Octopussy should get more respect - answering the critics of a fun movie
Octopussy has had many criticisms leveled at it since it slipped into cinema's in 1983. One complaint is that there are simply too many villains - is the crazed Gen. Orlov the main villain or the suave Kamal Khan? Another objection postulates that its choice of India as a location sends Bond into a pure fantasy land with a depiction of tribal princes, mysterious islands populated entirely of impossibly beautiful women and bungling local thugs. Still more point to its inappropriate rather juvenile schoolboy humor, from Bond's Tarzan yell to our heroes ogling over a young woman secretary's bust as a reason why the movie fails.
These objections are perfectly legitimate, but one has to feel that the movies detractors were missing the point. Bond is a fantasy figure who in the past has battled armies inside bases hidden inside hollowed out volcano's (in 1967's YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE) and shot into space to save the world from poisoned orchids globes (in 1979's MOONRAKER). Bond belongs in...
Bond's On An Island Of Beautiful Women in "Octopussy"
"Octopussy" is the thirteenth entry of the James Bond series produced by Cubby Broccoli and it marks the sixth appearance of Roger Moore as the British secret agent. John Glen returns to the series to make his second of four directorial efforts in this film. The title of this film is taken from an Ian Fleming short story which is actually told by the title character to James Bond in the film. Only one part of the film, the auction, is based on Fleming's work, in this case the short story "Property of a Lady". The rest of the screenplay was conceived and written by longtime Bond associates, Richard Maibaum and Michael Wilson.
The story begins with the discovery of a fake Fabrege Easter egg in East Berlin. Its genuine counterpart is about to be auctioned off in London and M, head of MI6, is worried that this is part of a Soviet operation to raise hard currency. Bond is assigned to attend the auction and report what he can see. What starts out as a simple assignment...
Roger May Look Tired, but this Movie is Fun
"Octopussy" was the thirteenth "official" James Bond film, and Roger Moore's sixth. While Roger is looking a bit ragged, this movie is plotted well and has some of the classiest Bond movie characters. "Octopussy" was released twenty years after the release of Dr. No, well into establishing the James Bond series as the longest running movie series in history. 1983 was also the only year in which two "serious" James Bond movies were released, with "Never Say Never Again," starring Sean Connery, released shortly after this film. Two Bond films were also released in 1967; "You Only Live Twice" and the comedy "Casino Royale," with an all-star cast that included Peter Sellers, David Niven and numerous Bond movie actors, including Ursula Andress and Caroline Munro.
When agent 009 turns up stabbed with a valuable jeweled egg, James Bond is on the case. His investigation leads him to India, where he learns that Kamal Khan is involved in a number of activities, some of them...
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