the claim is made that this is going to be lighter and more fun than anything on a Bond movie since Goldfinger [1964]. This is thanks to three important factors, Guy Hamilton who directed Goldfinger is back to direct his first Bond movie since the 1964 classic. With him Hamilton brings along alot of comic book orientated ideas and a wondefuly imaginative and humourous writer in Tom Manciewicz. Manciewicz is youthful and more American in his ways of writing and this gives Diamonds a fresh and polished feel to characters and action sequences. Sadly the script for Diamonds is one of the less involving and suspenseful of the series but no less enjoyable. The third factor in Diamonds success is the return of Sean Connery. Relaxed and re-energised after his hiatus from On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Connery looks to be enjoying himself, and this seems to be an inspiration to the rest of the cast and the overall look of the movie. In truth, Diamonds Are Forever is one of the most enjoyable and original of the entire Bond series.It would have been nice perhaps that in the wake of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, George Lazenby and OHMSS's Director Peter Hunt had returned to do a follow up revenge story in wich Bond avenges Tersa [Diana Rigg] who was shot in the final moments of OHMSS. Sadly this wasn't to be. In its place we have the next best thing. Connery is back, the action is more fast and lighter, the sets are bigger and the characters are larger than life. Central to the success of the well written characters is the way in wich they are played, and Diamonds comes up with a killer cast. Charles Gray who was fantastic as a support in You Only Live Twice turns on the charm as a very subdued and eerie Blofeld. Perhaps working against Gray is the fact that the ghost of Telly Savalas, the best of the Blofelds echoes through the movie. Gray however is very comanding and humourous in the movie and it is refreshing to see a different look and style to the character. Equally impressive is Jill St John as Tiffany Case. St John comes over like Lucy from Charles Schultz Peanuts cartoons and in most movies this would seem out of place but gives Diamonds the humourous edge it needs. As efficient as St John is Lana Wood as Plenty O Toole. Wood is beautiful for the part and has a very apealing charm. Manciewicz provides Connery with one of the all time great Bond one-liners in conversation with Wood "Hi Im Plenty, Plenty O Toole" exclaims wood "After your father Perhaps" inquires Connery. Were as most Bonds give us one hench men, Diamonds gives us two, and homesexual ones at that. Mr Wint and Mr Kidd as portrayed by Bruce Glover and Putter Smith respectively are two of the most original creations of the action movie genre. The come across as some sort of Stoned Laurel and Hardy and again add to the humour and are vicious and nasty creations underneath the fun. Finally there is Jimmy Dean the Country music superstar who turns up here as the Howard Hughes clone Willard Whyte. Dean seems at first out of place in a Bond movie but eventually grows upon you as the humour escelates. Like most Bond movies there is at least one performance that doesn't work : Norman Burton as Felix Leiter. Burton has none of the style and charm Rick Van Nutter had in the role or the appeal that David Hedison would go on to have in future Bond movies. Burton is with out a doubt the worst of all the Leiters.Add to all this the wondeful backdrop of Las Vegas. Vegas contains one of the most flashy glamorous settings for a Bond movie, and it is easy to believe what is going on there. Ken Adams sets are again a joy to marvel at, particularly Blofelds fortress at the movies climax and individual creations like the Moonbuggy, an ugly creation intentionally so. Guy Hamilton gets the direction right with the action sequences, and Connery once again in control of things throws himself enthusiastically into the role of Bond, more humour from Connery than we have ever seen before, and the action sequences once agin pack the punch. Diamonds however contains quite a few mistakes wich at times is distracting, the one obvious mistake is the sequence in the car chase in Vegas wich see's Bond and Plenty in a red sports car through a narrow alley, in order to fit in the car tilts to one side on its left wheels and an insert shot shows it tilting to its right side. Anyone who has ever tried that knows it is impossible! Mistakes come and go but with the pace so energetic you hardly notice. To support the energetic pace is John Barry's whirling and absorbing themes, a few notches down from them of OHMSS, But still efficient and mesmerising, and there is the traditional theme song, another classic sung with amazing skill by Shirley Bassey {Goldfinger].Diamonds are Forever isn't all plain sailing. The plot of the movie is quite difficult at first to get stuck into, and as the characters a quite fresh and original it is difficult to appreciate them at first but they grow on you with time. The script as with You Only Live Twice has Bond struggling to grasp a space weapon from the hands of Blofeld, wich seems like an old song sung over. Thanks to Tom Manciewicz's fresh and enjoyable screenplay nothing seems tired, and Guy Hamilton milks everything he can from Comic Book/Pop Art humour and action. Manciewicz would later employ as simmilar writing style into Live and Let Die [1973] Superman:The Movie [1978] and Superman II [1980], but it is with Diamonds that he learned his trade. It is quite sad to see Sean Connery in his last official and EON Bond movie. But at least he went out with a bang and not a whimper. Over the years he BECAME Jmaes Bond and if it wasn't for the likes of Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan the series may have ended with him. Connery is fantastic in Diamonds are Forever, wich is a very enjoyable and well made movie, and a great start for Bond in the 1970's.You know what they say Sean, Never Say Never Again.

scenes were great as well as the actors, if I had to do it over again, I would.

Persuaders."And that is not at all bad! The original femme fatale of the 1966 Batman series, Jill St. John, is the female lead here, and is fun to watch. She shows a lot of spirit in the role. Charles Grey is fun to watch as Blofeld, because he brings a real wit to the role. The dialogue is definitely sophisticated, and it is a very stylish production that I think holds up well. And Lana Wood does a fine job here, too! Oh, and I met her in Detroit in May 2009; sweet lady!! This movie is also more daring in terms of sex than any other Bond: The public display of affection the thugs Wint and Kidd show, as well as the topless scene of Lana Wood's character.Gadgets don't seem to dominate this outing. It's no 1960s Connery film the lead actor's older , nor a 1970s Moore outing more serious . This movie is sandwiched between the two eras, and it rightly should be taken on its own terms. Which means, I think it is one of the most enjoyable Bond films made--a sophisticated, stylish romp. It is, in my view, a most enjoyable Bond and my personal favourite !

performance as Bond since Goldfinger. Logic would tell you that he wanted to go out in style, especially since he was so wooden his last time out in You Only Live Twice. It's not his fault the lines written didn't conjure up the seriousness of From Russia With Love. This film is vastly different from what preceded it, so some didn't like the change. But they're the ones missing out, because there are many memorable scenes and characters. This movie is not about action and gadgets, but about the surreal interaction between the characters. One has to go no further than the opening pipeline sequence to see that. Furthermore, the dialogue is terrific, and one has to watch the movie over and over to grasp all the ingenious lines. "Providing the collars and cuffs match" and I'm afraid you caught me with more than my hands up" are some of the best phrases ever uttered in a bond film. The characters themselves were equally fascinating. Wint & Kidd set the pace for the strange goings-on and are a refreshing break from all the strong-armed assassins Jaws, Odd-Job that seem to appear in the majority of bond films. Anyway, you don't see Mike Myers lampooning them in his Austin Powers series. And if you want realism, the fight with Peter Franks ranks right up there. A chunky and older Jill St. John is much more believable as a worldly feme-fatale than the parade of twenty-somethings we're typically presented with Denise Richards, Tonya Roberts, etc... . And where is it written that the main Bond villain has to be someone as two-fisted as Bond? Charles Grey's Blofeld fits right in with the craziness, and at least he seems intellectually capable of taking on Bond and the world, as opposed to Donald Pleasance's spoiled-brat and Telly Savalas' New York gangster Blofelds. And for once, we can see where the protagonist's resources came from! I won't go into details, because it would have to contain spoilers . Sure the action on the oil rig at the end is somewhat disappointing, but that's not what this film is about. The scene aboard the QEII at the very end "Mouton Rothschild is a claret" is more emblematic of the mood the film makers were trying to convey. In conclusion, if you don't watch this movie expecting a Bond action extravaganza, but concentrate on the characters and dialogue, you'll thoroughly enjoy it.

arch-villain in the entertaining pre-credit sequence which marked the return of Sean Connery after the debacle of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" and one-time only Bond George Lazenby.United Artists had given Lazenby the boot, while Saltzman & Broccoli induced a paunchy Sean Connery to assay the role once more after he'd quit the series following "You Only Live Twice." Indeed, everybody was concerned that the serious-minded but perhaps best Bond of all time—"On Her Majesty's Secret Service" had failed to attract audiences. They feared meant 007 might have lost his license to entertain. "Diamonds Are Forever" proved the cynics wrong as the franchise rebounded, but Connery didn't bounce back for "Live and Let Die." Connery abandoned Bondage again, later to return in "Never Say Never Again" in 1983. Speaking of returns, actor Charles Gray who had appeared in "You Only Live Twice" as a British contact returned, but this time he played a foppish Blofeld in a khaki-type uniform jacket, smoking a cigarette in a holder.Indeed, many things about "Diamonds Are Forever" resemble Guy Hamilton's "Goldfinger." The laser that nearly emasculated 007 turns into a larger laser with enough power to destroy submarines, missile silos, and above-ground missile launchers. "Diamonds" departs from the formula by having Bond and M discuss 007's latest mission with Sir Donald at the diamond ministry. This single scene after the title credits dovetails what might have been two scenes, the usual one in M's office and later in Sir Donald's office, into one scene. Hamilton had two scenes in "Goldfinger" where Bond received his assignment and then met with M and the Treasury people about gold. In "Goldfinger," the villains held Bond hostage for most of the picture, but in "Diamonds" he spends most of his time undercover as a member of Blofeld's syndicate, helping smuggle the diamonds into America. Unlike "Goldfinger," Q Branch provided Bond with no gadgets, but Q shows up briefly in the Las Vegas scene to equip Bond with a voice altering device like Blofeld had that enables him to masquerade as the world's richest hermit, Willard Whyte.Briefly, the British are worried somebody is stockpiling diamonds either to depress prices or perhaps blackmail the British. British Intelligence has traced a suspect, Peter Franks Joe Robinson , who is going to a rendezvous in Amsterdam with Ms. Tiffany Case Jill St. John of "Tony Rome" who may have more clues about the case. British Intelligence arrests Franks and Bond impersonates him, meets with Ms. Case, learns he is about to earn his $50-thousand by smuggling a chandelier of diamonds into America. Meanwhile, Blofeld has dispatched two homosexual hit men, Mr. Kidd Putter Smith and Mr. Wint Bruce Glover of "Walking Tall" , to tidy up things by eliminating the people in the pipeline so nobody can trace them back to Blofeld. Franks escapes from his captors, reaches Amsterdam, and dies in a savage elevator slugfest with Bond who then swaps wallets with Franks. Tiffany searches Franks, covered in foam from a fire extinguisher, and looks shocked when she glimpses his Playboy membership card. Appropriately shocked, Tiffany exclaims, "My God, you've just killed James Bond!" Bond chuckles, "It just proves no one's indestructible." "You don't kill James Bond," Tiffany reprimands him, "and sit around waiting for the cops to arrive." 007 conceals the diamonds in Franks' body and Ms. Case and he fly into Los Angeles with Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint on the same airplane shadowing their every move. Felix Leiter, posing as a customs official, meets Bond at LAX and watches while some mobsters load Franks' casket with the diamonds into a hearse. Bond rides with them to Las Vegas where the body is to be cremated. The funeral home removes the diamonds and puts them in an urn for 007 to leave for the next member of the pipeline. Wint and Kidd bash 007 over the head, stick him in a casket and send him off to be incinerated. Comedian Shady Tree and the funeral home director rescue Bond moments before being immolated and curse him for leaving them with phony diamonds. Bond goes to Las Vegas, soaks in a tub at a casino motel, and awaits the arrival of Q and the diamonds.After the diamonds reach America and go to Willard Whyte's research labs, "Diamonds" seems more like an adaptation of "Dr. No" and "You Only Live Twice." Bond receives the surprise of his life when he discovers that not only is Blofeld alive but also that the criminal mastermind has doubles everywhere with duplicate cats. Eventually, Bond rescues the real Willard Whyte country and western crooner Jimmy Dean who Blofeld has held hostage. Blofeld used an ingenious device that makes his voice sound precisely like Whyte's voice. Blofeld has taken over Whyte's global network and holds the man hostage. Since nobody has seen Whyte for five years—the character resembles Howard Hughes—he makes the perfect kidnap hostage. Eventually, Blofeld is able to launch a satellite with a laser and threatens to destroy an American city if Washington, D.C., doesn't cough up bucks galore. As for the serious tone of the previous Bond, the writers decided to make "Diamonds" much more tongue-in-cheek, almost to point of parody. Bond destroys Blofeld's newest base on an oil drilling platform and disables the laser satellite. But does he really kill Blofeld? You'll have to watch "For Your Eyes Only" to know.

deceptive title. 10 points.Pre-Credit Teaser: Bond "kills" Blofeld, which supposedly seems to tie up major loose ends from ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. But considering that when last we saw him, Blofeld was murdering James' new bride, such a confrontation should have immense power. An important turning point in the series slips past with no acknowledgment. Though the opening does serve to show that Sean Connery is back and George Lazenby has been released from Bondage. 2 points.Opening Credits: Maurice Binder's style of opening montage is wearing just a tad old and predictable. Pretty enough with its diamond-studded theme for 4 points, but not good enough to do justice to the: Theme Song: It is said that originally the film was to be a followup to GOLDFINGER, with his brother taking up where Goldfinger left off. That never came off, but certainly "Diamonds are Forever" is a perfect companion piece to the earlier theme song. It, of course, has the fabulous Shirley Bassey doing the vocals again, but it also repeats the cynicism of applying sensuous lust to material wealth. It's an anti-love song, much like "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend," only it doesn't hide its hard-edged avarice under a bouncy tune. It is, I think, even better than "Goldfinger," and may be the prefect James Bond song: amoral, stylish and seductive. 10 points "Bond, James Bond": Connery is back, a bit chunkier and a tad grayer, but apparently his extended vacation from the role of 007 paid off. Personally, I think this is his best Bond work as Sean strolls through the film with relaxed charm and a complete understanding that this film, if not the entire series, is a comedy. Bond purists tend to disregard DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER because of its flip attitude, but that is what makes it my favorite. 10 points.Bond Babes: Lana Wood, Natalie's sister, is on hand as the mandatory eye candy, and is all-too-disposable as Plenty O'Toole. But someone had the bright idea of making the main Bond Girl someone with a flair for comedy. Enter maturing starlet Jill St. John, the epitome of 1960's cheesy, Playboy sexuality. Whatever her limitations as an actress, St. John certainly had the knack for using her sexuality as an amusing toy and still maintain the edge that she is a lot smarter than she looks. As Tiffany Case, her intelligence seems to diminish as the film wears on it seems the women Bond beds all end up dead or dumb , but her ability to fill a bikini remains indisputable. 9 points.Bond Villain: Ernst Stavro Blofeld is back again, though only his love of fluffy, white pussycats remains constant. The intense geek of Donald Peasence and the uncouth thug of Telly Savalas are replaced by Charles Gray, who opts to play the part with droll, bemused wit and -- radically -- a full head of hair. Gray never gained iconic stature as Blofeld that would come later as the Blofeld-like narrator in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW , but for my money he is the best Blofeld, a villain of classy arrogance who is singularly unimpressed by Bond. 10 points.Bond Baddies: Ah yes, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint; as played by Putter Smith and Bruce Glover, they are the Chip and Dale of Bond assassins; two more gracious and well-mannered killers would be hard to find. The film has been accused of homophobia for including a pair of gay killers, but considering the sheer number of assassins to cross Bond's path, it would be more discriminatory to exclude them based on their orientation. Wint and Kidd are at once gay clichés and yet surprisingly non-stereotypical. Nonetheless, they glide prance? skip? through the film with cold-blooded assurance and a rather endearing affection. And if they aren't butch enough, there's always Bambi and Thumper Lola Larson and Trina Parks on hand to beat the tar out of James. 9 points.Plot: Blofeld hopes to corner the diamond market to use them on some sort of outer space laser with which he can -- again -- hold the nations of the world for ransom. Doesn't this guy ever learn? They even do the "you've killed James Bond" bit again. 5 points.Production values: Bond's globetrotting brings him to the glitz and pseudo-grandeur of Las Vegas in all of its tacky glory. It makes for a nicely surrealistic backdrop, appropriate for the film's self-mocking attitude -- though a major chase scene is marred by the large number of tourists standing along the route, watching the filming. 7 points.Bonus Points: The Bond producers' love of unorthodox casting pays off with the selection of country singer and sausage maker Jimmy Dean as the reclusive millionaire based on Howard Hughes. It is such a bizarre choice, yet Dean's country boy charm is a wonderful contrast to both Hughes' nutty behavior and to the bemused sophistication of Bond. 5 points.Summary: DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER is a turning point in the series; the gritty, pseudo-realism of the early films is gone in favor of slick comic book sci-fi gloss. Whatever the series loses in thrills it makes up for in fun. Bond-o-meter Rating: 81 points out of 100.

be one of the most remarkable car chases on film and is helmed by classy director Guy Hamilton. Connery and St. John have real chemistry and the villains are dynamite, including a kinky duo named Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. Both St. John and Grey have many tart tongued lines of dialog. The great Marc Lawrence pops up in a cameo as do Sammy Davis Jr., Nicky Blair and BLOOD FEAST starlet Connie Mason.

final round in the official series, debonair as can be and with the suavest delivery of one-liners and mandatory bad puns upon beating someone up or killing them. He is without a doubt the best of all the Bonds.Jill St. John, doubtlessly one of the sexiest Bond women ever, is given the short straw however, projecting one of the film's few flaws. She begins as a surprisingly clever and resourceful early Bond woman. It is only the fault of the writing that she, a common American criminal, somehow knows of elite British Secret Service agent James Bond, as if he were a celebrity, or that she spots Blofeld by his white cat even though she had never seen either one before, nor was there any chance for Bond to describe to her Blofeld or the cat. Alas, being an early Bond woman, her strength of character just could not last. Gradually throughout the film, her character becomes ditsier, weaker, dumber, and without clarity in her character's motivation. This is typical of Bond films and the earlier the Bond film, the more prevalent that unfortunate chauvinistic element is. At least most of the earlier Bond women were better actresses than they were in the later Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton films. It was an even trade-off: In order to be a powerful female character in a James Bond movie, you had to be a bad actress. If you were a good actress, you had to be a weak little girlie.Driving the movie alone is the theme song sung by Shirley Bassey and John Barry's brilliant and pulsing score. James Bond films are known for the strength in their music, and Diamonds Are Forever is one of the brightest highlights in that area.