Haven’t seen Diamonds are Forever since I was a kid.  Watching it right now and am Shocked.  Shocked at how clear it was to everyone making the film that James Bond was at the end.

His days were over.

Check out the frame above – there’s James in his snazzy white tux – all done up for the Casino Royale – but he’s stuck in a tacky Vegas pit with the riff-raff, looking like he’s on the way to a fancy dress party, or possibly he’s the help – can I get you a drink sir?  The world has changed around him and there’s nothing he can do about it.  He’s still drinking and wooing the ladies but his face is slack and worn with fatigue and the girl he picks up is a cheap hustler.

Sad.

And check out the car he’s driving below.  It’s a rental.  From Hertz.

It’s a strange film – James Bond stumbles around, famous.  In this film James is apparently well known to the criminal fraternity.  How can he be a spy anymore?  He can’t.  There is a way out – but he blows it – in my favorite scene in the film Moneypenny tries to hold on to him but he drives away – doesn’t she look lovely in the frame below? He misses the chance for love and ends up on cruise ship, (a cruise ship! retired?), with a floozie.

Sad.

(And then there’s the moon-buggy chase scene – what’s wonderful about this action sequence is that James doesn’t do anything – doesn’t fire off any rockets or drop spikes to puncture tires – the pursuing cars just break down in the desert while chasing him cause they’re early 70’s Detroit pieces of crap).