A year ago, The Unenthusiastic Critic was introduced to her first pre-Daniel-Craig 007 in 1964's Goldfinger, starring Sean Connery. Now, she's ready for Moore: Roger Moore, that is, in 1973's Live and Let Die.
Live and Let Die was Moore's first turn as James Bond, and a bit of a departure for the series, as the British super-spy finds himself plopped down in the middle of a blaxploitation film, contending with Harlem drug dealers, New Orleans jazz assassins, and Caribbean voodoo priests.
Nakea has already written off James Bond as an agent of British Imperialism, a symbol of European colonialism, and a pathetic assertion of threatened white hegemony. Is there any chance his appropriation of the tropes of '70s black cinema could turn her around on this franchise?
(No: There is absolutely no chance of that.)
Program
0:00: Apology and Disclaimer
0:57: Cultural Osmosis: Pre-Viewing Discussion
12:52: Interlude: Original Trailer for Live and Let Die
14:32: The Verdict: Post-Viewing Discussion
1:23:27: Outro and Next Week's Movie
1:24:27: Outtake
Notes and Links
—Movie Reviewed: Live and Let Die (dir. Guy Hamilton, United Artists, 1973).
—Articles Mentioned: "Racist Cultural Appropriation in Live and Let Die," Jacqueline Ristola, In Media Res; "Jonesing James Bond: Co-opting Co-optation and the Rules of Racial Subordination," Christopher S. Norton and Garrett Chafflin-Quiray, in Shocking Cinema of the Seventies, ed. Xavier Mendik; "Roger Moore Was the Best Bond Because He Was the Gen X Bond," A.O. Scott, New York Times; Review by Roger Ebert, rogerebert.com; "Yaphet Kotto Kills Live and Let Die," James M. Tate, Cult Film Freak.
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—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
—Find additional episodes, leave a comment, or make a donation to support the podcast at unaffiliatedcritic.com.
—Email us, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook. (Suggestions of movies to watch for future episodes are very welcome.)
—"Warm Duck Shuffle" by Arne Huseby is licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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