Live and Let Die

(Guy Hamilton, UK 1973, 121 min., 35mm)

Celebrating James Bond. In his six Bond films, Sean Connery laid a legendary blueprint for the hyper-masculine and impossibly gifted action hero James Bond 007, leaving behind a lasting cultural legacy. His replacement, the English redhead Roger Moore, brings a different brand of sexual charisma and debonair charm to the role, supplanting Connery’s more brutish and rugged character. Live and Let Die kicked off a series of seven consecutive films over twelve years in which Moore played 007—the most of any Bond actor to date. The film features many elements drawn from the then-popular blaxploitation genre and sees 007 once more travel to the Caribbean to thwart a power-hungry villain. Paul McCartney and his new band Wings provide the famous theme song.