TODAY'S NUGGET: Diamonds are Forever (1971) - Unusual Use of Props in Hand-to-Hand Combat Brings Delight

[Quick Summary: British super-spy 007 impersonates a diamond intermediary to investigate why a mysterious Mr. Whyte is hording the world's diamonds.]

I've heard a lot of Bond fans say they miss the hand-to-hand combat of older films. 

They have a point.  This example below is a stellar use of the props that Bond had at hand. Nothing electronic. No sudden solution to a problem (deus ex machina).

In the scene below:
- In a berth, two thugs (Wint and Kidd) have tied Tiffany to the bed and rigged a pot of boiling oil to the ceiling.
- Bond has climbed down a rope to look in through a porthole.
- Notice the unusual use of a soup toureen lid:  It seems like a weak move at first, but then, surprise! It shows Bond was thinking two steps ahead.

BACK TO SHIP SIDE

BOND has picked up momentum, now pushes off, sails through porthole feet first.

INT. CABIN

BOND sails in, makes a swipe at oil pot and rope, misses, lands in a pile at other side of bed.

CLOSE ON KIDD

He has seen - slams door shut just as MAID opens it, locks it, quickly grabs trembling rope.

KIDD: Careful, Mr. Bond!

CLOSE ON OIL POT

It teeters precariously back and forth.

WIDER ANGLE

BOND is stymied. All three are frozen for a minute - WINT advances slowly, carving knife in hand. BOND suddenly leaps for the top of the soup toureen, grabs it.

WINT; Pull, Mr. Kidd!

KIDD yanks on rope, oil pot turns over, BOND passes upside-down tureen lid over TIFFANY'S face, catches the oil, throws it into the advancing WINT - smoke rises from his face. He screams - BOND pushes him hard to one side, impaling him on sharp point of carved ice Cornucopia, killing him. KIDD has passed skewers through Sterno flame - they are now ablaze. He jumps BOND fro rear. BOND twists away, grabs brandy bottle, breaks neck of it on table, slings brandy at KIDD. Flames shoot up KIDD's arms - his whole body is on fire. BOND yanks blanket from bed, wraps it around KIDD, smothering flames. He picks up bundle, stuffs it through and out of porthole, turns, looks down at TIFFANY, still bound and gagged, tied to bed, legs spread apart.

BOND: A fine lot of help you turned out to be.

WHAT I'VE LEARNED: If you can find a way to disguise your protagonist's intent on how to use a prop in combat, go for it!

Diamonds are Forever (1971)(undated draft)
by Tom Mankiewicz
Adapted from the novel by Ian Fleming