Jake’s Take: One Image from Moonraker (Lewis Gilbert, 1979)
In this image, an example of the grand Moore villain par excellence.
“James Bond…you appear with the tedious inevitability of an unloved season.”
One evening five years ago, in search of something to watch, my friends and I put on Moonraker, with my suggestion that it was by no means the worst of the Bond series. After finishing, my friends unexpectedly agreed, and then we ended up deciding to hold a James Bond marathon by watching the films not chronologically but from an intuitive worst to best order. I recommend doing this with Bond or any other series you love; you’ll make connections you never would have by watching them chronologically, and it helps solidify your own likes and dislikes about a series, both of which should always remain well supported but open to revision.
But, back to Moonraker, one of the best things about the film is Hugo Drax, played by the grand Michael Lonsdale. I’ve spoken before about major villains who bear physical agency or physical resemblance to Bond as being the most compelling to me. Combine high stakes and a great actor, however, and my preferences can be offset. To wit, Hugo Drax and his space station, from which he will cultivate a new super race and annihilate most of the planet. Lonsdale gives, in many ways, the perfect portrayal of the Moore era villain: a man who can effortlessly shift back and forth between calculating and campy. Extreme low angle shots backgrounded with insanely angular monitor walls (paging Ken Adam) don’t hurt either.
This brings me to the screenwriting, and specifically Christopher Wood. Wood flat out knew how to write for Moore, and it’s a bit of a shame that there are only two Bond films to his credit (this and The Spy Who Loved Me). The one-liners in these films are some of the most classic and hilarious (see the quote above), and Wood clearly understands the Bond formula exceedingly well. I’ve spoken before about the fourth film being the one where the lead’s incarnation of Bond has taken full shape. Moore’s confidence in the role owes much to Wood’s writing. Plus, I also have to admit that I giggle like an idiot every time I hear Michael Lonsdale utter the phrase “the cradle of the heavens.”
Of course the film itself is silly and would never have happened this way without the success of Star Wars, but it’s also a surprisingly enjoyable and entertaining entry in the series. We have both Lewis Gilbert and Ken Adam bowing out, and Ken Adam at least leaves with a bang. Lois Chiles turns in a strong performance as the preposterously-but-brilliantly-named Holly Goodhead. As I’ve said before, though, the campier the film is, the less apt I am to like it. But Moonraker is the best example of where a campier approach to Bond works.
After all, outer space never happened to the other fellas.
Rankings
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
5. From Russia with Love
7. Thunderball
9. Goldfinger
10. Dr. No
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
17. You Only Live Twice
19. Moonraker
20. Live and Let Die
22. Diamonds Are Forever
23. The Man with the Golden Gun