SPY WHO LOVED ME, THE

(July 1977, U.S.)

1977 was it! I was going to see my first James Bond movie on the big screen, uncut and unedited. This was a major step for a ten year-old boy who’d already gotten his feet wet in the world of James Bond with bits and pieces of other movies already shown on ABC-TV. From the moment THE SPY WHO LOVED ME opened, it seemed I hadn’t drifted too far from my last screen experience of THE DEEP because it was an underwater adventure all over again that involved the disappearance of nuclear submarines. All of a sudden, though, the movie switched to the snowy ski slopes with Bond being chased by enemy spies who were trying to kill him. Then he was flying! Well, not really flying but performing a daring escape off a cliff by parachute…and this was all before the opening credits and song by Carly Simon, whom I was actually aware of because I liked one of her older hit songs, “You’re So Vain”.

Because of my limited experience and knowledge of complex plot lines such as nuclear missiles, world domination and the strained relationships and mistrust that still existed between the Soviet Union and much of the rest of the world (England included), the story behind the action went right over my little head. Still, there was incredible spy action and thrills on the screen before me that included chases, exploding helicopters, shootouts and a cool looking white car that moved underwater. As for Barbara Bach…well, she was just stunning to look at! Apparently, at age ten, I recognized the visual appeal of beautiful women in the movies (thank you, Jacqueline and thank you, Barbara!).

But let’s be honest for a moment; despite even the great action and the beautiful women, what made THE SPY WHO LOVED ME so ultra-cool to me was the character of Jaws. This man (if you could really call him that) was an incredible powerhouse of gigantic destruction. This was an enemy that seemingly could not die, and just how was the great James Bond supposed to defeat someone…something like that? He could lift huge boulders, stop moving vans and bite through anything with his own steel teeth (those same teeth could get him electrocuted, too). What really sent things over the top (in a good way) for me was when Jaws was attacked by a shark (even today, the irony of that is priceless) and he ended up biting the shark to death. This was, perhaps, suspension of disbelief, even in a James Bond movie, at its ultimate level, but my young mind hardly cared or knew any better. This was incredible fun at the movies, the most I’d had since STAR WARS (though certainly not better). It seemed the summer blockbuster season of ‘’77 was off to a fantastic start.

When THE SPY WHO LOVED ME made its television premiere on the ABC Sunday Night Movie in November 1980, the Bond movie seemed as I remembered it three years earlier on screen. Well, sort of. For this TV airing, I saw something I’d never seen before. It was a black title card with a message in white that read, “Although edited for television, some parents may consider this James Bond film unsuitable for younger family members. Viewer discretion is advised.” Seriously? What was the problem? I’d seen the movie myself three years ago and I didn’t recall anything so terrible about it. Was the network concerned about murderous violence by Jaws or perhaps just the display of excessive upper cleavage by Barbara Bach...particularly when her cleavage was soaking wet and just incredibly yummy to look at?

Well, regardless of their reason, I enjoyed this great Bond movie again and this time it had some deeper meaning of familiarity to me because I’d also seen MOONRAKER on screen just a year ago and the famous character behind Roger Moore, as well as Jaws, were like old friends. But even old friends have a way of changing over time. While THE SPY WHO LOVED ME remains one of my preferred Bond films in the legendary franchise, it has managed to move down a few notches since I was a kid. The action and drama under the direction of Lewis Gilbert, at times, falls short in some sequences. The first example is when Bond and Anya are trying to escape from Jaws in the white van in Egypt and he manages to temporarily stop them by grabbing the back end of it. What could’ve been a thrilling moment with even a touch of terror, is substituted for pure silliness, even in the accompanying soundtrack when they finally escape and the van appears to fall apart as they drive it. Perhaps my sense of humor is off, but it simply doesn’t work for me.
Speaking of the soundtrack, I’ve always believed the music of any Bond film during that period loses something significant when it’s not scored by John Barry (that’s just me). What really disappoints me, though, is the climactic destruction of Stromberg’s Atlantis and the escape of our two heroes done without the dramatic use of any soundtrack music. What should be a sequence of sheer excitement becomes bland in its delivery (do I blame Marvin Hamlisch for that bogus decision?). Still, the film offers the political excitement and tension of nuclear conflict and the twisted vision of a criminal madman seeking global domination in a world he creates by his own hand, in this case, under the sea. In fact, if you take a moment to consider the other two Bond films under Gilbert’s direction, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and MOONRAKER, these reccuring themes are present, as well. Performances do not fall short, either, as Moore gives one of his better ones, making him an Barbara one of the better Bond film couples. Still, in the end, it's Bond...and if we can't sit back and accept each new Bond film as "the biggest, the best, and beyond", then perhaps we need to find a new screen action hero.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Anya Amasova: "The man I loved. He was in Austria three weeks ago. Did you kill him?"
James Bond: "When someone's behind you on skis at forty miles per hour trying to put a bullet in your back, you don't always have time to remember a face. In our business, Anya, people get killed. We both know that. So did he. It was either him or me. The answer to the question is yes. I did kill him."
Anya: "Then, when this mission is over, I will kill you!"