After
George Lazenby portrayed James Bond in
On Her Majesty's Secret Service,
Sean Connery returned to the tux, gimmicks, and catchphrases of Secret Agent 007 in his penultimate
Bond outing, Diamonds Are Forever. Fragments of
Ian Fleming's original 1954 novel remain, including the characters of the alluring Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) and fey hitmen Wint (
Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith). The remainder of
Richard Maibaum and
Tom Mankiewicz's script diverges dramatically from the novel, involving Bond in a scheme by the insidious Ernst Blofeld (
Charles Gray) to force the world powers to disarm so that he can take over the globe. Folksinger Jimmy Dean shows up briefly as a Howard Hughes-like reclusive billionaire, while
Lana Wood (Natalie's sister) participates in one of the film's edgiest cliffhangers. Agreeing to make Diamonds Are Forever only because of the money offered him,
Sean Connery parted company with the role for 12 years after this film; he returned to the role once more in 1983, for
Irvin Kershner's underrated
Thunderball remake
Never Say Never Again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide