Reviewing 'Diamonds Are Forever' - Countdown to Bond 25
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- CINEMATIC 007 -- "Look what the cat dragged in!" The Countdown to Bond 25 continues with a review of 'Diamonds Are Forever.'
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The best character in this movie: the one minute and counting guy.
Tim Prohibition King Magnusson Almost rivals the “closing crater” guy from YOLT.
Imagine telling your kids your job is clock countdown henchman. Pride.
The YOLT guy was far more commanding and astute than the very lethargic DAF buffoon.
Great review, guys. I’m with Joe on this one (and also agree that A View to A Kill is much superior). As noted, what always gets me is how dated it seems today (clothes, hair, music) with Connery just going through the motions. Elevator fight is one of the great Bond fights scenes though.
They were not set up in the funeral home. The two guys snuck into the funeral home and dealt with Bond; the funeral director only became aware of the situation later if at all.
I always liked Ed Bishop as Klaus Hergescheimer (from G Section, here to check radiation shielding) and Bond's ruse with the ID to access the door. I thought Bishop would have been a good choice to play Felix Leiter. He could have played that part as either serious and 'cool', or as flummoxed and humorous, so he could have played Felix in any Connery Bond. Eric Cohen from 'The Cinefiles' said that 'D.A.F.' felt more like a Dean Martin 'Matt Helm' adventure, which I think is accurate.
Imo the worst EON bond movie Connery looks bored, script is boring and silly and the films feels tired until the next film that is
The film has similar style with ''Live and Let die'' and ''The Man with the Golden Gun''. Connery looks bored, is aged and overweight, but if was a revenge film and not a sequel of ''You Only Live Twice'', these are perfect, as Bond after Tracy's death.
You guys make so many valid points for this film, and it's great to have done it so affectionately. But again, for something so comical, you can forgive it for not living up to the scrutiny. Problems arise for me when a film demands its audience take it seriously, but it can't hold up to such scrutiny. Casino Royale is like that. The Madagascar sequence alone has so many holes and contrivances while mischaracterising James Bond and it gets away with it because the stunt work is otherwise excellent. But it shouldn't. If DAF gets this treatment so should CR06, and I eagerly await your new review of that.
As an adult, I can certainly recognize the deficiencies of this film. But I was 11 years old when I saw Diamonds are Forever in 1971. It was the first bond film that I remember seeing and it absolutely blew me away. It began for me and obsession with all things James bond that continues to this day. So it remains a guilty pleasure. And I think the score, and especially the title song, or brilliant.
Cool, I have the same relationship with Die another day.
Diamonds was my first too
I have the same relationship with A View To A Kill
My feelings exactly.
All Connery Bond movies are.....imho.
Great.
If Roger Moore stared in this movie, I feel audiences and fans would be less critical. If feels like Connery was in a Moore Bond film. Diamonds Are Forever is a very silly movie, but it has some interesting ideas, a good musical score, and the Las Vegas setting is fun. It's fun, but definitely not one of the best.
The "Bond, James Bond" at the beginning always bothered me. They sped up the audio compared to the original trailer. Makes him sound like a chipmunk.
Wow you are right. I had never seen the trailer before. The trailer was a much better take.
Diamonds is more of a Roger Moore Bond film. Roger should have done this as his first and bowed out after Octopussy, letting Dalton take over for A View To A Kill.
No one should have starred in 'Diamonds Are Forever'
I'm so glad 'Live and Let Die' was Roger Moore's debut Bond Film.
Er no this ABOMINATION paved the way for moores slapstick lighter bond. Hate this film. Moore was lighter and his first 4 films were a bit fantastical but he could deliver the serious stuff too ( octopussy and fyeo).
Roger Moore was a class act and should not have done this. DAF is such a mess. It should be erased from the Bond list
Dalton wouldn’t have been able to save AVTAK
If I'm feeling crap this film always cheers me up so it's not the perfect Bond film but it has a great witty script and the cast seem to be having a good time so it's a feel good romp more than serious thriller
Good review guys. Connery, Wint and Kidd, a superior John Barry score, probably the best title song, one of the funniest, pun laden scripts. DAF - a guilty pleasure.
It's terrible that Scott gave Tommorrow Never Dies a 3 but give this bad movie a 7.
Diamonds Are Forever is one of the best films in the franchise.
This was a pay day for Connery, he was totally mailing it in, smirking his way through the whole movie. Didn’t work out, drank, ate and partied his ass off the last decade. But it was a fun corny movie.
Connery also had a deal with United Artists to finance two other films of his choice. They did “The Offence” (directed by Sidney Lumet), which was a box-office bust. As far as I know, they didn’t bother with the second one!
@thomaschacko6320 The Offence was a dark, fantastic film.
@@Fontsman-14 Connery’s acting in “The Offence” was deservedly praised, but the film as a whole was too grim for American tastes - especially since he had just come off of Bond. He said as much himself; it did well in France and in other parts of Europe. As you hinted at, a dark, psychological drama.
@thomaschacko6320 I'm from the UK and grew up on similar bleak housing estates. The atmosphere created was very familiar to me as a young boy.
''Diamonds Are Forever'' is a follow-up of ''You Only Live Twice''. In the first scene after gunbarrel, Bond is still in Japan looking for Blofeld, only as the head of a global criminal organization. There is no reference to Tracy, to Draco and there is no Irma Bunt. D.A.F. would be a revenge film, if Connery was playing at O.H.M.S.S. or Lazenby at D.A.F.
Would have been better with Lazenby. The Blofeld Trilogy is weird. Two Bonds, Three Blofelds, and Moneypenny flirting after Tracy died.
No way! Connery outclasses Lazenby on every level!
@@BradCrystal007 Connery was past it by DAF. He clearly was out of shape and obv doing it for an easy paycheck.
@@Romans8-9I heard he gave his DAF salary to charity. But I agree he shouldn’t have come back after YOLT
@@motionpictureplus Yeah the story goes he got $1M and the proviso that they finance some other films of his choice. The producers bent over backwards to get Connery to do the film and he clearly wasn't committed to it by how he looked!
I also heard he spent more time on the Vegas golf courses than he did on the set.
It's undeniably bad. But it's not boring. Up until Craig's films I could honestly say that even the bad 007 films (this and A View to a Kill for example) were not boring. I suppose that says something about the series as a whole. Too bad that this is Connery's swansong though. To think he did absolute classics like From Russia With Love and Thunderball (both his best film and his best performance respectively IMHO) that this is how he left the series. His last 2 films were meh at best.
Great review series though guys ...
Yes! Diamonds has a lot of fun inside, but it's pretty bad! However, Spectre is a boring lifeless shell of Skyfall's former glory, so I would rather watch Diamonds Are Forever, A View To A Kill, and Die Another Day...
@@tylerjsmithers8385 Skyfall was THE most boring of them all IMHO. I checked my watch in the cinema when i went to see it. Pretentious to the point of distraction. And who came up with Moneypenny being a former field agent. The dire Craig era shits all over the franchise and the awesomness of what came before.
@@tylerjsmithers8385 I think the only bad part of Diamonds is the lackluster action on the Oil Rig. Other than that, the film is hysterical and I would take it over some of the Craig stinkers.
The last 2 Craig films are unwatchable. Spectre is worst af all.
After Die Another Day this is probably my next least favourite Bond film. Such a huge disappointment and so tonaly different to OHMSS. And no continunity with that previous film. Not the revenge sequel that film deserved. Connery looks bored and sadly Lazenby wasn't back. There are a few things in it that are good and l can watch it within marathoning the films, but as a stand alone, meh!
Yes this film isn't the best Bond movie but could have been far worse if John Gavin was cast originally and it would have been a real dud thank goodness UA got back Connery to reprise his role
Many years ago I left London for an interview in Manchester. As the train attempted to pull out of King’s Cross Station I heard a familiar voice call out ‘There is something terribly wrong with this train’. Sitting diagonally opposite me was Charles Gray aka Blofeld who proceeded to talk to his companion in his booming Shakespearean tones all the way to Manchester. ‘I’ve so dreaded the prospect of making this tedious journey …. alone’ 😂
Connery did it for the $$$
Pos movie
It all started in 1967. After the great success of Thunderball, the production decided to make OHMSS. Connery loved the idea because the plot would give him the acting opportunity to emphasize more on the character of Bond than with gudgets. When production decided to make YOLT instead of OHMSS, Connery was greatly disappointed and started losing interest for the role. That's why during the making of YOLT he decided to quit the role. Just think of what a glorious exit would be for Connery if instead of YOLT he was starring in OHMSS back in 67, then returned as Bond in 1969 doing YOLT or DAF as a revenge adventure for the death of Tracy, and then retire from the role... So the decision of making YOLT instead of OHMSS turned the Bond movie history upside down. And if Lazenby was decently good in OHMSS, then you can imagine how brilliant Connery would have been, knowing now his great acting charisma during his after Bond career. When Connery returned in 1971 for the making of DAF he had totally lost interest for the role. He is obviously bored and doesn't take it seriously. He didn't even accepted to do a proper haircut or an eyebrow treaming or loose some extra pounds to look alike the Bond he was. If you see the way and charisma he played Bond in FRWL or Goldfinger or Thunderball and then watch this, you almost believe that he is another person. But also here we have a huge mistake of the production. They had Connery back. And instead of reconnect him with the series and regain his acting attention by making DAF a revenge movie for the death of Tracy, they did that??? DAF was really the beginning of the change of genre for the Bond franchise. The turn from the “action spy thriller“ genre to the “action comedy - silly parody “ genre! And this period would last all the way the Moore Era till 1987... Actually this is a Moore kind of Bond movie with accidentally Connery instead of Moore. If you think about it we are being so hard on it only because we cannot accept that Sean Connery made a Bond film like that, in contrast to what he gave us in the past!! If this exact movie was made with Roger Moore the criticism would be way more forgiving because we got used to the silliness of the Moore Era. In conclusion it is a very weak movie but not the weakest if you concider the silliness of some later Moore films. The presence of Sean Connery himself in DAF makes it better because even if the plot is silly, even if Connery is bored, not acting etc., he is so more believable as Bond than Moore. Even in this one. He is more manly, more dark, more suave, more tough and he seems more dangerous when he has too. Just look at the way he moves, he fights, he stares even in this which is his weakest Bond movie in contrast to Moore s portrayal as Bond and you will understand what I'm talking about. That's why I think DAF was a bad movie but not the baddest of the whole franchise. That's my opinion. Regards
It had a lot to do with Sean’s pay as well; evidently he was paid the same wage as he was in Dr. No by Thunderball (which was pitons considering his star at the time was nonexistent) but he became the face of 007 and by the fifth film he was still being paid as a nobody. If that’s true no one can blame him for ducking out.
Connery is way better than lazenby. Moores bond is silly but still good. Lazenby was horrible and ruined OHMSS and made it the worst Bond film ever.
@@philhellmuth2771 are you seriously suggesting that DAF is a better movie than OHMSS?
@@jamesbiggs8187 it has the much better bond. I prefer to watch DAF. But to from a quality stnad point OHMSS is definetly better. But to me it is more like a, we put a random guy in the main role and called him bond, than a rral bond film
Lazenby did a outstanding job in OHMSS for his first acting gig since he was compared to Connery even a haircut like his . Lazenby had a lousy manager as he played on his ego as a big star now and got him to act as one the thing was he was yet a big star yet as he was still finishing it when the bad press came in .
Plenty O’Toole 🥰😍😘
Named after her father, no less
Michael McKinley 😂😁😂
@@TheBondArmory And she was then dropped like his balls. jk
There’s a darkness that runs through this film that is balanced by the humour and Connery’s comic timing. Creepy villains, gorgeous girls, some great one liners and a classic title track. Sure the story’s a bit hokey but it’s a step towards the Moore era. I don’t get the Lazenby love in, he’s clearly a model not an actor, with zero charisma, and it makes OHMSS unwatchable for me
I agree with both of you. It just depends on what mood I'm in that day.
Diamonds is great! It's fun! Is it a little silly? Not as silly as the Roger Moore Bonds, even Live & Let Die. And as a last Sean Connery, it's still better than Never Say Never Again. Some of those are sillier than the first Casio Royale. It's almost like they were headed that way, and wrote this for Roger Moore, but they were able to get Sean Connery to hand off the franchise even though he wanted to bail before this. But if you;re going to complain about what he's wearing, go all the way back to Goldfinger and that Baby Blue Terry Onsey! But I guess if anyone can pull off he could. Even an orange diaper with pirate boots and suspenders in Zardoz. Burt Reynolds was first choice for that. But as a kid in the theater for this, it was fun. I guess you had to be there.
Another great review. I’m kind of with Scott on this. I like it in spite of how silly it is. No logic applies. I cannot defend it. Witty dialogue, good cast and Connery’s charm make it watchable for me
The worst film in the franchise, easily. Ugh. I HATE it. So so cringe
Connery will always be my favorite Bond, but this movie is one of the weakest. If not for Die Another Die it would rank #24 for me. It's too campy. At the same time it's boring. That might be a cinematic achievement: campy, dumb and boring. At least Moonraker was fun. Has the worst version of Blofeld. The dialogue is witty but the action scenes are dull. It basically announced a new, and largely weaker era.
Absolutely right. The biggest sin here is that it even manages not to be 'fun' because it's actually pretty boring. A least Moonraker is entertaining with good production value.
I agree with joe on this one: i still like the movie and the comedy but it seems so cheap and boring and goofy. It’s crazy how this was the film after OHMSS. Probs the weakest movie in the official series
Whith Die Another Day this is my least favourite Bond film.
Wait?! Scott gives this a 7 but Tommorrow Never Dies a 3? WTF Scott!
Joe is spot on. This is horrible. 3rd worst.
terrible bond film. my least favourite bond film. #theshits
My view was the 1,007th! Bwahahaha! Love your work, guys.
Wow, Joe really hates this one 😂
I always thought that the moonlanding scene was making fun of the conspiracy thinkers who believed that the real moonlanding was fake.
I loved Charles Gray. Pleasence was better but i liked Gray more than Savalas. Must be the scar of Pleasence and the cigarette pipe of Gray. It gives Blofeld something sinister.
Such a letdown after the magnificent OHMSS. Thie is the real beginning of the Roger Moore Bond films. Some great one-liners but otherwise cheese.
And also such a let down after seeing how Connery really was as James Bond in Dr. No, FRWL, Goldfinger and Thunderball. Is like he is not the same actor in that movie. He had totally lost interest of the character in this and it shows...
Two biggest cheers I’ve ever heard from lines in the movies:
“Avengers Assemble!”
Avengers Endgame by Captain America
“My name is Bond,James Bond”
Diamonds are Forever
by Sean Connery as 007
His return was a BIG deal and I never forgot that moment-
it’s probably why I always look back fondly at this movie despite its obvious faults!
The action is terrible but the dialogue is smart and funny and the whole movie has great style and class!
It would have been so cool to have seen Diamonds on opening night to see those cheers.
Diamonds are Forever is my favourite James Bond movie.Jill St John was a good girlfriend for Sean Connery and they had good chemistry on the screen.
Weren't there conspiracy theories at the time that suggested that the moon landing was fake?
So perhaps, since Diamonds Are Forever is a comedy, they were making fun of those theories by showing the actual set
where a fake moon landing would've been filmed? Sort of like what Capricorn One did later?
That was my thought too, but where were the cameras? You can see this being a rehearsal for a fake moon landing, or a simulation where either the suits cause zero-G effects or the "astronauts" are so in character they move in slo-mo when an intruder barges in. It's a fun sequence either way.
Imagine how great it'd be if Stanley Kubrick made a cameo in that scene.
@@thefonzkiss Err...the theories don't need to be confirmed. They most certainly exist. And because some find them ludicrous, they're an easy target to make fun of. Which is perhaps what the film tried to do. And if so, the joke didn't work because the film sucks.
Diamonds a 7 wow
Nathan Metzner Dude could find positives in an electron.
liquidgeorge Don't be negative ⚡
Rating this movie a 7 is an insult to every other movie that's been rated a 7. "Diamonds are forever" is the worst Bond film ever.
Was looking forward to rewatching this one because of Wint & Kidd and still loved them. To me the crematorium would come in quite handy to get rid of bodies, so that I found believable. And that they didn't just blow up the last place because of Tiffany being there, also seemed somewhat logical to me. But yeah, a lot of it was a bit iffy but fun.
One of the weakest offerings with a plot that wanders, but John Barry’s score holds it together like glue. It is more a series set pieces loosely strung together by a silly thread.
Hello! DAF is not such a bad movie, it seems to me. We have to go back to the mentality of the time: sexuality, the end of the code of censorship for films, the rumors about the missions on the moon, ... I think that they have very freely amused themselves to make a parody of Bond movies, but they dared to do things like incorporate openly gay characters, disguise the villain as a woman, or stupidly film a toilet! I think it could be shocking for the time.
And then the title song is one of the best for a Bond.
Sorry for my english but I go through the translation of google! (I'm from France)
"I gotta bruddah!" That's Horror film icon and Rob Zombie regular Sid Haig!
The 50th anniversary of this film was in December... it is an interesting installment in the series being a transition from the Connery era to the Moore era.
Jill St John is stunning in this!❤❤❤
Put down the crack pipe Scott. A 7?!?!
Lana Wood? Really?, she must have really left an impression on this guy more than she did in the movie?
I hate beyond hate Diamonds Are Forever. This movie is straight trash. It's not a Bond film, it's a parity of James Bond and had no business being made. You have people like Scott who like this film (but in the meantime he hates Tomorrow Never Dies) and there are some other ppl that like this 💩 and I don't know what to tell you. Also to add fuel to the fire is when that woman turned to a gorilla. What a disgrace.
I don't hate DAF(1971). At least it's fun if not more. But it is certainly one of the weakest Bonds ever. Actually, LALD(1973) & TMWTGG(1974) were quite weak/small movies too! ***** Can you imagine how today, in 2023 a black woman turns into a gorilla! That's something...
I love both of you guys' takes on this movie. I've watched or listened to this review at least a dozen times. You guys compliment each other so well. This movie has so many head-scratching moments and scenes, but I still enjoy watching it. It's just a fun movie. Great content on your channel, Joe!
Thanks for the kind words Dwayne! 😃
Great review and could not agree more with all of these opinions; 'Diamonds' always to Dad felt like a "Made for TV" movie and not up to the standards expected. Fun show!
They could not afford anything else after giving Connery that big payday lol.
Details on that Mankiewicz draft here: hmssweblog.wordpress.com/hmss-archive-the-bond-too-big-for-007/
OK, it’s a pretty bad movie, but there are worse Bond films such as Die Another Day and most of the Daniel Craig Bond films except for Casino Royale.
I just watched On Her Majesty’s Secret Service on Blu-Ray, and that movie is clearly the best of all the Bond films. It’s really great.
iakona23 You think Skyfall is a worse film than Diamonds Are Forever? You must get your good stuff from Amsterdam.
liquidgeorge Diamonds Are Forever is really bad, but it’s still entertaining in an “it’s so bad it’s good” way. Skyfall is beautifully shot, but the story is so bad and the plot holes are so preposterous and the ideas are so repulsive that I just find the movie to be depressing and tedious rather than entertaining. But if Skyfall is your idea of a great movie, LiquidCourage, then good for you!
I'm completely with Joseph. Pretty much every scene in this film has something wrong with it. I struggled to sit through this when I first watched it. It's supposed to be fun/wacky, but actually I find it pretty boring. For me the only really good element is the song, which is a classic.
Never ceases to amaze me: from the glories of the best Bond film, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” starring the best Bond, George Lazenby, we descended to this crapola! The forerunner to a series of comedies, with an overpaid star looking old enough to be Lazenby’s father! The trailers announced, “He’s back!” My reaction was, “Too bad!”
As the two following films proved, any script involving Guy Hamilton and Tom Mankiewicz was bound to be crud. As if the tacky sets and locations weren’t enough, there was the additional treat of the ‘70s fashions. (Note the short pink tie!) Jill St John was painful to hear, and Charles Gray was miscast and wasted. The best actors in the film were Jimmy Dean and Leonard Barr!
It took 12 years, but Sean Connery redeemed himself with the excellent “Never Say Never Again.”
Another Outstanding Review I agree with Joseph on many points, However I really like the Barry Score “007 and counting even the extended version is good, great score in a horrible special effects sequence. Well done lads you got through DAF
This is not the worst Bond. The Pierce Brosnan films weren't that good. "Quantum of Solace" blew.
Found this to be an enjoyable Bond film. Not the best in the series.....but plenty good. Connery for this one shows some definite signs of aging. But it's clear he is still a great JB.
Bond films alwaystell us about exotic locations ďifferent customs .in this film we got LA , smog and hookers. The film was a bore .
Hate this movie. The worst bond film ever by far. After the brilliant and sombre OHMSS we get this Comedy follow up. Horrible film nothing works or makes any sense bad casting too.
Agree.. it such a mess
You right DAF is a POS film
The guy who wrote the first couple of Moore Bond movie's wrote this, so this is the start of the camp comedy era...... a disgraceful follow up to OHMSS
Except OHMSS was a pos film too
@@gregmize01 considered to be one of the best in the series
No disrespect intended Joe but I think Scott really gets the Mankiweicz trilogy.
One thing they didn't make the most of Las Vegas no decent wide angle establishing shots. Vegas comes across like a cheap seaside resort. The tape thing and satellite is awful. The only thing this film has on its side is the fact it has an original Flemming title. This is a film that should be remade today.
The best scene in this movie is when he is in the coffin its one of those moments when you are watching it for the first time. Where you really are not sure how he is going to get out of it. Diamonds are forever is one of the worst Bond movies no question.
Tiffany Case starts off as a Strong,smart woman but come the middle of the film shes reduced to an Absolute clueless idiot. Bad Writing as she started great. Stunning wiman though.
Diamonds follows a totally different formula to the other Bond films. In terms of screenplay it’s very unique.
1. It’s more of a dot line story flow and not a straight line. Transitions are drastic, but it intentionally cuts out explanatory moments (like Bond finding Case’s home, why Plenty is dead, Bond finding the Baja oil rig, reaching Blofeld in the beginning super quickly). I see this as a method used to accelerate the campiness and mysteriousness, removing the realism.
2. The few careful build ups in the story (meeting Plenty, going to WW’s floor, the whole tape thing in the oil rig) are always dismissed as a cheap gag that goes nowhere.
The plot then reverses from the gag back to the original storyline and resumes with a scenario jump into the next scene.
3. The story is made to work without transitions, and each scene on its own works alone. Along with the dialogue, it’s made to just be a simple and fun movie without any complications.
I can’t say it’s the best Bond movie ever, but this construction is fascinating as a movie fan in general. I love Diamonds.
Worst Blofeld ever!
I have a picture of Sean Connery with his signature on It from this film
when growing up you accept ''DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER'' The Producers made this filmin a Rush, Because Sean Connery came Back. only the action and John Barry's score shines in this film. Casting Charles Gray as Blofeld is a no, no, 6 out of 10
I liked DAF when I was kid…it’s great to see Connery back as Bond, and it’s a fast paced story thats trying to be reminiscent of Goldfinger. However, as I’ve gotten older and more critical I’ve realized it’s easily one of the most convoluted stories in the entire franchise…this movie is very silly, and barely makes any sense.
Question: Are Mr. Wint and Kidd SPECTRE operatives? It never seems clear that they are…and if they aren’t working for SPECTRE, who are they working for??
That's actually a GREAT point! You never do see them reporting back to Blofeld, or anyone for that matter.
''Diamonds Are Forever'' makes sence as a sequel of ''You Only Live Twice''.
Mr. Wint and Kidd working for Blofeld, as seems in the meeting with Saxby after killing Tree.
BTW, Shady Tree was played by Leonard Barr, who was Dean Martin's uncle (!). Dino was born in 1917, I don't know when Leonard was born.
Yes, Barr was born Leonard Barone in 1903. They both got started in show business working in backroom casinos in Stuebenville , Ohio.
Bill Koenig Leonard Barr was born in 1903 and died in 1980
This was one of the most entertaining of your plot summaries. It is better than the overall film. Diamonds ranks in the near the bottom of my rankings. It is certainly an oddity in the series. I prefer You Only Live Twice, Connery’s previous one to this. I can live with some of the campiness in Diamonds as there are some good lines and some fun even cool, memorable moments. All the events in Amsterdam work. I almost wish the rest of the movie was set there. What bothers me the most is how this being Connery’s final final Bond film, they don’t finish the Bond/Blofeld conflict with a solid, satisfying conclusion. Given Connery’s somewhat weathered look, they could have leaned into how the character changed due to Tracy’s murder. At least one acknowledgement by Bond about this tragic, life altering event could have added more heft. However it’s great that Diamonds can spark hours of discussion. The title song is great!
The moon sequence was a shout out to the fake moon landing conspiracy. A subtle, inside tip of the hat.
LOLLLLL Once this movie gets to you, willful suspension of disbelief disappears and this movie becomes a "made for tv" bond movie. Joe I agree this one is fun but I really dislike that it was right after OHMSS.
This is definitely the worst Bond movie for me. There are still some things I like about it, like Tiffany Case, the Ken Adam sets etc., but overall it's just very cheesy and feels cheap. I don't mind a bit of fun in Bond movies, I like Moonraker for example, but this just doesn't feel classy at all. Especially coming after OHMSS, I remember seeing this for the first time as a kid after just seeing OHMSS and expecting a cathartic revenge story, and it was such a huge disappointment.
''Diamonds Are Forever'' is a sequel of ''You Only Live Twice''. In the first scene after gunbarrel, Bond is still in Japan looking for Blofeld, only as the head of a global criminal organization. There is no reference to Tracy and there is no Draco and Irma Bunt. D.A.F. would be a revenge film, if Connery was at O.H.M.S.S. or Lazenby at D.A.F. Connery here is aged and overweight, but if was a revenge film is perfect, as Bond after Tracy's death. The film has similar style with ''Live and Let die'' and ''The Man with the Golden Gun''.
@@ΜακηςΛ-ε5ρ Yeah I know, and it's such a huge missed opportunity. After OHMSS you crave for a revenge story as a fan, and you don't get it. It doesn't even work as a sequel to YOLT, as Gray's Blofeld is very disappointing here and there is no proper climax between him and Bond.
Great review guys, kind regards from Bonnie Scotland 🏴
MY DAD KNOWS/KNEW PUTTER SMITH!!! My dad's a jazz dummer, Michael McKinley ... if you ever meet him, bring it up!!!!! Tell him Mike's son says hi
DAF(1971)... Well, I don't hate this movie. At least it's a fun-fun movie! Some brilliant Bond lines in this film! Maybe DAF is the best action-comedy ever? Now, the biggest problem is that DAF is a very cheap looking movie. Worst Connery look too. Poor special effects, awful Blofeld... And because it's actually a comedy, I just can't take this film seriously. I can't believe that the world is in actual danger! In "Thunderball" and "YOLT" it felt like the world was really in great danger. In DAF... no way! *** For comparison: "Moonraker"(1979) is a fun Bond too, but "Moonraker" is a gorgeous looking/ big budget/epic Bond film! And Roger Moore looked great, the best Moore's look as Bond.
Love your videos and like all the Bond films I have no dislike for any. DAF fun adventure.
Diamonds is the "weirdest" Bond.. it also has the least rewarding action sequences in the series. Sean is out of shape and hairy.. Blofeld has a mud bath face change??? It features the best joke in the series "named after your father perhaps" and also the one of the best titles songs. As a kid the killers were weird and creepy and their music soundtrack was one of the highlights of the film for me. The editing and direction is ropey and it has a cheap feel in places. Strangely it kind of feels like a Moore Bond but with Sean in it.
''Diamonds Are Forever'' is a follow-up of ''You Only Live Twice''. Has the same style with ''Live and Let Die'' and ''The Man with The Golden Gun''. If D.A.F. was a revenge film, the out of shape Sean is perfect as Bond, after Tracy's death.
Also, in that first Mankiewicz draft, it was Q (!) who brought the real diamonds into the U.S. by ... putting diamonds in golf balls, as in the novel.
In Mankiewicz's first draft (after taking over for Maibaum), it was made clear Blofeld was dead.
to borrow one of joe's phrases, diamonds are forever has some of the most fingerprints in my collection...i love this movie and watch it constantly...easily in my top ten...the opening in japan is clearly a reference to you only live twice, with m even mentioning that connery's bond has been on holiday...jill st. john is great (although her character does get a little 'girlish' by the end)....the only casting misstep i believe is charles gray, who i love, but not as blofeld...other than that, it's a great flick and one, as i said, that i watch over and over again....peace to you both...rocky
They should made a follow up to her majesties secret services to show bond avenging tracy.
Interesting Diamonds are Forever related tidbit: the guy that started the whole Moon-Landing-was-a-hoax conspiracy theory was Bill Kaysing. Bill Kaysing wrote a book that asserted that instead of going to the Moon the astronauts hung out in Vegas, got in fights, and bed showgirls.
His book came out after Diamonds are Forever. Of course in Diamonds James Bond is hanging out in Las Vegas, gets in fights, beds showgirls, and even (weirdly) interrupts some Moon landing simulation (or hoax attempt).
So yeah, the Moon hoax conspiracy theory book is plagiarized from this bad Bond movie.
I just rewatched it today. I think it’s a still fun Bond movie, very entertaining, CONNERY being back, cool score, sexy Bond girls, etc.
But the 2-3 Blofelds (how many were in that movie?!) is just insanely stupid/boring, the plot is not the greatest, etc.
The worst thing about it is that it looks so cheap! Lol.
I like this movie.
The correct answer is that I didn't make this film a revenge movie.
The revenge-themed "License to Kill" and "Quantum of solace" are unpopular works.
I had never watched Diamonds since I had always had been turned off by the little clips I had seen over the years, but I watched it in full on TCM this past Thursday during their September Bond month and I have to say everything you guys said was true it was hokey, cheesy and certainly reflective of that 70’s period but in the end it wasn’t as bad as I had always feared. Connery did not look as bad as I thought he might and plus it’s Connery. There is that charisma and presence that only he can pull off. It was watchable, compared with Spectre, or the Timothy Dalton movies.
Yes, the revolver should work with factory ammo after being in mud.
What about Mr Kidd and Mr Winn?
My favorite weirdo henchmen
Goodbye sean best 007 ever
If this was a first or second entry into the franchise it would have been a good one. But when comparing to all the entries prior, it fails in any and all comparison.
CATHARSIS if this was the first or second entry, there would be no franchise.
Connery looked like the love child of Alabama governor George C. Wallace in DIF.
7:38 Diamonds are Forever: YES!! iIt never was neither is one of the better Bond Movies but it shure has its moments which are still KULT ^^, likw rhw secinf on rqo qhwwlas what became a standard in some other movies of those days.
But Nowdayas showing two homosexual killers in such a way woukld be caled rtastless, especially sincw this kind of moralic behaviour is not outlawed anymore.
This film never fails to give me a good time.
Cai--Cai---Chiropractor!
I love with all of my heart the cheery gangster that goes ' - I have a brother.'
I would have loved it if they actually had gotten Don Rickles to play Shady Tree.
25:15 one of my favorite moments from the whole podcast series 😂😂😂😂
This was the best, most concise summary of the Diamonds Are Forever plot. 👍🏽👍🏽