Diamonds Are Forever in Review

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Barely covers it - but in all these lines Connery's either got more wit, more composure and a much more natural delivery than his DAF lines; whether its a laugh or a knowing chuckle at Bond's devilish ruthlessness, I get a much greater kick out of them. Theres no need for set ups that exist wholely to produce lines like "I was out walking my rat and I seemed to have lost my way!" Har. Har.

It's too very different styles of humour, and depends on one's personal tastes. One is a much dryer, 'quietly chuckling' type. The other's more formal, like something you'd might expect from an American (i.e. Wilder) comedy, with a more obvious set-up and punchline. More surreal and mischievous, with also influences running back to Joe Orton and Oscar Wilde - theatre of the absurd.

What I think also works in making setup-punchine routine work, is the macabre, eerie atmosphere, aided a lot by Barry's score. You're lulled into a state of suspense, and then you're released from that with something bizarre, and often hilarious. That's when the gag arrives. The effectiveness of that atmosphere is what stops the humour becoming a predictable burden.

DIAMONDS is unique in that regard.

I mean, sure a few lines don't quite click for me, but a great deal of them have me in hysterics, chuckling fatly. It's like the classic Zucker flicks, there's practically a gag coming at you every few seconds. If one doesn't hit you, the next probably will. Unlike you I don't cringe at that. It's a showmanship I admire.

I love the humour in OHMSS, TB, MR and GF too, and while not in the same league, I appreciate DN in its own way. But for me, DAF hits it out of the park, by taking the comedy to a whole new level of farce. And having so much damn fun with it.

Funny how the Moore era is perceived for being so lighthearted and silly, but like Sharky says, DAF takes it to a different level. I used to think the contrast between DAD and CR was big, but upon second thought the contrast between Hunt's OHMSS and Hamilton's Diamonds easily trumps that. DAF is in its own crazy universe. I especially like how Blofeld on the rig doesn't care too much where to target his laser. Chinese rocket silos... yes! Soviet subs... excellent! Kansas... nah. Washington D.C... sure. Britain... not even threatened. Who cares really? The countdown man certainly doesn't. For all its inconsistencies and silliness, even LALD that follows it is gritty and focused in comparison.

I'll add "No, I'm just looking" and "Hope he cooks better than he fights" to the DN list.

I agree with Colly over the "rat" line in DAF though. Very low-rent, that one. Though much of the humour elsewhere is fine by me.

Sharky wrote:

Quote :

Barely covers it - but in all these lines Connery's either got more wit, more composure and a much more natural delivery than his DAF lines; whether its a laugh or a knowing chuckle at Bond's devilish ruthlessness, I get a much greater kick out of them. Theres no need for set ups that exist wholely to produce lines like "I was out walking my rat and I seemed to have lost my way!" Har. Har.

It's too very different styles of humour, and depends on one's personal tastes. One is a much dryer, 'quietly chuckling' type. The other's more formal, like something you'd might expect from an American (i.e. Wilder) comedy, with a more obvious set-up and punchline. More surreal and mischievous, with also influences running back to Joe Orton and Oscar Wilde - theatre of the absurd.

What I think also works in making setup-punchine routine work, is the macabre, eerie atmosphere, aided a lot by Barry's score. You're lulled into a state of suspense, and then you're released from that with something bizarre, and often hilarious. That's when the gag arrives. The effectiveness of that atmosphere is what stops the humour becoming a predictable burden.

DIAMONDS is unique in that regard.

I mean, sure a few lines don't quite click for me, but a great deal of them have me in hysterics, chuckling fatly. It's like the classic Zucker flicks, there's practically a gag coming at you every few seconds. If one doesn't hit you, the next probably will. Unlike you I don't cringe at that. It's a showmanship I admire.

I love the humour in OHMSS, TB, MR and GF too, and while not in the same league, I appreciate DN in its own way. But for me, DAF hits it out of the park, by taking the comedy to a whole new level of farce. And having so much damn fun with it.

Excellent post, Sharky.

Yes well written post Shark. You nicely distinguish what makes DAF different from the early classic Connery films.
On the "Inside DN" feature on the dvd, there is much time spent discussing how Young and Connery developed the Bond character. They discuss how the "throw away humour" lineswere created initially with DN and how they both thought these lines were a splendid idea and thus decided to make them a regular part of the character.
Personally I like Sean's humour in all of his films. He's got it covered in all 6 of his movies and George continued with the same deadpan delivery in OHMSS.
Sean and George pull it off best IMO, because they were both very lethal 007's. They were both like coiled snakes that could strike at any time. They both I thought radiated danger, even in their lighter moments, so the throwaway humour I think worked with them, because in no way did it detract from the naturally dangerous vibe both men were able to exude.
I don't think it worked quite so well with Moore because the humour often served to re-inforce how truly unthreatening a Bond he was.

===I do think the producers were having fun with the moon landing conspiracy theories which I guess were topical at the time. I don't think they were advocating one way or the other but it was a deft touch I think to plant the seed of , "well maybe this is how they did it", and then have Bond happen across the set and make off with their moonbuggy. Benign bizarre. You never know what this 007 fellow is going to come across in this film or indeed in his broader escapist world.
When I first saw DAF and for many years after, I thought the astronauts were just practising, but then later................ maybe they were actually laying down footage for the next Apollo mission hmmmmm :scratch: I spent maybe 10 seconds pondering this mystery before being drawn back into the broader film's very awesome vibe.

Diamonds are Forever (1971) - 5.5/10
I think I know what the makers of Diamonds are Forever were trying to do: recreate Goldfinger. After all, Sean Connery was back and Guy Hamilton, director of Goldfinger, was back in the directors chair, too. DAF pretty much tells the audience “This movie is just like Goldfinger because it’s silly and witty! And look, its Sean Connery!” Diamonds are Forever is all about camp, something Goldfinger admittedly had. But while Goldfinger used camp as a style, Diamonds are Forever uses camp as a gimmick. OHMSS was such a different film from the ones that it followed that it may have scared the filmmakers and public to think Bond was going down some sort of different path. So the result was Diamonds are Forever; a film that thought it was going back to the “ throwback days of Connery”. What it really was, however, was a cartoonish caricature of that Connery era. Add that to bad acting from nearly everyone except Sean Connery and a bare bones plot you go pretty low. What even made it worse was the buzz kill this film generated after such an exciting end to OHMSS. The fight in the elevator between Bond and Franks is a good one, but other than that, Diamonds Are Forever is soulless and simply boring.

DAF is on a different dimension really. It's so absurb that it's awesome. I never understood why Blofeld in drag is such a big deal. Sure when compared to Anthony Dawson's version, it's a bit outlandish, but in this film, it's no more bizarre than the rest of the characters; there's androgyny and switched identity throughout. So it fits perfectly with the tone of the film. And if we want to compare apples and oranges, the PTS of TB has a cross dressing scene with Madame Boitier--maybe Spectre had a cross dressing unit? And if Bond himself can pose as a gay genealogist for portion of OHMSS, what's the harm in a 2 minute Blofeld scene?

The same can be said of the moon buggy chase--it's just whacky and at the very least a unique escape device, heck we've seen a jetpack in TB. And didn't Sean Connery even purchase the moon buggy prop a few years back? Clearly he thought the moon buggy was cool.

The ending really isn't that bad when compared to the others--it's your standard Bond infiltrates villain's bass with back-up arsenal ready to finish the job, all the while there are plenty of opportune times for Blofeld to kill Bond, but always fails to do so. Ok, so Yolt's had ninjas...so. The point is this movie is packed with so many memorable and laughing out of your seat entertaining moments, that the feeling of the film transcends whatever lackluster plot points there may be. To quote Roger Ebert's 1971 review: "The point in a Bond adventure is the moment, the surface, what's happening now. The less time wasted on plot, the better." We know Bond will prevail and enjoy the fruits of his labor, but DAF makes it so much dammed fun to see how he does it.

Drax wrote:

Brosnan has all the wit of a horny 8th grader just learning to play with himself.

Connery Era 2/6

1. FRWL
2. DAF. Not like the end, something that is take over from Yolt. Music is a litle bit better then Yolt, and 2 steps better then Gf/TB. Stil some spying. Netherlands and Unted states as Location. Hope example for Bond 24.
3. Yolt. Don't like the end, dislike biggest part of the composed music and Blofeld, but best Spy things from the Connery era and some very good fights. A example for later movies like DAF and TMWTGG and hopely Bond 23.
4. DR NO
5. GF
5. TB. Terence young returns and try to make a mix of Dr No and FRWL but faild for the biggest part. There can proud on that of my favorite casino scene from Dr no is repeat and like the specter story. The good parts are a example for later OHMSS, Twine, CR and QOS. But with the same screentime as LTK much to long.

Performance Connery

1. DAF. Proof solo also have humor, a lot of difrence with his part in boring GF.
2. FRWL. A lot of help from in special Kerim Bay.
3. Yolt.
4. TB
5. GF

12/22

10. Octopussy
11. TMWTGG
12. DAF
13. TSWLM

Bassey

1. DAF
2. GF
3. MR

I nominate Mr Kidd as worst hairstyle and moustache ever in a Bond film. Fucker might drown me in a pool for that.

He's not the most stylish gay in the village.

Some cool pictures and information on the Elrod House, used in DAF:

Click Here! Tis a link!

It's up for sale if anyone is interested ;-)

You know, if I had 14 mill that wasn't doing anything, I just might spring for that pad.

Maybe we should all pool our resources and buy this place for our collective vacation getaway. Hmmm. Now what's 14 million divided by 81?

That's $173,000 each roughly. We'll all have to get working on our next great Million Dollar idea.


===I think it should be called the Bambi and Thumper House. In fact it still looks quite exotic based on all those pictures. Wouldn't be the worst idea to re-use it for another Bond film. A little nod and a wink to the series glorious past.

I'd like to live there for about a week. I'd also have to find two girls who would let me playfight with them and hold their heads under water for a little bit.

What girl wouldn't love to playfight with Tiffy and have her head held underwater!

So long as there's a sound system playing "Bond Meets Bambi and Thumper" on repeat, I'm game.

Ed Tom Kowalsky wrote:

What girl wouldn't love to playfight with Tiffy and have her head held underwater!

I think if one dangled the keys to the house, there would be no shortage of potential house guests.
It would be a Bambi and Thumper poolapalazza.

Also comes complete with oil and hotel magnate locked away in the boiler room

Seeing as how we now have 100 members, the price has dropped to a mere 140K per bloke.

I'm in. Incidentally, a woman's ability to hold her breath is a useful indicator of her performance in other areas.

Burning toast, for instance.

women can hold their breath longer than men. smaller frame equals greater lung capacity . I learned this watching Resident Evil 4: Afterlife. One of the characters offered up this little nugget of info. Good little tidbit to toss into the conversational mix at social occasions.

Milla Jovovich has an exceptional lung capacity.

Christ Timmer, you realise you've just inducted Resident Evil 4: Afterlife into Armond's highly-esteemed list of Films Which Make A Positive Contribution To Society....?

Lazenby. wrote:

Christ Timmer, you realise you've just inducted Resident Evil 4: Afterlife into Armond's highly-esteemed list of Films Which Make A Positive Contribution To Society....?

Happy to contribute. The three female heroines put their impressive lung capacities on full display during the underwater scenes. Ali Larter's lung capacity is particularly impressive.







English actress Kasey Barnfield lends her impressive lung capacity to the mission as well. In fact its her character that offers up the lung capacity info.

I met Trina Parks 2 months ago at a Bond screening. I'll ask her if she wants to go in on the Elrod House purchase for old times sake

I still think they made a major casting mistake when they cast the female roles in DAF.

Lana Wood should had been Tiffany Case.

Jill St. John should had been Plenty O' Toole!

I didn't find Jill St. John attractive at all and in some shots of the film, she looked downright skanky!!

Now Lana Wood....

What a Goddess!

With her curvaceous body and long flowing brown hair and perky ample bosom!!

Hubba hubba!