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| Today's selection: |
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| (Las Vegas, 1971) |
One of the things I try to do when choosing my Scenic Route locales is pick somewhere not just noticeably different in different eras but also somewhere filmed often enough where there are real points of comparison. Other times, the backdrop (much of New York City, for example) is surprisingly the same, and the difference in automobiles or fashions gets the foreground. Tonight we fall somewhere in between these two approaches. Vegas itself has changed - dramatically - since Diamonds Are Forever was (mostly) filmed there, and many of its locations like the Landmark Hotel and Riviera are no longer around. Yet the essential backdrop of "Vegas" is still instantly familiar, which brings out the other stuff.
As always when taking the Scenic Route, it's not my intent to analyze the film in any way except visually. I will say it's not my favorite Bond film and re-watching it for tonight's festivities didn't improve my take on it any, except that buzz I get from revisiting anything I imprinted on my pre-pubescent mind dozens of times. It has its passionate defenders, and more power to them.
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| I also didn't concentrate on the early scenes of the film that aren't set in Vegas. |
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| Let us begin. |
CARS
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| A memorable Ford Thunderbird and Mustang among the herd. |
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| As for... uh... well. |
GADGETS AND FX AND SUCH
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| Not the most stellar rep in this category for Bond films, but there's still lots of fun. |
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| Depending on your definition of fun, of course. Me? It meets it. |
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| No one has ever confused this helicopter assault with being on par with the one on Piz Gloria in OHMSS. |
ONE BAD KITTY
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| "Good...bye... mist-er Bond." |
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| I guess we've gotten away from Vegas, haven't we? |
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| ... |
The Scenic Route celebrates the fashions, landscapes, cars, and vibes of a bygone age via the cinematic record.
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