Yh, I find it crazy too. Apparently there was one before the original Aladdin when my little niece played it on Disney+ over Christmas.
I’m told it said something about it not being culturally accurate.
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This is one of the key reasons why I collect physical copies of the movies I like. If you buy a digital copy, it can be altered, cut, or deleted with any shift in the political winds. I would be quite irritated if Arrow or any other companies started capitulating to this rubbish.
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Oh of course, yeah. But things like that are good for the kids to have access to a lot of entertainment. I’m not going to buy a copy of that sort of thing at my age now, no matter if I enjoyed as a kid. Just thought it was a strange thing to see before watching a kids movie.
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And let us not forget the legendary Jimmy Dean! The singer of “Big Bad John” himself portraying Willard Whyte in a Bond film. My wife and I still look at each other randomly from time to time just to say, “Get the hell off that rig, Bond!” 
Not to mention the fact that he was the founder of the greatest breakfast meat company in the country. My freezer right now is chock full of Jimmy Dean sausage, Jimmy Dean bacon, and microwaveable Jimmy Dean breakfast burritos. His name will live on forever through his breakfast foods!
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Charles Gray has a super short part in You Only Live Twice as well. He just lights up the screen in every scene. Super.
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Just as old age has caught me up, and is out-distancing me, I feel I need to share this…so please forgive me if I indulge in yesteryear.
My favourite James Bond movie is ‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)
Was ‘Live and Let Die’ a life-changing experience? Hell, yes.
But this is not so much a remembrance of Bond (my favourite Bond film), but more a reflective recollection of the tragic events accompanying it that I recall…
Thursday, August 2nd, 1973.
I was aged 9, had just accompanied my parents to an agricultural show on the ‘Isle of Man’, and we were thinking about how to spend our time in between having a restaurant meal, and then heading off to watch the premiere of the latest James Bond film, ‘Live and Let Die’.
I remember that my parents were tinkering with the idea of going to the ‘Summerland’ leisure complex, proudly exhibited on Douglas Promenade, (Douglas is the capital of the ‘Isle of Man’) or briefly stopping in at ‘Onchan Head’…an amusement park full of dodgems, fair-ground rides, etc.
We opted for the latter…
As we later left Onchan head amusement park, and drove along the promenade, past ‘Summerland’, heading for the cinema showing ‘Live and Let Die’, we saw that the ‘Summerland’ front appeared to have what looked like a small fire at the front.
Within the space of a few minutes, when we had found a parking space, the whole front of ‘Summerland’ had gone up in flames…
My introduction to joining the queue watching the latest Bond adventure, was watching the ‘Summerland’ leisure complex burn to the ground…
Fifty people died in the ‘Summerland’ disaster.
After watching ‘Live and Let Die’ on the big screen, I remember us driving to the local hospital, to donate blood - but they had been over-whelmed by peoples generosity, so we drove home.
Every time that I see the opening titles of ‘Live and Let Die’ (with the skull, the flames etc.) I think of ‘Summerland’, and the fifty people who died.
I remember the cinema pausing the film part-way through, to enquire if there were any doctors in the building…That is one moment that I will never forget.
As a Manxman (Isle of Man born and bred, I struggle with the disaster ever happening. It shouldn’t have, as later numerous reports would show…
However…some good did come out of it all, specifically regarding fire regulations etc.
Small consolation to what should never have happened when I was aged nine.
Ironically, a year later, I remember going to the cinema to watch ‘The Towering Inferno’ (1974)…another disaster (fictional) that should never have happened.
I don’t know if it’s because of seeing the ‘Summerland’ disaster, but I’ve always been very aware, ever since, of spotting hidden dangers that could cause such a calamity ever again…
I’ve been told by some people (when I check things for the third time) that I worry too much, and shouldn’t worry so much.
Anyway…I’ve grown up with being a safety first guy…
My thoughts: Fuck 'em…I’ll continue to check, re-check, and multiple check, if I think a tragedy can be avoided by me being ‘safety aware’.
So, not so much a ‘Bond’ premiere experience for me, as an early introduction to fallibility, excuses, inexcusable ‘mistakes’…and human tragedy…
It shouldn’t have happened…and the human toll could have been avoided.
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Villeneuve, awesome
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Really not sure if he’s the right fit for a Bond film, but I’m gonna keep my mouth shut and see what he cooks up!
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As a life-long James Bond fan, I’m asking this question:
Rejection…
Why the heck didn’t they use this magnificent song (below) from Dame Shirley Bassey for 'the 2008 Bond film, ‘Quantum of Solace’?
An unforgettable voice, and memorable lyrics for a mediocre (IMHO) 007 outing. I think it would have provided the mint-perfect tone for Daniel Craig’s second stab at playing James Bond.
I’ll never understand why this was rejected, because it is so damn good, would have contributed so much, and was a million times better than the crap, forgettable theme that they eventually settled on…
It would also have seen the return of Dame Shirley to the franchise…Now, that would have been something worth seeing…
She had already provided the theme to three Bonds, two of which (‘Goldfinger’ and 'Diamonds Are Forever) were classics…the third, ‘Moonraker’, perhaps less so.
As a summary, I’d say that the lyrics can be related to by most people in life…they don’t have to be secret agents to associate with the painful, heart-felt words.
What a lost opportunity…Dame Shirley and David Arnold - what a combination that would have been on screen…
What we ended up with…
To remind us of what we lost, this is what could have been…
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Too old fashioned for such a furious film.
I like the song they used, it’s not great, but a good one.
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Must say I’d vote for Shirl if it was up to me. Which of course it wasn’t
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Shirley Bassey is far too classy for these vacuous productions - I don’t even see the Craig and Brosnan era as real Bond movies …
… Utterly without wit, style or suspense, they are the polar opposite of what the best of the 007 series used to be. You’re not supposed to look at the ‘hero’, and think, ‘What a dickhead!’ … which is my response to these imposter productions.
I was a big fan of ‘Bond’ since childhood , but these films of the past 30 years are an insult to the original concept.
I actually find all the recent films difficult to sit through, but marvel at how far they have strayed from their predecessors. How can a huge team of film professionals continue to get it so wrong … in the casting, the writing and character development - So, even if the Shirley song had been chosen, it would seem incongruous with what was happening on screen.
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I’ve said before I like Brosnan…I agree with you entirely on Craig though, I couldn’t take to him at all.
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Not among the very best Bonds, but likable. It was the second Bond I saw in cinema, after On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and I thought this was a better movie and Moore the better Bond (I still don’t like Lazenby, but I have a little more appreciation for his film today). I remember that most reviews of Live and Let Die were negative were I lived (The Netherlands), critics simply seemed to despise Moore in this role. I guess most of them had grown up with Connery. I like those Moore Bonds, with the exception of Moonraker, which is a very unfunny, childish movie (but with a good opening scene).
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I didn’t know anything about this. In fact I never had any special interest in this Bond movie. I’ve watched it twice because @stanton thought it was so good, but I’ve forgotten what the whole thing was about. This song could have saved the movie to a certain degree; yes maybe it’s a bit too classy and old-fashioned for the movie but it’s a least a song and Shirley can sing.
Interesting note by @aldo : “I don’t even see the Craig and Brosnan era as real Bond movies …”
I have no problem with Brosnan, the quality of his Bond outing varies, but he’s an okay Bond to me, but I do have some problems with Craig. I like his Bond movies (except for the one already mentioned) but they don’t look and feel like Bond movies to me and I can’t see Craig as 007, when watching him, I never have the feeling that I’m watching Bond.
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I love Moore as well. I’ve said before TMWTGG is one of my favourites. I know some people think it’s corny in parts and I agree it can be, but I’ve always thought it’s a lot of fun.
Same and you’d think I’d be different because he’s from my neck of the woods.
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Yes, I like The Man with the Golden gun as well. it’s a bit corny and it lacks a spectacular finale, but it’s a fun movie with a fine cast and great stunts.
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Agreed. It could be very funny in parts as well. You also had Lee as the Villain…some corny parts are a small price to pay for everything else I think.
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Same here. In fact, the four Bond films directed by the late, great, Guy Hamilton, are most definitely four of my favourites…with just the right amount of action, suspense, and humour that the series demanded. Three out of the four main themes are absolute belters, too.
‘Goldfinger’ (1964)
‘Diamonds Are Forever’ (1971)
‘Live and Let Die’ (1973)
‘The Man With the Golden Gun’ (1974)
Agreed pretty much. I remember not being as keen on Diamonds are Forever but I haven’t seen it in years so I can’t remember why. I should watch it again. I love the other three, Goldfinger being my favourite.
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