Plot: What’s it about?
After two servicable James Bond films starring Roger Moore, the producers wanted to get back to the more cinematically memorable approach and not go for the easy way out. Despite the fact that the Bond movies were making money and were still popular, the series was now starting to lack bite and by the mid-seventies, a ray of hope came in the form of a tale pitting 007 with a combination action, intrigue and romance. This is about power beyond the seas. More importantly, it’s about The Spy Who Loved Me.
The sea shakes and a nuclear submarine sees something enormous leading to it’s disappearance and it’s up to James Bond, Agent 007 (Roger Moore), to get to the bottom of it’s vanishing. Along the way he encounters plenty of clues as well as a Soviet agent (Barbara Bach) on the same trail. Both are connected in more ways than one, even when the past catches up to 007. Their trail leads up to billionaire Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens) who has his own plans with submarines as well as some assistance from a giant man named Jaws (Richard Kiel).
If there was any indication that Roger Moore fit like a glove in this role, this film was a perfect example of that. From the breathtaking beginning on the high mountains to its climax on the high seas, this is one James Bond adventure that delivers everything but the kitchen sink. The casting of Curt Jurgens as the primary Bond villain is a nice touch tipping the hat to another underwater classic The Enemy Below. Barbara Bach is another key addition to the growing list of Bond girls in that a fellow agent from another government makes her way for a prime spot and not just another agent in the background. Richard Kiel has a memorable menacing presence as Jaws, an associate that has a lot to sink his teeth in.
This is one of the few Bond films made around that time without composer John Barry and Marvin Hamlisch not only does a nice job in writing the song for the film (Nobody Does It Better) but also does an even better job scoring the picture giving a touch of the seventies and the Bee Gees mixing in nicely with the other tips of the hat to other films as well as reinventing the sound of Bond for a great many years.
The sense of an underwhelming Bond film is gone, complete with elaborate sets by Ken Adam and a return to the world, which remains to this day, of Panavision, courtesy of director Lewis Gilbert who is no stranger to Bond’s past and future at that point as he proves once again that he is one of the finest 007 directors that does so much with so few Bond pictures. There is a lot to love about The Spy Who Loved Me as it is not only one of the best entries with Roger Moore but it is one of the best entries in the entire Bond series.
Video: How does it look?
The Spy Who Loved Me is given it’s second 2.35:1 widescreen treatment on DVD, this time with an anamorphic touch and the results are an improvement but with a few of the same problems that plagued the previous DVD as there are still elements of specks and debris evident on the print of the film. The colors come off bright and better than any transfer of a seventies movie can provide and it’s done wonderfully without any oversaturation or overbleeding. For the most part, despite it’s age, the print is clean and has a slight hint of seventies haze but nothing too dominant to take away from it’s overall visual quality which in the end is very good.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track on this film is also an improvement from it’s original release and though there are muted limitations in the track from that time, the results are slightly better. The score comes off booming very nicely in the surround channels and the dialogue comes out very distinctive although a bit of the volume in the dialogue in quiet moments minus effects and score can be quite lower at times. The DVD preserves the track very nicely without lessening it’s overall effect. This disc also has a French Stereo Surround track as well as English and French subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The Spy Who Loved Me is given the Special Edition treatment and no Special Edition would be complete without a multitude of extras and it starts off with a wonderful documentary entitled “Inside The Spy Who Loved Me”. In it, the documentary gives great insights into all aspects of the production as well as some of the writers who took a stab at the feature (007 written by John Landis, it almost happened) and some assistance from a reclusive director. With most of the cast and crew participating (Michael Wilson not looking much different from the 77 file footage to the present day), this stands out as one of the better entries into the “Inside 007” documentary series.
Even more intriguing is the “Ken Adam- Designing Bond” documentary covering the award winning set designer’s work on the Bond series as well as covering information about his life that would amaze even the most novice viewer. It is an amazing piece of design, biography and story that itself could be made into it’s own feature.
Along with those two, there is an audio commentary by director Lewis Gilbert, designer Ken Adam, writer/executive producer Michael Wilson and (thirty minutes into the film) writer Christopher Wood. In a step away from the combination of interview and sound bites, all are in the same room watching the film and commenting and their info as well as their banter is most entertaining as they reminisce about shooting the film as well as keeping an informative interest in the film with little or no gaps. It’s an exceptional commentary (much like Moonraker) and it’s more than well worth the listen
Finally, there are 6 TV Spots, 12 Radio Spots, A Spy Who Loved Me Photo Gallery covering the entire production as well as two teaser trailers and a feature trailer, all of which display the film nicely but have it’s share of spoilers showing how little they were shown back then before the advances of video and DVD.
SPECTRE-less and Blofeld-less, The Spy Who Loved Me is a triumph for the 007 series as a film securing Roger Moore as the debonair secret agent and an even bigger triumph as a DVD thanks to it’s lion share of extras and it comes very well recommended.
