James Bond 1993

THE CONNERY COLLECTION VOL. II
1993 comp. Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971); Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Donald Pleasence, Jill St. John; dir. Terence Young, Lewis Gilbert, Guy Hamilton. (PG) 364 min. LBX. Digital ‘ stereo. Trailers included. CLV, 8 sides. MGM/UA
James Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman love gadgets. And they must love explosions almost as much, considering the number of them that turn up in the three Bond films included in The Connery Collection, Vol. II: underwater, in the air, or inside a volcano, you name it and Broccoli and Saltzman can blow it up. But luckily, there's more to super-spy 007 than dynamite, or else there would be no interest in this boxed set, the umpteenth repackaging of the Bonds for the laser market.

The best Bonds define classy adventure, and the best Bonds all have Sean Connery. The actor is the highlight of the trio of tales featured here, which demonstrate the highs and lows of the series. The world-menacing action, beautiful women, and exotic locales are all plentiful, but so are trends that helped destroy the series' integrity in the Roger Moore years: excessive gadgetry (Thunderball), too much travelogue (You Only Live Twice), and too many jokes (Diamonds Are Forever). For all that, Twice has great pacing, while Diamonds has great wit, accentuated by Connery's deliciously deadpan delivery (Buxom Girl: "My name is Plenty. Plenty O'Toole." Bond: "Named after your father, perhaps?").

Besides trailers and chapter stops, The Connery Collection offers little that can't be had elsewhere and adds a few major gaffes, as well. The brief background literature features inaccurate running times, an inflated budget for Thunderball, and the laughable assertion that Bond's creator, Ian Fleming – dead two years when Thunderball was made – "teamed with Broccoli and Saltzman to produce a new version of the screenplay." Indeed. If the author of such misinformation had worked for 007's nemesis SPECTRE, he would have already had a visit from The Execution Branch. VIDEO, 1993