An impromptu early morning visit by M at Bond’s home leads to a funny scene in Live And Let Die (1973). Moore’s first on-screen appearance as 007 doesn’t start out great. After bedding an Italian agent Miss Caruso at his place, he bumbles and fumbles as he tries to distract M (Bernard Lee) from running into the woman. Bond makes M some coffee, and knows his way around an espresso machine, much to M’s surprise and a test of his patience.
The personal visit by M is warranted, of course, as the murders of three MI6 agents (Baines, Dawes and Hamilton) make it an urgent matter. But who knew Bond could moonlight as a barista? And it’s pretty cool we get a glimpse into his personal home. Yes, it’s the 1970’s – and I still can’t get over the atrocious kitchen wallpaper, but Bond’s vintage orange sandwich maker on the counter looks pretty sweet!
Live and Let Die (1973) – Bond the Barista
Carver really must have gotten underneath 007’s skin to make him want to take warm Smirnoff Vodka shots. 😯
Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) returns in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) for more comic relief after his first stint as the bumbling counterpart to Roger Moore’s James Bond in Live And Let Die (1973).
This time around, even a vacation in a foreign country won’t detract from his ego or sense of authority. The above short clip exemplifies this – an overzealous J.W. almost blows Bond’s element of surprise (or any remaining he had, at least) on the chase for Scaramanga. Bond’s disappointment is obvious, and his reaction one of Moore’s most animated.
Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
Sean Connery as James Bond, with a tarantula in 
Daniel Craig as James Bond, with a scorpion in 
This scene from Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) has to be one of the weakest a Bond villain has ever looked. Who signed off on having the end of this scene? Cringe!
I’ve always thought that Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) Tomorrow plot in TND is one of the most realistic/plausible villain plots of the entire series – controlling information and the media is a very powerful thing (hat-tip Elon Musk/Twitter). I’ll give credit to the double-entendre anchorman quote to Carver, but his end “imitation” of Wai-Lin’s (Michelle Yeoh) fighting skills is nothing short of the “pathetic” word he elicits himself. Gross!
Ever wondered what the name of the song that Drax plays on his Steinway the first time he meets 007? It’s Frederic Chopin‘s “Prelude No. 15 (Raindrop)”.
Check out a full performance of the piece by world-reknown Chinese pianist Yi Lundi below:
Despite its fragmented/choppy editing (and maybe the overdone shuffling shoe noises), the final countdown scene in Goldfinger (1964) is great. The anxiety buildup as the clock winds down is palpable, and every time I watch I’m invested in Connery’s fate.
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“Commander, this tracing means that the Russians can track our nuclear submarines underwater and sink them.”
From The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
