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Posted: |
Mar 1, 2018 - 12:00 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Roger Moore’s third Bond film and Lewis Gilbert's second was 1977’s THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Only the title of writer Ian Fleming’s novel was used for the film, in accordance with the writer’s wishes before his death. The original novel did not follow the normal format of the Bond adventures. Instead, the story revolves around Bond checking into a motel with a flat tire in the last third of the book and rescuing the main character, Vivienne Michel, whose stay at a motel is threatened by gangsters planning to burn it down for the insurance money. Fleming was never pleased with the novel, as it was the weakest of his Bond adventures. The film’s producers got Fleming’s permission to revamp the story before filming could begin. Over three years, an original screenplay was developed by producer Albert R. Broccoli and screenwriters Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum.
Fleming never warmed to the original casting choice of Sean Connery and thought Roger Moore was a better fit to play the sophisticated agent. Broccoli approached well-known actresses Catherine Deneuve, Marthe Keller, and Dominique Sanda to play the Bond girl in the film, but all passed on the role when fees involving points or a percentage of the profits could not be agreed upon. Broccoli summed his choice to pick unknowns when casting Bond girls: “…Remember this: The money I’ve saved by not using a well-known actress I spent on that marvelous ski stunt.” Lewis Gilbert cast Curt Jürgens as shipping magnate Carl Stromberg after having worked with him on FERRY TO HONG KONG (1959).
Moore had been offered the role of Lieutenant General Brian Horrocks in A BRIDGE TOO FAR, but he was originally forced to decline due to a scheduling conflict with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. He became available when the shooting of the Bond film was delayed. However, Horrocks himself had approval over the casting and turned Moore down. The role instead went to Edward Fox.
This was the first of Moore’s Bond films to be shot in Panavision; the prior two had been in regular matted widescreen. Consequently, a new version of the gun-barrel opening sequence needed to be shot to match the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio--the fifth time the sequence had been done in the series. The new sequence features a closer shot of Roger Moore against a more colored background. Also it's the first time that Bond wears a tuxedo during the sequence. This sequence has the distinction of being the one with the most appearances, as its footage would be reused for the next four Bond films, for a total of five appearances.
In THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, director Guy Hamilton had wanted to toughen Bond up to be closer to Ian Fleming's original intent for the character. But with this film, director Lewis Gilbert decided to fix what he felt the previous Roger Moore films were doing wrong, which was writing the Bond character too much the way Sean Connery played him. Instead, Gilbert wanted to portray Bond in a manner that he believed was closer to the books - "very English, very smooth, good sense of humour".
A representative from the Egyptian government was on set throughout the shoot in Cairo and Giza to make sure that the country was not portrayed in an unflattering light. For that reason, when the scaffolding collapses on Jaws and Bond quips "Egyptian builders", Roger Moore merely mouthed the line, dubbing it in later. It went unnoticed by the official Egyptian minder, and ironically, got a great laugh from Egyptian audiences.
For only the second time, John Barry was not involved in a Bond score, allegedly because he did not wish to return to the UK due to tax issues. Marvin Hamlisch got the scoring assignment. The title song "Nobody Does It Better" was sung by Carly Simon, with music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager. It was the first Bond theme song played over the main titles that differed from the name of the film in which it appeared, although the phrase "the spy who loved me" is included in the lyrics. The soundtrack was released on United Artists Records. Its most recent appearance on CD came from EMI Capitol in 2003.
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME earned $90 million in rental fees. United Artists reportedly was paid $30.25 million for distribution but also deducted the $13.5 million cost of production plus $2 million in loan interest and about $7.5 million for advertising, prints, and parties. The remaining net profits of the film totaled $36.75 million, which was split between UA and Danjaq S.A. (Broccoli’s production company).
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Posted: |
Mar 1, 2018 - 12:12 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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MOONRAKER was Roger Moore’s fourth outing as James Bond and Lewis Gilbert's third and final Bond film.. Moore enjoyed filming in Paris, because production didn't start until noon, and the hours were shorter. Eight hours a day on a movie is the limit one can work in France. But Moore arrived a week late for the shoot in Rio due to a kidney stones attack in France. (Moore had also had a renal colic attack while filming LIVE AND LET DIE in 1973). Once arrived in Rio, Moore literally walked off the plane, went into make-up and hair, got fitted out, went back onto the plane, and was then filmed arriving in Rio as James Bond for the movie. Footage of the carnival in Rio had already been shot in January 1978. The scenes with Roger Moore were done in February 1979, recreating the carnival revelers from the year before.
Producer Albert R. Broccoli had wanted Lois Chiles to play the part of Russian Agent "Anya Amasova" in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. But upon talking to her agent, it was discovered that Chiles had retired temporarily, upset by criticism she had received, and was taking acting lessons. Chiles got the role of "Holly Goodhead" by chance when she was given the seat next to Lewis Gilbert on a flight.
"Jaws" (Richard Kiel) was supposed to be Bond's arch nemesis in this film, until Gilbert started paying attention to some of the fan mail Kiel was getting from small children, asking why he couldn't be a good guy instead of a bad guy. As a result Gilbert was persuaded to make Jaws gradually become Bond's ally at the end of the film.
Gilbert made a cameo appearance in this film as one of the men at St. Mark's Square.
Roger Moore is believed to have conducted approximately 390 interviews for the promotion of the $34 million movie. It seems to have paid off. At the box-office, MOONRAKER set new records for a Bond film, earning almost $58 million worldwide after just eight weeks in release. To date, its grosses have exceeded $210 million.
While critical reaction was mixed, several reviewers noted that the film suffered from a sense of repetition and déjà vu. The 29 June 1979 Los Angeles Herald-Examiner described the problem as “pre-nostalgia – the filmmakers not only rip themselves off silly but do it without invention, as if we could be satisfied by the memories of the originals.” However, the 29 June 1979 New York Times wrote that MOONRAKER was “one of the most buoyant Bond films of all.” The reviewer described the picture as “the unimaginable most satisfactorily imagined,” and compared it to early adventure serials and the “movie-making of the kind [silent filmmaker] Georges Méliès pioneered.”
John Barry’s score was released on a United Artists LP, but even in its most recent CD re-issue from Capitol/EMI Records (2003), the 31-minute LP has not been able to be expanded.
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Posted: |
Mar 1, 2018 - 12:38 AM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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Working with Michael Caine again, producer-director Gilbert again produced one of his most well-regarded films, 1983's EDUCATING RITA. The Willy Russell screenplay (from his own play) told the story of twenty-seven-year-old London hairdresser "Rita" (Julie Walters), who decides to complete her basic education before having children as desired by her husband "Denny" (Malcolm Douglas). She joins the literature course in an open university and has tutorial with the middle-aged "Dr. Frank Bryant" (Caine), an alcoholic and deluded professor from the upper-class without self-esteem.
Julie Walters made her feature film debut in EDUCATING RITA. She recalls: "Making the film was utterly different (to the 1980 stage production, in which Walters also starred). I made Rita a bit rougher round the edges and toned my performance down. The director, Lewis Gilbert, wanted me, but I'd never done a feature before, only a bit of telly, and they needed a star. There was talk of doing it with Paul Newman and Dolly Parton. But then Michael Caine came on board as Frank, and I was in. I remember his wife saying: 'You are very lucky it's Michael'. She was thinking of other people of that ilk, who were starry and not that easy. But Michael was lovely, so generous to me."
David Hentschel provided his third and last score for a Gilbert film. This one received an LP release on Mercury, and a later CD re-issue by C-Five Records.
The film received three Academy Award nominations--for Russell's screenplay and for Caine and Walters. None of them won the Oscar, but both Caine and Walters won the Golden Globe awards and the BAFTA awards for their performances. Gilbert's production was nominated for Best Foreign Film at the Golden Globes and won the BAFTA award for Best Film.
In 2002, Gilbert thought about remaking the film with Halle Berry with Denzel Washington, who both had won Best Acting Oscars that year, for MONSTER'S BALL and TRAINING DAY, respectively. However, the project never got off the ground. England's newspaper The Guardian reported that Gilbert referred to both of these Oscar winners when he spoke of this proposed production: "There are so many good black actors in America. You only have to think of the two black actors who took the Best Actor awards at this year's Oscars".
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Gilbert filmed another Willy Russell play with 1989's SHIRLEY VALENTINE. The story follows "Shirley" (Pauline Collins), a middle-aged Liverpool housewife, who finds herself talking to the wall while she prepares her husband's breakfast, wondering what happened to her life. But when her best friend (Alison Steadman) wins an all-expenses-paid vacation to Greece for two, Shirley goes along, meets an Greek tavern owner (Tom Conti), and begins to see the world, and herself, in a different light.
Willy Russell’s one-woman play "Shirley Valentine" had also starred Pauline Collins. According to Russell, the play was not a monologue but a complete play with only one character. The play won the Society of West End Theatre’s Olivier Awards for Comedy of the Year and Collins won the Olivier for Actress of the Year in a New Play. In New York, Collins also won the Tony award for Best Actress. The movie, with it's expanded cast and location shooting, was filmed between the London and New York stage productions.
Production began 20 September 1988 on the Greek island of Mykonos then moved to London and Liverpool. As with Michael Caine in ALFIE, Russell and Gilbert often had Pauline Collins "break the fourth wall" by looking into the camera and speaking directly to the audience.
The movie was shown on the opening night of the 13th Montreal Film Festival. Although the festival’s films were usually shown with subtitles, SHIRLEY VALENTINE was shown without French subtitles. Paramount Motion Pictures Group President Barry London stated that Paramount was asked to provide an upbeat film for the festival on short notice; SHIRLEY VALENTINE was completed only four days before the festival and therefore there was not enough time to add subtitles. Collins helped ease any tension by addressing the opening night crowd in French and in English, and London stated he was happy with the crowd’s reaction to the film.
Willy Russell and George Hadjinassios scored the film. Silva Screen issued a CD of the soundtrack at the time of the film's release. The film was a modest success in the United States, taking in $5.6 million in its first thirteen weeks. The film grossed approximately $12 million in its United Kingdom run.
SHIRLEY VALENTINE received 1989 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role – Pauline Collins, and Music (Original Song) – “The Girl Who Used To Be Me,” music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyric by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. Pauline Collins won the British Academy of Film & Television Arts (BAFTA) award for Film Actress in a Leading Role and the film was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Film.
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STEPPING OUT was a movie adaptation of writer Richard Harris’ stage play, which opened in London in September 1984. The play won the Evening Standard Award for Best Comedy in 1984, and ran for nearly three years at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End. A New York production ran on Broadway from 11 January to 15 March 1987.
CBS Theatrical Films had originally acquired rights to STEPPING OUT and planned to make a feature film sometime after the play’s New York run. Five years later, a 23 August 1990 Hollywood Reporter news brief announced the start of principal photography in Toronto, Canada. In the interim, Paramount Pictures had acquired the property.
In the film, Liza Minnelli plays the role of a has-been Broadway performer who gives tap lessons to a group of misfits who, through their dance classes, bond and realize what they can achieve. The supporting cast included Jane Krakowski, Bill Irwin, Julie Walters, Shelley Winters, and Andrea Martin.
Although a majority of filming took place on set at a Toronto studio, numerous locations throughout Toronto served for key sequences. A “gala talent show performance” was filmed before a live audience of 1,500 people at the Elgin Theatre. The cast also performed and filmed a show at the Mississauga YMCA. Interiors were shot at clubs, shops, and theaters in downtown Toronto, while exteriors were filmed in Buffalo, NY. Lewis Gilbert worked through the shoot “in sequence,” with the goal of inspiring the actors to “discover” and experience the linear development of their characters. Principal photography ended 16 November 1990.
Liza Minnelli and Lewis Gilbert on the set of STEPPING OUT
The film was slated to premiere in April 1991 to coincide with Liza Minnelli's record-breaking 3-week engagement at New York's Radio City Music Hall which was entitled "Stepping Out at Radio City." However, the reins at Paramount Pictures changed hands, the premiere was pushed back to October 1991, and the film was given a token platform release.
On 23 December 1991, Variety reported that STEPPING OUT had “vanished” from theaters less than three weeks after its 4 October 1991 opening, grossing a mere $200,000 at the box-office. Lewis Gilbert attributed the lack of support for the $12 million picture to Paramount’s recent leadership change. A Holywood Reporter news item noted that the studio ordered only nine prints of the film, a fraction of the number typically created for a new release.
One theater, however, was a major exception. Bev Mahon, the well-known (in film circles) owner of the equally well-known Varsity Theatre in Des Moines, Iowa, was so interested in booking the film that he began negotiations with Paramount in March 1991, since the film was originally slated to open the next month. When the movie came and went in October 1991, Mahon stuck to his guns and booked it for his Christmas release that year. With his customary, individualized, savvy marketing (Mahon used only portions of Paramount's ad campaign and essentially wrote his own), the movie was a surprise smash at the Varsity, where it eventually ran for an incredible ten weeks.
Mahon wanted to run it indefinitely (he ran DOCTOR ZHIVAGO in 1965 for 50 weeks), but Paramount needed his print for another engagement. Since Paramount had so few prints of the picture, Mahon had no choice but to end the engagement, but Mahon was able to coerce the studio to allow him to keep STEPPING OUT for a final two weeks, since it had done so well, which he promoted quite heavily.
The story is a example of what might have happened to the film if Paramount had gotten behind it intelligently. It's also a rather sad story, as Liza Minnelli, to this day, has never made another major Hollywood film, much less a musical one, which, it must be said, is everyone's loss. Still, the ten-week, well-attended engagement at the Varsity does exist as some sort of vindication for the film.
The film's soundtrack consisted of the title song, composed for Minnelli by her long-time favorite composers John Kander and Fred Ebb, a number of old standards, and background score by Peter Matz. Milan released the soundtrack CD.
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