May 12th 2009 was a good day for James Bond fans, with  MGM Home Entertainment releasing two more Bond movies, including The Man with the Golden Gun.

I think that The Man with the Golden Gun was the first James Bond movie that I actually saw in the cinema when it was released back in 1974.

While the big screen is appealing, I am willing to bet that this new Blu-ray release of the movie has a higher quality presentation, both for picture and especially audio.

This movie is probably my favourite Roger Moore Bond movie, and includes an iconic title track from Lulu.

The Man with the Golden Gun has a great villain named Francisco Scaramanga - played by Christopher Lee - otherwise known as ‘the man with the golden gun’.

Other memorable aspects of the movie include the return of the Sheriff Pepper character that was introduced in Live and Let Die, and the spiraling car jump over the river.

It is also fun to see Hervé Villechaize from Fantasy Island in the role of Nick Nack.

The Man with the Golden Gun was helmed by Guy Hamilton, director of a number of Bond films including Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever.

The movie was not well appreciated by the critics, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 48% and an IMDb score of 6.7/10.

The Man with the Golden Gun was also earned $21M at the US box office.

The video on the disc is an AVC 1080p encode at 27 Mbps, and is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

The image quality is impressive considering the age of the movie - check out the details page for The Man with the Golden Gun to see full resolution PNG screen captures taken directly from the disc.

The main audio is lossless DTS-HD Master Audio with 5.1 channels - 24 bits resolution at 48 kHz.

The disc is a dual layer BD50, with 46.1 GB used and is coded for Region A.

The disc is loaded with supplements as we have come to expect with these Bond releases.

There is a pair of commentaries - one with Roger Moore and the other with the Director and crew.

The Ministry of Propaganda features a nice collection of trailers as well as TV and radio spots promoting the movie.

Additional featurettes cover the locations, an interview with the director, and many cover the stunt work in the movie.

Of course there is also a ‘making of’ documentary.

The Man with the Golden Gun is another great James Bond release from MGM Home Entertainment.

The retail price is $34.98, or order it right now at Amazon for $22.99, saving 34%!

Extras:

• Audio commentary Featuring Sir Roger Moore
• Audio Commentary Featuring Director Guy Hamilton and Members of the Cast and Crew
• Guy Hamilton: The Director Speaks
• Roger Moore And Herve Villechaize - The Russell Harty Show
• On Location With The Man With the Golden Gun
• The Road To Bond: Stunt Coordinator W. J. Milligan
• Original Theatrical Trailer, TV Spots, Radio Communications
• Girls Fight Featurette
• 007 Mission Control: Interactive Guide Into The World Of The Man With the Golden Gun
• American Thrill Show Stunt Film
• Double-O Stuntmen: A Look At The Greatest Sunts and Stunt Performances In The Bond Films
• Inside The Man With the Golden Gun: Documentary
• Image Database

Synopsis:

James Bond has been marked for death, and he’ll need all his lethal instincts and seductive charm to survive in this action-packed adventure! Roger Moore returns as Agent 007 and faces off in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Featuring a wild automobile chase through Bangkok and Bond’s stunning confrontation with an entire martial-arts school, The Man With the Golden Gun delivers nonstop excitement!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 10:25 pm and is filed under Commentary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.