Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great film ..... but is this really the Ultimate Edition DVD?, 8 Aug 2006
The Spy Who Loved Me contains some of THE iconic images from the James Bond film series - the Lotus Esprit, the skiing stunt complete with the Union Jack parachute - as well as Roger Moore in top form as our hero, James Bond. The film also has one of the great BOnd villans in Jaws, here genuinely menacing before he was reduced as a comic villan in Mookraker as well as a top quality Bond lady in Barbara Bach.
This DVD has cleaned up the original film and this copy of The Spy Who Loved Me is sparkling. However, I do have reservations in this Ultimate Edition DVD in comparing this DVD with the Special Edition release of five years ago. In my opinion there is not that much difference between the two, both have the same excellent documentaries and photographs and contain the same commentary from the makers of the film. There are only two significant differences - firstly, the menus are different, but not necessarily better, and secondly, the DVD contains a commentary from Roger Moore. For this alone the DVD is worth buying as the commentary is excellent and shows Moore as the charming man he is.
However, if you are not interested in the Moore commentary but already own TSWLM on DVD, then this DVD is not worth buying as it is not radically different from the previous release. For this reason alone, I have deducted one star from my rating as undoubtedly TSWLM is defintely a five star film.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Moore finds his groove as Bond, 2 Oct 2007
By this 1977 movie, the Roger Moore era of movies had found their direction and formula. The same as Goldfinger represented the coming together of ingredients for Connery, here Moore is at his most relaxed in the role, but still young enough to get away with it, and the sets, the villain, the set pieces, all create the mood for the definitive Moore Bond movie.
Alas, the definitive Bond movie has aged badly, unless you are able to relish the campness of the massive (and still impressive) sets and the script apparently written by a three year old (GIRL: `James, I need you!'... BOND: `..so does England!'). It's a miracle that medical attention was not required to remove tongues from cheeks...
Clearly, the mood of the times was for escapism and fantasy - and this movie fit the mould well. Barbara Bach is one of the most beautiful Bond girls, and actually plays quite a strong role, even though her acting lessons seem to have been taken at a carpentry school instead of a drama school. The signature stunt at the beginning of the movie, where Bond skis off a cliff and after a few heartstopping moments the parachute bursts open to reveal the Union Jack, is sublime lunacy that raised cheers in the cinema in 1977. Curt Jurgens is inspired casting to lend a degree of gravitas to the megalomaniac Stromberg. An additional bonus is the first appearance of Jaws, played by Richard Kiel - you can't help feeling that the scenes where he keeps trying and failing to get 007 leave you rooting for Jaws more than Bond. It's obvious why they brought him back in the next movie. The music has shifted in tone from John Barry's classic riffs and stringy feel, to an electronic mood, which again exaggerates the 70's feel of the movie... and let's not start on the ladies hairstyles... And the character of Bond is changing. More one liners than ever to be sure.. but compare Connery in the very similar action scene at the end of You Only Live Twice (same director) - there, Connery moves gracefully throught the milieu almost like a dancer, dealing with the enemy only as and when he needs to to achieve his goal, leaving the fighting and blowing up to others. Here, Moore has to be at the centre of everything, and lead all the action scenes. It's a trend which takes the character into fantasy more than ever before.
The Ultimate Edition has the crystal clear picture and sound we have come to expect, and all the extras from the Special Edition, including the essential documentary Inside The Spy Who Loved Me, and the commentary of the movie - all excellent value. New features include a brand new commentary by Moore, and an abundance of minor period featurettes, such as the 007 sound stage dedication, opened by Harold Wilson, the ex -PM.
This is a movie much parodied, and obviously camp and dated, and yet that is its whole appeal - it was at the time entirely original (well, except the plot elements stolen from other Bond movies) and full of iconic items and moments - the Lotus Esprit, the Pyramids light show, the first movie appearance of a jetski, Jaws... It is a movie which in no way tries to be timeless - it is very much of the time, and as such it's a small treasure.... as long as you know what you are letting yourself in for.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vintage James!, 28 Jul 2007
This is Roger's tour-de-force as 007: a white submersible Lotus Esprit, Barbara Bach, Egypt, Richard Kiel as Jaws, the incredible opening sequence, Carly Simon's fabulous theme tune...this re-released version has some nice extras, and I would watch it on as big a TV as you can find because I still cannot beat the experience I had watching this as a ten year old in 1977 on the big screen: when the Bond music kicked in after the opening chase everyone in the cinema cheered, and rightly so!
Nice one Roger...
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