Bond Is Forever: “Octopussy”

MI6 agent 009 is killed in the course of an assignment, but manages to reach friendly territory before collapsing, where a Fabergé egg is found on his person. The egg is a “near perfect forgery,” while the genuine item is scheduled to be auctioned. James Bond (Roger Moore) and an art expert attend the auction with the hopes of locating the seller. Their intrigue is piqued, however, by Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan), a notoriously shady seller, who is overbidding for the item in question. Bond bids against him before eventually succumbing and, for good measure, swaps the real egg with the forgery. The agent follows Kamal to Delhi, India, where Bond initiates contact and flaunts that he possesses the real Fabergé egg at a backgammon table. Not surprisingly, Bond incurs Kamal’s wrath and sidesteps bullets, throwing knives and the occasional scimitar. With the belief that the forgeries are funding the Russians, 007 ultimately finds his way to an island of exclusively women, part of a “cult” with members signified by a blue-ringed octopus tattoo and ruled by an enigmatic jewel smuggler known as Octopussy (Maud Adams).

Octopussy (1983) was the second film of the series for director John Glen and also the second appearance for actress Adams, who first starred in 1974’s The Man with the Golden Gun. Octopussy is best remembered -- aside from a title that makes most people blush -- for its release in the same year as an “unofficial” Bond film, Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery as 007. The latter film was brought to the screen by producer Kevin McClory, who had worked with Bond creator Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham on an original story for 007’s cinematic debut. The project was abandoned, resulting in Fleming’s Thunderball, which, in turn, resulted in seemingly endless legal disputes. McClory and Whittingham received credit for additional printings of the novel, as well as the 1965 Broccoli/Saltzman adaptation, and McClory was allowed to make his own version of the movie. The year of 1983 became known as the “Battle of the Bonds.” Both movies performed well, although Octopussy ended with a slight lead, making it into the Top 10 films that year in the U.S. Never Say Never Again performed well and reached the Top 20. (For more on the Thunderball legal wrangling, read about the 1965 film.)


A substantial entry in the series, Octopussy retains a energetic style throughout, and Moore, in his sixth turn as the beloved spy, is just as diverting as when he first stepped into the role. Following the previous Bond film, For Your Eyes Only, in 1981, Moore had technically fulfilled his contract, and EON Productions searched for an actor to portray 007. American actor James Brolin filmed screen tests, including one with Maud Adams (in a scene from 1963’s From Russia with Love) and another with Vijay Amritraj, who stars in Octopussy as Bond’s ally in India. Moore, however, was reportedly asked to return to battle any competition from Never Say Never Again and Connery, the cinematic Bond original. Like the solid For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy keeps the gadgets to a minimum -- the highlight of Q’s (Desmond Llewelyn) anticipated “presentation” of gadgetry is a simple tracking device. In a particularly entertaining sequence, Bond manages to board a speeding train, conceal himself inside a compartment to attain details of a criminal plot, and combat a henchman atop the train still in motion, with nothing more than his expertise and a little savoir-faire.

Louis Jourdan is a charming villain as Kamal, a ferocity teeming just below his handsome exterior. His casual discussion of the manner in which he would torture Bond for information, all while Kamal enjoys a souffle, is both alluring and darkly humorous. Bond’s initial contact in India is Vijay, who’s posing as a snake charmer and plays the Bond theme on the recorder to catch the agent’s attention. Vijay is a delightful supporting character, adept and, like 007, not unaccustomed to fashionable attire. Actor Amritraj was a professional tennis player (as were his brothers, Anand and Ashok), and, in one of the film’s better scenes, he drives an auto rickshaw (with Bond as his passenger) in a high-speed pursuit down Indian streets while simultaneously keeping villains at bay with a tennis racket. Actor Llewelyn is, as per usual, irresistible as Q and has one of the film’s best lines, spoken to Bond after the MI6 agent asks Q to repair a hole in his jacket: “They missed you. What a pity!”

In spite of its ingenuity, Octopussy does stumble before making it to the closing credits. The most significant drawback of the film is its length. It might have benefited from an abridgement, especially considering that the basic plot is finished with approximately 40 minutes remaining, almost giving the impression that the filmmakers were biding their time until they made it to an excess of two hours. There is additionally a rather asinine sequence of Bond being hunted in the jungle, facing such perils as spiders, a snake and a tiger, and all of it culminating in 007 swinging on vines with the Tarzan cry.

Bernard Lee, who had played M in the first 11 movies of the Bond series, died while For Your Eyes Only was being made. M was written out of that film, and Octopussy marks the debut for Robert Brown in the role. Michaela Clavell plays Penelope Smallbone, apparently intended to succeed Miss Moneypenny. However, Lois Maxwell, who’d played Moneypenny in all Bond films up to and including Octopussy, would reprise her role (with no Penelope in sight) for the 14th and final time in A View to a Kill (1985), retiring from the series along with Roger Moore. (Clavell was the daughter of author and filmmaker James Clavell, whose work included writing, directing and producing 1966’s To Sir, With Love.)

The song that opens the film is “All Time High”, sung by Rita Coolidge and written by composer John Barry and award-winning lyricist Tim Rice, who is a frequent collaborator with Andrew Lloyd Weber. It’s a lovely number, reinforced by Coolidge’s warm and resonant voice. At the film’s end, a disclaimer insists that “James Bond Will Return in ‘From a View to a Kill.’” He did indeed, but with a minor title revision.

The title of the movie was taken from a Fleming short story, appearing in the collection, Octopussy and the Living Daylights (sometimes published with a condensed title of Octopussy). In the film, Octopussy reminds Bond of a previous mission involving a Major Smythe (her father), and the assignment to which she’s referring is the plot of Fleming’s short story. The film’s dramatic jumping board -- villains securing funds during auctions -- was taken from another short story, “The Property of a Lady”, which is included in the same collection (although not in the original 1966 edition). The title of said story is referenced in the film as the anonymous seller of the Fabergé egg. Additionally, Bond exposes Kamal’s loaded dice at backgammon and uses them to win a hand, to which Kamal responds by suggesting that he spend his winnings quickly. A similar scene and similar warning occur in the novel, Moonraker, when Bond swindles the cheating Hugo Drax at a card game.

Certainly not as strong as other Bond outings with Moore, such as The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy will nonetheless quench a 007 thirst. Along the way, fans will find accomplished stars and noteworthy action scenes. And most viewers will welcome the opportunity to watch Octopussy’s girls employ their skills as circus performers or a villain treat a circular saw like a yo-yo.

Bond Is Forever will return next month with Die Another Day (2002).

Bond Is Forever: "The Man with the Golden Gun"

Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), a professional assassin who sports a golden gun which houses only a single bullet, is such a proficient killer that he can demand one million dollars per hit. When it looks as if the hitman's next target is British agent, James Bond (Roger Moore), the spy travels to Macau to find the man who manufactured the gun's unique golden ammunition. It soon becomes clear that Scaramanga's ultimate purpose is the procurement of the solex agitator, a device for harnessing solar energy. Bond's mission takes him to Bangkok, Thailand, and eventually to Scaramanga's private island in China, where 007 has a showdown (actually, a duel) against the man with the golden gun.

There are two significant elements of The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) which reflect the times. One such element was the oil crisis of 1973, during which time countries were researching alternate sources of energy, e.g. solar. The other notable aspect of the movie is the focus on martial arts. The previous year, Bruce Lee starred in his first American film, Enter the Dragon, which sparked a U.S. interest in martial arts films (such as Lee's earlier Hong Kong films). Interestingly, Enter the Dragon has been accused of adding Bond ingredients into the plot. For example, the movie's main villain, Han (Shih Kien), has his own private island and a deadly artificial hand (a la Dr. No), and even cradles and strokes a cat (a la Blofeld). However, The Man with the Golden Gun is clearly inspired by the success of the Bruce Lee film, and Scaramanga's room of mirrors is undoubtedly a take on a similar sequence with Lee and Shih.

It is additionally worth noting that the aforementioned plot points were not taken from author and Bond creator Ian Fleming's novel of the same name. In fact, aside from the title, the villain's name, and the character of Mary Goodnight (who was actually Bond's secretary in a few of the books), the majority of the story was written strictly for the big screen. Fleming's novel was published posthumously in 1965 and differs drastically from other Bond books. There has been speculation that The Man with the Golden Gun was incomplete at the time of Fleming's death and was subsequently completed by one or more other authors.

After the release of The Man with the Golden Gun, producer Harry Saltzman, reportedly due to financial turmoil, sold his half of the rights to Danjaq, LLC (then Danjaq, S.A.), the parent company of EON Productions. His wife died from cancer shortly afterwards, and Saltzman largely stayed out of the movie industry, co-producing two films based on the life of Vaslav Nijinsky (Nijinsky in 1980 and Time of the Gypsies in 1988). Albert "Cubby" Broccoli founded Danjaq and EON Productions with Saltzman (Danjaq was a combination of their wives' names, Dana Broccoli and Jacqueline Saltzman), but it was the latter man who initially secured the film rights to the James Bond character. (Broccoli had tried a few years earlier, but the deal fell through when Broccoli's then partner, Irving Allen, met with Ian Fleming in London -- as Broccoli cared for his sickly wife in the U.S. -- and supposedly told the author that his books were not "good enough for television.")

The Man with the Golden Gun is one of the more unpopular 007 outings, but the movie does have its strengths. First and foremost, Christopher Lee makes an indelible villain. He has incredible presence, which is why the actor remains one of the best Draculas to ever appear on screen. As Scaramanga, he mesmerizes, with a smile that is both attractive and potentially lethal. This is a man who has made a career out of murder, not just for monetary gain, but because he simply delights in it. Were it not for Lee's striking performance, Hervé Villechaize as Nick Nack, Scaramanga's resourceful (and equally deadly) assistant, may have stolen the film.

Villechaize, perhaps most famous as Tattoo on the TV series, Fantasy Island, plays Nick Nack with some humor, but he never overdoes it, and he proves a formidable opponent to Bond. Best of all, the film itself does not seem to be mocking little people (or "midgets," as they said 30+ years ago). In one scene, Nick Nack has the drop on 007 during a Thai boxing match. As Bond and Scaramanga talk, Nick Nack snacks on a bag of peanuts while keeping what looks to be a Derringer aimed at 007's back. The man does not even seem interested in the discussion, as he seemingly pays more attention to the fight. It's both amusing and tense, as Nick Nack's fortitude is never called into question, and Bond respects the man enough to not move until he knows that he is gone.

The film has been criticized for its comedic moments. But the comedy is not overbearing, and the movie is sincere when necessary, such as the majority of fights (e.g., Bond's scuffle with some men in a belly dancer's dressing room). Likewise, much of the tongue-in-cheek dialogue works, such as when 007 questions who would want him assassinated, and M (Bernard Lee) responds: "Jealous husbands, outraged chefs, humiliated tailors. The list is endless."

However, The Man with the Golden Gun is not without its flaws. One of the most superfluous characters from the previous year's Live and Let Die was the exasperating Louisiana sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James), who makes an unwelcome return in this film. Once again, the sheriff's attempts at comic relief are a series of misfires. Similarly, director Guy Hamilton, who also helmed Live and Let Die, includes another boat chase, which, fortunately, is not as lengthy as the first time. The women in The Man with the Golden Gun are underutilized. Maud Adams has little to do as Andrea Anders (she would have a much more substantial role as the title character in 1983's Octopussy). Britt Ekland's Mary Goodnight is one of the most worthless of the Bond Girls. For every one thing she does that is helpful, Goodnight does two or more things which prove detrimental. As a for instance, Goodnight helps Bond track Andrea to a hotel, but the spy lost Andrea's trail only because Goodnight parked her car in front of his taxi.

While the movie's treatment of the varying cultures is respectful, it is conjointly puzzling. Bond receives assistance from Lieutenant Hip (Soon-Tek Oh), whom he meets in Hong Kong. Hip's ethnic background is unclear, but his nieces in Bangkok, Thailand, according to the lieutenant, have a father who runs a karate school. Since karate is a Japanese style of martial arts, this would insinuate that either Hip's brother or his brother-in-law is Japanese. Additionally, Bond encounters sumo wrestlers in Bangkok, and is later captured and taken to what appears to be a dojo, where the students are dressed in uniforms most often associated with Japanese martial arts of karate or judo. To add to the confusion, actor Oh is of Korean descent, and Yuen Qiu, who plays one of the nieces who may be Thai and/or have a Japanese father, is Chinese. Oh would go on to play recurring characters in various American TV shows, such as Magnum P.I., Hawaii Five-O, Charlie's Angels, and M*A*S*H. Thirty years after The Man with the Golden Gun, Yuen would win awards, nominations, and praise for her outstanding performance as the landlady in Stephen Chow's wonderful Kung Fu Hustle (2004).

In honor of Paul's weekly Trivia Time, here's a trivia question for anyone interested: What four distinct components are assembled to form Scaramanga's golden gun? (Hint: Each piece has its own function prior to assembly.)

I would love to hear what everyone thinks of Roger Moore's second go-round as Bond, James Bond. Even if you aren't fond of the film, I'd like to hear your thoughts on why you aren't a fan.

Bond Is Forever will return next month with GoldenEye (1995).