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Tag Archives: Curd Jürgens

The Spy Who Loved Me

05 Thursday Feb 2015

Posted by vinnieh in 007 thoughts and reviews, Movie Reviews

≈ 22 Comments

Tags

007, 1970's, Barbara Bach, Bernard Lee, Caroline Munro, Curd Jürgens, Desmond Llewelyn, James Bond, Lewis Gilbert, Lois Maxwell, Richard Kiel, Roger Moore, Spy, The Spy Who Loved Me, Walter Gotell

Film Title

The Spy Who Loved Me

Director

Lewis Gilbert

Starring

  • Roger Moore as James Bond
  • Barbara Bach as Anya Amasova
  • Curd Jürgens as Karl Stromberg
  • Richard Kiel as Jaws
  • Walter Gotell as General Gogol
  • Caroline Munro as Naomi
  • Bernard Lee as M
  • Desmond Llewelyn as Q
  • Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny

After the negative reception towards The Man with the Golden Gun, the Bond producers knew that they needed something great to get 007 back on track. And that is precisely what they did with The Spy Who Loved Me, an exciting and high quality entry into the canon.

British and Soviet missile submarines have disappeared and it is up to our man Bond to look into the matter. After an outstanding pre-title sequence in which Bond escapes assassins by jumping off a snowy mountain with his skis only to reveal a parachute emblazoned with the Union Jack, the main plot comes into focus. Bond is tasked with recovering a tracking device that could in the wrong hands could cause the submarines to attack major cities. The Spy Who Loved Me PosterHe is partnered with tough KGB agent Anya Amasova, in an attempt to ease the tension between East and West. Although they are supposed to work together, both know that each of their respective countries wants to claim finding it and have the glory. Unbeknownst to Bond, he killed Anya’s lover when fleeing from attack and she plans to kill him when the mission is over. The inquiries through Egypt and Sardinia lead the two to Karl Stromberg, a supposedly respectable shipping magnate. In reality, he is behind the theft of the submarines and has his own plans on causing war between nations to create new life under the sea. Despite their differences, Bond and Anya must work together to bring this plan to a standstill. Getting in the way of this is sinister henchman Jaws, who has metal for teeth and super strength and the fact that Anya is contemplating revenge for her slain lover.

Unlike Golden Gun, the humour in The Spy Who Loved Me is more controlled and balanced with the action in a much better way. Lewis Gilbert, who had earlier directed You Only Live Twice, is an ideal choice for director as he brings a spirited and adventurous quality to the movie, but never lets it slip into ridiculous hokum for too long. JawsGenuine suspense is generated in many scenes, including Jaws stalking someone with information with murder in mind among the pyramids of Egypt. It is also created because the audience is aware of Anya’s motives for taking the mission and her plans for revenge. No Bond film would be complete without exotic locations, The Spy Who Loved Me boasts many beautiful locales for our hero to work his way through as he uncovers the scheme. This film ups the action and has many great chase scenes, I mean who doesn’t love that iconic Lotus that can swim underwater? And who can forget the ski chase at the beginning which screams iconic and memorable? Marvin Hamlisch is on score duties this time around and gives Spy an electrifying pulse, partly inspired by the disco craze at the time of filming. The main theme, entitled ‘Nobody Does it Better’ is one of the best Bond songs, as it clearly encompasses all the qualities that we love about 007 and Carly Simon’s vocals are outstanding in conveying the excellence of the hero.

Roger Moore gives one of his best performances as 007 in this movie, clearly comfortable with the humour and action and obviously enjoying himself. If anyone was unsure about Moore’s portrayal of Bond before, they weren’t questioning it after seeing his work here. The beautiful Barbara Bach is excellent as the hard-edged and able Anya, who can clearly handle herself and knows exactly how to succeed in her job. Bond and AnyaPlaying her with formidable control, sex appeal and self-assurance, Barbara Bach makes Anya one effective Bond girl who is by no means a damsel in need of rescue. Curd Jürgens as Karl Stromberg may not be the best villain glimpsed in the dangerous world of foes that Bond faces, but he does have a stately quality which is used to hide his inner megalomania. More effective on the villain front is the hulking Jaws, whose metal teeth and extraordinary height even have Bond panicking. Walter Gotell is great as KGB head General Gogol, who is working with MI6 but still has reservations about it. Caroline Munro makes an impression in her brief role as the bikini-clad pilot who attempts to kill Bond. Bernard Lee has some great scenes of banter with Gogol as the two act courteously around one another but are still very much wanting their own country to locate the device first. The other regulars of the 007 universe, Desmond Llewelyn and Lois Maxwell are well-used in this adventure.

Filled with sinister plots, a gorgeous and reliable leading lady and stunning locales, The Spy Who Loved Me proves that nobody does it better than Bond.

 

And God Created Woman

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by vinnieh in Movie Reviews

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

1950's, And God Created Woman, Brigitte Bardot, Christian Marquand, Curd Jürgens, Drama, Foreign Language Film, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Roger Vadim

Film Title

And God Created Woman

Director

Roger Vadim

Starring

  • Brigitte Bardot as Juliette Hardy
  • Curd Jürgens as Eric Carradine
  • Jean-Louis Trintignant as Michel Tardieu
  • Christian Marquand as Antoine Tardieu

And God Created Woman was hardly the first film starring Brigitte Bardot, but it was the one that announced her as a seductive sex kitten to the whole world and caused a stir upon its release. Whilst the film may be slight in terms of the story and writing from director Roger Vadim (Bardot’s then husband), Brigitte Bardot entrances from beginning to end with her sexy persona and keeps And God Created Woman watchable if for anything its liberated look at sexual power of one woman.

Set in a strict town in sunny St Tropez, the film centres on a young orphan by the name of Juliette Hardy. Brigitte Bardot And God Created WomanShe is a seductive nymphet whose string of provocative behaviour, which include naked sunbathing in her backyard, wearing skimpy clothing and sneaking out to dance at night, have the whole town talking and the male population entranced with everything she does. The three main men in her life are the much older businessman Eric Carradine, the handsome Antoine who often spurns her and his younger brother Michel, who genuinely feels love for the wild girl. When her foster parents try to get her sent back to an orphanage for her depraved behaviour, a loophole is discovered. If she marries, she can’t go. The naive Michel proposes to her in the hopes that his love will be reciprocated. Juliette does marry him, but it is clear that she cares more for his brother Antoine. Complications arise as Juliette’s wild ways are at odds with the restrictive role of a dutiful wife and she craves her freedom.

As I previously mentioned, the story in And God Created Woman is very thin and not really up to much in terms of electric drama. Various subplots surrounding Eric trying to purchase some of the shipping dock owned by Antoine add up to nothing and really don’t fit with the film. Then again I don’t think that was the point of Roger Vadim. I believe he set out to show a story of one woman’s sexuality and how she wields it over the men in her life. What And God Created Woman does have to make up for the slim story is one hell of an erotic impact on the viewer with the pouting Bardot announcing herself as a woman who can make men fall at her feet. With her tousled hair, curvaceous figure and large eyes, Bardot projects a playful sexuality that drives men into a frenzy. She has such a presence on-screen that when she isn’t on it, the film drifts and lags a lot. Some of the scandalous moments that were shocking upon release may seem comparatively tame by today’s standards, but with Bardot many of the seductive elements hold up. Brigitte Bardot mamboWhether she is flaunting her body by the sea, riding barefoot on her bicycle or letting her troubles go by dancing an exotic mambo routine, Brigitte Bardot is nothing short of magnetic.

Because of Brigitte Bardot’s stunning impact, the many men of the film pale in comparison such as Curd Jürgens and Christian Marquand . Saying this Jean-Louis Trintignant manages to be subtly naive as the pining Michel, who loves Juliette with all his heart but knows that she loves his brother. Special mention should go to the music which mixes sultry jazz with a tropical calypso, perfectly capturing the untamed heart of the protagonist as she ties the hearts of men up in knots. St Tropez is shown in all its glory and the camerawork really accentuates the beauty of the place, whilst lingering shots of the gorgeous Brigitte Bardot present her as a passionate sex kitten with wild abandon to spare.

Slim on story, And God Created Woman is far from perfect, yet it serves as an introduction to the charms of Brigitte Bardot and the sexy image that she became known for as well as entrancing with erotic impact.

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