James Bond - Live and Let Die (Ultimate Edition 2 Disc Set) [DVD]

Roger Moore's tenure as James Bond lasted from 1973 to 1985, during which time the Bond series turned more towards a comic style and Bond became more known for one-liners than for being a spy and assassin. Some of Moore's films were, on the other hand, much more balanced with regars to humour. Live And Let Die is my favourite Roger Moore James Bond film. Although much of Ian Fleming's novel is abandoned, the film still carries a Fleming-esque flavour. This is in part due to the Caribbean setting. Filmed in Fleming's beloved Jamaica, LALD is Moore's first effort as Bond and he is most convincing as Ian Fleming's secret agent. He is a little more ruthless here, and although he has some tongue in cheek dialogue, it doesn't go overboard. The only time the comic side of the picture gets out of hand is when Clifton James is on screen hamming it up as Sheriff J.W Pepper. Also the death of the villain, Kananga is very far fetched, and doesn't look convincing on screen.

The film's strongest points are probably the score and the henchmen. The score was composed by Beatles producer George Martin and really gives the film an interesting. The title song is used as the main action theme and Martin also composed some other good themes which appear regularly in the score. As much as I am a fan of John Barry, I'm not convinced that he could have done a better job than Martin on this film. In fact, I can barely imagine the picture with a more traditional Barry score.

The villain's henchmen are excellent. Tee Hee, a tall sadist armed with a mechanical hook. Baron Samedi, a voodoo priest with a wonderful sadistic laugh. Whisper, an overweight, almost mute henchman. The villain himself is Dr. Kananga, a politician who also operates as a Harlem gangster. The plot revolves around heroin, and Kananga's efforts to gain the monopoly in the heroin trade.

The DVD itself is very good. I didn't own the Special Edition, but I really like this Ultimate Edition. Although, looking at which features were present on the previous release. I'm not sure whether it would be worth buying this if you already have the previous version. But if, like me, you only had the VHS previously, this is a must buy. The library of extra features is rather good. The usual 'Making Of' documentary, narrated as always by Patrick Macnee. Also, worth looking at is the 'Bond 1973' documentary. Another behind the scenes look at LALD, but not as good as the Patrick Macnee one. Also of interest is the Bond circa 1964 piece, showing Roger Moore appearing as 007 in a 1964 TV program. It is a very nice comic piece between Bond and his Russian female counterpart, both just trying to have a holiday, but enable to shake off their suspicions about each other.

Overall, this is one of my favourite Bond films and an equally good DVD release. One thing that puzzles me though, why did they put a picture of Roger Moore in Octopussy on the label of Disc 1. He barely looks like the same person that he did in LALD, as the pic was taken a decade later. Oh well, a minor slip, but it cerainly doesn't ruin this very good DVD set. Go on, buy it. You won't regret it.

this bond entry marks a major turning point in more ways than one.

roger moore replacing sean connery is the obvious factor, but "live and let die" is a vastly more modern bond film than any of the previous ones. fashion, film sets, settings are all a big improvement. this was the first of many to be like this and so much the better for it.

despite popular opinion, i have never rated sean connery as being a particular good bond; he is over-rated, his wardrobe is downright boring but he simply does not have the personality to pull it off.

even his last bond film "diamonds are forever" is old-fashioned and hasn't dated well at all.

where as, roger moore easily has these qualities. true, he may not have the muscle of connery, but moore's easy going charm makes up for this.

"live and let die" has a couple of classic moments which are amongst my personal favourites; the boat chase sequence, the escape from the alligator farm and the scene where bond rescues solitaire from the voodoo worshippers.

it is julius w. harris as tee-hee that stands out as the best villain, where as roger moore is already well settled in the bond role. last but not least, the soundtrack is one of the best i've ever had; i can highly recommend it.

Sean Connery finally said goodbye to Bond, the character that had made him famous, with `diamonds are forever'. So for Bond's eighth big screen outing we were introduced to Roger Moore (and his eyebrow) in the lead, the third actor to play the part on the silver screen.

Known for his roles in Ivanhoe and The Saint, Moore was a good choice. He had the on screen presence and mannerisms to carry it off, but was no Connery clone His Bond was just different enough to Connery to stand out, and it is this attempt to be different that was the secret of his success in the role. Moore's Bond seemed a more human construct, slightly less remote and dangerous but still ruthless when it comes to getting the job done.

In this film Bond is sent to America in order to sort out some drug smugglers. Along the way we have fun as we see the typical Englishman deal with the mean streets of Harlem, there is the excellently staged and thrilling bug boat chase through the Florida everglades, and the immortal stunt with the crocodiles. Into the mix there is a large dose of voodoo, and it sometimes seems that Bond's antagonists are not of this world. After the almost embarrassing attempt to be hip with the last film, the producers got it largely right this time, and largely because of the change of actor the humour and seventies fashions work a lot better.

There are notable performances: Yaphett Koto as the villain - a very underrated actor Koto gave this role his all and made a memorable Mr. Big, and Jane Seymour as Solitaire, the voodoo priestess who finds the tarot cards stacked against her... There is also an excellent score featuring Wings, it is up there with any of Shirley Bassey's themes for the series and fits the mood and style of the film to a tee.

It is a film which is full of atmosphere, entertaining in terms of thrills and humour and a great way to pass a couple of hours.

Notable in the Bond canon that it is the second film not to feature Q, and Bond carries a Magnum rather than the usual Walther PPK.

This ultimate edition really is the best version of the film I have owned. The picture has been lovingly restored and cleaned up, and looks amazing. Really, I am not just saying that. It looks superb. The sound has been similarly treated and there is an option to listen to it in 5.1 DTS surround, which is truly exceptional.

As well as the superb presentation of the film, there is also a host of extras, original trailers, informative audio commentaries and the such. These are exhaustive and some of them quite interesting. But these really a garnish for the main course, which is the film itself. This is an excellent release, and does the film justice. This series of `Ultimate editions' really sets the standard for film releases. It really does not get any better.