Greetings, Spy Vibers! A new school year starts again tomorrow. I'll be teaching my usual courses in filmmaking, photography, and drawing. Much of the summer was spent dealing with health stuff, but I did start a super fun dive into classic kung fu movies and comics. In addition to all the films streaming for free on Prime, I've been enjoying archival Blu-ray editions by distributors such as Arrow, Eureka, and 88 Films, plus the Marvel comic series, Master of Kung Fu (great for its run of Spy Vibe stories!). And the 4k editions of Bruce Lee's output just arrived at my doorstep, which I'm looking forward to checking out. Which all brings me to finally let Spy Vibers know about my latest episode on the Cocktail Nation radio show. Every month I contribute a short introduction to a classic film or show and play cuts from the score. Immersed as I've been in kung fu, I decided to dedicate my August segment to Roger Moore's second outing as James Bond in The Man with the Golden Gun. As I mention in the show, it's not going to be the top of anyone's best-of 007 list, but I think the film has some wonderful elements hiding underneath the cheap laughs and sometimes TV-movie appearance. First and foremost, Christopher Lee always makes a fantastic villain (he was also Ian Fleming's cousin!). And I think the film presents well overall during the scenes set in Asian locations. For younger readers, it's important to know that MWTGG was clearly tapping the kung fu craze sweeping the globe at the time. And landing within five months of Bruce Lee's death, it would be just one project in a tidal wave of martial arts media such as Bruceploitation films, kung fu comics and magazines, novelty songs, TV shows, and films making the rounds of grindhouse theaters everywhere. MWTGG isn't a great film, but I do think, within the context, it's a light-hearted and fun nod to what was happening at the time. More than that, John Barry's score for the movie has always been a favorite. With its mix of trad jazz and Asian nuances, I've always enjoyed the record for its mysterious and romantic atmosphere. You can check out my brief intro and hear a track over at Cocktail Nation. Lastly, I also want to note the sad passing this week of two Sixties artists, Alain Delon (le Samourai) and Peggy Moffitt (Blow Up, Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?). They were two of the most iconic and stylish faces of the period and inspired generations.
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