Despite On Her Majesty's Secret Service now being seen as one of the best Sean Connery.
The fruit of their labors was Diamonds Are Forever, which is a film that some love, some hate, and most feel is a bit... meh. Though the film does sort of follow up on the cliffhanger from OHMSS, it jettisoned a decent amount of the source material to do so.
The Entire Opening
The opening of the movie version of Diamonds Are Forever is a solid indicator of exactly how the rest of the film is going to play out. James Bond half-heartedly hunts down Blofeld, seemingly to get revenge for his late wife Tracy, who is never even mentioned.
The whole scene is ridiculous, camp, and is more in line with a Roger Moore film, only with a fraction of the energy. This scene isn't present in the book as Bond hasn't even met either Blofeld or Tracy at that point.
Bond Takes Some Oxygen
A moment that will surprise fans that read the book based on seeing the movie, there is a really weird scene in the novel when Bond is at an airport when he stumbles across an oxygen mask. For some reason, more than likely curiosity, he slips on the mask and takes a few breaths of pure oxygen.
Later on in the novel, Bond gets in trouble when he lets his guard down due to being intoxicated by the pure, uncut oxygen. Needless to say, this scene is not the movie.
Bond Gripes A Lot
Though Sean Connery displays a certain lack of ion throughout the film version of Diamonds Are Forever, that ivity actually isn't too far off from Bond's attitude in the novel. Throughout the book, Bond gripes and grumbles about how much he doesn't like the mission he's currently on.
Fleming's version of James Bond is very particular about certain things, at least at first, so his poor attitude towards the mission isn't really out of place. Whether or not Bond's apathy in the movie is intentional is another question.
The Plot Is More Small Scale
The overall villainous scheme in Diamonds Are Forever is pretty much what you'd expect from a non-Terrance Young directed Sean Connery Bond Film. Ernst Stavro Blofeld, played by Charles Gray, using diamonds to construct a satellite to gain a foothold on nuclear power is extremely Austin Powers.
While the diamond smuggling ring featured in the film serves as merely a step towards the big picture, it's far more prominent in the novel. There is no satellite plan in the novel, instead, Bond is sent in to simply investigate the smuggling ring.
Felix Leiter's Appearance
Norman Burton portrays James Bond's CIA friend, Felix Leiter, making him the fourth actor out of an official eight to play the character. Burton's relatively normal, average joe-type physical appearance marks a stark contrast from the novel.
In the novel Diamonds Are Forever, Leiter is not only distant from The CIA but is described as having a hook hand alongside a prosthetic leg after an encounter with a shark in Live And Let Die. The movie version of Leiter wouldn't become involved with a shark until License To Kill.
Blofeld
As stated previously, Blofeld appears, not only to tie up loose ends from the prior film, but also to play the role of the movie's main antagonist. Unlike previous portrayals by Anthony Dawson, Eric Pohlmann, Donald Pleasence, and Telly Savalas, actor Charles Gray delivers a posh, as well as campy, performance.
In the book series, Blofeld wouldn't appear for another six novels, with Diamonds Are Forever being the fourth one in the series, and Thunderball, the book that debut Blofeld, being the eighth. Instead, the villains in the book are sibling hotel owners/diamond smugglers Jack and Seraffimo Spang.
The Final Spectacle
In the movie, Bond tracks down Blofeld and crew to a mining facility in Baja, California. After being briefly captured, he puts an end to Blofeld's plan and saves Bond Girl Tiffany Case. It's a cliche ending, but it is certainly enjoyable.
The novel has Bond end up at Seraffimo Spang's hideout Spectreville, a town from The Old West that Spang uses as a hideout. Bond and Case escape using an old push car as Spang gives chase in using an old railway train. Spang is killed when Bond diverts the train, causing it to crash.
Tifanny Case
Tiffany Case, played by Jill St. John, is one of the best Bond Girls in the franchise. Her tough, spunky attitude makes her extremely appealing and she gives all of her scenes with Sean Connery's Bond a bit more life than usual.
Her cellulose counterpart is very similar, but there are some minor differences. Similar to a lot of Bond Girls written by Fleming like Honey Rider and Pussy Galore, Tiffany Case has a backstory that involves her being raped, which is meant to explain her dislike of men. She also has strikingly blonde hair whereas she's a redhead in the film.
Bond's Views On Marriage
Despite the film trying to downplay it, Bond's motivation in the opening scene was supposed to be out revenge for Blofeld killing his wife. These events hadn't taken place in the novel, but what does actually puts those events into perspective.
On a cruise to London towards the latter half of the book, Bond chats with Tiffany Case about the concept of marriage where we find out something about Bond at this stage of his life. Bond states that he's pretty sure he'll never marry and that he views it less as a union and more of a subtraction.
There's A Horse Race Subplot
In the novel Diamonds Are Forever, Bond s Felix Leiter in investigating a mob-tinged horse race in Saratoga, New York. After Leiter convinces a jockey to flunk the race so that the mobsters won't get their money, the henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd assault the jockey.
This scene wasn't present in the film but there was a horse race in both Quantum Of Solace. However, the former is very different as Bond actually takes part and the latter could just be a coincidence.
