 | The Cavalier daily Friday, February 4, 1972 |  |
007's Mindless Exploits
By PAUL CHAPLIN
Sean Connery is back, and
Albert R. Brocolli and Harry
Saltzman have him in
"Diamonds Are Forever." This
latest continuation of the
never-to-be-ended adventures
of agent 007 isn't my favorite
of the lot, but has enough of
the old pizazz some of the
more recent James Bond films
have lacked.
Not only is Bond back, but
so is his old nemesis, Blofeld,
and his white angora cats. The
story revolves around a series
of diamond heists, which begin
in South Africa and end in Las
Vegas. Along the diamond trail
Bond meets the usual lovelies,
but the boy must be getting
old as he only meets two and
beds one.
Girl number one is Plenty
O'Toole, played by Lana
Wood, who is quickly disposed
of. Jill St. John as Tiffany Case
then gets friendly with Bond.
Miss St. John's acting talents
are amply displayed in skimpy
nothings. The success of the
Bond films comes from the icy
underplaying by Connery, and
Miss St. John just isn't subtle
although that's a minor point.
The production, as one has
come to expect in the Bond
films, is lavish. Ken Adam's
designs easily fit into the
fantastic artificiality of Las
Vegas. One of the best scenes
in the film is a car chase on the
Strip in front of the glaring
lights of the casinos. A round
of applause goes to the stunt
men and editors for making
this scene work so well.
I don't know if the film
bears any resemblance to Ian
Fleming's book, but Richard
Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz
have written a walloping story,
with a few choice lines, and
enough unique situations to
keep the special effects
department on their toes.
There aren't as many gadgets as
in previous films, but the
three-wheeled Hondas,
moon-buggie and fish-filled
water bed make up for the lack
of apparatus provided by "Q."
The whole project is
smoothly directed by Guy
Hamilton, with the flare that
flickered out after about the
third Bond film. In all,
"Diamonds Are Forever" is
mindless and occasionally
corny, but still good Bonded
entertainment.
(Now At The Barracks Road)
| The Cavalier daily Friday, February 4, 1972 | |