Forever was one of the Bond films I would watch. The procedural crime plot was hard to follow when I was young, but it's surprisingly easy to watch because of all its payoffs.
@@Acme1970 as long as the collars and cuffs match. I was ten when I first saw this movie. I don’t think I got the reference until I was 15.
I really enjoyed your reaction to this one. I love Wint and Kidd as henchmen. I like Connery looking a little older here--he'll look even better in Never Say Never Again several years later. This movie is a taste of what the Roger Moore-era Bonds will be like, except they'll get way more silly and farcical, and at times cringeworthy. I often wish Connery had stayed around for one more (On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and then handed the role off to Moore for this one. But I've grown more fond of it over the years. The actor playing Willard Whyte is very familiar to us boomers as singer Jimmy Dean, the sausage tycoon. The actor playing Burt Saxby is Bruce Cabot, who was Jack Driscoll in the 1933 classic King Kong. The special effects you pointed out looked just as fake when this came out as they do now, but audiences had more of a willing suspension of disbelief in those days. This Bond is indeed far from the worst--that won't come until (in my opinion) the wretched Octopussy. Your delighted reaction to some of the sillier moments in this one tells me that you may enjoy the Moore era more than not. As for Blofeld, I believe Eon Productions would lose their rights to the character to Thunderball co-writer and producer Kevin McClory (McClory was granted the legal right to do a remake of Thunderball which he did with Never Say Never Again). The pre-titles sequence in For Your Eyes Only features him without naming him, in a scene that provides a rather silly and anti-climactic end for the character.
Welcome to the Bond community. I’m a moderator on the MI6 Community forums. Connery actually does come back one more time in 1983, in a film made by a competing studio, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN.
By the way, I have DAF ranked 15th out of the official EON 24.
"Elementary, Dr. Leiter." A reference to the alimentary canal in the human body, perhaps? Best. Leo.
Or reference to the Sherlock Holmes catchphrase "Elementary my dear Dr Watson", or however it goes.
@@jonastiger1000 It's both-- a twofer. Best. Leo.
Elementary Leo, though I didn't know that, thank you.
This film is utterly moronic and may be the worst of them all, Die Another Day excepted.
(Although I have to admit I love Charles Gray.)
Couldn't agree more, I watch it because its Bond afterall....but damn its bad.
Charles Gray (Blofeld) is probably most recognizable in the role of "The Criminologist" in "Rocky Horror Picture Show". He was what in effect was the narrator for the film. Those that went to the midnight showings of "Rocky Horror" commented that he had no neck.
He also played Mycroft Holmes in four episodes of the Jeremy Brett tv adaptations.
@@danielallen3454 Played Mycroft in "The Seven Percent Solution" also.
He also played Dikko Henderson in _You Only Live Twice._
You probably recognize the actor who played Blofeld because he was killed by ninjas in “You Only Live Twice.”
I always thought that the Willard White character, especially with the Vegas connection, was a reference to Howard Hughes, who was staying in a hotel in Vegas but not gambling, so when the manager wanted that top suite for a high roller, he asked Hughes to leave. Hughes response was to call the owner and buy the hotel. He was basically a hermit in the hotel for years.
They reversed direction with this film in reaction to OHMSS, which was relatively disappointing at a box office (half what You Only Live Twice made) and was panned by many critics. For many years it was regarded as the de facto worst 007 movie and Lazenby’s acting was mocked, but lately it has all been reevaluated and become much more highly regarded by fans.
Because of all that the producers’ panicked and went back to Connery rather than find yet another new star. Diamonds was an attempt to replicate the success and style of Goldfinger - with diamonds in place of gold bars - but it’s let down by lots of little details.
The plot makes little sense, and the tone of Diamonds is weird, lurching between flashy and trashy. There’s not much glamour either in cheesy Vegas or the unattractive desert. Connery is treading water, too.
Over all, Diamonds seems like a thin movie with some notable scenes - the fight in the elevator, the coffin cremation - that stop it being really bad. But it’s a backwards step, and an attempt to steady the ship until a new Bond could come onboard.
Namely, after "Licence to Kill" and "Quantum of Solace" came along. (And "Never Say Never Again" still doesn't count.)
Not a good Bond movie and Connery seems to be bored too. I don´t really understand the plot as in many other Bond movies. The worst plots is in the Craigs Bond movies, they are really hard to understand and Diamonds Are Forever is much better movie than the Craigs movies.
Yes, as a Bond fan, OHMSS is one of the best Bonds for me always.
Willard Whyte is a thinly veiled reference to Howard Hughes.
Who spent his last years barricading himself in the top floor of the Vegas Desert Inn.
@@ericjanssen394 And buying property on the Strip.
@@ericjanssen394 And watching "Ice Station Zebra," which is actually a very good film.
I’m enjoying this journey with you Shan!
Thanks! I'm enjoying the films too
Not one of my favourites. Needed a more gritty serious follow up. Dissapointng.
The 2nd movie I ever saw in the theater at age 6. Been a Bond fan since.
Probably my least favorite of the Sean Connery Bond movies tbh. If you don't like how goofy the movies are getting, I have some bad news about the Roger Moore era...
Yeah, even though the Roger Moore Era had memorable characters and scenes, the camp was cringe sometimes
I would say the one exception is For Your Eyes Only which I consider to be one of the best overall Bond films
Nothing Wrong with Roger Moore
This is Connery in a Moore Bond film.
Love your reviews Shan, especially the Bonds as I'm a great fan. I read a lot of the comments too. I couldn't resist telling you this - you remarked great stunt work when Bond is mountaineering outside the Whitehouse to the background of the Las Vegas skyline... This is a very large, impressive model. It is very convincing, incredible in fact when you consider this was made in '71. Even though DAF isn't shall we say renowned for its special effects, this was awesome. A lot of people wondered how they did this as they absolutely believed it was real and high up, when in reality Sean is just a few feet up from a soft landing. The shimmering of the lights was created by a fine net between Connery and the Vegas model with a fan behind it giving the brilliant illusion.
This was Connery's last film playing James Bond until "Never Say Never Again" in 1983, a movie that was not part of the official James Bond series.
When Bond is asked by Felix where the diamonds are hidden on Franks' body his reply is "alimentary" (as in alimentary canal) not "elementary". This is my favorite Connery Bond film. Great review.
A few things went into the decision to not make DAF a sequel to OHMSS as they had originally planned. For one, Ilse Steppat, the German actress who played Blofeld's henchwoman Irma Bunt, who shot Tracy, passed away shortly after the premiere of OHMSS. Out of respect to her they decided to not recast the role. And once Lazenby decided (foolishly at the time) to leave the role of James Bond, they decided to go back to a much more silly type of Bond film. A bad decision in my estimation, but you can see how the behind the scenes shaped this film. The budget for the action, etc. was quite low, since Connery demanded to be paid so much money and it sadly shows. It's one of my least favorite Bond films, but still fairly entertaining.
"Never say never again" (1983) was Connery's last film playing Bond. It wasn't an official Bond film though!
Charles Gray's not my favourite Blofeld, but you should check out 'The Devil Rides Out'. Charles Gray's great in that. Stars Christopher Lee and it's a Hammer Studios film, I highly recommend it if you want an example of good Hammer movies that aren't Dracula or Frankenstein.
He’s basically playing Aleister Crowely
Shan have you planned to react to Never Say Never Again (The remake of Thunderball from 1983 with Sean Connery again)? I think its worth a watch :)
After finishing the main series!
Released the same year as Octopussy, and was superior to it in my opinion.
_DAF_ is more like a non-canon parody Bond film - as with _OHMSS,_ Roger Moore would've been a better fit for the material - but the film is so much fun. Top 5 theme & score, Barry brings it. And Tiffany Case is top. Wint & Kidd are great baddies.
Bond watch: Gruen Precision 510
If feels like this is the one that Austin Powers parodys the most.
Not one of the best tbh Sean sleep walks through this can tell he did it for money and nothing else
Great reaction Shan. FYI when he said elementary he actually said alimentary. As in Gastrointestinal tract, also called digestive tract or alimentary canal, pathway by which food enters the body and solid wastes are expelled
I think Bond said "alimentary," not "elementary." So it wasn't just a Holmes reference; it was also a reference to the alimentary canal of the body, which includes the esophagus, stomach and intestines.
Still a Holmes reference… just a play on one.
This star's the Most Beautiful Bond Girl of all time Jill St. John.
Grace Jones in AVTK.
You missed the joke at 9:27 when Bond says “Alimentary, Dr Leiter”. Yes it was a Sherlock Holmes reference but it was a play on words: “Elementary” vs. “Alimentary’, the latter being where the diamonds are stashed… in the corpse’s alimentary canal (basically, up her arse).
Charles Gray was the British Agent in You Only Live Twice with the wooden leg that was stabbed in the back while talking to Bond.
I think Charles Gray is my favourite Blofeld. He's also an excellent villain in The Devil Rides Out with Christopher Lee.
A little trivia. Willard Wyte is played by Jimmy Dean, of Jimmy Dean sausage.
Thanks Shan this is the first Bond movie i saw at the theater fond memories of a fun movie!
Same here.
Natalie Woods sister is in this movie.
The ending was cut short due to Connery having a clause in contract if the filming over ran resulting in paying him £10,000 per day. There was to be an ending with Bond chasing hanging onto a weather balloon and a final fight. This is the last mention of Blofeld by name until Spectre. The McClory lawsuit means the character name cannot be used.
No offense intended for the late Charles Gray (1928-2000) but he was probably the weakest Blofeld of the James Bond series. But he was quite a good British character actor throughout the 1950s, 60s, 70s, and 80s in his native England. During this 1970s period, he was best known for portraying the Criminologist (the narrator) in The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and a similar character, Judge Oliver Wright, in its semi-sequel Shock Treatment (1981).
The actor who plays the creepy gay assassin Mr. Wint is Bruce Glover, a familiar American character actor who appeared in many known roles, among them he appeared as Deputy Grady Coker in the 'Walking Tall' trilogy.
There’s a deleted scene that explains how Plenty ended up in Tiffany’s pool. She sneaks back to Bond’s hotel room later and finds Tiffany’s address in her purse.
Did you notice the Mustang went up the ramp drivers side down and came out drivers side up. Huge mistake.
Although it flips to the correct side once in the alley. I dont know why anyone ever seems to notice this.
@@RighteousBrother Because that was obviously added to try and cover the mistake. If the alley is too narrow to get through on four wheels, how in the heck are you going to switch which side is up?
since you mention Charles Gray as Blofeld, he was in You Only Live Twice as Bond's Japanese connection.a movie you might consider is Night of the Generals,which features 2 Blofelds (Donald Pleasance being the other).
This was a terrible Bond movie. Like a Roger Moore entry starring a fat, bored Connery. And it almost completely ignored OHMSS. It wasn't til Licence to Kill that we got something even close to a pseudo followup(just sub Leiter and his wife for Tracy).
You skipped Casino Royale which is fine because it's a comedy but I don't recommend skipping Never Say Never Again because it's actually pretty good
Claim to fame John Barry is from York England and his daughter was my mums best friend at school and until they both moved apart back in the early 80s
"I got a brother"
"Small world"
Love this film, good fun, excellent script and sooo mid 1970s
Haha awkward small talk!
That was Sid Haig too!
Whether or not it connects to OHMSS depends on your point of View some might say there ignoring OHMSS because when we last see Connery he's in Japan Where Diamonds Starts then you could look at like I do and say that's why he going on this rampage throwing people through walls and punching out henchmen at blackjack tables and of course Marie but either way we don't get the Revenge story that we probably would have gotten if Lazenby had stayed
Funny how different we all are I did not like George Lazenby as Bond at all.Sean Connery,Timothy Dalton,Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig are my favs :)
Cassette tapes, Thumper, and Bambi. It all seemed so high-tech and progressive back when I originally saw this at a drive-in in the '70's.
The rich recluse character was based on Howard Hughes. This movie is notable for the use of gay characters as the bad guys.
"One does not simply kill James Bond and wait for the police to show up."
I don't know if they meant to be funny with that line, but it always cracks me up when I hear it.
W W. was Howard Hughes who hid in his penthouse for years.
There was meant to be a big climax in a salt mine but they ran out of time and/or money so we were left with this very lacklustre ending with Blofeld's fate very unclear.
I think the Bond works best in the solo unconnected missions formula.. I really hope future films go back to that.
Next stop, the Roger Moore era as James Bond.
I cant wait for the next Bond film Live and let die. A really good debut by Roger Moore
Unpopular opinion? Diamonds are Forever = Moonraker > You Only Live Twice + Live and Let Die
The assassin/henchman with the dark hair is Crispin Glover's (George McFly!) father.
Another actor that you may or may not be familiar with that appeared in this film is Sid Haig. He's more notably famous in Rob Zombie's films. He was one of the henchmen in the hotel in the black suits.
Final appearance of 007....from this studio..never say never again
Of course, this is not the best movie in the series. But it's very entertaining! It was so interesting to see the Las Vegas of the 1970s! And I have to say that this movie contains a lot of great stuff: Sean Connery(great as always!), Tiffany Case(what a woman!), Amsterdam scenes, Las Vegas car chase(Red "Ford Mustang": a real cutie!), all "White House" stuff(especially Bond vs. Blofeld in Penthouse!) and of course the oil rig battle!!! This is THE BEST ACTION-COMEDY EVER!!! And by the way, this is much-much better movie than any of Craig's....................
The film compare with ''Live and Let die'' and ''The Man with the Golden Gun''.
Mr Wint one of the henchmen was played by Bruce Glover father of Crispin Glover who of course played George McFly in Back to the Future. When you know this you can really see the likeness. Looking forward to your reaction to Live and Let Die.
To me, Diamonds is a real stinker and one of the worst of the series. Connery really phoned it in for this one
I always considered this a weak Bond film, until A View to a Kill arrived.
Willard Whyte is a take=off on Howard Hughes who stayed in Vegas for many years.
I sorta felt the beginning was a mini reference to OHMSS, just because Bond was relentlessly hunting Blofeld, presumably about the death of his wife. But that’s just me. That plotline will be briefly referenced in the beginning of For Your Eyes Only. Charles Gray, who plays Blofeld was Mr Henderson in You Only Live Twice.
I felt this was a weaker sequel, as I feel it just pushed in the usual flair, but this time with an American setting. There was a lot more cheesy lines, over the top acting, and the usual sexist jokes, and the Bond Girl was again the usual female trope of only there to look pretty. But this is the first of the concept of the diamonds in the satellite, which is why Die Another Day fizzled a little for me. While I loved seeing Bond again when I first was going through these movies, on a whole of all of the Connery movies, this didn’t hold up. This was a movie specifically written around Sean Connery in the style of James Bond, so the plot isn’t much. Never Say Never Again is the same thing. Still a good romp, if you love Connery as Bond, but personally for me, this is under You Only Live Twice and Thunderball.
It's also slightly referenced in _The Spy Who Loved Me._
That wasn't the casino's surveillance room. That was Willard Whyte's toilet.
LOL, Right ?
Yes, indeed you will have saw Charles Gray before.
Charles Gray played Mr Henderson in You Only Live Twice when he was a friend of 007 in Japan, a contact who had information for him but was unfortunately killed.
Here he is back but as this time Blofeld.
@6:47 Hovercrafts haven’t died out. Lots of places use them for this.
14:09 look at all the people on the sidewalk watching them film.
You can see the Austin Powers influences in this film more than any other Bond film. Easily my least favorite of all the Bond films.
Next Movie..
007 "LIVE AND LET DIE" (roger moore) 1973
Just some creepy background for you:
Robert Wagner auditioned for the part of James Bond in this film.
Lana Wood play Plenty O'Toole who drowns in this film. Her sister was Natalie Wood.
Natalie Wood was married to Robert Wagner and died 10 yrs after this film came out in 1981 when she fell off a boat and drowned.
Many people believe that he pushed her off after an argument, police investigated but couldn't prove it.
Robert Wagner just months later married Jill St. John (Tiffany in this film) massively weird set of coincidences.
Bond films - Girls, Gadgets and Action. What's not to like?
one of the two assassin's , Mr Wit is Actor Christian Glover from Back to the future Father
Bruce Glover also play Deputy Grady in the original Walking Tall movies with Joe Don Baker then with Bo Svenson
Charles Grey is best known as the Narrator in Rocky Horror Show!!
Ahhh, just waiting to hit the Roger Moore ones which vary from absolute crazyness to more serious ones. For Your Eyes Only being my favourite of his.
I'm partial to Octopussy since it was the first Bond film I ever saw. HBO ran it into the ground when I was a kid
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER was the first movie I saw Sean Connery as James Bond.
You liked it better than I figured you would; this one is one that in parts hasn't aged well. It seemed really popular in 71/72 due to Sean coming back as people lusted to have him back as Bond. It did a lot of things that people remember idea and look wise, but over time people have dropped on it to the point they find it a joke. I finally watched it for the first real time in July when I was on vacation from work. It's okay.. nowhere as bad as I remember from being a kid. But is it one of the greats? Nowhere close.
This one seems like a parody of the series as much as an official movie. Mankiewicz the writer of the next two as well, went all out with the comedy while Maibaum worked on the serious parts of it and as a result the tone is all over the place. It feels out of wack especially after halfway. The movie lost steam for me after the desert chase scene.. it's so damn fun and goofy that once the car chase in Vegas starts the movie started to steam out for me. I actually fell asleep with 20 minutes left and luckily woke up at time to rewind it once the credits started.
The overall villain plot is the weakest I've seen so far on the re-watches; it feels actually 3rd or 4th fiddle to the story. Blofeld's made into a total joke as well. I love Charles Grey but he was so wrong for the role. It's a shame because they coulda casted so many better guys who woulda been legitly menacing and it would have been so much better. Here they make him a joke and you never see him again officially for 44 years. The climax is flat out awful due to both them messing it up while filming and the fact Bond does little of anyhing to cause it. He's rather useless in it as is Tiffany. Blofeld just gets slammed into the wall and that's that. Wint and Kidd's death was fun as they were in general but the rest is just a mess. Visually the movie is painful to look at in spots due to the drab early 70's interiors and color choices, it makes me cringe. That love scene between Sean and Jill is just groan worthy.
Thankfully the next one Live and Let Die is one of the best in the series imo. It's a great escapist action flick and has a lot of dark moments mixed with comedy and has the best climax in the series. Perfect debut for Roger as he just slips in and fills the role perfect, albeit they go out of their way to change his habbits. Mankiewicz does a much better job with the script as he throws some old cliches out of the window and the movie is more fun as a result for it. Each of the three acts offer something different and the villains are fantastic and Jane Seymour is super young and great eye candy. It revived the series after this movie made it a joke.