Product placement has been a much mocked element of entertainment. People say it cheapens movies and tv shows and turns them into glorified advertisements. Personally, I can accept movies giving a little screen time to companies that pay for it. But when the movie keeps shoving that brand down my throat, it becomes tacky. That brings me to Live and Let Die.
It was released in 1973 and was notable in several ways. It was the first of the James Bond movies to star Roger Moore, who would play the suave British spy in no less than 7 films. It was heavily inspired by Blaxploitation movies of the period. It is also notable for having the most blatant product placement ever in cinema history.
Bond is picked up at LaGuardia airport in a 1973 Chevrolet Bel Air.
On FDR drive, his driver is killed by an assassin driving this weird Corvette-Eldorado hybrid.
With a dead man behind the wheel, the Bel Air sideswipes into a Chevrolet Caprice Wagon (because it’s the top-of-the-line Chevy, it wears its bowtie proudly on its hood, instead of on the grille).
When Bond figures out what’s happening, we see this shot confirming that the next minute is a glorified car commercial. We have the Bel Air surrounded on all sides by big Chevies. He’s got Impalas (distinguished from the lowly Bel Air by having 3 instead of 2 taillights, and later shots confirm them to have their bowties on the grilles, so they aren’t the more expensive Caprices) to the left and behind. To his right and further ahead, we see two clamshell station wagons, and I don’t think they’re Pontiacs.
With Bond at the wheel and the car charging at full speed, he passes by this token Cadillac.
And then ends up behind another Chevy
And then this other token Cadillac
And then is behind another Chevy
He swerves around a you-know-what (and it looks to be the same one from above)
He avoids T-boning an Impala Sport Coupe
And in the end manages to stop after ramming into… a Ford Econoline. But wait, there’s more!
Louisiana State Police (at a time when pretty much every real police department was gobbling up Plymouth Furies and Dodge Monacos)
Cab driver who kidnaps Bond and Solitaire
Sheriff J.W. Pepper’s squad car (Because he’s the sheriff, he gets an Impala while the other cops get Bel Airs)
CIA Agent in New York.
Kananga’s goons taking Bond to the gator farm.
In total, Chevrolet sold something like 900,000 full sized cars in 1973. I think most of them wound up in this movie.
But it’s okay, it’s not just Big Chevies. They brought in the little Nova on San Monique Island for the cops.
For chasing Bond around the airfield in Louisiana, the bad guys got a Colonnade Chevelle…
...Another Nova….
...and a C-10 pickup truck.
Also, the Louisiana state troopers got another Chevelle in addition to their Bel Airs.
I dare you to find any other movie that so shamelessly paraded around one brand like this. It does make for fun carspotting though