The last Flemingist Bond movie released 06/26/81
“Flemingist Bond”
Gesundheit!
Summer 1981. This was the first Bond film I saw in the theater with my father, I was about 7. I remember how utterly shocking the scene was to my young eyes where the Havelocks were brutally assassinated. Dumping Blofeld down the smokestack was a bit silly, though.
Bill Conti held his own with a decent score that worked (though it was far afield from something John Barry would’ve done). I got used to hearing various clips from the score for years as it was rehashed for segments to the Conti scored “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.”
In hindsight, Moore probably should’ve made this one his last when he was still somewhat believable (at 54) in the role. This one at least redeemed him from the embarrassingly half-baked “Moonraker.”