The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, July 15, 1981, Page Page 7, Image 7
Entertaini
0071
Dune
ha' By DAVID BAKER
Luke Skywalker, Han Solo,
Indiana Jones and Superman*
are consistently interesting,
perpetually en
tertaining and undeniable
heroic, but I'll take James
Bond over any of them, even
though "For Your Eyes
Only" is hardly the best 007
movie in the now 18-year-old
series.
Like the 11 Bond pictures
it* that preceded it, "For Your
Eyes Only" features
spectacular stunts, marvelous
machinery and a
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But the movie seems totally
uninspired; perfunctory.
The reason, perhaps, is in
producer Albert R. Broccoli's
choice of directors.
"For Your Eyes Only" is the
directorial debut of John
Glen, who previously served
as editor and spcond unit
director on "On Her
Majesty's Secret Service,"
"The Spy Who I^oved Me"
and "Moonraker."
ACCORDING to studio
press releases, Glen directed
the still-astounding opening
sequence of "The Spy Who
Loved Me," wherein Bond
skis off a snow-covered cliff
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also directed the opening
freefall parachuting scene in
"Moonraker."
Glen does seem to be more
than at home with the
stuntwork in "For Your
Eyes Only," but when
mere s no spectacle onscreen,
there's very little of
anything else. It's par
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ticulary evident that Glen
has had little experience
working with actors, for with
the exception of Roger
Moore as Bond, the cast of
"Eyes" seems forever to be
in need of someone to tell
them what to do, where to go
and how to deliver their
lines.
Glen's direction isn't so
much bad as it is befuddled.
With more experience, he
could develop into a very
capable helmsman. I just
hope his second effort isn't
another Bond picture.
The co-writers of "For
Your Eyes Only", Richard
Maibaum and Michael
Wilson, have a good handle
on what the Bond series is all
about and well they should:
Maibaum previously having
written or co-written eight
007 screenplays. Wilson has
no previous credits as a
scriptwriter, but it's unlikely
that his hand in the scenario
for "Eyes" is evident.
FOR THE FIRST time in
the series, Bond's work looks
more like work than it does
play. For lack of anyone else
to blame. I'll eive Wilson the
dubious credit.
Both Wilson and
Maibaum, however, should
share responsibility for not
having the good sense to
provide Bond with a suitable
nemesis.
For flights of fantasy like
this to work, we need to have
a truly despicable villain.
Instead, the writers provide
us with one who looks and
acts as it he's stepped out of I
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his artist's studio and, on a
whim, decided to take on the
world's best secret agent.
This villain, Kristatos he is
called, doesn't even want to
rule the world. He's simply a
smuggler who wants to sell a
British computer containing
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the KGB. Ho-hum.
AS FOR THE acting, is
there ever acting in a Bond
picture? Suffice it to say that
none of the new supporting
players come off as badly as
did Lois Chiles in
"Moonraker," but none of
them are as impressive as
either Jane Sevmnnr in
"Live and Let Die" or
Barbara Bach in "The Spy
Who Loved Me," the only
Bond heroines ever to
maintain even remotely
respectable careers after
their brushes with 007.
The series' returning
characters (Lois Maxwell as
Moneypenny and Desmond
Llewelyn as Q) are as urbane
as ever in their usual
small amount of screen
time, but Bernard Lee, who
recently passed away, is
sorely missed as M. Moore,
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as aiways, is picture perfect
as Bond.
Deserving special mention
is Janet Brown, a heretofore
unknown actress who, in
what has to be the most
uproarious scene in any
Bond movie yet, lampoons
Margaret Thatcher to a farethee-well.
The title sequence of "For
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magnificent to behold and, in
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a twist from the previous
Bond title sequences, we
actually see lovely Sheena
Easton singing the lyrics to
the title song. Thank heaven
it resembles neither of the
young lady's excruciatingly
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Train" and "Modern Girl."
The remainder of the score,
however, leaves much to be
desired, as does practically
every score ("An Unmarried
Woman" being the
sole exception) written by
the talentless Bill Conti.
"LIVE AND LET Die" is
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brought about my
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interest in films and no 007
movie with Moore has
missed being mentioned on
my year-end "10 Best" lists.
So if I've come to expect the
007 series to be the be-all and
end-all of moviemaking, it's
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me down before now.
Still, don't let my mild
Roger Moore and Carole Boq
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dissapointment with "For
Your Eyes Only" discourage
you from seeing it, for it
remains one of the most
rousing entertainments of
1981. Just don't go into the
theater expecting perfection.
In any event, bring on
number 13!
met in "For Your Eves Onlv.w