“Octopussy” – A Tale Of Many Bonds!
I am reviewing every James Bond film in order, and as we get to Bond #13, there are a couple of things that make this film unique…first, did you know this was one of TWO James Bond films released in 1983?
More on that to come!
Second, did you know that “Octopussy” was going to be the debut of Actor James Brolin as 007?
Yes, that’s James Brolin playing 007 in a test scene for “Octopussy” – he was going to take over the role of James Bond, because Roger Moore’s contract was up and Moore had made it clear he wasn’t planning on doing the role any longer!
Now, back to that SECOND Bond film of 1983. Here is the poster:
Wait – Sean Connery was coming back to play 007 again? I will explain how that happened at the end of this review, but “Never Say Never Again” was the second Bond film to be released in 1983 – and knowing that, the “Octopussy” Producers had to persuade Moore to come back as 007 again – as you can see, there is so much off-screen drama and intrigue, we haven’t even discussed the films yet!
With that said, let’s take a look at the trailer for Roger Moore’s 6th turn as 007 – “Octopussy”:
As my previous reviews stated, Roger Moore’s run as 007 was going through the roof: “Moonraker” from 1979 was the highest grossing Bond film of all time, and 1981’s “For Your Eyes Only” was also a smash hit – so was it a good idea for Producers to bring Moore back, and would he keep this string of smash hits going?
Well, for one thing, “Octopussy” was made in the same style as those previous films: big and bold, with tons of action and exotic locations. Here’s the plot:
James Bond is assigned to solve the murder of agent 009, killed in East Germany dressed as a clown and clutching a fake Fabergé egg. The trail leads to India, where an enigmatic woman operates a smuggling ring under the cover of a travelling circus. However, her real motives prove to be far more sinister, and Bond uncovers a plot to blow up a US Air Force base in West Germany.
Maud Adams stars as “Octopussy”, a smuggler and owner of a traveling circus! While that sounds like a bit of a joke, it’s actually a strong plot and entertaining story, and gives 007 a chance to circle the globe and get involved in a number of great action set pieces.
The opening sequence is once again a massive crowd-pleaser: Bond infiltrates a horse show where a Castro-style Dictator is…his fake horse becomes a micro jet and the battle is on!
Bond flies through an airline hanger – chased by a rocket – and the door closes just as he squeezes through – and the bomb destroys the hanger! It’s a great opening battle and leads to a funny Bond quip as he lands his micro jet on a road to get more fuel…
“Fill ‘er up, please!” Bond tells the attendant!
And you know what? The scene was initially removed by Director John Glen! He thought it was too corny, but when he went to his local cinema and caught the trailer (which included the line), and saw how well it went down with the audiences, he put it back in!
And they were off to the credits, with another smash hit theme song, “All Time High”, sung by Rita Coolidge.
The plot kicks in when we see the clown killed with a fake Faberge egg…it was “009”, and that sends Bond out to find out who killed him…we meet Actor Louis Jourdan at an auction, where Bond outbids him for what is a fake egg – that leads Bond to India and to “Octopussy” – who has a bevy of beautiful women as her bodyguards…
It seems a renegade Russian General is selling fake eggs to raise money for a truly evil purpose: he plans to use Octopussy’s traveling circus to plant a bomb at a US air base in Germany, blow it up and place the blame on Russia…
Adams does a great job in the role of Octopussy – while she is in business with Jourdan and the renegade General, she may or may not be aware of their ulterior motives – and because of the death of Actor Bernard Lee, the role of M was quite muted, but it gave another character a chance to shine:
We get a ton of Q in this film – and he seems to be having a blast!
We also get Bond in a lot of action scenes: crocodile battles, elephant chases, and one bad guy who uses a mini-spinning saw to split heads – as well as a great train battle with Bond riding outside the train!
Considering Moore had planned to retire from the role, he is totally engaged in the part and as charming and comfortable in the role as ever!
There are so many action sequences in the film, but they propel the plot well, and it leads to the finale with Bond as a clown!
Yes, he saves the day by dismantling the atomic bomb while a crowd of people watch – that’s one smart clown!
There’s one more big action sequence with Bond chasing down a plane on a horse, and all ends well…”Octopussy” is now the 4th Roger Moore 007 film in a row to follow the successful formula of beautiful women, exotic locations, a ton of action set pieces, and nothing too serious…it’s just great fun – and audiences loved it!
“Octopussy” was another massive hit for 007, earning $187 million worldwide.
As for the tease of Bond’s return, which happened at the end of every film:
At the end of the film, the credits announced the next Bond film title: “From a View to a Kill.” This was later changed to “A View to a Kill” right before filming began. Also worth noting that “Octopussy” is also the last Bond film to announce the title of the next film in the end credits!
But wait! As I said at the beginning of the review, that WASN’T the next 007 film – this was!
Wait – WHAT? The story of “Never Say Never Again” is a wild one, and I will have that story very soon, but it all began with “Thunderball”: here’s a reminder of the legal issues surrounding this classic Bond film from 1965:
Yes, “Thunderball” is the reason for Sean Connery’s return to Bond 13 years after hanging up his gun for good…here’s the review and intrigue behind “Thunderball” – the “first Bond film” that wasn’t:
So Producer Kevin McClory held right to the “Thunderball” story – and “Never Say Never Again” is a remake of that story! I have the review coming soon!
“Never Say Never Again” wasn’t the first time Sean Connery was lured back to the role…see why he returned in 1971 as 007 – instead of Burt Reynolds!
Here’s that story:
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johnrieber 
This was a great movie! Thanks for another excellent 007 review, John.
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Thanks for reading! Roger Moore and the team were really on an 80’s, escapist roll here…breezy and entertaining!
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Yes!
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I love your bond reviews and bonus backstories! I had no idea that the 2 bond films were released in the same year, and brolin? glad that didn’t happen. while the bond films may not be called masterpieces or even good by some standards, I loved that they could be, and were, over the top, and they were ready to try most anything. you never knew what would happen, but it was always exciting.
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James Brolin as Bond. Hmm, I’m glad that didn’t happen! I’m not the biggest of Roger Moore fans but I could never see Brolin in that role. Interesting stuff
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I’ve always wondered how they got away with taking so many licenses. How many people today would be offended by just the title . Not to mention, Pussy Galore in Goldfinger.
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It won’t surprise you to know that I didn’t bother to watch this film, but you are providing a feast of background and behind the scenes information that I do enjoy reading.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hi John, Octopussy is my favourite Bond film. I always remember the clown and the whole circus thing. I didn’t realise this one was followed by a Sean Connery film.
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Good review, John
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Thanks! I had a friend criticize me for liking the goofy “Moonraker”, and I had to point out that the reason I am doing the reviews in order is to see how the character changed over time, and the fact is the 007 films of this era were big, brash, escapist entertainment…they aren’t thrillers they are spectacles, and as so they were firing on all cylinders! Is this is a great film? Of course not, just an entertaining night of escapist entertainment and that is the prism I am putting them through – because we are about to enter a new era of Bond and we are about to see if changing the formula worked or not! Thanks so much for reading and commenting, it is much appreciated.
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