A Study of Adaptation - Live and Let Die

Before I start discussing Live and Let Die, I have to acknowledge a certain elephant in the room; these books were a product of their time, and often conveyed the prejudices which existed (and unfortunately still exist) in both British and American society. It does not represent my views of society, but I am still looking at the books in the series, because doing otherwise would be akin to claiming that the prejudices didn't exist. With that edited appropriation of the Looney Tunes disclaimer out of the way, let's begin.

The book version of Live and Let Die - published in 1954 - has Bond investigating Mr Big, a Harlem-based crime boss and voodoo practitioner with Soviet ties. Rumour has it that Mr Big has been funding Russian spy operations by smuggling gold coins from a pirate treasure found in Jamaica. He works with his CIA counterpart Felix Leiter, along with a fortune-teller in Mr Big's employ called Solitaire. He later travels to Jamaica, where he works with MI6 station chief John Strangways and a Cayman Islander fisherman named Quarrel. The book seems to convey Fleming's somewhat conservative view of the growing civil rights movements, and the fears that the Soviets could use them as resources (similar to the trade unions in Casino Royale).

The film version - released in 1973 - has Bond investigating the deaths of three agents who were investigating Dr Kananga, the prime minister of the fictional Caribbean state of San Monique. Instead of gold coins, Kananga's plan is simply smuggling heroin, and he is no longer affiliated with Russia (a common change in many if not all film adaptations of Bond). The film borrows quite heavily from the Blaxploitation genre which had become prominent in the 70s, particularly the drug trafficking element to the story.

Mr Big is presented differently in the film. In the book, his name stems from his initials, his full name being Buonaparte Ignace Gallia. In the film, Mr Big is later revealed to be an alter ego of Dr Kananga for him to distribute his heroin in the United States. It's likely that the film version was partly based on Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who ruled Haiti from 1957 to 1971. Duvalier utilised a cult of personality in which he modelled himself as Baron Samedi - a prominent figure in Voodoo lore - and was previously a physician, hence Kananga's title of 'Dr'. He was also named after Ross Kananga, who owned the crocodile farm where part of the film was shot (and actually jumped across the crocodiles). The film also expands on one of his flunkies, "Tee Hee" Johnson, making him one of Kananga's one-armed primary henchman (the book version is killed near the beginning of the story). Additionally, Baron Samedi is a separate character in the film (the book version of Mr Big also models himself after Baron Samedi)

There were two moments in the book which did not appear in the film adaptation, but were eventually used in later films:

1. Felix Leiter gets captured investigating one of Mr Big's warehouses in Florida, and gets maimed by a shark. Bond finds him back at their safehouse with a note saying "He disagreed with something that ate him". Bond later investigates the warehouse himself, gets into a gunfight, and tricks his assailant into falling into the same shark pool. This would later be used in Licence to Kill in 1989 (the first bond film to not be a direct adaptation of any of the books).
2. Mr Big tries to kill Bond and Solitaire by dragging them behind his yacht through a coral reef and then through an area in which he lures sharks and barracuda with regular feedings. This scene would be used in the film adaptation of For Your Eyes Only in 1981.

One thing which did surprise me in the book was Solitaire. In the film, Bond seduces her with a tarot deck comprised entirely of "The Lovers", and she loses her powers of clairvoyance when she loses her virginity. This essentially forces her to help Bond bring down Kananga. In the book, Solitaire is asked to determine whether Bond is telling the truth when he's first captured, but lies and supports his cover story. After learning that Bond escaped and killed two of Mr Big's henchmen, she approaches Bond saying that she wants out. So, an element of the book which is actually less sleazy than the film version.

Based on the content of the story, I have the feeling that adapting it to screen would have been a risky venture.