Review of Diamonds Are Forever: Special Edition (James Bond)

Introduction

After the 1960s were stormed by a suave British spy named James Bond, all seemed to change at the beginning of the 70s. After 1969`s On Her Majesty`s Secret Service, and the subsequent departure of Bond Number 2, George Lazenby, it seemed that Broccoli and Saltzman`s brainchild had become an extinct beast.

But, due to their determination - the determination that made the Bond series work in the first place - they strived to bring Bond back to the silver screen: albeit with a serious makeover. They were planning to `Americanise` James Bond; with an American Bond, and set in America. After a Yank was hired, United Artists knew that this was the beginning of the end. Critics and audiences alike loved the Bond series for its British roots - and execution by a British crew, led by Sean Connery (forget the Lazenby blip). So, in a last-ditch attempt to breathe life into the so far mega-successful franchise, the head honcho of the studio went for a meeting with Connery, and placed $2 million on the table, and a lucrative deal that would break records. He duly accepted. Agent 007 lived to die another day (no pun intended).

After securing the leading man, all the other elements that make up a film needed to be implented. The book that would be adapted into Bond #7 needed to be chosen, the screenwriter to do such a job also needed to be hired, and the other various cast and crew needed to be assembled. This was all promptly done, with Goldfinger helmer Guy Hamilton returning to the fray, and production began in April 1971 on Diamonds Are Forever.

After traveling the world in his quest to kill Blofeld (Charles Gray), James Bond (Sean Connery) returns triumphant, only to discover a case waiting for him: a large amount of diamonds has been stolen from the South African mines and two offbeat assassins are killing everyone in the smuggling ring one-by-one. Bond goes undercover as Peter Franks, a diamond smuggler. What he discovers shocks him - the head of the smuggling ring is none other than the criminal mastermind who previously killed Bond`s newlywed. Now, Bond must resist the wiles of a beautiful smuggler, Tiffany Case (Jill St John) and survive the machinations of Mr Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr Kidd (Putter Smith), Blofeld`s two best assassins, so that he can uncover Blofeld`s sinister plot.

Video

1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. The visuals are well defined for a print from 1971, and it seems that the transfer has been further tarted up so the palette has a wide range of colours and there are no artefacts such as dust or grain evident: just like on the previous Bond releases. It is crisp and clear throughout, with no compression signs visible.

Guy Hamilton`s directing style in the third Bond film suggested an action-packed fest of guns, gadgets and girls - something he has tried to replicate in Diamonds Are Forever. But, the directing in this seems more half-hearted than the distinct style of Goldfinger: at times it is poor, with bad camerawork, as opposed to exciting and enthralling. However, to the film`s merit, it does have some good moments (car chase, shootouts et al).

Audio

Dolby Digital Mono (English). This is getting annoying now: we are past the 60s and yet still this film carries a single-stream soundtrack. Apart from Thunderball, which was a very nice 5.1 mix, the other Bond films have had to put up with a soundstage which just isn`t engrossing. The quality is high, but for a film such as this were action is central to the narrative, it is a wasted opportunity by not giving us a surround-sound mix. But, for those with a Pro-Logic kit (I myself have one of these), at least something can be done to liven up the audio, but for those who don`t, it does spoils the viewing experience somewhat. At least the audio is crisp and clear, though...

Again based on an Ian Fleming novel (of the same name), this was adapted by veteran Bond scriptwriter Richard Maibaum, with the support of Tom Mankiewicz. It is set mainly in Las Vegas, no doubt due to Broccoli and Saltzman`s (unreasonable) intention to send 007 over the Pond, but other locations do pop up to add some much-needed diversity to the narrative. The character of Bond seems strangely unremorseful considering at the end of the sixth instalment his wife died: I think this is due to the fact that the novel of this was released before the novel "On Her Majesty`s Secret Service"...proof that some continuity is needed when transferring books to screen. Anyway, the characters in this have some clear objectives, but are not as compelling as other people who have cropped up in the Bond series before Diamonds Are Forever. This complaint can be mainly levelled at Charles Gray`s Blofeld: why is he such a psycopath? What is his true modus operandi?

Shirley Bassey returns to perform the somewhat repetitive title song, which, although catchy, drones on with similar lyrics during the credits sequence. John Barry`s music is also slightly uninspired considering some of his other efforts, but it is far from bad work.

Features

Thankfully MGM have continued the tradition of opening with an audio commentary, as for the seventh time the director - in this case Guy Hamilton - teams up with assorted members of the cast and crew to deliver some great insight into everything that went into creating a successful Bond instalment. As ever, worth listening to.

The first documentary on this disc, entitled "Inside Diamonds Are Forever", does pretty much what it says on the tin. Running for 30 minutes, it is an interesting look at how the film was made, featuring interviews with cast and crew, along with behind-the-scenes footage. Like all the Bond documentaries, very well put together.

The second, entitled "Cubby Broccoli - The Man Behind Bond", marks the arrival of something that was inevitable since MGM decided to transfer the 007 films onto DVD. Saying Broccoli was a legend is somewhat of an understatement: Albert R. Broccoli not only produced numerous other films but also acquired the rights to a series of books that, fourty years later, are even more popular than before. He turned an original investment of $1 million into what must be a billion dollar franchise by now. His connections in Hollywood were vast, and so was his family. He was married three times, and had several children, meaning that his reach into the 20th century world was great, either through celluloid or through more mundane, yet still vital, affairs. This 40 minute documentary tries to charter his life from his birth, in 1909, to his death, in 1996. Featuring interviews with family and friends (including his stepson, Michael G. Wilson, and one of his daughters, Barbara Broccoli, who now preside over the Bond series), it paints a portrait of a gifted individual who never forgot his family values - whether he was on a middle of a farm when a youth or wining and dining with the Hollywood stars throughout the years. Again, this has been very well put together, and is an accomplished tribute to a very accomplished individual.

A first for the Bond discs is the inclusion of some deleted scenes. There are four on offer, with notable mention to the one titled "Sammy Davis Jr." - featuring the prominent actor in a short scene there for mere audience reaction no doubt...meaning it is strange it was axed from the final cut. The other three are good, but perhaps veer away from the (already weak) narrative.

A series of advertising materials - 2 trailers, 5 TV spots and 3 radio spots - complete the package. As I have said before, they are good for fans to see how Hollywood executives marketed the films, and thankfully the beginning of the 1970s saw the emerging of the kind of advertising we see today: so tacky overvoices have been almost completely stamped out, but Diamonds Are Forever still rates slightly on the `cheese factor`.

There is the usual 8-page booklet containing interesting production notes and chapter listings.

The menus are once again animated well, with the score in the background as clips from the film are played alongside a revolving animation. They are fairly easy to navigate.

Conclusion

Diamonds Are Forever was so close to straying Yank-ways that it is a marvel it was pulled back from the garbage pile in time. Due to the sheer persistence of the film-makers, Connery was brought back on board, meaning that `tweaks` which had previously been made to turn Bond into a pre-Die Hard John McClane were fortunately scrapped.

But, therein lies a slight problem. Connery clearly did not want to return to the gun holster that had put him on the map - the sheer paycheque involved did that - so his performance in this is lacklustre, lacking the charisma of the 60s Bond, or indeed the Bond that followed this. It seems that melancholy spreads, as the rest of the supporting cast do little to convince viewers they care at all as to what happens to themselves or each other. Their distinct lack of involvement is very evident, and what could have been a set of compelling characters turns into an average `Look! Shoot! Run!` affair.

Having said that, Putter Smith and Bruce Glover give a fairly amusing and at times, manic, portrayal of the killers hired by Blofeld to make others` lives thoroughly unpleasant. But even Charles Gray, as Blofeld himself, lacks the menace of Donald Pleasance or the savvy of Telly Savalas, and becomes a simple posterchild for the criminal underworld instead of a truly meancing character.

When you combine lacklustre acting with a poor plot, things get even worse. The American setting was never rewritten - not a bad thing some may say as Bond needs to eventually have some sort of mission in the US, and I agree. Yet what I don`t agree with is putting Bond amidst the superficial glamour of Las Vegas in an overbearing attempt at spoofing Howard Hughes with the odd bit of Hollywood cliché: something that holds little electricity when it comes to a usual Bond story.

Although I have cited several flaws with the film, it does have its strengths. Jill St John is fairly magnetic as diamond smuggler, so focus on her (scantily-clad) character is one good thing when it comes to the otherwise dismal confrontations. Guy Hamilton tries to inject some form of pace into the proceedings, and he should be complimented for at least trying - the car chase and other set-pieces are pretty engaging, so there is a sense of a pulse at times.

Compared to other Bond instalments, this comes out towards the bottom of the pack, which is a shame, as the US setting could have been used so much better, and with a few improvements Connery could have left with a bang...something that he deserved since he signed on that dotted line in 1962.

The disc itself is up to usual Bond standards - good visuals, average audio, very good extras. On the subject of the latter, the extensive and enjoyable documentaries compensate for the loss of a second audio commentary, and the deleted scenes are a nice addition. One of the better Bond releases when it comes to special features.

To sum up, this is a good release of an unfortunately-average instalment, something that may warrant repeat viewings, but only for the fan who enjoys comparing them. If this is the case, then no doubt they, and any other viewer, will come to the conclusion that Diamonds Are Forever just hasn`t aged well. A shame.