Black Magic, Drugs, And World Domination
When three British agents are knocked off in New York, with all deaths linking to a drug lord named Mr. Big, it’s up to Bond to investigate and put an end to it. As usual, not that there is anything at all wrong with this, Bond unravels a much larger plot than originally expected when he confronts the organization run by Mr. Big.
The story takes place in New York and in Louisiana, and Bond meets several memorable and interesting characters along the way. The tarot card reading psychic Solitaire, played by Jane Seymour is the Bond girl this time around. Julius Harris stars as Tee Hee, the man with a hook for one arm. Felix Leiter’s character is played by David Hedison this time instead of Jack Lord as we saw ten years earlier with Dr.No. Lastly, Mr. Big, the drug lord bent on world domination, is played by Yaphet Kotto, who turns in an excellent performance.
Bond movies share many things in common, including memorable characters and memorable scenes. Bond’s run across the backs of crocodiles is one of my most memorable scenes in Live And Let Die, although his impromptu flamethrower for killing the snake in his hotel is memorable as well.
Bond On Blu-ray
This Blu-ray release by Fox is very much like the others they released this week, and I admire the consistency. The packaging and box art are similar, as are the menus, both of which are very nice. Even better, all of these releases look and sound fantastic. The video is really sharp and has a great contrast to it that really make the colors pop right off the screen. A 5.1 Dolby Surround track provides a thoroughly enjoyable audio experience.
As with the other Bond releases, there are plenty of extras, but they consist primarily of short SD featurettes, bookmarks, and stills, I believe all of which have been seen on DVD releases over the years already. Here’s what you get in this package:
-Three Audio Commentary Tracks – Three separate audio commentary tracks with Roger Moore, Director Guy Hamilton, and Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz.
-Bond 1973: The Lost Documentary – A vintage making of documentary that’s worth a view.
-Roger Moore As James Bond, Circa 1964 – This is another brief feature showing Roger Moore playing Bond on a TV show the year after Dr. No hit theaters.
-Live And Let Die Concept Art
-Inside Live And Let Die – A thirty minute making of feature.
-On Set With Roger Moore Features – A pair of brief features of Roger Moore on the set of the film.
-Image Database and Theater, TV, Radio Spots – A collection of vintage images and promotional materials.
Once again, these are some nice extras, but there isn’t anything new herethat hasn’t been on previous releases as far as I know.