Bond Revisited

The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
Bond 9

Bond (Roger Moore) must find the missing "Solex Agitator," a device that will harness the sun's radiation and give awesome power to whomever possess it. But, also vying for the prize is Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), a world-class assassin who brandishes a distinctive golden gun. When 007 discovers he is to be Scaramanga's next target, he is hurled into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, continuing the search as he evades the killer on his trail. Bond must also contend with Scaramanga's exotic lover Andrea Anders (Maud Adams), and Nick Nack (Herve Villechaize), whose small size belies his lethal abilities. Even as 007 enlists the aid of sensuous Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland), he must overcome ferocious odds to survive an explosive showdown on Scaramanga's remote island. Hilarity ensues.

Trivia: Christopher Lee is Ian Fleming's cousin and according to some sources was one of Fleming's choice for the role of Dr. Julious No in the film Dr. No (1962). The Announcer on the Hong Kong-Macau Hydrofoil ferry announces, when passing the wreck of the Queen Elizabeth, mentions that it sunk in 1971. Actually it was January 1972. This film was criticised that, in addition to production faults, it is the most sexist story in the series, with James Bond's assistant, Mary Goodnight, a stereotypical blonde buffoon who is nearly useless to him. On the other hand, when Bond is fleeing an enemy dojo, chased by martial artists, he offers to protect two girls who were being menaced by them, only to have them demonstrate their superior fighting skill by easily thrashing Bond's pursuers. Although her performance in the film is undistinguished, Mary Goodnight is a recurring character in several Fleming Bond novels, even appearing in lieu of Miss Moneypenny; in the novels, Goodnight is Bond's secretary.

The cork-screwing car jump was proposed several years before. The producers took out copyrights and patents on the stunt in order to prevent it being used before they could integrate to a James Bond film; the jump was planned using computer modelling. The scenes featuring the island hideout of Scaramanga were filmed in Phang Nga Province in Thailand, northeast of Phuket. One of the islands seen in the film is known as the "Nail" island (or Ko Khao Tapoo) — in the film, this island houses the solar panels. Scaramanga's hideout is actually Ko Kow-Phing-Khan — both islands are now tourists attractions. The "nail" island seen in the film is known by locals as James Bond Island in all tourist literature.

The Characters:

• James Bond - Roger Moore's second stint as the intrepid secret agent.
• Francisco Scaramanga - Christopher Lee. Francisco Scaramanga is a high-priced freelance assassin, supposedly the best in the world, charging one million dollars per hit. He's best known for being "The man with the golden gun", after his weapon of choice. No photographs of him exist, but he has unusual anatomy: a third nipple. This information later comes in handy to Bond, who uses Scaramanga's anonymity and only known physical feature to get into contact with Scaramanga's current employer, Hai-Fat.
• Nick Nack - Herve Villechaize. He was Scaramanga's butler, housekeeper, and chef, as well as a henchman to Scaramanga's criminal activities. After his master's defeat and death, Nick Nack tried to kill Bond and Goodnight on the junk and after a short fight, Bond stuffed him in a suitcase and locked him in a wooden cage. Although Nick Nack was very loyal to Scaramanga, at times he would hire other assassins to kill Scaramanga. Scaramanga tolerated it as a means to practice his skills, but Nick Nack was also the sole heir to Scaramanga's estate; if the assassin had succeeded, then Nick Nack would have inherited everything.
• Mary Goodnight - Britt Ekland. The lead Bond girl of The Man with the Golden Gun, Goodnight, in the Bond novels, is 007's secretary. In the film, she is an MI6 operative who had a past fling with Bond, and is eager to rekindle it. Swedish actress Britt Ekland actually contacted "Cubby" Broccoli and lobbied for the role. Broccoli was surprised to learn later that Ekland was pregnant during filming. During the production of the movie, Ekland and her fellow Swede co-star Maud Adams, would talk to each other in Swedish, something that amuses Christopher Lee, who was curious about what the women were talking about.
• Andrea Anders - Maud Adams. Swedish model Maud Adams made her first appearance in a Bond film as Andrea Anders, the scarificial lamb of the movie. She will later starred as the lead Bond girl in "Octopussy". Andrea is Francisco Scaramanga's mistress. However, he only pays attention to her right before he kills someone and she grew to hate him. Knowing that walking out on him will only earn her his wrath, Andrea concocted a plot to have Bond kill Scaramanga for her.
• Saida - Carmen du Sautoy. The brief role of the belly dancer Saida is played by respected British actress Carmen du Sautoy. Saida was in a romantic embrace with 002, Bill Fairbanks, when Scaramanga shot him through the neck with his trademark golden gun; the golden bullet went through him, hitting the wall of the room the pair was in. It seems Saida has a sense for the morbid for she took the bullet out of the wall and wears it in her belly button as a "lucky charm".

The Theme Song:

The theme tune, "The Man with the Golden Gun", was performed by Lulu and the lyrics to the song were written by Don Black. Alice Cooper claims his song The Man With The Golden Gun was to be used by the producers of the film until it was dropped for Lulu's song instead.

The Vehicles & Gadgets:

• AMC Hornet X hatchback — Bond steals this car from an AMC dealership in Bangkok, Thailand, unknowing that Sheriff J.W. Pepper is in it (Pepper is on vacation), planning to test drive it (a full-on example of product placement, as AMC cars were actually never sold in Thailand, which drives on the left). LHD AMC cars were also used for the cop's cars, and by Scaramanga. A great stunt in the film takes place using the UNIVAC computer-calculated 'Calspan Spiral', permitting a fantastic feat of automotive acrobatics, until that time considered physically impossible.
• Car Plane — During a car chase, Scaramanga's AMC Matador X disappears in a shed for some time. When it emerges it has wings attached, allowing it to fly away. The vehicle is an extrapolation of the last of the Taylor Aerocars, then undergoing experimentation in the USA.
• The Golden Gun — Scaramanga's weapon of choice, it could fire a .17 calibre golden bullet specially made for the gun. The gun contained only a single round, which was sufficient for Scaramanga given his legendary marksmanship. The gun also separated into a gold cugarette lighter, a gold cigarette case, a gold cuff link, and a gold pen so as to avoid detection.
• Fake Nipple - James Bond uses a fake, synthetic nipple provided by Q to make it look like he has three nipples so that he might impersonate Scaramanga (who was known for said physical trait). [Source]
  

The Pretitle Sequence:

Nick Nack meets a nafarious looking man and tells him to wait in a room for Scaramanga. The man pulls out a gun and sets up an ambush. Meanwhile Scaramanga enters the room. events unfold and the man finds himself in a fun house with mirrors and lights and animated targets popping up, while Nick Nack taunts both him and Scaramanga of the speaker. The hunter becomes the hunted as Scaramanga stalks the man and eventually kills him.

The Review:

Another solid movie. Moore is settling down as Bond and is starting to make the role his own. (Yes, Sean Connery IS STILL Bond, but Moore is getting better.) The villian, Scaramanga, is a little unique in the Bond world in that he takes real pride in his abilities. He really thinks he is the best and wants to battle with Bond to prove it. His scheme to make money is secondary to the hunt. There is a little to the thought that this movie is the most sexist of the Bonds, so far, Mary Goodnight is portrayed as a bungling agent that exasperates Bond use much as helps him. Andrea Anders is really more of a possesion of Scaramanga then anything else. At one point Bond tries to protect two school age girls who are the nieces of Lt. Hip, but he doesn't have to worry because they end up beating up about ten to fifteen guys.

Up Next: Bond 10, The Spy Who Loved Me, Agent 007 must work with his female Soviet counterpart to find the answer to the disappearance of nuclear missile carrying submarines.