Producers: Albert Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
Director: Guy Hamilton
Scriptwriter: Tom Mankiewicz
Score: George Martin
Title Song: Paul McCartney and Wings
Locations: USA, Jamaica, Pinewood Studios
Awards: Academy Award Nomination for Title Music
Running Time: 2 hours, 1 minute

     This movie was produced in 1973 by Eon Productions. After Connery left the Bond role for good (except for the unofficial Never Say Never Again), Broccoli and Saltzman were left to find a new Bond. They turned to Roger Moore, who had been offered the role of Bond much earlier, but had to decline do to his work on the T.V. show, The Saint. However, he had no such obligations now, and was more than ready to take the part.
      In Moore's first movie, several British agents who were investigating drug smuggling are killed in mysterious circumstances. The murders are linked to a Harlem crime boss, Mr. Big, and Bond is sent to investigate. Bond discovers a connection to the international diplomat Kananga, and soon discovers that he is the same man. Bond goes on to learn that Kananga's scheme is to flood the U.S. with billions of dollars worth of heroin, to create a greater market. He could then sell his reserves at extremely high prices since more people will be addicted, and demand will be greater.
      Bond tricks Kananga's girl Solitaire into sleeping with him, thus robbing her of her psychic powers, Kananga's biggest edge. Bond destroys Kananga's poppie fields, and thus his source of heroin.
A NOTE ABOUT THE SONG: Live and Let Die was performed by Paul McCartney and Wings. This is the first time a rock group performs a Bond song, and it was a huge success. The song maintained a #2 spot on US charts for three weeks during the summer of '73. The song was also the first to be nominated for an Oscar. Unfortunately, it lost. Along with this song, another Beatles member worked on the music for this movie. George Martin composed the score that compliments the movie's action scenes.
MY GRADE: A-  This movie is a satisfactory first attempt by Roger Moore to fill the shoes of James Bond. The most saddening thing about this movie is that Q does not appear in it. He is mentioned by M as Bond is given his only gadget for the movie, his watch. This is one of only two movies that Desmond Llewelyn does not appear in, and the only movie in which the character of Q does not appear. This movie had lots of action, especially with the boat chase, but ultimately the plot boils down to drug smuggling, which isn't a typical Bond plot.
BEST MOMENT: The crocodile jump scene is one of Moore's most famous Bond scenes, and ironically he isn't in it. It is his stunt double. However, that does not detract from the uniqueness of this scene. Many people do not know that those are actual crocodiles that are jumped on. In fact, the first take could not be used because the last gator caught the stunt man's shoe. (He was unhurt.)
ALSO MEMORABLE: The funeral scene is very unusual, and in my opinion one of the creepiest Bond moments. Imagine asking someone whose funeral you are watching, and being told it is yours. It is also surprising when the band breaks out into an up-tempo version of "Rock Around the Clock". Also, the boat chase scene is not only exciting, but Sheriff J.W. Pepper provides some of the funniest, light-hearted moments in all of Bond movies. (To hear good ol' J.W. click on the last sound bite below.)
DID YOU KNOW: *There is quite a glaring mistake in this movie. Bond kills the man who wears the goat skin (the guy who kills people with the green snake). After Bond kills Baron Samedi, and after Samedi comes back, there is a reused scene of the crowd looking on, with the goat skin guy alive and well holding up a snake.
*Moore was actually about a thousand feet up in a hand glider for the hand glider scene.
*The boat jump in this movie was about 115 feet, a world record.
*The character Kananga's name came from Ross Kananga, the owner of the crocodile farm used in the movie. (He was the guy who jumped the gators.)
*Moore wore alligator shoes during the alligator scene, thinking it was funny.
*The agent at the start of the movie, who was killed by the snake, was afraid of snakes and really fainted during the scene.
*Both the bayou flooding and Moore having kidney stones delayed the movie's production.