The Bizarre Death of Dr Kananga in Live and Let Die (1973)

Silhouette Man · March 2013

This thread is designed to discuss a very specific area of the debut Roger Moore James Bond film Live and Let Die where the villain of the piece, Dr Kananga, as played by Yaphet Kotto is made to swallow a shark gun compression pellet and thus expands to roughly the size of a barrage balloon before hitting the ceiling and exploding in a rubbery bang accompanied by a loud farting noise.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this scene and its links with the more graphic scene that showed something similar happening to Milton Krest in Licence to Kill (uncut version).

Was this scene a step too far into comedy and the bizarre or did it fit the overall campy tone of the film LALD?

As always, I'd really love to hear your views on this one...

AlphaOmegaSin · March 2013

For one, Kanangas Death was completely unrealistic. Decompressing a small Gas Canister inside a Human being in real life would only make there Stomach swell a bit, kind of like trapped Wind. Two, they should of had him getting eaten by the Shark like in the Novel.

If Kananga was killed off the same way as Milton Krest was (Getting trapped in the Decompression Chamber) it would not really fit a Moore Bond Film that well. Kind of like how the Car over the Cliff in FYEO felt out of place in one of his Films.

Nick37 · March 2013

I'm in the unrealistic bandwagon also. It was original, to be sure, but I have to imagine that if you were really going to blow a person up like that, Bond and Solitaire would be picking pieces of Kananga out of their hair. While Krest's death was just an inflatable balloon, at least they added some blood to it to attempt to sell it. There's none of that in LALD. Baron Samedi's "Death" creeped me out more than Kananga's (Though I don't like snakes, which probably adds to it).

RJJB · March 2013

The first time I saw LALD, I enjoyed it until the final showdown with Kanaga. First was the silliness of the watch becoming a buzzsaw. That came way out of left field, much the same way that he safe cracking device in YOLT did. But Kanaga's demise was just so over-the-top stupid that it ruined the entire movie for me. It was against all laws of physics and was the type of event you see in a cartoon. Complete nonsense.

Firemass · March 2013

I don't mind the cartoon explosion so much. What bothers me is the attention the films gives to the gas pellet which wasn't even necessary to kill Kanaga. Bond had him beat in the underwater fight...let the sharks have him. Instead we get a demo of the gun via Whisper on the sofa, then the magnetic watch to attract the pellet, Bond hiding it in his mouth, and then finally making Kanaga eat it! Seems like a lot of unnecessary work for a payoff that was rather goofy.

always shaken · March 2013

i saw LALD when it came out in 73 and for us a trip to the flics was a treat
i just remember it being a good entertaining film as for the exploding Kananga
i think thats just how it was ,we didnt have the hindsight in revewing the film
as we do today it was just good entertainment good v evil ,yes today that stunt would be laughable
because our grasp on technology is so vast compared to 73 ,my dad had a Ford Cortina
and he thought he was the dogs ,but nether the less a good stunt for 73

Blackleiter · March 2013

The Milton Krest death was positively documentary-like compared to the silly, cartoonish way Kananga was killed. It was especially disappointing because I feel Kananga is one of the better villains and he deserved a decent send off.

perdogg · March 2013

Silhouette Man wrote:

This thread is designed to discuss a very specific area of the debut Roger Moore James Bond film Live and Let Die where the villain of the piece, Dr Kananga, as played by Yaphet Kotto is made to swallow a shark gun compression pellet and thus expands to roughly the size of a barrage balloon before hitting the ceilng and exploding in a rubbery bang accompanied by a loud farting nouse.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this scene and its links with the similar, yet more graphic scene that showed something similar happening to Milton Krest in Licence to Kill (uncut version).

Was this scene a step too far into comedy and the bizarre or did it fit the overall campy tone of the film LALD?>

As always, I'd really love to hear your views on this one...

The whole tone of LALD was campy as to avoid the taint of racism, right or wrong, from the original novel.

Barbel · March 2013

The original script had Bond and Kananga's fight end with Kananga falling into the pool (presumably to be eaten by the sharks), so IMHO Guy Hamilton came up with the inflating Kananga ending, not Tom Mankiewicz.

raptors_887 · March 2013

I don't mind that he explodes. The problem I have is that they make it very obvious that its a prop that shoots into the air and not a person.

Silhouette Man · March 2013

Barbel wrote:

The original script had Bond and Kananga's fight end with Kananga falling into the pool (presumably to be eaten by the sharks), so IMHO Guy Hamilton came up with the inflating Kananga ending, not Tom Mankiewicz.

Interesting. Again, I've not heard of that before either. Can these drafts be found/read online anywhere, pray tell?

Barbel · March 2013

No idea, SM, though Roger Moore did mention it in his book about the filming of LALD.

ZorinIndustries · March 2013

It's a Bond movie!! Things don't have to be realistic!! That's what makes these films so wonderful -{

I've liked his death because it's extremely unique and makes the scene memorable!

Shady Tree · March 2013

Yaphet Kotto plays Kananga with impressive intensity. It seems almost disrespectful towards his character to kill him off with such cartoonish special effects: the farting noise, and being blown to pieces which look like what they are (i.e. bits of torn balloon rubber).

Silhouette Man · March 2013

Shady Tree wrote:

Yaphet Kotto plays Kananga with impressive intensity. It seems almost disrespectful towards his character to kill him off with such cartoonish special effects: the farting noise, and being blown to pieces which look like what they are (i.e. bits of torn balloon rubber).

Agreed. An infantile way to treat a great villain (yet one of the most underrated, too). More blood and gore was needed and that would have been in keeping with the darker tone of most of the film overall. As a child, the scene seemed very impressive; as an adult much less so. 8-)

Dutchfinger · March 2013

This reminds me of a funny reaction in a video from a casual Bond fan seeing this bit for the first time.

)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ldp4gtZ85g#t=2m50s

These guys were doing a Bond marathon, I believe one of the guy's involved in this marathon is also a member here. (Goldrush I believe)

Sherbrook · March 2013

The scene was cartoonish but didn't detract from the movie too much for me

The Bizarre Death of Dr Kananga in Live and Let Die (1973)

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