Live And Let Die
50th Anniversary
(1973–2023)

The action sequence involving Bond and Solitaire in an AEC Regent III double-decker bus being chased by the San Monique police was filmed with Moore driving the vehicle, but then replaced with London Passenger Transport instructor Maurice Patchett completing the skids, with Jane Seymour hanging on for dear life inside. The end of the sequence where Bond loses the roof to a low bridge was performed by Patchett on December 8, 1972. The following scenes of Bond and Solitaire hiding from helicopters in Kananga’s poppy fields were filmed two days later. The destruction of the fields at the end of the film was achieved with very realistic miniatures and explosions back at Pinewood Studios by Bond newcomer Derek Meddings, who had been assigned by production designer Syd Cain, following his ground-breaking work on several ‘Supermarionation’ puppet series produced by Gerry Anderson, including Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet. Meddings would stay with the Bond series until his death during the post-production of the 17th 007 adventure – GoldenEye (1995), which is dedicated to his memory.

Location work finished in Jamaica on December 18, 1972 with the cast and crew returning to Pinewood Studios after a Christmas break on December 27th. The interiors of many locations were built on sets at Pinewood, including the Fillet of Soul restaurants, Solitaire’s Throne Room, and Kananga’s underground grotto – complete with monorail and shark pool. The scenes in Kananga’s grotto were filmed between January 22nd and February 2nd, 1973 and culminated with the villain being inflated with a pressurized bullet from Bond’s CO₂ shark gun. Sadly, the final effect is laughable, even in 1973, and one of the few moments in the film that has not stood the test of time. Actor Yaphet Kotto was particularly displeased at the way his character was treated in the finale, as it undermines the strong performance he gives in the dual role of Dr. Kananga/Mr. Big up until this point in the film.

The voodoo ceremony scenes were filmed on Pinewood’s ‘E’ Stage from 5th – 13th February, with Geoffrey Holder overcoming his fear of snakes when as Baron Samedi he is despatched in a coffin full of many real writhing serpents. The opening scenes of the film in Bond’s flat (seen on screen for the first time since Dr. No) with Madeleine Smith as Miss Caruso, were among the last filmed at Pinewood on February 26th – 28th, with Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny completing their roles over the three days. Absent from Live And Let Die was Desmond Llewelyn as Q – who had appeared in every film since From Russia With Love (1963), and who would go on to be the longest-serving member of the regular cast, ending his career with The World Is Not Enough (1999) opposite Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, and John Cleese who briefly took over the role in Die Another Day (2002).

The last day for the British crew was March 2, 1973, after which an American crew resumed in New York where they filmed for 11 days from March 5th. Among those scenes captured in New York were Bond’s fight with Mr. Big’s men in Harlem; his arrival at the Pan Am terminal at Kennedy Airport; and the car chase involving the white ‘pimp-mobile’ vehicle driven by Whisper (Earl Jolly Brown). The car chase was co-ordinated by American stunt arranger Joie Chitwood (who also drove the car with Roger Moore’s Bond as a passenger). The permission to close traffic on the busy Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive was arranged by Charles Russhon, who had been involved with the Bond series since From Russia With Love (1963). His contribution to Live And Let Die in 1973 earned him the nickname ‘Mr. Fixit’ by James Bond star Roger Moore. Although the car chase appears early in the film it was one of the last sequences captured during the final week of location shooting in March 1973. The sequence ended with the first appearance in the film of Bond’s CIA ally Felix Leiter – this time played by Roger Moore’s friend David Hedison, who 16 years later would reprise the role opposite Timothy Dalton in Licence To Kill (1989).

Maurice Binder’s teaser trailers for Live And Let Die cleverly used Roger Moore’s name to tie in with the 007 graphic, and the narration highlighted the fact the film had “…all this and more… much more  – Roger Moore!” Maurice Binder also filmed special gun barrel sequences with Roger Moore which had the actor walking towards the camera at the end of the shot. Variations of this were later reused by Binder throughout Moore’s tenure as 007. Unusually, the trailers also contain a preview of the title song ‘Live And Let Die’, composed by Paul and Linda McCartney, as it appears in the film sung by American performer B.J. Arnau (1941-1989).

Paul McCartney had submitted a demo to Harry Saltzman of the song recorded with former Beatles producer George Martin as the production got underway in New Orleans. Harry Saltzman was unimpressed after hearing the recording and said to Martin: “Who are we going to get to sing it?”, and then suggested several black female artists. Saltzman had been similarly dismissive of John Barry’s title song for Goldfinger in 1964. George Martin diplomatically replied that he had already got one of the biggest recording artists of all time at his disposal, and if McCartney’s recording wasn’t used as the title song, it was doubtful he would want to be involved. The producers and director ultimately agreed with Martin, who was also hired to compose the orchestral score for Live And Let Die, as John Barry was unavailable due to commitments on his stage musical Billy! based on the novel and play Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall. In truth, Barry was also wishing to distance himself from the Bond series as he did not get on with the volatile Harry Saltzman. At this stage the relationship between the two producers was deteriorating and they were alternating their duties, with Saltzman overseeing the actual day-to-day production of Live And Let Die, whilst Albert R. Broccoli remained in London for much of the location shooting. As had been the case on the first James Bond film Dr. No, several pieces of music were recorded in advance, such as Harold Dejan’s Olympic Brass Band arrangement of ‘Just A Closer Walk With Thee’, and the jazz segue ‘New Second Line’ for the two funeral processions filmed in New Orleans. George Martin was also able to integrate Paul McCartney’s theme throughout the score, which tied the whole film together in the final edit. Released as a single in the UK on June 1, 1973 ‘Live And Let Die’ peaked at number nine in the charts – the highest of any Bond song up to that time.  The single was released in the USA on July 21, 1973 and peaked at number two, where it stayed for three weeks, going on to sell over one-million copies and was awarded a Gold Disc. George Martin would later win the Grammy for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for ‘Live And Let Die’ in 1974; with his soundtrack album nominated for Best Original Score, and Paul McCartney himself nominated for the single as Best Pop Vocal Performance By A Duo, Group Or Chorus. The song also became the first of the Bond series to be nominated for an Academy Award, but ultimately lost to ‘The Way We Were’, sung by Barbra Streisand with music by Marvin Hamlisch (who would compose the score and Oscar nominated title song ‘Nobody Does It Better’ for The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977), and lyrics by ‘Never Say Never Again’ songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

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