
The Man with the Golden Gun ( AMC Hornet ) 1974
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) is the ninth spy film in the James Bond series and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novel of same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the ‘Man with the Golden Gun’.
Theme Tune
LULU – The Man With the Golden Gun
He charges a million a shot
An assassin that’s second to none
The man with the golden gun
Or crouched on a rooftop somewhere
In the next room, or this very one
The man with the golden gun
It comes just before the kill
No one can catch him, no hitman can match him
For his million dollar skill
Has come to a glittering end
For a price, he’ll erase anyone
The man with the golden gun
Who will he bang?
We shall see, oh yeah!
It comes just before the kill
No one can catch him, no hitman can match him
For his million dollar skill
Has come to a glittering end
If you want to get rid of someone
The man with the golden gun
He’ll shoot anyone
With his golden gun
Cast
Roger Moore … James Bond
Christopher Lee … Scaramanga
Britt Ekland … Goodnight
Maud Adams … Andrea Anders
Hervé Villechaize … Nick Nack (as Herve Villechaize)
Clifton James … J.W. Pepper
Richard Loo … Hai Fat
Soon-Tek Oh … Hip (as Soon-Taik Oh)
Marc Lawrence … Rodney
Bernard Lee … ‘M’
Lois Maxwell … Moneypenny
Marne Maitland … Lazar
Desmond Llewelyn … ‘Q’
James Cossins … Colthorpe
Yao Lin Chen … Chula (as Chan Yiu Lam)
Carmen Du Sautoy … Saida (as Carmen Sautoy)
Trivia
The film saw mixed reviews, with Christopher Lee’s performance as Scaramanga, intended to be a villain of similar skill and ability to Bond, being praised; but reviewers criticised the film as a whole, particularly the comedic approach, and some critics described it as the lowest point in the canon. Although the film was profitable, it is the fourth-lowest-grossing Bond film in the series. It was also the final film to be co-produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, with Saltzman selling his 50% stake in Danjaq, LLC, the parent company of Eon Productions, after the release of the film.
One of the main stunts in the film consisted of stunt driver ‘Bumps’ Willard (as James Bond) driving an AMC Hornet leaping a broken bridge and spinning around 360 degrees in mid-air about the longitudinal axis, doing an ‘aerial twist’; Willard successfully completed the jump on the first take. The stunt was shown in slow motion as the scene was too fast.Composer John Barry added a slide whistle sound effect over the stunt, which Broccoli kept in despite thinking that it ‘unrecouped the stunt’. Barry later regretted his decision, thinking the whistle ‘broke the golden rul’ as the stunt was ‘for what it was all worth, a truly dangerous moment, … true James Bond style’. The sound effect was described as ‘simply crass’, with one writer, Jim Smith, suggesting that the stunt ‘brings into focus the lack of excitement in the rest of the film and is spoilt by the use of ‘comed\’ sound effects.’ Eon Productions had licensed the stunt, which had been designed by Raymond McHenry; the stunt was initially conceived at Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory (CAL) in Buffalo, New York as a test for their powerful vehicle simulation software. After development in simulation, ramps were built and the stunt was tested at CAL’s proving ground. It toured as part of the All American Thrill Show as the Astro Spiral before it was picked up for the film. The British show Top Gear attempted to repeat the stunt in June 2008, but failed
Quote
James Bond: Miss Anders… I didn’t recognize you with your clothes on.
James Bond: Bond, James Bond
Francisco Scaramanga: A duel between titans… my golden gun against your Walther PPK.
James Bond: One bullet against my six?
Francisco Scaramanga: I only need one, Mr. Bond.
Francisco Scaramanga: I like a girl in a bikini. No concealed weapons.
Gadgets/Weapons/Technology
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Solex agitator
- Solar power plant
- Industrial laser cannon
- Tracking device
- Golden gun used by Scaramanga a 4.2 calibre gold-plated pistol assembled from a cigarette case (the handle), lighter (the bullet chamber), fountain pen (the barrel) and cuff link (the trigger). The weapon fires one gold bullet which Scaramanga conceals in his belt buckle.
- Beretta 950 automatic
- Fake third nipple
- Three-fingered sniper rifle
Trivia
The cork-screw car jump was apparently conceived years before the movie went into production. Researchers at Cornell University were studying rollover collisions for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and they did a computer simulation of the barrel roll stunt used in the film. Race car driver Jay Milligan, who is the promoter of the American Thrill Show during the 1960s and 1970s with the sponsorship of the American Motors Corporation, did actually perform the barrel roll stunt, known as the Astro Spiral Jump and it debuted on January 12, 1972 at the Houston Astrodome using an AMC Javelin. Milligan was contacted by Albert R. Broccoli during an American Thrill Show performance in Hershey, Pennsylvania where he wanted the stunt performed in a James Bond film. The producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli allegedly took out patents and copyrights on the stunt as they did not wish it to appear in another movie before they had used it. The 360-degree car-spiraling jump over a canal was performed in just one take by uncredited British stuntman \’Bumps\’ Williard as 8 cameras simultaneously captured the spectacle. So potentially hazardous was nature of the stunt, divers, ambulances and cranes were on standby alert in case of any catastrophic consequences. The stunt was so rapid that the film is shown in slow motion. Williard was given a large bonus for completing the jump on the first take. Jay Milligan did actually perform the driving stunts with the AMC Hornet used in the film – AMC provided 15 vehicles used in the film (some of them where AMC Matador police cars). There were two AMC Hornets used for the spiral jump stunt and one of them is still owned by Jay Milligan – which is the backup vehicle while the other one is in a museum. The jump is also credited with being the first stunt ever to be calculated by computer modeling.
Info
Production
company |
Eon Productions
|
---|---|
Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date
|
19 December 1974 (London, premiere) |
Running time
|
125 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom United States |
Languages | English Thai |
Budget | $7 million |
Box office | $97.6 million |
Trivia
The spiral ‘Javelin Jump’ was performed by a modified 1974 Hornet X: special suspension, a six cylinder engine (for reduced weight), and a centered steering wheel.
OPENING SCENE
The Man with the Golden Gun quickly devolves into psychedelic lunacy. Scaramanga’s beach villa doubles as a full-on amusement park fun house where he hones his skills by hunting other assassins. He and his would-be killer stalk each other through darkened rooms as skeletons and wax figures pop out at them and old-timey music plays.
The mobster doesn’t last long. After Scaramanga shoots him in the head with his golden gun, the lights come up to reveal the fun house’s real trophy: a wax figure of James Bond, whom Scaramanga for some reason considers his archnemesis. He shoots off Bond’s fingers one by one.
JAMES BOND ( Roger Moore )
OPENING CREDITS
Once again in contrast to the previous flames and skulls of Live And Let Die, The Man With The Golden Gun has a much darker palette with more watery, subtler images. The naked silhouette girls are present once again, this time dancing in front of red sparks, along with seductive looks from women under watery surfaces and suggestive poses. There is a strong oriental feel to the titles to tie-in with the locations used in the film.
He has a powerful weapon
He charges a million a shot
An assassin that’s second to none
The man with the golden gun
BOND VILLAINS
- (Paco) "Pistols" Scaramanga
- Nick Nack
- Hai Fat
BOND GIRLS
- Goodnight
- Andrea Anders
- Chew Mee
007 GADGETS
- Flying car
- The Golden Gun
- Solar Laser
STUNTS
James Bond (Roger Moore) gets drugged by industrialist Hai Fat (Richard Loo) and pushed into a karate contest at the beautiful Dvaravati House. Some of Bangkok’s finest fighters are about to kick Bond’s butt, but he manages to escape. Outside the karate school is a khlong – the famous Bangkok canals – and Bond hits a longtail boat. The henchmen follow him, starting a cat and mouse game through Bangkok’s khlong system.
The real place of the boat action in “The Man With the Golden Gun” is Khlong Dan. And it is perfectly hidden.
QUIZ 1
Which of these is NOT a Bond Villain ?
A. Nick Nack
B. Jinx
C. Scaramanga
D. Max Zorin
Press for Answer
B. Jinx (not a villian)
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QUIZ 2
Which Actor in The Man with the Golden Gun is Ian Fleming’s Cousin ?
A. Roger Moore
B. Christopher Lee
C. Clifton James
D. Hervé Villechaize
Press for Answer
B. Christopher Lee
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QUIZ 1
Which of these is not a Bond Villain ?
A. Nick Nack
B. Jinx (not a villian)
C. Scaramanga
D. Max Zorin
Nick Nack is assassin Francisco Scaramanga diminutive assistant from the 1974 James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun. He was played by late French actor Hervé Villechaize.
Giacinta ’Jinx’ Johnson is an NSA operative who teams up with James Bond to spy on rogue North Korean agent Zao and investigate his ties with diamond magnate Gustav Graves. She appears in the 2002 film Die Another Day and is portrayed by American actress Halle Berry.
Francisco Scaramanga is the villain in the James Bond film and novel The Man with the Golden Gun. In the novel, the character is nicknamed ’Pistols’ Scaramanga and is also called ’Paco’ (a Spanish diminutive of Francisco).
Max Zorin is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill. He is portrayed by Christopher Walken.
- Nick Nack
- Giacinta ’Jinx’ Johnson
- Scaramanga
- Max Zorin
QUIZ 2
Which Actor in The Man with the Golden Gun is Ian Fleming’s Cousin ?
A. Roger Moore
B. Christopher Lee
C. Clifton James
D. Hervé Villechaize
Scaramanga was played by English actor Christopher Lee, who wss also Ian Fleming’s cousin.
- Roger Moore
- Christopher Lee
- Clifton James
- Hervé Villechaize
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