I watched The Man With The Golden Gun at the weekend. Would it be possible to make a film that encompasses so many gratuitious 'isms nowadays? I mean there's sexism (Britt Ekland as the implausibly stupid blonde MI-6 agent Mary Goodnight who spends most of the film in a bikini), ethnic stereotyping ( Assorted East Asians ), more ethnic stereotyping (the Southern Sheriff) and of course heightism (the portrayal of midgets as comical yet sinister).
Roger Moore is doing penitence for his sins by having to appear in those godawful Post Office adverts.
Dirk Bogarde and the Crystal Palace dinosaurs
6 hours ago
12 comments:
"Roger Moore is doing penitence for his sins by having to appear in those godawful Post Office adverts."
And yet, viewers are suffering along with him! Some penance! :)
Does the film have Home-Owner-Ism or does it pre-date that?
I'm faurly sure that Scaramanga would kill any NIMBYish home owners who obkected to his planning application for his secret lair.
"And yet, viewers are suffering along with him! Some penance! :)"
Yes because the PO ads are the modern equivalent of the stocks, and the public has to witness his shame.
Most films produced pre-2000 could probably be accused of various -isms these days.
I wonder what Harriet Harman would have made of the cheerleaders that I saw at the NFL game at Wembley on Sunday night....
The bit where he hit Scaramanga's girlfriend was also a bit old-fashioned, especially given it brought her back to her senses and she drank the champagne with him.
What most struck me though was just how useless James Bond is, at least in the film version. "I'll pretend to be Scaramanga on the off chance the other guy's never met him". That didn't work so well, did it?
Yes I should have mentioned his beating up the other woman. Although that was surprising common in the early Bond films.
As for his effectiveness, in the films he appear to be a world famous secret agent, which is a bit of a contradiction in terms.
But at least Scaramanga had three nipples so he added to the diversity quota
Look at it the New Labour way
1. Someone of restricted growth
2. A female 'expert' in Establishment role
3. Man with acne scars and three nipples
See ?!
"1. Someone of restricted growth
2. A female 'expert' in Establishment role
3. Acne scars and three nipples"
Hazel Blears ticks two and half of those boxes.
Great film for that reason alone.
"Great film for that reason alone."
Yes, if you strip the 'isms then you notice the gaping holes in the plot and characters.
All the Bond films are ridiculous but the best have style. The ludicrous nature of the plots (let's hollow out a volcano and launch rockets that are technically more advanced than either the Russian or American equivalents) is almost beyond parody. There were diminishing returns as the series progressed (and not just financially).
In many ways Man With the Golden Gun seems to trade on previous glories at a very cheap rate. Its tackiness extends far beyond the "isms" - this is the Crossroads of the Bond films
It starts with the title which echoes Goldfinger. The oriental setting echoes You Only Live Twice, including the martial arts. The sheriff from Live and Let Die reprises his role which also involved a boat chase sequence. The gun itself is a laser which seems a poor threat compared to the laser in Diamonds are Forever. In fact, the gadgets in general are poor compared to earlier outings. Most noticeably of all, the number of henchmen is miniscule.
In my mind this film came after Moonraker, the absolute nadir of Bond movies, but memory plays tricks. The neatness of having two passable movies: Live and Let Die and Spy Who Loved Me, followed by all the terrible ones appeals to the mind. The fact is, it came between.
Strangely enough, Moore is only ashamed of one Bond film: View to a Kill.
And it's not just the Duran Duran sound track.
"There were diminishing returns as the series progressed (and not just financially). "
Interesting graph, I wonder how the industry as a whole has progressed in the same period.
You're right about TMWTGG, it does seem to just plug in bits that had worked in previous films.
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