Live And Let Die (DVD)
Special Edition
APPROX. 121 MINS. - PROD. YEAR: 1973 - MPA RATING: PG
" Live and Let Die marked Roger Moore's inauspicious screen debut as 007. He had big shoes to fill with Connery gone, and this first of his long series of Bond associations proved less than promising.
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Two trivia notes: "Live and Let Die" is one of only two films in which Q, forever played by actor Desmond Llewelyn, does not physically appear (although the booklet note mistakenly says Llewelyn was absent from just this one Bond film; apparently, they're forgetting "Dr. No"). "Live and Let Die" also includes the only actor to play the part of CIA agent Felix Leiter more than once. It's a tradition that a different actor get the part each time Leiter appears, but David Hedison plays him here and again in "Licence to Kill."
Video:
As though the weak plot and characters weren't enough, "Live and Let Die" is also MGM's least successful transfer to DVD. The screen size is projected in a 1.85:1 ratio, and the picture quality is slightly grainy. It is a colorful print but never quite as well defined as other entries in the series.
Audio:
The monaural sound simply does nothing at all. It's inoffensive but drab.
Extras:
Fortunately, there is an abundance of peripheral items to keep one company. The Special Edition package includes two audio commentaries, one by the director and another by the screenwriter. In addition, there's a thirty-minute documentary titled "Inside Live and Let Die," narrated by Patrick Macnee and featuring present-day interviews with the director and stars. There are also some behind-the-scenes shots; an extensive stills gallery; MGM's familiar informational booklet insert; plenty of chapter stops; English and French spoken language and subtitle choices; and a slew of radio, TV, and theatrical trailers. Probably the most bizarre bonus item, however, is a Milk Board commercial made for British television showing the cast and crew standing around the set drinking glasses of milk.
Parting Shots:
With so many entries in the Bond series, a person is bound to have favorites and least favorites. My least favorites are this one, the first of Moore's Bond films, and "A View to a Kill," the last of his efforts. In between, Moore reached a peak with "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" and then slid slowly back downhill.
"Live and Let Die" is strictly for the diehard fan or the collector who has to have everything. If one buys the Bond boxed set, one gets this release and four others--starring Connery, Moore, Lazenby, and Brosnan--of considerably higher quality, including "Thunderball," "On Her Majesty's Secret Service," "Die Another Day," and "Octopussy," plus "A View to a Kill."
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