Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery retired from the 007 franchise after You Only Live Twice (replaced by George Lazenby in the underrated and underperforming On Her Majesty's Secret Service) but was lured back for one last official appearance as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. He's in fine form--cool but ruthless--in a sharp precredits sequence hunting the unkillable Blofeld (a suavely menacing Charles Gray in this incarnation), but the MacGuffin of a story (involving diamond smuggling, a superlaser on a satellite, and Blofeld's latest plot to rule the world ) is full of the groaning tongue-in-cheek gags that Roger Moore would make his signature. Goldfinger director Guy Hamilton keeps the film zipping along gamely from one entertaining set piece to another, including a terrific car chase in a parking lot, a battle with a pair of bikini-clad killer gymnasts named Bambi and Thumper, and a deadly game with a bizarre pair of fey, sardonic killers who dispatch their victims with elaborate invention. Jill St. John is the brassy but not too bright American smuggler Tiffany Case, and country singer and pork sausage king Jimmy Dean costars as a reclusive billionaire with not-so-subtle parallels to Howard Hughes. Shirley Bassey belts out the memorable theme song, one of the series' best. Connery retired again after this one but he returned once more, for Never Say Never Again 15 years later for a rival production company. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

diamonds are forever

It is a nice movie performed by sean connery.Despite being an old film there is technology that has paved way for strides in todays science September 7, 2008

Bond Is Forever

Being a long time fan of the James Bond movie series (45 years), naturally I have a preference for the Sean Connery Bond films. This one was one of the better of the entire series. With Jill St. John playing the sexy but ditzy bad girl, Tiffany Case, Charles Gray as Blofeld, and Lana Wood as the voluptuous gold digger Plenty O'Toole, this has to be the most entertaining of the Connery series. Jimmy Dean (the legendary country star of old, and breakfast sausage guru)was outstanding as the Howard Hughes-like Willard White. Some of the more modern Bond films, loaded up with too many gimmicks and special effects, pale in comparison to this and the other Connery and Roger Moore Bond films. A must see for all James Bond fans, young and old. Buy it, You'll like it... you'll love it!!! June 17, 2008

Diamonds are forever .... James Bond is, too!

The title of this James Bond adventure could well be the eternal "credo" for Sean Connery as James Bond .... his outstanding work as the suave, sophisticated, action-biased, reckless and seemingly indestructible superagent continues to grow better with age. A great film and one that will be a fan-favorite! June 5, 2008

Why is Sean Connery playing James Bond in a Roger Moore Bond movie??

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This movie is over 35 years old (counting from the date of this review).

(Sir) Sean Connery made six EON production (or "official") movies with him starring as James Bond. They were (1) Dr. No (1962) (2) From Russia with Love (1963) (3) Goldfinger (1964) (4) Thunderball (1965) (5) You Only Live Twice (1967) and (6) Diamonds are Forever (1971).

This is the seventh spy film of the British Bond series (the sixth was "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" with a different actor playing Bond). As well, it is the sixth and last to star Connery as the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond (code number 007).

This movie is based on the 1956 novel of the same name as the movie by Ian Fleming (1908 to 1964).

Briefly, Bond impersonates a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a smuggling ring. He soon uncovers a plot by his former nemesis Ernst Blofeld (Charles Gray), leader of the criminal organization SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion) to use the diamonds in the construction of a giant laser satellite that would be used to hold the world for ransom.

The title song is sung by Shirley Bassey.

This movie has all the Bond ingredients: gadgets, witty dialogue with "Bondisms" (Bond one-liners), unique background music, Bond girls (with Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) being the main Bond girl), villains, and action.

Unfortunately, despite these ingredients, this movie does not "feel" like a Bond movie or more accurately, it does not feel like a Sean Connery Bond type movie.

Why is this? For starters, Sean Connery does not "look" up to the role. He's not lean and trim. He even has long side-burns. Perhaps the reason was that he never expected to play Bond again and had to be lured back for considerable money to play this part one more time. As a result, he seems to simply walk through the movie.

The witty dialogue with Bondisms falls flat in most cases. The main villain, Blofeld as played by Charles Gray does not seem very villainous (which is strange when you consider he's leader of SPECTRE). True, two of Blofeld's (gay) henchmen, Mr. Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith) give good performances but for some reason, seem to have wandered accidentally onto the movie set.

Jill St. John as Tiffany Case (who has the distinction of being the first American Bond girl) plays a diamond smuggler. To me, she's one of the least effective Bond girls playing the part in an annoyingly shrill manner.

The new gadgets presented in this movie are nothing spectacular or clever.

The reason for Blofeld wanting diamonds is not revealed until the last half hour and many people may get fed up with the movie before then.

The one thing this movie does have is plenty of action especially the car chase scene.

Perhaps the biggest problem with this movie is that it is more humorous than serious. (The previous five Connery Bond type movies (listed above) were more serious.) Thus this movie paved the way for the Roger Moore Bond type movies which were more humorous and deviated greatly from the James Bond in the Ian Fleming novels.

This movie when released made about one hundred and sixteen million dollars worldwide (or about six hundred and seventeen million in today's dollars). I think it grossed so much because of Connery's, by then, star power.

The DVD (the one released in Sept., 2007) is flawless in picture and sound quality. This movie has been digitally restored and I'm sure the picture is just as good (if not better!!) than when it was released over 35 years ago. There is also superior sound. As well, there is one extra in the form of an audio commentary.

Finally, here is some information to consider. This DVD is actually the first disc of the two disc "Ultimate Edition." Bond fanatics might want to purchase this two disc Ultimate Edition since the second disc has "the best collection of special features ever assembled for Bond." (Unfortunately, the Ultimate Edition is no longer available but can be purchased second-hand.)

In conclusion, those who enjoy the Roger Moore Bond type movies should like this movie but those who enjoy Sean Connery Bond type movies will probably be very disappointed in this movie.

(1971; 2 hr; wide screen; 32 scenes)

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May 28, 2008

My Favorite Bond Movie

There are several Bond movies that would compete for being my favorite. These would include "You Only Live Twice", "Man With A Golden Gun", and "For Your Eyes Only". (Note -- I've never seen "Octopussy", I've never caught the endings of "Never Say Never Again" and "License To Kill", and I have yet to watch a Pierce Brosnan Bond movie nor the new one yet.) My favorite, though, is "Diamonds Are Forever."

What makes this one my favorite? Here are the following strengths I've seen.

1. The opening. I consider this the most effective opening (though "From Russia With Love" rivals it).

2. Mr. Went and Mr. Kidd. Enough said?

3. Jill St. John. Definitely my favorite leading Bond female, because she shows more complexity than most of the others, going from seductive to scheming to silly.

4. The thrills. What can beat the moon buggy escape, the chase in the parking lot, or the escape from the underground pipeline? And what about Bambi and Thumper, or the multiple Blofelds?

5. The ending. Several of the Bonds, especially those by this director, have great fake endings, and this one ranks with "Live and Let Die" and "Goldfinger" as the best.

Note I said this was my favorite. It does have shortcomings. For example, the women's names (Tiffany Case, Plenty O'Toole). And Charles Gray as well as Connery returns from "You Only Live Twice" -- except in the former movie, Gray was not Blofeld but a good guy agent that didn't last long in the story. Gray was the third actor to play Blofeld, following Donald Pleasance ("You Only Live Twice") and Telly Sevalas ("On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). The other two, unlike Gray, were bald. Blofeld had doubles, but no explanation as to how he grew his hair.

Regardless, if you enjoy James Bond, this one is a must have. April 21, 2008

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