007 - O Espião que me Amava

Roger Moore as James Bond has got another assignment involving the fate of the whole world. British Intelligence never gives him anything less. This time he's investigating this disappearance of both British and American nuclear powered submarines while on duty with no trace at all.

The evil genius behind it all is Curt Jurgens playing the role of an Onassis type billionaire shipping magnate who wants the world made to order for him. And in this case he believes mankind should start all over again in an undersea world which of course he will run. Just another case of a guy with all the money in the world thinking that entitles him to decide how everyone else should live and behave. Jurgens has the resources to make it stick unless 007 can do something about it.

With both the Russians and the British working on this, the powers that be which in this case is General Walter Gotell of the Soviet KGB and M of course played by Bernard Lee have decided to stop working against each other. In this case it means Moore working with beautiful Russian agent Barbara Bach and you know of course she'll be Bondified before the film is over.

Probably up to this point the most dangerous foe that James Bond ever faced was Odd Job in You Only Live Twice. But when Richard Kiel as Jaws made his appearance, he took that title away and retired the crown as far as I'm concerned. That is one menacing dude, 7'2" with a mouth full of steel teeth that finish off most people. Of course 007 ain't most people.

The Spy Who Loved Me garnered three Oscar nominations for Best Musical Score for Marvin Hamlisch and for Best Song with Nobody Does It Better for Hamlisch and Carole Bayer Sager and one for Art&Set Direction. I'm not sure, but this might be the most recognition the Motion Picture Academy gave a Bond film.

And this film review is dedicated to Tom Golisano, another megalomaniac billionaire who thinks he ought to be running things. We're well used to the type in my area.

James Bond (Roger Moore) teams with a sexy Russian agent (Barbara Bach) to stop a web-fingered megalomaniac (Curd Jürgens) from destroying the world and rebuilding it as a new Atlantis.

"The Spy Who Loved Me" is fabulous nonsense, superior to all the previous Roger Moore Bonds, even with the obvious model shots, process shots and the occasionally corny background music by Marvin Hamlisch, who also wrote the music for the theme song, "Nobody Does It Better." (It's popular, but you can have it.) The gadgets, sets, stunts and one-liners are more outrageous than ever. Jürgens makes a good villain, and so does the shark he unleashes on traitors; but the bad guy everyone remembers is Jaws—not another shark, but a metal-mouthed giant played by Richard Kiel. He is Jürgens's best henchman—not good enough to outmatch Bond, but enough to survive for the next Bond adventure.

A megalomaniac named Stromberg plans to destroy the world and create a new civilisation. British Mi6 agent James Bond teams up with a Russian agent Anya Amasova to stop him.

Quintsessential Bond that encapsulates adventure, fantasy and excitement. A strong score, cast and storyline help Roger Moore's 1977 outing sidestep other Bond shadows with a fine script that feels more suited for Moore's gentleman killer spy. 

Barbara Bach while distant (possibly due to her steely character Anya) is a fine Bond girl addition who is given more purpose and motivation. Strongburg is played perfectly by Curd Jürgens who portrays the ultimate antagonist. 

The locations are interesting, acting as a fitting background, the Egypt segments are particularly atmospheric and well filmed, veteran director Lewis Gilbert deserves credit for crafting such a lavish 007 adventure to the screen. As expected Ken Adams sets are superb, the effects, miniatures and stunts are outstanding, notably the Pre title ski jump.  Maurice Binder's titillating titles are a highlight coupled with the wonderful theme tune.

Debatably Spy has the best James Bond score (composed by Marvin Hamlisch) to complement the action and emotion. The sound design is bold at times, fitting and also not afraid to be silent.  With Bond girls galore, celebrated series characters are all present- KGB Head, M, Q and Miss Moneypenny. All are reliable as ever putting in great performances and Jaws has his debut. 

While not the most serious or hard hitting in the franchise, this instalment is the most fulfilling and entertaining. It's a captivating experience with a wide audience appeal catering for young and old. 

Its a spectacle, sharks, gadgets, underwater cars and hideouts, submarines, helicopters, henchmen with metal teeth and a fight on a train, it's Moore's Bond at his most balanced and best. 

Extraordinary, a must see.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. This is the tenth in the Bond series n the third to star Roger Moore as the secret agent James Bond. This is also one of my fav Bond film n it is very entertaining.

This time Bond has to deal with a reclusive but ultra rich scientist Stromberg, who plans to create WW3 and later aft the nuclear war, build a new civilisation under the sea. Lol. He shud have consulted Aquaman first. To thwart Stomberg's plan, Bond teams up with a Russian agent known as triple X.

This movie has one of my personal fav scene, the Union Jack-parachute scene.

This time Bond gets to cool off with Sue Vanner n Barbara Bach. And we get to cool off our eyes with Caroline Munro's amazing cleavage.

Apart from Stromberg, Bond has to face a motorbike henchman with a rocket sidecar, a small army of soldiers in red, an atractive helicopter pilot (Munro) n Stromberg's two fierce henchmen, Jaws n Sandor.

Some info on Stromberg from the book- he is totally bald, lacking eyebrows, and has a small mouth. Only the pinkie and ring finger of his left hand are webbed, as opposed to all of his digits in the film. His character is also given a rather lengthy backstory, revealing how he made his fortune and got into the shipping industry.

Some info on Jaws from the book - he used to b a basketball player but due to his sluggish reaction and his lack of speed, his career ended. Later he was arrested by the secret police for having taken part in a riot n beaten by the cops with hollow steel clubs encased in thick leather, breaking his jaw beyond repair. It was Stromberg who hired a prestigious doctor to create an artificial jaw for Jaws, that created the two rows of terrifying razor-sharp teeth.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for this film as this is the first James Bond movie that I anticipated and then saw in a movie theater (I did see both The Man With the Golden Gun and Live and Let Die as the 2nd feature at a drive-in, but they don't count). So, I was a little apprehensive about re-watching a film that is a cherished memory.

I am happy to report that this movie holds up. From the tremendous "ski off the mountain" opening shot, through Maurice Bender's always terrific opening credits to Richard "Jaws" Kiel and villain Curt Jurgens underwater hideout, I was entertained throughout. True, this movie has to overcome some truly tremendous 1970's synth-pop soundtrack, but add in Barbara Bach's wonderful turn as Agent XXX, andyou have the quintessential Roger Moore Bond movie.

So, why is that? I think it is because Moore finally came into his own as Bond. In his third movie, Moore (and director Lewis Gilbert) dropped any attempt at Moore copying Sean Connery's roguish toughness and started cultivating Moore's natural tendency towards comedy. This comedic bent will, ultimately, overcome Moore's portrayal of Bond in future installments, but in TSWLM, they strike exactly the right tone.

Go back and checkout THE SPY WHO LOVED ME, you'll be pleasantly surprised on how good this movie is.

7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank (of Marquis)