Music Video Monday: Paul McCartney

In recognition of Dia de los Muertos, today's music video selection is actually the opening title sequence from the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die. The title song was written and recorded by Paul McCartney. It is perhaps the most rousing of the James Bond theme songs. The movie (not my favourite of the 007 films) is so dated by today's standards. My guess is that the producers decided after 1971's Diamonds Are Forever to update the Bond franchise to the current culture (of the early 1970s). Blaxploitation flicks were big at the time (Shaft, Cleopatra Jones, Blacula, etc), so I guess the producers decided that Bond needed to "go black" too (without actually making him black).

The film does show the coolness of a New Orleans Jazz funeral (quite lively) and the voodoo (Santeria) culture of the Caribbean. When I watched it, though, during my James Bond film festival earlier this year, I cringed at the racist stereotypes. I would love to see a James Bond update on the story, but instead of a voodoo cult, Bond should investigate a Scientology-like organization in which the leader has evil designs on world domination (as actual Scientologist David Miscavige is reported to have). It would make an interesting story. I can't think of many wealthy organizations that pose a threat to secular democracy as much as Scientology does.

On this second day of Dia de los Muertos, I hope you will "live and let die."