Jake’s Take: One Image from Octopussy (John Glen, 1983)
An image from the reveal of Maud Adams leads to thoughts on adaptation.
“You have a nasty habit of surviving.”
“Well, you know what they say about the fittest.”
I hinted that I’d come back to Maud Adams, and so I have—an actress whose talent and screen presence only increased with age. She may also have one of the most beautiful voices of anyone in the entire series, and it is leveraged offscreen in advance of her reveal to excellent effect. (She’s one of those few people, like Cate Blanchett or Werner Herzog, that I would love to have narrate every audiobook in existence.)
Her reveal as Octopussy (stow your giggles, people) is given different treatment than most other supporting characters and, in fact, is not dissimilar to initial reveals of Bond actors. Octopussy has remained out of frame or with her back turned until 007 discovers her, and when she turns around from the pose above, we see a face we recognize from 4 films ago. Even though other actresses have appeared in multiple Bond films (e.g. Martine Beswick, Eunice Gayson), there is something quite special about Maud Adams’ turn here.
In opposition to her comparatively minor role in The Man with the Golden Gun, Adams is here an commanding villainess turned invaluable ally. A resourceful criminal magnate, she plays every bit as Bond’s equal, and the chemistry she has with Moore is so much more convincing than it was 9 years prior (“two of a kind,” indeed). Her character also has backstory with 007, which gets me thinking about adaptation. Bond films seldom go with completely straightforward adaptations, and ultimately with good reason. The Fleming books, while excellently written and full of high adventure, are not exactly Hollywood crowd-pleasers. Instead, whether it is Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson on this film or others, a recombinant approach often is taken, particularly with films in the latter half of the series.
For instance, the title Octopussy is taken from a Fleming short story that gives the character in the film her backstory with Bond (Bond having known her father). The film also takes from another story commonly collected with “Octopussy” called “The Property of a Lady,” which informs the initial section of the film in Sotheby’s. Bond screenwriters have always sifted and winnowed from among the best Fleming had to offer (e.g. Bond and Melina being dragged by the boat in For Your Eyes Only, which was originally Bond and Solitaire in Fleming’s Live and Let Die). This recombinant adaptation grows into what I would call recombinant continuity once the Craig films arrive, and no doubt this concept will reach its zenith with SPECTRE.
Octopussy is one of the better Moore films. Only Roger Moore could register genuine tension while defusing a bomb…in disguise as a clown. It’s not as embarrassing as it sounds; other jokes, however…well, the less said the better. Louis Jordan is flat compared to other Bond villains of the time, but that is balanced by the hyperbolic Cold War kabuki of Steven Berkoff’s performance as General Orlov. And John Barry’s brass and strings have thankfully returned to save us from the disco twang of Bill Conti. In fact, more on the music next time.
Rankings
2. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
5. From Russia with Love
7. Thunderball
9. Goldfinger
10. Dr. No
11. For Your Eyes Only
12. The Spy Who Loved Me
15. Octopussy
17. You Only Live Twice
19. Moonraker
20. Live and Let Die
22. Diamonds Are Forever
23. The Man with the Golden Gun