Live and Let Die
Short description
Three British agents are killed within a single day while looking into a drug trafficking network, and James Bond is sent to the United States to find out who is behind the deaths. His investigation draws him toward a crime boss known as Mr. Big, and toward a diplomat named Katanga. The case also brings him into contact with Solitaire, a woman whose visions make her valuable to the men Bond is pursuing.
Roger Moore plays Bond for the first time in this eighth entry in the series, taking over the role from Sean Connery. Guy Hamilton, who had directed earlier Bond films including Diamonds Are Forever, returned for this production and went on to direct The Man with the Golden Gun the following year. Tom Mankiewicz wrote the screenplay, and Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman produced. The cast includes Yaphet Kotto as Kananga and Mr. Big, Jane Seymour as Solitaire, Clifton James as Sheriff J.W. Pepper, Julius Harris as Tee Hee and Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi, with 43 credited cast members and 40 credited crew.
Made for about 7 million dollars, the film took roughly 126 million dollars worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 6.7 out of 10 from about 124,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.5 out of 10 from 2,371 votes. A critics' rating of 6 out of 10 from 54 reviews sits close to those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The scene in which James Bond jumps over the backs of several crocodiles was filmed with a stunt double on the 6th take. The stunt double was crocodile trainer and stuntman Ross Kananga (the film's main antagonist is named after him). Kananga received $60,000 for the filming. It took place on his crocodile farm in Jamaica, where Kananga kept over 1,000 predators.
- Before exploding, the gasoline-soaked boat crashes into a motorboat. Before the explosion, it is clearly visible that it is empty, although a second ago it contained Bond’s pursuer.
- This is the only film until the death of Desmond Llewelyn in which his character Q does not appear.
- Sean Connery refused a fee of $5.5 million for his role.
- Producers specifically made James Bond as played by Roger Moore noticeably different from James Bond as played by Sean Connery (1930-2020). In this film, Bond does not order a vodka martini even once. His briefing takes place in an apartment, not an office. Bond does not wear a hat and smokes cigars instead of cigarettes.
- During the filming of the boat chase, Roger Moore (1927-2017) sustained injuries – broke several front teeth and dislocated his knee. For several days afterward, he walked with a cane, but was able to finish filming the scene.
- The first film in the "Bond" series to feature a Black villain. His name (Kananga) was taken from stuntman Ross Kananga, whose crocodile farm features in the film.
- Bond's jump on a motorboat made it into the Guinness Book of World Records (as the longest motorboat jump – 33.5 meters) and remained there for three years. The reaction of the sheriff, played by Clifton James (1920-2017) in this scene, was genuine. The boat Bond used to jump over the sheriff’s car was specially constructed, with its weight redistributed to increase the flight distance. When another motorboat crashes into the police car, this collision wasn't scripted; it happened accidentally and was decided to be kept in the film.
- Geoffrey Holder (1930-2014) detested working with snakes, but it was required for the role. He particularly disliked filming the scene where his character falls into a coffin full of snakes, but he had to do it, and without complaint, because Princess Alexandra of Kent, a cousin of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, was present on set that day.
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