![James Bond]()
You have to admire the movie stars who do most of their own stunts, but let's face it, not everybody is
Tom Cruise and willing to ride motorcycles off cliffs or what have you. Even Cruise might sit this one out, though.
For the 1973 James Bond movie
Live and Let Die, one tense scene involved the agent known as 007 taking evasive action by running across a line of crocodiles. Like actual real ones. According to
behind-the-scenes lore, during a location scouting trip of sorts in Jamaica, the filmmakers stumbled upon a sign for a crocodile farm that read, "Trespassers will be eaten." They then met the farm owner, Ross Kananga, who suggested the stunt for the movie and insisted he be the one to perform it.
I imagine Bond star Roger Moore didn't really protest having a double take care of this one. When you see what it looked like during each of the five takes where Kananga sprinted over the trio of crocs, it's a wonder he wasn't gobbled up.
https://twitter.com/WarPath2pt0/status/1809314498437870030
When somebody who literally owns a croc farm is almost eaten in such indiscriminate fashion, think about how it might've turned out if anyone but Kananga was the poor soul who had to do the stunt.
In the end,
Live and Let Die got the footage, and it's probably one of the most terrifying stunts I've ever seen. That's including anything Tom Cruise has pulled off over the years for
Mission: Impossible or any of his other blockbusters.
Live and Let Die marked the first Bond flick in which Moore took up the 007 mantle from the OG Sean Connery, who'd starred in six of the previous seven films in the series. The only exception was
On Her Majesty's Secret Service, in which George Lazenby took the lead role to much acclaim. Lazenby rejected an offer to continue, though, leaving Connery to return for
Diamonds Are Forever before Moore's seven-movie tenure.
Once Moore stepped in, the Bond franchise began to take on a decidedly campier creative direction. Pierce Brosnan was beset with campy antics when his time as James Bond wound down, which led to Daniel Craig's fresh, grounded and gritty interpretation beginning with
Casino Royale. The author of all the Bond books that the movies are based on, Ian Fleming, began his series with
Casino Royale, and fun fact:
Live and Let Die was the second Bond novel he ever penned.
Practical stunts are still a big part of the James Bond legend to this day, but I'd venture to say few had as much real-life danger as the croc sprint that
Live and Let Die somehow pulled off. The movie was a massive hit, grossing $161.8 million against a $7 million budget. Not bad!
To end, I must once again reiterate how good
On Her Majesty's Secret Service is and how great Lazenby played the part. The only thing maybe cooler than the movie itself is how Lazenby got the role. Can't recommend the Hulu documentary
Becoming Bond highly enough. It's shocking, vulgar at times, and the way Lazenby quite literally conned his way into the part will make your head spin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhusQNHU400
