ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

It took Roger Moore three movies to wiggle his feet firmly into the legendary shoes of James Bond, but Moore makes the wait worthwhile.

He still spends too much time arching one eyebrow and delivering cutesy puns after performing clever maneuvers, but the lavish production values, fine music, and gigantic sets endow "The Spy Who Loved Me" with a very Bond-class feel.

Both the plot and the villain are worthy of 007: Curt Jurgens (who, ironically, played the captain of a German submarine in "The Enemy Below") uses a customized oil tanker to scoop up atomic submarines so he can employ their missiles to destroy both Moscow and Washington, thereby triggering World War III.

Bond teams up with a luscious Russian agent (Barbara Bach). Together they take on the chrome-toothed "Jaws" (Richard Keil) and other bad-guy henchmen, including a lovely henchwoman (Caroline Monro). The car-versus-helicopter battle between Moore and Monro is a true beauty. The film's climax is a fine shoot-em-up between Jurgen's forces and the liberated crews of the captured British and American submarines.

Directed by Lewis Gilbert.

Moore's next film, "Moonraker", is the most overtly science fiction oriented story of all the Bond film's, complete with a space station and a rip-roaring space battle. For some reason, however, it didn't please the critics.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Not the best Bond trailer, but then they send to run hot and cold. Enjoy.

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________ The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) - trailer


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

Caroline Monroe, best helicopter pilot ever...

[Bud Brewster]

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I needed a good picture of Caroline for another thread, but I didn't like any of the ones I found, so I took one I thought I could enhance (a similar shot to yours above), and turned it into the appealing picture of Miss Monroe below!

Using Paint.net, I adjusted the brightness and contrast, boosted the color, turned the sky outside from white to blue, sharpened up the image, made her lips much redder, and painted in her eyes from scratch — a fuzzy green circle for the iris, a sharp black circle for the pupil, and a small white dot for the glint in the eye.

Voilà



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

I enjoyed this 007 film very much.

The Atlantis City that Stromberg has created to rest on the bottom of the ocean or rise above the surface is one of Derek Meddings fantastic designs.

The Lotus car that is capable of transforming into an underwater vehicle replete with weapons is a blast to watch.

And we are introduced to the formidable Jaws.

[Bud Brewster]

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Agreed on all counts!

This is one the few Bond films that understood the audience's need to see Bond as the master of various hi-tech innovations which helped him defeat an equally hi-tech villain.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Krel]

The movie that introduced the jet ski.

There is a great blooper for the scene where Stromberg tries to shoot Bond with the table gun. They set off the explosive charge in the chair too soon, as Roger Moore moves. He dives, rolls and comes up with his PPK, then the pain hits him. He stands, throws the pistol to the side and clutches at his back. Roger Moore says that he has a hole in his back to this day from that scene.

Roger Moore said he was always worried during the first, and last couple of weeks during the filming of a Bond movie. That is when they tried to talk him into doing the dangerous scenes. If he gets hurt in the first couple of weeks, they collect the insurance and recast the roll. If he gets injured during the last couple of weeks, they collect the insurance and shoot around with his body double.

David.

[Bud Brewster]

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Nothing punches up slow thread like a few IMDB trivia items! That said, I'll offer these below. This first one is marvelous!
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The stunt driver was having problems making the Lotus Esprit look sufficiently exciting in the chase scenes, because it held the road too well, and had to be driven dangerously fast to make it slide impressively on corners.

One scene in Sardinia required the car to drive up a hill on a mountain pass and round a sharp bend. The normal stunt driver was not available and the film crew who were waiting at the top asked Lotus employee Roger Becker to drive the car up. He thrashed the car, skidding dramatically round the corners and making a dramatic 180-degree turn on a gravel area as he stopped at the top.

"Would you mind doing that again?" they asked him. "And this time we'll have the cameras rolling." From that time on, Roger became the stunt driver for shots involving the Lotus.

Note from me: I'll remember this the next time I watch this movie.

Prior to the introduction of Naomi, Caroline Munro accidentally sat on a bee and was stung hard on the behind. Despite the resulting pain, she was pushed on by the filmmakers to complete the scene.

When shown boating in and greeting Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, the stern look on her face wasn't due only to the character of henchwoman she was playing, but the pain from the sting she was feeling.

Note from me: I've never been especially aroused by that mundane scene. Next time I see it . . . I will be.





When James Bond drives the Wet Nellie up onto the beach, a small boy points to the car in the water. This is Richard George Kiel, son of actor Richard Kiel who portrayed Jaws.

Note from me: I wonder how many hot dates this young man got because he was the "son of Jaws"?

The film introduced to the world a spy sea scooter known as a "wetbike" (better known now as a jet ski), sparking a new water-sport industry. This gadget was commonly referred to as the "motorbike that rides on water."

Note from me: A James Bond film introduced the "jet ski"? I drove one of these several years ago! It was like having sex without commitment or complications!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

That bee hit the jackpot!

[Maurice]

[Pow]

Hip-hip hooray for Ken on a terrific design.

[Maurice]

[Maurice]

I just noticed the title of this thread has a typo. Bud, can you fix it from Love to Loved?
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"The absence of limitations is the enemy of art."
― Orson Welles

[Bud Brewster]

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Oops!

Thanks.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I've always been impressed by the design of the submersible undersea habitat the villain had as his base of operations —





— as well as the shark tank room in which Bond and Jaws battled.

This is the best of the Roger Moore movies, with a climactic battle inside the specialized submarine-stealing oil tanker. It was at least as good (or better) than the battle in You Only Live Twice.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)