Roger Moore (1927-2017)

"Keeping the British end up, sir."

-The Spy Who Loved Me-

 

 

From a very early age it seemed this writer had the good fortune to have a mother that seemed to endlessly pick a series of film classics with which to visit in cinemas. All of them seemed to capture my imagination and influence and inspire this life of mine. The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)was one of those films and it was the first Bond film I had ever seen. Could all of this be why it's my favorite Bond film ever? It's undeniably a great Bond film if you're a fan of the franchise and especially Roger Moore (1927-2017).

 

 

My mother, Florence, seemingly took me to some of the best cinema ever released as a youngster. Between my desire to see a film and her own seemingly oblivious good taste we seemed to score seats in theatres for all of the very best growing up.

 

Richard Donner's Superman (1978), Star Wars (1977), Blade Runner (Blade Runner) and of course The Spy Who Loved Me. (Okay Warlords Of Atlantis (1978) and Godzilla Vs. Megalon fell in the mix too). These were films that remain guides in this writer's life today. And it's not simply nostalgia. These were classic, wonderful films and Roger Moore's 007 was one of those characters that seemed to speak to the man in me with a passion for justice. His interpretation of the character was an important part of my formative years.

 

 

All my life I've sat on the sidelines cheering on Roger Moore's work as 007 only to watch him be torn down as James Bond lite or as some kind of unsubstantial Bond time and again. He was considered too funny. He wasn't serious enough. He wasn't bad ass enough. He didn't have an edge. He was too old in the end. Sean Connery was the superior Bond. Timothy Dalton was a much needed replacement. Rubbish. It's all elitist Bondian hogwash I say.

 

Moore was a superhero for a generation. He was suave, debonair and exuded cool and class. He seemed the smartly-dressed influence of a generation of 80s pop like Martin Fry of ABC. The guy was special.

 

 

My Bond, embodied by Roger Moore, was consistently brilliant as a British agent and sturdied and fortified a franchise for years to come. Moore played the part of 007 for over ten years (1973-1985) by starring in seven James Bond pictures: Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983) and A View To A Kill (1985).

 

Most of the aforementioned films rank among my favorites. The Spy Who Loved Me remains this writer's favorite of the franchise. Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only come in as penultimate classics.

 

 

And to further underscore the Moore's talent he brilliantly played the role Simon Templar in The Saint (1962-1969) for six season on TV.

 

This only scratches the surface of the man's work and his philanthropic generosity.

 

Sadly, three years after the death of his films' arch rival, Jaws, played by the late Richard Kiel, Moore is gone and this fan is sad to see him go. We'll be forever grateful for those seven films Moore delivered as James Bond and having such a colorful influence on this life.

 

 

Roger Moore was 89 years of age.

 

James Bond 007: The Best Of Richard Kiel (Jaws)

As promised here, albeit later than anticipated (well, because it takes time taking your own pictures plus I ended up watching the films again), I return with an essential tribute to the late, great Richard Kiel (1939-2014) as the wonderfully memorable character villain Jaws in both the stunningly well-crafted The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and it's follow-up Moonraker (1979). Kiel was so good, so perfect and so loved he returned twice to the world of James Bond 007. Those were two near perfect films.




I cannot impress upon you enough what an impression the actor made upon me as child in the 1970s. He was one of the first super villains I really and truly loved.

Maybe it was that he was an incredibly sharp dresser in that striking blue suit fighting our equally beloved Roger Moore with his hand wrapped around his neck on that train. Or maybe it was the fact that underneath all of that villainous bluster, presence and super threat, he reminded us that he was an equally warm and fuzzy human being who could fall in love too by the time we reached Moonraker. Evil villains can fall in love too. Or maybe he was always a good guy that was just a bit misunderstood or misguided and ultimately played for the wrong team for a time.



He was a pure, brute, unstoppable Superman-like force crashing into houses and circus tents and walking away virtually unscathed, unaffected and essentially annoyed as he dusted off his suit jacket following one fight after another. We couldn't get enough of the human assassin that was Jaws.

He said so much with his face and commanding physical presence without speaking a word.

I wanted to present to you the many magnificent moments from these two films whereby Kiel offered a massive contribution in making those pictures so truly magnificent and unforgettably classic. For me, there has rarely been a Bond film whereby the hero and villain were so equally loved.



Moonraker and The Spy Who Loved Me easily rank among my favorite Bond films and perhaps my favorite films of the 1970s overall. Sure, they defy credibility at times. But the pictures are probably two of the best, most entertaining hero films made without borrowing from a comic book. They take the comic book adventure and epic styles of the things we loved as kids and bring them to miraculous life.

The work of Derek Meddings coupled with great direction, great performances from a great cast of characters make these two films instantly identifiable to me. For Your Eyes Only rounds out the trilogy without a doubt. Perhaps Jaws had married and had children by then. Maybe he opened a bakery in a small Italian village.



And although I could point to any number of equally wonderful and classic moments from my favorite Bond films, Richard Kiel really matched Roger Moore and maximized every ounce of his screen time. A touch of beauty was added with the immeasurably gorgeous Barabara Bach. But Kiel's input will never be underestimated.

As my son noted, who saw these films much later, "Jaws was awesome. He was definitely one of the best villains in those films." There you have it from the mouth of babes.



There are plenty of images on the web (and now there are more), but I wanted to capture all of the great moments that featured Kiel in two of my favorite Bond films. These images speak for themselves. I hope you enjoy the wonderful memories created by the late, great beloved Richard Kiel. Thanks for everything big guy.

The Spy Who Loved Me

The blue suit was perfect. It doesn't represent evil but it's not exactly right either.

Classic shot and sequence with Barbara Bach.

Look at those hands and the cool Roger Moore really sells the horror of those intense moments.

What are you looking at? I fell from the sky. Fix it yourself.

Jaws versus Jaws. You won't need a bigger boat. This is Richard Kiel.

Moonraker

Skyfall.

Clowns are scary. Jaws is scary. Thus Kiel in a clown suit is one of the scarier moments in Moonraker (along with 007 in jeopardy in that gravity device).

Things take a more comic turn for the softening of Jaws in Moonraker.

You done good kid.

The moment Jaws contemplates right and wrong.

Jaws leaves the dark side.

Jaws definitely has something to live for.

 

And the moment you've all been waiting for from the silent and strong one...farewell.