Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.

Very Cool!!!

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The 7th official James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever does not have the reputation of being one of the better Bond epics. But I must admit for having a soft spot for Diamonds Are Forever despite the fact that in hindsight the film has missed some great opportunities.It was decided to ignore the events of the previous Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) which ended with the murder of the wife of James Bond by his nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld. It could have been a great revenge movie, but it's not.Diamonds Are Forever starts with a very short fight scene in a Japanese decor, telling us that it's starting where the 5th Bondfilm You Only Live Twice (1967) left off. At the time On Her Majesty's Secret Service was considered a failure (it wasn't) and the rumor was that the new James Bond actor George Lazenby got fired (he wasn't, he decided not to go on, much to his regret later). Ever since then, the reputation of On Her Majesty's Secret Service has surpassed Diamonds Are Forever.But on the plus side Diamonds Are Forever is one of most efficient Bond films made. The tone is (a little too) lightweight, it has that smoothly early seventies style and shows what Las Vegas looked like in 1970/1971. The greatest asset of course is that Sean Connery returned to the franchise after being absent in the previous film. Older and a little too out of shape, Connery is at his most relaxed in this one and even here he is still the best cinematic interpretation of the character. A James Bond who has seen and done it all. The only time Bond is really surprised in this film is when he meets Blofeld again, whom he thought he had killed in the prologue. Diamonds Are Forever may have discarded the revenge plot but It was a financial successful revenge for Sean Connery on the Bond producers. Connery always felt short changed by the producers but was lured back by United Artists for one more film for an enormous salary (which he donated) and benefits (including a two movie deal).Diamonds Are Forever is also a guilty pleasure nowadays because Bond gets to do things which today's cinematic heroes can no longer get away with: he hits women, kicks Blofeld's cat and disposes easily of two stereotypical gay men (including finishing it off with a one liner). So, unless you're easily offended, Diamonds Are Forever can also be recommended as a terrific time capsule.

"Oh, James..." becomes a joke here. Middle-aged Connery (offering the first glimpse of his oncoming paunch) appears bored, tired, rather over the whole Bond thing. Jill is lovely but just provides the eye candy and the last gasps of the T & A jokes for this genre. Poor Lana Wood reaches the pinnacle of her career here only to be tossed off a balcony into a shallow pool without her top on. How any one of their careers survived this film is amazing!? Sean purposely killed Bond off in this one although one could see the blase weariness crawling over him in the previous 'You Only Live Twice'. Unfortunate for the films that follow in this series that forever more Bond becomes a parody of a spy--a cartoon man. Lazenby was too pretty, Moore too old, the others just a yawn. One went to see them only for the special effects. This particular film does not age well especially because of the boobie and fag jokes popular at the time. One can almost feel the liberation movements of later years rising in the background like a drumbeat. "Your days are numbered." The Bond character here would be equally at home on the Vegas stage of the time with Sammy, Dino et al boozing and broading their way into early bloated deaths. Goodbye James! Nice knowing you.

Directed by Guy Hamilton, produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli and with screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz, this is the seventh film in 007 franchise and resumes the participation of Sean Connery in the role of the British agent for the last time. This movie will attempt to Americanize the character, an option that, for today's fans, was highly incorrect, despite the success at the box office.In this film, James Bond seeks revenge on Blofeld, who blames the death of his wife, Tracy Bond. At the same time, he investigates the disappearance of diamonds in South Africa, suspecting trafficking. During investigations in Amsterdam, Bond found suspected links with the United States, where the stolen diamonds are sent. Narrowly escapes death in a crematorium and continues to follow the clues to Las Vegas, where he will face again Blofeld, the mastermind behind the theft of diamonds, with which it plans to build a space satellite that destroy entire cities.Although Sean Connery returned to the role of 007, the film's producers know they will not be forever. On the other hand, the pressure for adapting the character to a new audience increases with the entry in the seventies. Although the plot is almost entirely passed in the United States, the film has almost no action scenes, on the contrary: some particular scenes are perfectly anecdotal, in a humorous style that did not benefit the film. On the other hand, it appears to interpret the character Connery no motivation and no concern that shown in previous films into thinking it would have been better to the paper, once and for all, to another actor. The theme of space conquest, which was fashionable during this time, it could also have been better used, as would be in future films.In this film, apart from central casting inherited from previous films, James Bond is incarnated by Sean Connery. Jill St. John gave life to the bond-girl Tiffany Case. Charles Gray played the villain, Blofeld. Putter Smith and Bruce Glover gave life to the double murder, and apparently homosexual, Mr. Kid and Mr. Wint.

Firstly, I would like to start by saying that this is my first review. I've never been compelled before, but thought I'd register my disgust with this Bond title.I am a huge Bond fan. Grew up watching them and always find time to re-watch, especially when the latest flick hits the theatres. When I judge a Bond film, there are certain criteria I use to assess. Vehicles, gadgets, villains, girls, comedy, locations, plot, Bond himself and the direction to name a few.Diamonds Are Forever fails on almost everyone of these. The lack of vehicles and gadgets gets to me, but the casting for Blofeld was terrible. For starters, he's not bald, he's not menacing and he's just weak all round. When Sean Connery quit the role after You Only Live Twice, who would have thought we would have seen him back? I, personally liked George Lazenby's performance as Bond and enjoyed OHMSS. But this film was just one too many for Connery, and for me, ruined his legacy somewhat. It only cost the producers a whopping $1.25m for his services. He failed to live up to expectations.Guy Hamilton took the directors chair following; possibly the best Bond film ever in Goldfinger, his work here was awful. The fight scenes looked lazy and the acting was bad. How can Bond, looking for revenge for his wife's murder be so civil with Blofeld following OHMSS? The film started like a revenge mission but then things got friendly.The henchmen Mr Kidd & Mr Wint are by far the worse villains ever on a Bond film and again, the acting is appalling.The plot isn't even interesting. How many more times can Blofeld hold the world ransom? This time, he's doing it with the aid of a diamond-encrusted laser satellite. Considering this is the last time we see Blofeld, there was no explanation or closure to this character. We even get to see the super-villain and mysterious SPECTRE leader in drag. (Shocking) The whole film skimps on action.There are a few saving graces to this film. The locations of Amsterdam and Las Vegas gets the thumb up. The performance of Jimmy Dean as reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte was surprisingly a good casting job. (The only one) The pre-credit scene was good and should have continued in this vein. I score this movie 3 out of 10. It's the worse Bond film by far. Connery should have never come back. Maybe on my next re-watch, I'll skip straight to the Roger Moore legacy.