Moonraker (1979)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writer:

Christopher Wood (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Moonraker Is Out Of This World

Plot:

James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Space Shuttle | James Bond | Jaws | Brazil

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Lois Chiles	...	Dr. Holly Goodhead
Michael Lonsdale	...	Hugo Drax
Richard Kiel	...	Jaws
Corinne Clery	...	Corinne Dufour
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Geoffrey Keen	...	Sir Frederick Gray
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Toshirô Suga	...	Chang (as Toshiro Suga)
Emily Bolton	...	Manuela
Blanche Ravalec	...	Dolly - Jaws' Girlfriend
Irka Bochenko	...	Blonde Beauty
Mike Marshall	...	Col. Scott (as Michael Marshall)
Leila Shenna	...	Hostess Private Jet

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's Moonraker (UK) (complete title)
Moonraker (France)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | Italian

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1979) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

"The Canals", Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The film boasts an exciting cable car sequence above Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Interestingly, "BONDinho" is truly one of the actual names used to describe these glass cable cars that do the same run from Sugar Loaf Mountain to Urca Hill as seen in the movie. "BONDinho" is a name taken from the Portugese language.

Goofs:

Continuity: After Bond is imprisoned with Dr. Goodhead, the ceiling begins to slide open and we can see that they are actually underneath the launching pad of one of the shuttles. The jet thrusters of the shuttle are above the level of the opening but when Drax appears beside the shuttle, the thrusters are now below the level of the opening. A minute later, as the shuttle prepares for liftoff, the thrusters are back above the opening.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain: How are we doing, Richard?
RAF Officer: We should pass over the English coast 15 minutes ahead of time, sir.
Captain: Wow! With this load on our back, that's good going.
RAF Officer: Just trust the RAF, sir.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Life Serial (#6.5)" (2001)

Soundtrack:

Romeo And Juliet Overture-Fantasy

One of the Best.

It's interesting that some of the most beloved Bond films are also some of the worst (Thunderball, Diamonds Are Forever, For Your Eyes Only), and some of the most reviled are among the best (On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Moonraker, The Living Daylights).

This movie set a new high in entertainment value when it was released in 1979. It was the necessary upgrade of the franchise in the new era ushered in by Star Wars a couple of years earlier. It preserved the best of the genre (espionage intrigue, plot twists, Bond mystique, beautiful women, gadgets, humor, haunting cinematography, and mesmerizing music), but brought them out of the gloomy and cynical Cold War atmosphere and into a more futuristic and optimistic format. It kept the Bond franchise fun at a time when the standards for fun had taken a quantum leap.

Roger Moore does a nice job in his last credible portrayal of 007. Alas, his age became increasingly distracting starting with the next outing.

A lot of fun. Deserves much more credit than it is usually given.