MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Roger Moore makes his first appearance as "Bond...James Bond" in 1973's Live and Let Die. Bond is dispatched to the States to stem the activities of Mr. Big (Yaphet Kotto), who plans to take over the Western Hemisphere by converting everyone into heroin addicts. The woman in the case is Solitaire (Jane Seymour in her movie debut), an enigmatic interpreter of tarot cards. The obligatory destructive-chase sequence occurs at the film's midpoint, with Bond being chased in a motorboat by Mr. Big's henchmen, slashing his way through the marshlands and smashing up a wedding party. Clifton James makes the first of several Bond appearances as redneck sheriff Pepper, while Geoffrey Holder is an enthusiastic secondary villain. The title song, written by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, provides the frosting on this 007 confection. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Smart menu technology
  • Audio commentary with Sir Roger Moore
  • Audio commentary with director Guy Hamilton
  • Audio commentary with screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz
  • Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary
  • Roger Moore as James Bond, circa 1964 featurette
  • Live and Let Die conceptual art
  • 007 Mission Control interactive guide into the world of Live and Let Die
  • Inside Live and Let Die featurette
  • On set with Roger Moore featurettes
  • Image database
  • Theatrical trailers, TV and radio spots

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Song - 1973 (Paul McCartney, Linda McCartney)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Roger Moore - James Bond
       Yaphet Kotto - Kananga/Mr. Big
       Jane Seymour - Solitaire
       Clifton James - Sheriff
       Julius Harris - Tee
       Geoffrey Holder - Baron Samedi
       Arnold Williams - Cab Driver

• Director:

  Guy Hamilton

• Producer:

  Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman

• Screenwriter:

  Tom Mankiewicz

• Book Author:

  Ian Fleming

• Cinematographer:

  Ted Moore

• Songwriter:

  Linda McCartney, Paul McCartney

• Composer (Music Score):

  George Martin

• Editor:

  Bert Bates, Ray Poulton, John Shirley

• Production Designer:

  Sidney Cain

• Art Director:

  Stephen Hendrickson, Syd Cain

• Costume Designer:

  Julie Harris

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Ken Barker, John W. Mitchell

• Special Effects:

  Rick Baker, Derek Meddings

• First Assistant Director:

  Derek Cracknell, Alan Hopkins

• Camera Operator:

  John Harris, George Bouillet

• Stunts:

  Roger Moore, Bill Bennett, Bob Simmons, Eddie Smith, Joie Chitwood

• Choreography:

  Geoffrey Holder

• Production Manager:

  Stephen F. Kesten

• Musical Performer:

  Don Lusher

REVIEW:

• Roger Moore's debut as James Bond has action and style to spare, but sadly falls short in the areas of story and pacing. Tom Mankiewicz's script creates an interesting villain in Kananga and starts off with an exciting barrage of action scenes, but seems to lose its way as it hits the midway point, failing to come up with an inspired motive for Kananga's villainous actions and neglecting to create set pieces that live up to the excitement of the first half. A bigger problem is that the story deviates too far from the usual Bond story line to create a mish-mash that borrows too heavily from the popular genres of its time. The drug-smuggling angle of the script could have come from any blaxploitation film of the era and a lengthy New Orleans-set boat chase in the second hour abruptly and unconvincingly detours the film into goofy Smokey and the Bandit territory (complete with a silly redneck sheriff). Despite these problems, Live and Let Die remains watchable thanks to efficient direction from Guy Hamilton that makes the most of the script's action opportunities. The best moment in this vein is a hair-raising scene where Bond has to escape from a tiny sandbar that is surrounded by a squad of hungry alligators. Live and Let Die further benefits from the committed work of a game cast. Moore brings an appealing dry wit to the character of James Bond and Yaphet Kotto delivers an appropriately forceful performance as Kananga. In the end, Live and Let Die is probably a bit too dated and inconsistent for the casual viewer, but offers enough inspired moments to make it worthwhile for the hardcore James Bond fan. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi