SimonJack England, the Soviet Union and the U.S. join forces in this James Bond thriller to stop a maniac who's bent on destroying the earth. That is, the dry land earth, above the oceans. Of course, they don't know his plan at first. But James Bond and a Soviet secret agent are out to find out what happened to each country's nuclear submarine that disappeared. The Americans get in the picture with a third submarine as Bond and Agent XXX pursue the Stromberg behemoth of a ship. Roger Moore is in his third of seven roles as British secret agent 007, James Bond. Barbara Bach plays Soviet Major Anya Amasova. One wonders if the her agent ID wasn't a bit of a spoof of the Soviets, who often tried to have the biggest, best or last of something. Where Bond is agent doublte07, the Soviet Amasova is agent triple-x. The fiend in this Bond thriller is played by Curd Jürgens. Richard Kiel, a true giant of an actor at 7 feet, 2 inches, plays Jaws. He has a genuine steel trap for a mouth. This is the first Bond film in a while to receive any major film award nominations. It received three Oscar nominations and two each Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations. Apparently, "The Spy Who Loved Me" was Moore's favorite Bond film. The filming took place in Egypt, off the Emerald Coast of Sardinia, Italy, in the Bahamas, at Baffin Island in Canada, in Okinawa, at St. Moritz in Switzerland, the Bay of Biscay off the coast of France, and in England and Scotland. The plot has a good amount of intrigue, and the film has a variety of thrills. A ski-chase scene in the Alps gives way to a road-chase by a gun-ship helicopter, and finally undersea skirmishes. Some wonderful props for this film included the Atlantis city of Stromberg that rose like a giant steel octopus in the sea. And the specially made Lotus Esprit S1 car turned heads on the beach in the film and amazed moviegoers. The Wet Nellie, as it was called, converted to a mini submarine, and had various gadgets including a rocket launcher. This is a fun-filled, action-packed and enjoyable Bond film - one of the best of the series. Here are some favorite lines. For more dialog, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page of the movie. Log Cabin Girl, "But James, I need you." James Bond, "S does England."James Bond, "When one is in Egypt, one should delve deeply into its treasures."James Bond, "Still, you did save my life." Maj. Anya Amasova, "We all make mistakes, Mr. Bond."Maj. Anya Amasova, "You don't have to worry abut me, Mr. Bond. I went on a survival course in Siberia." James Bond, "Yes, I believe a great number of your countrymen do."

Movie_Muse_Reviews The Roger Moore era of "James Bond" finally hit its stride in "The Spy Who Loved Me," easily the best or at least most iconic Bond since the early Sean Connery films. Quick-paced, full of action and laced with clever surprises, the budget poured into the 10th official "Bond" pays off.The previous few films under director Guy Hamilton, writer Tom Mankiewicz and co-produced with Harry Saltzman were particularly uninspired and formulaic. Whether the return of director Lewis Gilbert ("You Only Live Twice"), the addition of Gilbert's writer friend Christopher Wood or the reins being totally in Albert R. Broccoli's hands had anything to do with the refreshed mentality of "The Spy Who Loved Me" is anyone's guess, but it has a spring in its step to be sure.Part of that strength could have been drawn from the outside in. The massive scale of "TSWLM" rivals any "Bond" film. Legendary "Bond" production designer Ken Adam absolutely outdoes himself in this film, which sees Bond among remarkable Egyptian ruins, a dazzling underwater villain's lair and aboard a nuclear submarine. The film spares no expense bringing these set pieces to life, undoubtedly adding a great deal of prestige too.The story has Bond teaming up with KGB Agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) after British and Soviet submarines suddenly disappear. Following a lead that involves blueprints for a submarine tracking system in Cairo, Bond and Amasova - while attempting to outsmart each other - run in with the rich and powerful businessman Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens) and his steel-toothed muscle, Jaws (Richard Kiel).The movie definitely lifts elements from "Thunderball" and "From Russian with Love," but it moves like a shark and generally avoids the predictable patterns of its lesser predecessors. Stromberg and Jaws rank among the most quintessential "Bond" villains and henchmen, and though so much about her character disappoints, Bach feels more critical to this entry than most other "Bond" girls do to their respective films. A love story with a Russian spy at least adds some intrigue even if (in the '70s of all eras) she should be able to use physical strength and not just cunning to succeed. She doesn't go nearly as toe-to-toe with Bond as she ought too, especially when considering Bond kills her lover in the opening.The opening ski stunt, the underwater car, the explosive finale - these are all gimmicks to make "TSWLM" more exciting, but they actually hit their mark because of how they're used and some clever touches (like the Union Jack flag parachute). Add in great American composer Marvin Hamlisch's score and original song recorded by Carly Simon and "TSWLM" manages to check off a lot of the boxes of what made the "Bond" movies so iconic in the early '60s.The script also embraces more of Bond's past. Rather than bourbon, 007 is back to drinking vodka martinis, and at one point he's confronted about the lover he lost (specifically, who George Lazenby lost in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). It's small, but in doing so the film tips its cap to viewers who have stuck with Bond over these 10 films.Moore is also at his best, revealing, specifically, his underrated talent for spot-on facial reactions to some of the more ridiculous situations and happenings. The script seems to embrace the qualities of James Bond that he does best, namely the charm and guile."The Spy Who Loved Me" doesn't constitute a brave new direction for Bond by any means, but with all that it has going on and all that it has to look and marvel at, many of the clichés and formulaic bits feel polished and revitalized. And speaking from the perspective of nearly 25 "Bond" films, a great "Bond" simply gets us to fall in love with the series' class trademarks all over again, not grow tired of them. "The Spy Who Love Me" does just that.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

gab-14712 The James Bond franchise is one of those franchises that will never die. It has been going strong since the first movie rolled out in the early 1960's, and new James Bond movies are still produced today. What makes this series unique is they use multiple actors to play the titular character over the years. They all bring their own gravitas to the role, and each Bond is a different man when compared to each other (although the martini, shaken not stirred and the beautiful women among other things remain a constant.) So my first James Bond review for this blog is 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me. This wasn't my first look at the series, but it was my first look at the older movies. I really liked what I saw. This is an old-fashioned story that combines a spy drama and an action-packed war movie into one package. Like many of the older Bond movies, the story can get borderline preposterous. The cheesiness of the plot did come to grow on me after awhile, even if the main villain is Russian (remember, this came out during the Cold War) and wants to destroy the world. Also like older Bond (or 007 if you prefer) movies, this movie is invested in its gadgets. There is nothing quite like seeing Bond use these cool-looking devices that can do powerful things.James Bond (Roger Moore) is back for a new mission! This mission involves finding a Royal Navy submarine holding sixteen nuclear missiles that suddenly vanished without a trace. Bond must team up with Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to take down the mastermind of the plot named Karl Stromberg (Curd Jurgens) and his henchman named Jaws (Richard Kiel), whose biggest weapon is his metal teeth. The clock is ticking as Bond must find the nuclear weapons before they are fired.There are two questions to ask when watching a James Bond movie. Who are the villains? Who is the Bond girl? Both very essential to a Bond movie, as they can make or break the movie. In this case, we get two (mostly) effective villains, and a good-looking Bond lady. While Stromberg is the main villain with the plan, he is not too strong of a villain. I am more interested in Jaws. Jaws is actually labeled as one of the best villains in any Bond film, and I would wholeheartedly agree. He is quite a menace. He may be a little clumsy, but goodness once you see the teeth he has, you might rather face the shark that Jaws is named after. There are scenes here that can be quite gruesome when you see the teeth come into action. As for the girl, I think Major Anya is a good Bond lady. She is an undercover Russian agent, so the political side of that was an interesting concept given the time period.I think the film was well-acted. I believe Roger Moore is one of the weakest Bonds, but he does a solid job. He plays a little older Bond, but his sense of humor and savvy attitude fits this film very well. Richard Kiel is the man who brought Jaws to life (sorry, Spielberg) and well he was terrifying as the sharp-teethed villain. Barbara Bach does a good job as Major Anya, and I liked the rivalry she brought to Bond. Curd Jurgens was a good villain, but his goals are similar to other villains of essentially every other action movie, so his role did not move me in one way or the other.The Spy Who Loved Me is a fun, entertaining action flick and a worthy addition to the James Bond franchise. I liked the realistic tone the film was going for, given the tone of previous films. There is still cheesy parts, but what's a James Bond movie without the cheesiness. I am rather impressed with the visuals of the film. This was filmed on location in the ancient, majestic parts of Egypt and they had some really cool underwater sets and quite frankly, I loved the visuals of Stromberg's lair in the middle of the ocean. There is lots of action, although I feel the final act of the film chooses to do the obligatory action conclusions that many action movies do these days. However, the fights involving Jaws is just worth watching this movie for. If you are new to the franchise, this is a good beginning.My Grade: B+

Thatcher Widely regarded as one of the best Bond films under the Moore regime, The Spy Who Loved Me is your quintessential Bond film that encapsulates every aspect of classic James Bond and arguably setting a precedence for what is considered a complete Bond film. When critiquing a James Bond film, particularly those of the Connery & Moore era, one cannot fall into the trap of basing judgment upon the realistic nature of the plot. So many negative reviews are based upon this premise which, in all honesty, is kind of a senseless critique achieving nothing but the acknowledgment of being out of touch with old Bond films (and any old film for that matter). One must watch such films through the lens of the producers, and at times, acquiesce to cinematic styles unique to the era. If not, one runs the risk of taking a narrow-minded approach to rendering judgment, thus casting a shadow on other aspects of the film that make it a wonderfully classic Bond film-- Russians, gadgets, women, exotic destinations, humor, wit, villains, grandiose sets, and of course, theme song & score.Sure, Bond enthusiasts appreciate Bond films for different reasons-- some like the gadgets, others like the women, etc.-- but that doesn't mean that there aren't certain elements all Bond fans can agree are almost required of any Bond film in order to achieve success... AND EVERY ONE OF THESE ELEMENTS IS PRESENT IN THE SPY WHO LOVE ME.Lewis Gilbert, director, really makes his mark on Bond films with YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE & MOONRAKER, in addition to the film in critique, so it is hard to imagine how one can like one without the others. As to what THE SPY WHO LOVES ME does to make it such a classic-- enter Jaws, one of James Bond's greatest nemeses; Barbara Bach, widely considered one of the sexiest Bond gals (see Force 10 From Navarone for topless Bach); the locations are wonderful, particularly Egypt; the Bond car & chase seen is easily the best non-Aston Martin Bond car of all time; Stromberg, the main villain played by Curt Jurgens, is one of the darkest & nastiest (and psychotic) villains Bond ever faces; Roger Moore, begins his first of three signature Bond films with MOONRAKER & FOR YOUR EYES ONLY following this film. Director Guy Hamilton needed to take a break after his early 70's sub-par Bond films, two of which provided Roger Moore with more of an uphill climb than he needed in the wake of Connery, but THE SPY WHO LOVED ME launched Moore into Bond stardom.What can all Bond fans agree makes a top-notch Bond film? It's the suave nature of James Bond, the witty remarks he makes after nearly getting killed-- this film is dripping with it. But this film also portrays a grittier Bond with a more serious undertone, thus marking what many consider to be (including Moore) Roger Moore's greatest Bond film. This film also departs from more traditional indoor Hollywood sets and brings the audience outside into the Swiss mountains, out into the deserts of northern African, and into the ocean spray of the Mediterranean. In many respects, this film breaks through to a new age of Bond film with advances in film technology (and budgets), thus breathing a refreshing new style into the decade-and-a-half old series while maintaining fundamental elements all Bond fans can agree are necessary for any great James Bond movie.