Roger Moore was definitely in his prime as superspy James Bond for the fourth time in “Moonraker.” Our favorite defender of the British Empire was assigned to investigate the theft of a Space Shuttle, which a villain intends to use for nefarious purposes. Producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli made an executive decision to present this eleventh Bond project as a science fiction themed film, due to the huge success of “Star Wars” in 1977.
Director Lewis Gilbert and screenwriter Christopher Wood were in top form. This would be Gilbert’s third and final Bond picture. Numerous location shoots were used, as usual, such as Brazil, Venice, Los Angeles, and France. The out-of-this-world FX earned the film an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. It is worth mentioning that the one scene that generated criticism was where Roger Moore was driving a hovercraft gondola around St. Mark’s Square in Venice!
Co-stars include Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead, Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax, Richard Kiel in his second appearance as Jaws, Blanche Ravalec as Jaw’s girlfriend Dolly, as well as Corrine Clery, Emily Bolton, Toshiro Suga, Irka Bochenko, Anne Lonnberg, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Michael Marshall, and Leila Shenna. Returnees include Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense Frederick Gray, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Walter Gotell as head of the KGB, and Bernard Lee in his final appearance as M, the head of MI6.
The very watchable “Moonraker” was a massive blockbuster for Eon Productions and United Artists, sending movie audiences, critics, and the producers into orbit!
Moonraker (1979)
cinema
My Review
Roger Moore was definitely in his prime as superspy James Bond for the fourth time in “Moonraker.” Our favorite defender of the British Empire was assigned to investigate the theft of a Space Shuttle, which a villain intends to use for nefarious purposes. Producer Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli made an executive decision to present this eleventh Bond project as a science fiction themed film, due to the huge success of “Star Wars” in 1977.
Director Lewis Gilbert and screenwriter Christopher Wood were in top form. This would be Gilbert’s third and final Bond picture. Numerous location shoots were used, as usual, such as Brazil, Venice, Los Angeles, and France. The out-of-this-world FX earned the film an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. It is worth mentioning that the one scene that generated criticism was where Roger Moore was driving a hovercraft gondola around St. Mark’s Square in Venice!
Co-stars include Lois Chiles as Holly Goodhead, Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax, Richard Kiel in his second appearance as Jaws, Blanche Ravalec as Jaw’s girlfriend Dolly, as well as Corrine Clery, Emily Bolton, Toshiro Suga, Irka Bochenko, Anne Lonnberg, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Michael Marshall, and Leila Shenna. Returnees include Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense Frederick Gray, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Desmond Llewelyn as Q, Walter Gotell as head of the KGB, and Bernard Lee in his final appearance as M, the head of MI6.
The very watchable “Moonraker” was a massive blockbuster for Eon Productions and United Artists, sending movie audiences, critics, and the producers into orbit!