OCTOBER 2022:
SIXTY YEARS OF BOND…
It’s been sixty years since the first James Bond 007© movie hit the big screen in 1962 and the films have created a whole culture of film lovers and followers. The 25 films have starred six leading men, ‘14 Bond girls‘, four M’s, as well as nine villains, and produced 25 theme songs for the film history archives. The six leading men that played the well-dressed secret agent were: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. In honor of the sixtieth anniversary of James Bond Films, this critique takes a look at all of the 007 movies, starting with Dr. No and ending with No Time to Die. Everything from the exotic film locations to the vehicles Bond drives in the film are featured in this critique. Some trivia has also been provided by 007.com along with each film synopsis.
THE BOND FILMS…
DR. NO (1962)
Arriving in Jamaica to investigate the suspected murder of a fellow agent and his secretary, James Bond eludes several attempts on his life. With the help of CIA agent Felix Leiter and local fisherman Quarrel, Bond follows the sinister trail of Dr. No to his island Crab Key. Shortly after landing on the beach with Quarrel, Bond encounters alluring shell collector Honey Ryder. The three uninvited visitors are hunted down by Dr. No’s private army, who kill Quarrel and take Bond and Honey to Dr. No’s magnificent lair. Their megalomaniac host, Dr. No tells Bond that by utilizing the nuclear laboratory on site, he plans to destroy the US Space program as his first move towards world domination. Bond outwits Dr. No who falls victim to his own scheme and dies. Rescuing Honey Ryder, Bond commandeers a motorboat and together they escape from Crab Key, seconds before it explodes, leaving the final devastation of Dr. No’s laboratory behind.
CAST…
Dr. No starred Sean Connery as James Bond, Ursula Andress as Honey Rider, Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Jack Lord as Felix Leiter, Anthony Dawson as Professor Dent, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, John Kitzmiller as Quarrel, Zena Marshall as Miss Taro, Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench, Peter Burton as Major Boothroyd, Yvonne Shima as Sister Lily, Michel Mok as Sister Rose, Marguerite LeWars as Annabel Chung, Dolores Keator as Mary Trueblood, Reggie Carter as Mr. Jones, and Louis Blaazer as Pleydell-Smith.
PRODUCERS…
The producers of the film were Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli .
DIRECTOR…
Dr. No was directed by Terence Young.
RELEASE DATE…
The film was released on October 6, 1962, in the United Kingdom and was released on May 8, 1963 in
the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Dr. No had its big-screen debut on October 5, 1962, at the London Pavilion Cinema in London, U.K.
LOCATIONS…
Dr. No filmed on location in Jamaica and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, UK.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme for the film was the “James Bond Theme” – written by Monty Norman and played and arranged by the John Barry Orchestra.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in the film featured Bond arriving in Jamaica in a Pan Am Boeing 707; Bond’s Sunbeam Alpine, Strangways’ Ford Anglia 105E, hitman’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible; Dent’s Vauxhall PA Cresta sedan, Leiter’s 1961 Chevrolet Impala sedan; and 3 Blind Mice’s LaSalle hearse.
Q BRANCH…
- Bond’s Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Bond’s Berretta
- Tarantula
- Dent’s Smith & Wesson
- Nuclear reactor
- Dragon Tank’s flame-throwers
- Cigarette laced with cyanide
- Geiger counter activator
TRIVIA…
Vodka Martini is Bond’s first cinematic drink in Dr. No.
We get a rare glimpse of the interior of Bond’s London townhouse. The only other films that show Bond’s living space are Live And Let Die and Spectre.
The only Bond film not to have a pre-title sequence.
Norman Wanstall created the muffled sound for the silenced gun that Bond uses which is not like the real sound of a silenced gun. His cinematic sound has been copied so often many people believe this is what a silenced gun really sounds like.
Production Designer Ken Adam incorporated many moving parts on his sets. In the decontamination scene Bond and Honey are transported through showers on a ‘moving walkway’ now known as a travelator.
FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (1963)
James Bond is assigned by his superior M to help a young Russian girl Tatiana Romanova, who has declared her desire to defect from her job as a clerk in the Russian embassy in Istanbul with an invaluable Lektor cipher machine. Believing herself a willing tool of her government, Tatiana is actually the pawn of SPECTRE, a group of international criminals who plan to use the beautiful Russian girl to lure Bond to his death and to confound both the British and Russian Secret Service agencies.
In the intriguing atmosphere of Istanbul, Bond is aided by Kerim Bey, the Turkish agent for the British Secret Service, whom Bond comes to respect and admire. After eluding several death traps in Istanbul, Bond and Tatiana escape aboard the Orient Express. SPECTRE has assigned their cold-blooded killer, Grant to kill and discredit the famed British agent, in hand-to-hand combat Bond triumphs over Grant in the close quarters of his train compartment, but the attempts on his life are by no means over. He later fights an unequal battle against a SPECTRE helicopter and makes a desperate dash across the Gulf of Venice in a speedboat chased by a horde of enemy agents. In Venice, he faces the final attempt on his life when Rosa Klebb, the master planner of the SPECTRE murder organization, makes a personal bid to kill him.
CAST…
From Russia with Love starred Sean Connery as James Bond, Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana, Pedro Armendáriz as Kerim Bey, Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb, Robert Shaw as Grant, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Eunice Gayson as Sylvia, Walter Gotell as Morzeny, Francis De Wolff as Vavra, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Aliza Gur as Vida, Martine Beswick as Zora, Vladek Shyebal as Kronsteen, Anthony Dawson as Ernst Blofeld, and Desmond Llewelyn as Boothroyd.
PRODUCERS…
The producers of the film were Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
From Russia with Love was directed by Terence Young.
RELEASE DATE…
The film was released on October 10, 1963, in the United Kingdom and April 8, 1964, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
From Russia with Love had its big screen debut on October 10, 1963, at the Odeon Leicester Square in London, United Kingdom.
LOCATIONS…
From Russia with Love filmed on location in Istanbul, Turkey; Venice, Italy; Scotland and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, U.K..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme for the film was “From Russia With Love” – performed by Matt Munro, and written by Lionel Bart.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in the film featured James Bond’s derby green Bentley MK IV (circa 1936); Rosa Klebb arriving at the training camp in a Hiller UH -12 “Raven” helicopter; Bulgarian agents Citroën 11 Legere; Kerim Bey’s Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith; Orient Express train; Chevrolet C30 flatbed flower truck; Spectre Hiller UH-12 helicopter; Bond commandeers a Fairey Huntress 23 powerboat; and SPECTRE men in Fairey Huntsman 28 powerboats.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Trick Attaché Case – it contains 40 rounds of .25 caliber ammunition in tubes hidden beneath two of the feet studs. Built into the lower section of the top is a flat throwing knife, released by a button concealed beneath the right latch. Inside the case is a modified ArmaLite AR-7 folding sniper’s rifle with an infrared telescopic scope. In the base of the case are 50 gold sovereigns. A tear gas cartridge disguised as a tin of talcum powder attaches magnetically to the top of the case. The latches must be turned horizontally before opening or the cartridge will explode
- Pager and in-car radio phone. This is the first time a pager is used on screen in a real-world situation rather than in science fiction
- Bug detector
- Lektor decoder
- Poison-tipped blade hidden in a shoe
- Wristwatch/piano wire garrotte
- Camera/tape recorder issued to Bond by Q Branch which looks like an ordinary box camera but conceals a reel-to-reel tape recorder
- Periscope
- Verey pistol flare gun
TRIVIA…
Director Terence Young’s wife makes a cameo as the lady who appears on a bridge in Venice filming Bond and Tatiana as they pass beneath in a water taxi.
Location Manager Bill Hill was pressed into making his screen debut in Turkey when the actor chosen to play the ill-fated MI6 agent Captain Nash proved unavailable at the last minute. Hill suddenly found himself in Nash’s clothes for his tragic encounter with Red Grant.
Fleming’s novel “From Russia With Love“ was considered a personal favorite of President John F. Kennedy.
Filming on location in Istanbul attracted such huge crowds of onlookers Director Terence Young decided to create a diversion for the scene where Bond runs to the station. Just before shooting the scene Young signaled with his handkerchief for a stunt man to appear on a 3rd-floor balcony opposite shouting and teetering precariously – the crowd shifted their attention to him leaving Bond to run free to the station.
Mrs. Harry Saltzman and her mother are seen looking out of the train window when it pulls into Zagreb and Bond stops to look out the window between them.
GOLDFINGER (1964)
James Bond is assigned to investigate one of the wealthiest men in the world, Auric Goldfinger, who is suspected of smuggling England’s gold reserves. Goldfinger’s greed is exceeded only by his disrespect for human life. When his secretary Jill sleeps with Bond, after Bond catches him cheating at cards, Goldfinger has her killed by smothering her with gold paint. The dead girl’s sister is also killed when she follows Goldfinger to Switzerland and attempts revenge. Bond is captured by Goldfinger’s huge manservant Oddjob, and almost killed by a deadly laser beam. Drugged, he finds himself on Goldfinger’s private jet being flown to America by Pussy Galore. Bond wins over Pussy and she helps thwart Goldfinger’s plot to rob Fort Knox.
CAST…
Goldfinger starred Sean Connery as James Bond, Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore, Gert Fröbe as Auric Goldfinger, Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson, Tania Mallet as Tilly Masterson, Harold Sakata as Oddjob, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Martin Benson as Solo, Cec Linder as Felix Leiter, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Austin Willis as Simmons, Bill Nagy as Midnight, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Michael Mellinger as Kisch, Peter Cranwell as Johnny, Nadja Regin as Bonita, Richard Vernon as Colonel Smithers, and Burt Kwouk as Mr. Ling.
PRODUCERS…
The film was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Goldfinger was directed by Guy Hamilton
RELEASE DATE…
The film was released on September 17, 1964, in the United Kingdom and December 22, 1964, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Goldfinger had its big screen debut on September 17, 1964, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Goldfinger filmed on location in Switzerland; Kentucky and Miami, U.S.A., and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, Stoke Poges, and London, U.K..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Goldfinger” – performed by Shirley Bassey, with music composed and arranged by John Barry, and song lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley.
VEHICLES…
The film included vehicles featuring Bond’s silver birch Aston Martin DB5; Goldfinger’s 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III; Lockheed Jet Star plane (Goldfinger’s private jet and Presidential jet); Mr. Solo’s 1964 Lincoln Continental; Oddjob’s Ford Ranchero; Leiter’s 1964 Convertible Ford Thunderbird; Tilly Masterson’s Convertible Ford Mustang (known as T-5 in Europe); Pussy Galore’s Hiller 12E4 helicopter; Lockheed US VC-140B (military VIP version of the JetStar); US Army ambulance (mobile platform for Goldfinger’s industrial laser gun).
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Goldfinger’s gold-plated revolver
- Aston Martin DB5 laden with gadgets. Production designer Ken Adam’s fantasy ‘extras’ includes hydraulic over-riders used as battering rams, front-mounted machine guns concealed behind the indicator lights, a bullet-proof shield to protect the rear window, revolving license plates valid in England, France, and Switzerland, concealed in the rear light clusters, a high-powered oil jet and a device that dispensed nails, rear smoke screen, revolving tire slasher that emerge from the hub of the rear wheel, mobile phone concealed within the driver’s door panel, a weapons tray underneath the driver’s seat, on-board radar display screen for tracking, a weapons control panel concealed within the center armrest, a passenger ejector seat with a button hidden in the top of gear stick.
- Grappling gun
- Homer device
- Industrial laser
- Metal-brimmed bowler hat
- Atomic bomb
- Nerve gas canisters
- Seagull snorkel
TRIVIA…
Aston Martin loaned the filmmakers the first-ever development prototype of the DB5, which they subsequently cut out part of the roof to make the famous ejector seat stunt work.
The DB5’s revolving numberplate was an idea of director Guy Hamilton after he received multiple parking tickets in London.
Hamilton was told by Gert Fröbe’s agent that he could speak perfect English. On his first day of filming, it became apparent that he could not, and so actor Michael Collins was brought in during post-production to dub over Fröbe.
The inside of Fort Knox had rarely been seen, and so it was initially decided the film’s fight would take place outside the building. Cubby Broccoli insisted the film enter the building, and said he wanted the interior to resemble a ‘cathedral of gold’.
Three weeks prior to release, a crew of three, including Guy Hamilton and Cubby Broccoli, traveled to Fort Knox to film some last-minute shots, including one of a squad of soldiers falling dead.
A very young Michael G. Wilson, current co-producer of EON’s Bond films had his film debut as an extra when Pussy Galore’s planes are taking off. He also doubled for Sean Connery in the back of an army truck when the team shot in Fort Knox.
THUNDERBALL (1965)
SPECTRE steals a Vulcan bomber carrying two nuclear warheads and holds NATO to ransom to the sum of $100 million. In a race against time, Bond discovers the only lead – a photo of NATO pilot Major Derval with his sister, Domino – and is assigned to Nassau to investigate. Once he contacts Domino, and sees her connection to Emilio Largo, Bond and his team hunt for the bombs on board Largo’s yacht, the Disco Volante, and at his villa, Palmyra, but without success. After dispatching SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe, Bond enlists the help of Domino by showing her proof that Largo killed her brother. As the Disco Volante sails for Miami with the bombs aboard, Domino is discovered spying and is tortured by Largo. Bond takes part in the thrilling underwater fight between SPECTRE and US aqua paratroopers, before tackling Largo on board the Disco Volante. As Largo is about to shoot Bond, Domino harpoons him, gaining revenge for the murder of her brother.
CAST…
Thunderball stars Sean Connery as James Bond, Claudine Auger as Domingo, Adolfo Celi as Largo, Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona, Rik Van Nutter as Felix Leiter, Guy Doleman as Count Lippe, Molly Peters as Patricia, Martine Beswick as Paula, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Roland Culver as Foreign Secretary, Earl Cameron as Pinder, Paul Stassino as Palazzi, Rose Alba as Madame Boitier, Philip Locke as Vargas, George Pravada as Kutze, and Michael Brennan as Janni.
PRODUCER…
Thunderball was produced by Kevin McClory.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS…
Thunderball was executive produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Thunderball was directed by Terence Young.
RELEASE DATE…
Thunderball was released on December 29, 1965, in the United Kingdom and December 21, 1965, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Thunderball had its big screen debut on December 9, 1965, at Hibiya Cinema in Tokyo, Japan.
LOCATIONS…
Thunderball was filmed on location at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire and London, U.K.; France; Nassau, Bahamas; Miami, Florida, U.S.A..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Thunderball” – performed by Tom Jones, with lyrics by Don Black, arranged by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Thunderball featured Bond’s silver birch Aston Martin DB5; Fiona Volpe’s BSA Lightning Motorcycle with missiles; Largo’s Disco Volante, hi-tech yacht; Fiona Volpe’s convertible Mustang; Largo’s Thunderbird; Vulcan Bomber; Count Lippe’s Ford Skyliner.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Para Aqua Co2 spear guns
- Mini-rebreather
- Breitling Geiger counter
- Bell-Textron Jet Pack
- Underwater camera with infrared film
- Radioactive pill and mini flare device
- Underwater propulsion unit
- Remote control device disguised as a cigarette case
TRIVIA…
Special effect supervisor John Stears won the Oscar for visual effects for his remarkable achievements. Incredibly, he did not even realize he had been nominated until his Oscar was delivered to him.
25% of the screen time takes place underwater.
There were only two men in the world qualified to operate Bond’s famous rocket pack, which was developed by the army for battle use. These two men were brought to France to film the sequence.
Ken Adam designed a corridor in the pool, made of Perspex glass so that Sean Connery could get close to the sharks.
Corgi produced their first James Bond Aston Martin DB5 which became the best-selling toy of the year in the U.K..
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967)
James Bond is assassinated by Chinese agents in Hong Kong, but it is a ruse so that Bond can travel incognito to Japan and investigate the hijacking of American and Russian spacecraft. Together with Tiger Tanaka and Aki of the Japanese Secret Service, Bond traces a supply of liquid oxygen, which is used to fuel rockets, to a southern Japanese island. So that Bond can live on the island without arousing suspicion, he becomes Japanese in appearance, trains with Tanaka’s ninjas, and marries Kissy Suzuki. Bond and Kissy look into the mysterious death of a fishing girl and discover that SPECTRE, commanded by Ernst Stavro Blofeld, has a secret rocket complex hidden inside a volcano. Bond, Tanaka, Kissy, and the ninjas attack the base and stop Blofeld from detonating a nuclear war between Russia and America, but Blofeld escapes, leaving the base to self-destruct.
CAST…
You Only Live Twice starred Sean Connery as James Bond, Akiko Wakabayashi as Aki, Mie Hama as Kissy, Tetsurô Tamba as Tiger Tanaka, Teru Shimada as Mr. Osato, Karin Dor as Helga Brandt, Donald Pleasence as Blofeld, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, and Charles Gray as Henderson.
PRODUCERS…
You Only Live Twice was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
You Only Live Twice was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
RELEASE DATE…
You Only Live Twice was released on June 12, 1967, in the United Kingdom and June 13, 1967, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
You Only Live Twice had its big screen debut on June 12, 1967, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
You Only Live Twice was filmed on location at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire U.K.; Hong Kong, China; Japan; Bahamas; Spain.
THEME MUSIC…
The theme of the film was “You Only Live Twice” – performed by Nancy Sinatra, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, and music composed and conducted by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in You Only Live Twice featured Aki’s white Toyota 2000GT convertible; Little Nellie’s autogyro; Tanaka’s train; Helga’s Meyers 200A airplane.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Gyrojet rocket guns
- Fin jet dart – a rocket-powered projectile fired from a cigarette accurately up to 30 yards.
- Safecracker device
- CCTV/gun device in Osato’s office allowing him to remotely view intruders and fire at them. A CCTV is also found in Japanese Secret Agent Aki’s Toyota 2000GT.
- Little Nellie
- Wall walking devices
- Monorail inside Blofeld’s volcano lair
- X-Ray desk device
- Lipstick magnesium flare
- Underwater breathing unit
- Trapdoor bridge
- Flash paper
- Limpet mine
- Murphy Bed used to fake Bond’s murder
- Ninja Throwing Stars
- Poison string
- Trapdoor slide
TRIVIA…
Stunt performer Vic Armstrong was the first ninja down the ropes inside the volcano set – his first Bond film for the future 2nd Unit Director.
It was Producer Cubby Broccoli’s wife Dana who came up with the idea to dispatch the baddies car with a giant magnet and dump them in the middle of Tokyo Bay.
Sean Connery’s wife, Diane Cilento doubled for Mie Hama in the diving/swimming scenes because the Japanese actress was not a confident swimmer.
Wing Commander Wallis made 85 take-offs and landings (46 hours in the air) in his autogyro on location to get seven and a half minutes of screen time.
The sumo wrestlers would not ‘fake’ a match and therefore this scene was shot with a real match taking place and a crowd of 8,000.
The volcano is set to cost more than the entire budget of Dr. No.
Every lamp in Pinewood Studios was used to light the volcano set.
ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969)
While James Bond is hunting Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE, at a beach he saves Tracy from committing suicide by drowning. Afterward Bond and Tracy begin a relationship that gives her a reason to live. With the help of Tracy’s father, Draco, head of the Unione Corse crime syndicate, Bond tracks down Blofeld to Piz Gloria, on a mountaintop in the Alps. Here he finds that Blofeld is brainwashing a group of women to act as his secret agents of biological warfare so that he can blackmail world powers. Bond infiltrates Piz Gloria disguised as Sir Hilary Bray of the College of Arms. When his real identity is discovered, Bond escapes and reunites with Tracy, but she is captured by Blofeld after being caught in an avalanche. The world powers refuse to attack Blofeld, so Draco leads the Unione Corse’s attack on Piz Gloria and rescues Tracy. During the siege, Bond fights Blofeld on a bob-sleigh run and believes Blofeld to be dead. Afterward, Tracy and Bond marry, but Blofeld exacts his revenge when Tracy is killed in a hail of bullets intended for Bond.
CAST…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service starred George Lazenby as James Bond, Diana Rigg as Tracy, Telly Savalas as Blofeld, Gabriele Ferzetti as Draco, Ilse Steppat as Irma Bunt, Angela Scoular as Ruby, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, George Baker as Sir Hilary Bray, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Bernard Horsfall as Campbell, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Yuri Borienko as Grunther.
PRODUCERS…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was directed by Peter R. Hunt.
RELEASE DATE…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was released on December 18, 1969, in the United Kingdom and the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service made its big screen debut on December 18, 1969, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service filmed on location in London, and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, U.K.; Switzerland; Portugal.
THEME MUSIC…
The theme of the film was “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” – composed, conducted, and arranged by John Barry and “We Have All The Time In The World” – performed by Louis Armstrong, written by Hal David.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service featured James Bond’s Aston Martin DBS; Tracy’s Mercury Ford Cougar; Bobsleds; Blofeld’s silver Mercedes-Benz 600.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Safe-cracking photocopy device
- Radioactive lint
- Minox A/III camera
- Folding rifle was hidden in Bond’s Aston Martin DBS’ glove box
- Compact communicator that houses a shortwave radio allowing Blofeld to communicate with his Angels of Death.
TRIVIA…
Switzerland had the mildest winter in 40 years when the production arrived to film the ski sequences.
The storyline required a heliport adjoining Blofeld’s mountain-top fortress. So at a cost of £60,000, the production hauled more than 500 tons of cement and equipment to the peak by helicopter and cable car – and built one. That also covered the cost of installing a 2,000 amp generator to power the camera crew’s lights.
120 crew members had to travel every day via cable car – 3,000 meters, a 20-minute journey.
Richard Graydon decided to use local expert skiers not stuntmen for Blofeld’s ski chase scene.
For the key sequence at a skating rink, the production team flooded a car park in Grindelwald every night until the ice that formed was thick enough to withstand the wear and tear of over 100 skaters. The same technique was employed for the stock car chase on ice utilizing a large open field between Stechelberg and Lauterbrunnen.
750 extras were employed for the Grindelwald ice skating scene.
For the thrilling ski chase scenes, world-class champion Willy Bogner Jr skied backward down the mountainside with a hand-held camera, skiers traveling at high speed behind him. Johnny Jordan was filmed while suspended 18 feet below a jet helicopter in a specially built harness while pilot, John Crewedson ‘buzzed’ mountain peaks and glaciers.
Stefan Zurcher – aka The Snowman’ was a Piz Gloria guard – stuntman/skier in this film, the first of nine Bond films he worked on in different capacities.
The name Piz Gloria was taken from Ian Fleming’s original novel and has been adopted by the restaurant ever since.
To get the over-the-shoulder shots of Blofeld on the bobsled run, Willy Bogner Jr. was tethered to the back of the bob with a 20-foot cable that could be quickly released by knocking out a stick.
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER (1971)
MI6 assigns Bond to investigate who is hoarding the world’s supply of diamonds. The case leads Bond to Amsterdam, where he poses as criminal Peter Franks and meets Tiffany Case, a glamorous gemstone smuggler. Bond and Tiffany smuggle the diamonds to Las Vegas, where Bond suspects that reclusive industrialist Willard Whyte is behind the conspiracy. Bond infiltrates Whyte’s desert laboratory and finds that the diamonds are being used as part of a laser beam satellite. Back in Vegas, Bond sneaks into Whyte’s penthouse, where he comes face-to-face with his arch-nemesis Blofeld, who has kidnapped Whyte and is impersonating him. Blofeld plans to hold the world hostage for ransom with the deadly satellite. After being left for dead by assassins Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint, Bond and Tiffany follow Blofeld to his oil-rig base. As CIA helicopter gunships attack, Bond disarms the satellite and prevents Blofeld’s escape. On the sea voyage back to London, Bond disposes of Kidd and Wint as they try to assassinate him.
CAST…
Diamonds Are Forever starred Sean Connery as James Bond, Jill St. John as Tiffany Case, Charles Gray as Blofeld, Lana Wood as Plenty O’Toole, Jimmy Dean as Willard Whyte, Bruce Cabot as Albert R. Saxby, Putter Smith as Mr. Kidd, Bruce Glover as Mr. Wint, Norman Burton as Leiter, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Joseph Fürst as Dr. Metz, Leonard Barr as Shady Tree, Margaret Lacey as Mrs. Whistler, Joe Robinson as Peter Franks, David de Keyser as Doctor, and Laurence Naismith as Sir Donald Munger.
PRODUCERS…
Diamonds Are Forever was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Diamonds Are Forever was directed by Guy Hamilton.
RELEASE DATE…
Diamonds Are Forever was released on December 17, 1971, in the United States, and on December 30, 1971, in the United Kingdom.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Diamonds Are Forever had its big screen debut on December 30, 1971, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Diamonds Are Forever was filmed on location in Las Vegas, Nevada; California; France; Amsterdam, Holland; and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, U.K..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Diamonds Are Forever” – performed by Shirley Bassey, with lyrics by Don Black, composed and arranged by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Diamonds Are Forever featured Peter Frank’s Triumph Stag; Blofeld’s Bath-o-sub; Tiffany’s Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback, and a moon buggy.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Voice simulator used by Blofeld to impersonate Willard Whyte
- False fingerprints
- Biometric fingerprint scanner
- Piton gun
- Honda ATV was used by Tectronics workers and apprehended by Bond to escape.
- Wave walker
- Electro-magnetic RPM controller ring
- Bombe surprise
- Diamond satellite laser beam
- Elevator gas chamber
- Finger clamp
TRIVIA…
The original script featured Goldfinger’s twin brother as the villain.
The idea for the film came to Cubby Broccoli in a dream.
The South Africa scenes were actually shot in the desert outside Las Vegas.
The crew shut down the Las Vegas strip for five nights to film the iconic car chase.
During re-shoots, the crew accidentally filmed the car on the wrong two wheels, resulting in a last-minute addition of an interior shot of the car switching wheels.
LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)
While investigating the deaths of three British agents, James Bond falls foul of gangster Mr. Big, who seems to have connections to Dr. Kananga, the president of San Monique. Bond follows leads to New Orleans, then to San Monique, where he is aided by double agent Rosie Carver. After freeing Kananga’s girlfriend, Solitaire, a seer who foretells the future with Tarot cards, Bond discovers that Kananga and Mr. Big are one and the same. Via his chain of Fillet of Soul restaurants, Kananga plans to flood the USA with two tons of free heroin, which will put his competitors out of business and allow him to monopolize the drug’s supply. When Solitaire is recaptured by Kananga, Bond, with help from CIA agent Felix Leiter and Quarrel Jr, returns to San Monique to kill Kananga and save Solitaire, before she is ritually sacrificed by Baron Samedi, the voodoo chief.
CAST…
Live and Let Die starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Yaphet Kotto as Kananga/ Mr. Big, Jane Seymour as Solitaire, Clifton James as Sheriff Pepper, Julius W. Harris as Tee Hee, Geoffrey Holder as Baron Samedi, David Hedison as Leiter, Gloria Hendry as Rosie, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Tommy Lane as Adam, Earl Jolly Brown as Whisper, Roy Stewart as Quarrel, Lon Statton as Strutter, Ruth Kempf as Mrs. Bell, and Joie Chitwood as Charlie.
PRODUCERS…
Live and Let Die was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Live and Let Die was directed by Guy Hamilton.
RELEASE DATE…
Live and Let Die was released on June 27, 1973, in the United States and July 6, 1973, in the United Kingdom.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Live and Let Die had its big screen debut on July 6, 1973, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Live and Let Die was filmed on location in New Orleans; Jamaica; Harlem, New York City; and at Pinewood Studios, England.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Live And Let Die” – performed and written by Paul McCartney & Wings.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Live and Let Die featured the Airport Chauffeur’s Chevrolet Impala; Whisper’s Cadillac Corvorado; Mr. Big’s Cadillac Fleetwood; Glastron speedboats; London bus; Bond’s hang glider.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Pulse detonator
- Rolex electromagnet watch with saw
- Clothes brush transmitter
- Shark gun
- The ‘Felix Lighter’ radio transmitter/receiver
- Flute communicator
- Kananga’s scarecrows
- Shoe-shine box communicator
- Revolving dinner table/wall
- Mechanical prosthetic arm
- Side mirror dart gun
- Handcuff chair
- Aerosol can makeshift flame thrower
- Bug detector
- Incendiary bombs
- Reversible jacket
TRIVIA…
This is only the second time we see the interior of Bond’s townhouse since we saw a glimpse in Dr. No 11 years before.
Many of the cast received tarot card readings on set.
The driver of the London bus was an instructor for the London Passenger Transport Board. Jane Seymour was actually in the back of the bus for filming the stunt, not a body double.
It took stuntman Ross Kananga five attempts to execute the famous crocodile stunt, where Bond jumps across three crocodiles to cross the water.
It was Moore’s idea for Bond to wear the crocodile loafers in the scene with the crocodiles.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974)
James Bond receives a gold bullet inscribed with “007”, signifying he has been targeted by high-class professional assassin Francisco Scaramanga known as “The Man with the Golden Gun”. 007 is relieved of his current assignment, the search for scientist Gibson and his solex agitator, the solution to the global energy crisis, and determines to find Scaramanga. The trail leads to a specialist armorer Lazar in Macau, then to Scaramanga’s contact Andrea and industrialist Hai Fat in Hong Kong. After killing Gibson, Scaramanga steals the solex agitator and kidnaps MI6 liaison office Mary Goodnight. A homing device leads Bond to Scaramanga’s lair, an isolated island in Chinese waters. Bond travels there by seaplane, kills Scaramanga in a duel, retrieves the solex agitator, and escapes with Goodnight in Scaramanga’s junk.
CAST…
The Man with the Golden Gun starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Christopher Lee as Francisco Scaramanga, Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight, Maud Adams as Andrea Anders, Hervé Villechaize as Nick Nack, Clifton James as J.W. Pepper, Richard Loo as Hai Fat, Soon-Taik Oh as Hip, Marc Lawrence as Rodney, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Marne Maitland as Lazar, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, James Cossins as Colthorpe, and Chan Yiu Lam as Chula.
PRODUCERS…
The Man with the Golden Gun was produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
The Man with the Golden Gun was directed by Guy Hamilton.
RELEASE DATE…
The Man with the Golden Gun was released on December 19, 1974, in the United States and in the United Kingdom.
WORLD PREMIERE…
The Man with the Golden Gun had its big screen debut on December 19, 1974, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed on location in Macau; Hong Kong; Bangkok, and Phuket, Thailand; at Pinewood Studios, England, and in London, U.K..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “The Man With The Golden Gun” – performed by Lulu, with lyrics by Don Black, and composed by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in The Man with the Golden Gun featured an AMC Hornet Hatchback; Scaramanga’s Flying AMC Matador; Scaramanga’s junk; Mary Goodnight’s MGB GT.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Solex agitator
- Solar power plant
- Industrial laser cannon
- Tracking device
- The golden gun used by Scaramanga is a 4.2 caliber gold-plated pistol assembled from a cigarette case (the handle), lighter (the bullet chamber), fountain pen (the barrel), and cuff link (the trigger). The weapon fires one gold bullet which Scaramanga conceals in his belt buckle.
- Beretta 950 automatic
- Fake third nipple
- Three-fingered sniper rifle
TRIVIA…
This was Ian Fleming’s last 007 novel before he died.
For the famous corkscrew jump, the car had to be completely stabilized, so the steering wheel was relocated to the middle of the car.
Loren “Bumps” Willert performed the corkscrew stunt in one take. Director Guy Hamilton was worried the car stunt looked ‘too perfect’, and that audiences would think it was unrealistic.
The kickboxing match was a real fight and many of the spectators were not aware there would be a Bond movie filming there that day.
This was the last Bond film produced by Harry Saltzman.
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977)
After British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads vanish, James Bond travels to Egypt, where illicit microfilm plans for a submarine tracking system are being offered for sale. In Cairo, he meets KGB agent Major Anya Amasova, who is on the same mission. After their contact is murdered, they fight Jaws, a steel-toothed villain in the pay of industrialist Karl Stromberg. MI6 and the KGB order Bond and Amasova to work together. In Sardinia, they encounter Stromberg and suspect that he is behind the submarine disappearances. After being chased by Jaws and Stromberg’s henchmen, they escape underwater in Bond’s amphibious Lotus Esprit. Onboard a US submarine, the spies learn more about Stromberg’s underwater base, Atlantis, and about the supertanker The Liparus. When their sub is captured by The Liparus, a huge vessel, that “swallows” submarines, Bond discovers Stromberg’s plan to trigger a nuclear war. Bond leads the captured sailors against The Liparus’ crew and defeats Stromberg. Atlantis sinks but Jaws escapes.
CAST…
The Spy Who Loved Me starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Barbara Bach as Major Anya Amasova, Curt Jurgens as Stromberg, Richard Kiel as Jaws, Caroline Munro as Naomi, Walter Gotell as General Gogol, Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense, George Baker as Captain Benson, Michael Billington as Sergei, Olga Bisera as Feliccia, Edward De Souza as Sheikh Hosein, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Vernon Dobtcheff as Max Kalba, Valerie Leon as Hotel Receptionist, Sydney Tafler as Liparus Captain, and Nadim Sawalha as Fekkesh.
PRODUCER…
The Spy Who Loved Me was produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
The Spy Who Loved Me was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
RELEASE DATE…
The Spy Who Loved Me was released on July 7, 1977, in the United Kingdom and in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
The Spy Who Loved Me had its big screen debut on July 7, 1977, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
The Spy Who Loved Me was filmed on location in Egypt; Sardinia; Canada; Malta; Scotland; Okinawa; Switzerland and at Pinewood Studios, England. The underwater sequence was filmed in Nassau, Bahamas.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Nobody Does It Better” – performed by Carly Simon, with lyrics by Carole Bayer Sager, composed by Marvin Hamlisch.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in The Spy Who Loved Me featured a Lotus Esprit S1; The Liparus tanker; a Wet bike; a Rocket-firing motorcycle; Stromberg’s helicopter; Jaws’ van; a Hovercar/speedboat; Mini-submarine; Stromberg’s escape pod, Bond’s wet bike.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Jaws’ metal teeth
- Beretta 950 automatic
- Micro-film viewer assembled from a cigarette case and lighter
- Ski pole gun capable of firing .30 calibre round from a four-shot magazine in the handle
- Seiko 0674 telex watch
- Knockout cigarette
- Wet Nellie – a Lotus Esprit that transforms into a submarine includes front mounted underwater rockets, an underwater smoke/ink screen, a limpet mine dispenser and radar-guided surface-to-air missiles. On land armed with a rear cement blaster.
- Linear induction craft
- Sea launched ballistic missiles (SBLMs)
- High explosive detonator
- Atlantis sea base
- Waterproof helipad
- Surveillance monitor
- Trick elevators with trap doors
- Dinner table gun
- Retracting paintings
- Escape pods
TRIVIA…
The second time we see James Bond on skis – this time played by Roger Moore.
In July 1976 John Glen directed a skeleton crew and stunt performer Rick Sylvester at the remote location of Asgard Peak, a 3,000ft cliff on Baffin Island, Canada for the Union Jack parachute jump for the pre-title sequence. After waiting weeks for good filming weather conditions, it took three minutes and three cameras to successfully put this opening stunt in the can on the first and only take.
The production team could only get to the summit of Mount Asgard by helicopter, but you can’t fly helicopters all the way from Frobisher Bay. They had to dismantle the helicopters, pack the parts in crates, fly the crates to the take-off point in the area, then reassemble them.
Glen was reunited with champion skier cameraman Willy Bogner Jr. to complete the opening ski sequence on location in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Filming in St. Moritz had to be abandoned when bad weather descended. Visiting press photographers were evacuated first. The weather deteriorated and – with the exception of Glen, Bogner, and stunt skier Ed Lincoln – the remaining crew were forced to stay put and survived the blizzard by building a snow house.
Bond’s ski pole gun used in the opening sequence is on display at 007 Elements.
The Spy Who Loved Me is the first time a James Bond actor (Roger Moore) has appeared in the main title sequence.
Producer Michael G. Wilson took many of the underwater film stills which feature on several of the posters for The Spy Who Loved Me.
MOONRAKER (1979)
When the Moonraker space shuttle is hijacked, M sends Bond to the shuttle’s manufacturer, Hugo Drax, to investigate. Bond follows clues that lead him first to Venice, where he discovers Drax’s laboratory manufacturing a highly toxic nerve gas, and then to Rio, where he teams up with CIA agent and astrophysicist Holly Goodhead. At every turn they are attacked by Jaws on Drax’s orders. Bond goes into the jungle to find the source of the nerve gas, but instead discovers that Drax is launching multiple space shuttles filled with couples who will find safe haven in his secret space station. Drax plans to send pods containing deadly nerve gas to Earth to destroy the human race, and will later repopulate it with his master race of perfect physical specimens. A platoon of US marines arrives in a shuttle and defeat Drax’s men in a laser battle, while Bond and Dr. Goodhead track and destroy the deadly gas.
CAST…
Moonraker starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Lois Chiles as Dr. Holly Goodhead, Michael Lonsdale as Hugo Drax, Richard Kiel as Jaws, Corinne Cléry as Corinne Dufour, Bernard Lee as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Toshirô Suga as Chang, Geoffrey Keen as Sir Frederick Gray, Emily Bolton as Manuela, Michael Marshall as Col. Scott, Walter Gotell as General Gogol, and Blanche Ravalec as Dolly – Jaws’ Girlfriend.
PRODUCER…
Moonraker was produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Moonraker was directed by Lewis Gilbert.
RELEASE DATE…
Moonraker was released on June 26, 1979, in the United Kingdom and on June 27, 1979, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Moonraker had its big screen debut on June 26, 1979, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Moonraker was filmed on location in France; Brazil; Venice, Italy; Guatemala; the U.S.A; England; and outer space.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Moonraker” – performed by Shirley Bassey, lyrics by Hal David, composed by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Moonraker featured The ‘Bondola’; Glastron boat/hang glider; space shuttle, MP Lafer, and Drax’s Hispano Suiza.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Jaws’ metal teeth
- Centrifuge trainer
- Wrist dart gun
- X-ray safe-cracking device concealed within a cigarette case
- Seiko digital LCD M354 watch with detonating cord, detonating cable and explosive device
- Assassin’s weapon coffin
- A mini camera imprinted with 007
- Laser rifles and pistols that can be shot in space
- Exploding bolas
- Mexican machine gun
- A machine gun was hidden in a mannequin
- Gold pen with poison hypodermic needle
- Christian Dior atomizer that shoots flames
- A notebook that shoots a small dart
- The transmitter was hidden in Holly Goodhead’s handbag• Gravity control unit
- Drax space shuttle and NASA space shuttle
- Laser canon
- Cloaking device
- Nerve gas globes
TRIVIA…
The Spy Who Loved Me was originally intended to be followed by For Your Eyes Only, but with the increasing popularity of science fiction, Broccoli changed course to Moonraker.
The movie was filmed in four studios across three countries.
The pre-title parachute sequence, conceived by Michael G. Wilson, was filmed as an experiment in advance of principal photography in case it wasn’t successful.
Lois Chiles (Holly Goodhead) was cast after meeting director Lewis Gilbert on a plane.
The crew customized four gondolas, which traveled at speeds of up to 60mph in the Venice canals.
It took five attempts to film the gondola turning into a hovercraft and mounting the street, with Moore capsizing and falling into the water four times.
The film marked the 11th and final appearance of Bernard Lee as ‘M’.
At the time, the film featured the largest amount of breakaway glass in any scene, and the largest simulated weightless scene ever filmed.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY (1981)
James Bond is ordered to retrieve the Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator (ATAC), housed on a sunken spy ship, the St. Georges. When Sir Timothy Havelock, a marine archaeologist secretly helping the British to locate the ship, is murdered along with his wife, Bond is dispatched to Spain to find out who hired the hitman, Gonzales, but before he can find out, Gonzales is killed by Havelock’s daughter, Melina. In Italy, Bond and Melina seek organized-crime figure Milos Columbo through businessman Aristotle Kristatos, then travel to Corfu to pursue Columbo. Columbo reveals that Kristatos is responsible for Havelock’s murder and is working with the Russians to obtain the ATAC. After retrieving the ATAC from the wreck of the St. Georges, Bond and Melina are captured by Kristatos but survive his attempt to drown them. Aided by Columbo, Bond and Melina infiltrate the mountaintop monastery of St. Cyril’s, where Bond retrieves the ATAC and prevents Melina from killing Kristatos, who dies at Columbo’s hand. As the Russians arrive to collect the ATAC, Bond destroys it so neither East nor West can have it.
CAST…
For Your Eyes Only starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Carole Bouquet as Melina, Julian Glover as Kristatos, Topol as Columbo, Lynn-Holly Johnson as Bibi, Cassandra Harris as Lisl, Michael Gothard as Locque, Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense, James Villiers as Tanner, Walter Gotell as General Gogol, Jill Bennett as Jacoba Brink, Jack Hedley as Haveock, John Moreno as Ferrara, Charles Dance as Claus, and Paul Angelis as Karageorge.
PRODUCER…
For Your Eyes Only was produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
For Your Eyes Only was directed by John Glen.
RELEASE DATE…
For Your Eyes Only was released on June 24, 1981, in the United Kingdom and on June 26, 1981, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
For Your Eyes Only had its big screen debut on June 24, 1981, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
For Your Eyes Only was filmed on location in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy; Corfu, Kalambaka, Meteora, Greece; Stoke Poges, and at Pinewood Studios, England. Certain underwater scenes were filmed in the Bahamas.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “For Your Eyes Only” – performed by Sheena Easton, and written by Bill Conti and Mike Leeson.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in For Your Eyes Only featured Lotus Esprit Turbo; Citroen 2CV; Yamaha motorcycle; The Neptune submarine, and Locque’s Mercedes Benz 280 SE.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Seiko H357 digital Analog alarm watch with a display for scrolling LED text messages and a radio transmitter for communication
- ATAC – Automatic Targeting Attack communicator
- 3-D visual identigraph
- Binocular camera
- Crossbow
- Electrified headset
- Helicopter remote unit
- JIM diving suit
Photo Credit: United Artists. All Rights Reserved.
TRIVIA…
John Glen’s directing debut and the first of five Bond films. Glen has directed more Bond films than any other director.
The third time we see Bond on skis this time in Cortina, Italy.
For Your Eyes Only is the first time the theme song performer (Sheena Easton) is depicted in the main title sequence.
Michael G. Wilson the Executive Producer and co-screenplay author has a cameo as a Greek priest.
The film was inspired by two of Fleming’s short stories, For Your Eyes Only and Risico.
Because of an inner ear problem, Carole Bouquet couldn’t actually dive, so her underwater scenes were shot with wind machines and fake bubbles.
The film was Peter Lamont’s first film as Production Designer, taking the sets in a more realistic direction.
Dana Broccoli suggested casting Topol as Milos Columbo to Cubby Broccoli after meeting him at a party.
Director John Glen’s onscreen trademark became pigeons flying out and surprising his characters. In For Your Eyes Only, Bond almost falls from the rocky outcrop when this happens.
OCTOPUSSY (1983)
009 is found dead at the British Ambassador’s residence in East Berlin, dressed as a circus clown and carrying a fake Fabergé egg. MI6 sends Bond to investigate when the real egg appears at a London auction. Bond swaps the real egg with the fake, and drives up the bidding against exiled Afghan prince Kamal Khan, who ultimately wins the auction. Bond follows Khan back to his palace in Rajasthan, India, where he discovers that Khan is working with Orlov, a renegade Soviet general, and is using Octopussy’s circus troupe to smuggle Soviet treasures into the West. Bond infiltrates the circus, and finds that Orlov has replaced the treasures with a nuclear warhead, primed to explode during the show at a US Air Force base in West Germany. He convinces Octopussy that Khan has betrayed her, and she assists Bond in deactivating the warhead. Bond and Octopussy return to India and launch an assault on Khan’s palace. Khan and bodyguard Gobinda capture Octopussy as they escape on a plane. Bond clings to the fuselage in a fight to the death with Gobinda, and manages to rescue Octopussy moments before the plane crashes, killing Khan.
CAST…
Octopussy starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Maud Adams as Octopussy, Louis Jourdan as Kamal Khan, Kabir Bedi as Gobinda, Steven Berkoff as Orlov, Kristina Wayborn as Magda, Vijay Armitraj as Vijay, Robert Brown as ‘M’, Walter Gotell as Gogol, Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, David Meyer as Twin One, Tony Meyer as Twin Two, Michaela Clavell as Penelope Smallbone, Albert Moses as Sadruddin, Douglas Wilmer as Fanning, and Andy Bradford as 009.
PRODUCER…
Octopussy was produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Octopussy was directed by John Glen.
RELEASE DATE…
Octopussy was released on June 6, 1983, in the United Kingdom and on June 10, 1983, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Octopussy had its big screen debut on June 6, 1983, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Octopussy was filmed on location in Udaipur, India; Berlin, Germany; London, Nene Valley Railway, RAF Northolt base & at Pinewood Studios, England; and the U.S.A.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “All Time High” – performed by Rita Coolidge, with lyrics by Tim Rice, and composed by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Octopussy featured an Acrostar Mini Jet; Tuk-Tuk ‘Company Taxi’; Q’s hot-air balloon; Crocodile submarine; Bianca’s Range Rover; Orlov’s Mercedes.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Briefcase bomb compartment
- Yo-Yo Buzz Saw
- Seiko G757 Sports 100 watch containing a radio directional finder and liquid crystal television watch
- Mont Blanc fountain pen with listening devices and nitric and hydrochloric acid
- Atomic bomb
- Beretta 950 automatic known as the Jetfire
- Loaded dice
- Fabergé egg with homing device and transmitter
- Five-bladed knife
- Rapier missile launcher
- Reversible jacket
- The weighted skirt which can be used as a throwing weapon
TRIVIA…
Executive Producer, Michael G. Wilson along with his wife, Jane, pose as tourists on a boat in India who help Bond escape.
Maud Adams is the only actress to appear in two different leading roles in the Bond films.
Tennis player Vijay Amritraj was the first person cast after Albert R. Broccoli, a huge tennis fan, met him at Wimbledon.
The Bede BD-5 jet pre-title sequence had originally been planned for Moonraker.
The crew faced many problems with large crowds in India. The bicycle riding between the tuk-tuks in the chase sequence was not planned, and the man riding the bike completely ignored the film crew.
There were two Bond films released in 1983, Never Say Never Again, was released by a competing studio over ownership rights, but starred Sean Connery in a return to the role of James Bond. It is not part of the official Bond film count.
A VIEW TO A KILL (1985)
A microchip James Bond recovers from the body of 003 in Siberia is a copy of one impervious to a nuclear blast’s magnetic pulse. It is made by a company recently acquired by the Anglo-French combined Zorin Industries, so Bond is assigned to investigate Max Zorin. In Paris, Bond meets detective Aubergine to find out about Zorin, but Aubergine is killed by Zorin’s bodyguard May Day. Bond poses as a horse trainer to infiltrate Zorin’s equestrian estate, but his cover is blown, and Zorin tries to drown him. 007 survives and tracks Zorin to San Francisco, where Zorin is planning Project Main Strike: the destruction of Silicon Valley by detonating explosions in mines beneath lakes and flooding the Hayward and San Andreas faults. With help from geologist Stacey Sutton, Bond sabotages Zorin’s scheme. Finding an unexpected ally in May Day, whom Zorin has betrayed, Bond prevents the main explosion from detonating. As Zorin escapes in his airship, he kidnaps Stacey. The final confrontation between Bond and Zorin is atop the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, where Zorin falls to his death.
CAST…
A View To A Kill starred Roger Moore as James Bond, Christopher Walken as Max Zorin, Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton, Grace Jones as May Day, Patrick Macnee as Tibbett, Patrick Bauchau as Scarpine, David Yip as Chuck Lee, Fiona Fullerton as Pola Ivanova, Manning Redwood as Bob Conley, Alison Doody as Jenny Flex, Willoughby Gray as Dr. Carl Mortner, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Robert Brown as ‘M’, Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny, Walter Gotell as General Gogol, Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense, Jean Rougerie as Aubergine, Daniel Benzali as Howe, Bogdan Kominowski as Klotkoff, Papillon Soo as Pan Ho, Mary Stavin as Kimberley Jones, Dolph Lundgren as Venz, and Bill Ackridge as O’Rourke.
PRODUCERS…
A View To A Kill was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
DIRECTOR…
A View To A Kill was directed by John Glen.
RELEASE DATE…
A View To A Kill was released on June 13, 1985, in the United Kingdom, and on May 24, 1985, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
A View To A Kill had its big screen debut on May 22, 1985, at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California, U.S.A..
LOCATIONS…
A View To A Kill was filmed on location in Iceland; Paris and Chateau Chantilly, France; London, and at Pinewood Studios, England.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “A View To A Kill” – performed by Duran Duran, and written by Duran Duran and John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in A View To A Kill featured Tibbett’s silver 1962 Roll-Royce Silver Cloud II; Renault 11 taxi; Zorin’s airships; Iceberg submarine; Stacy’s Jeep Cherokee (XJ); Pola Ivanova’s silver Chevrolet Corvette C4.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Camera ring
- Shaver bug detector
- Polarizing sunglasses
- Cheque book copier
- Remote triggered implant
- ‘Snooper’ surveillance robot
- Avalanche-rescue receiver
- Computer mirror camera
- Limpet mines
- Micro-comparator
- Sharper Image credit card
- Thermos bomb
TRIVIA…
For A View To A Kill, 1985 Bond (Roger Moore) dons a ski suit for a 4th time on location in Lake Jökulsárlón, Iceland, and Piz Palü on the Vedretta di Scerscen Inferiore glacier, Swiss Alps doubling for Siberia.
Bond escapes his pursuers by jumping into an ice floe getaway vehicle with a Union Jack hatch. His co-pilot, agent Kimberley Jones, was played by Mary Stavin, Miss World 1977, who had also been in Octopussy.
Although snowboarding had been seen in a short French film in 1983 – it made its debut in a major feature film in A View To A Kill.
Tom Sims, snowboard pioneer and World Snowboard Champion (1982) along with Steve Link doubled for Roger Moore for the snowboarding sequences.
Stunt skier John Eaves mainly doubled for Roger Moore in the skiing and snowmobiling sequences.
The film was Moore’s seventh and final appearance as 007.
The production was set back after the 007 stage was burnt down during the filming of Ridley Scott’s Legend, meaning the stage had to be rebuilt.
The film was Lois Maxwell’s final appearance as Miss Moneypenny.
A lot of the dialogue between Roger Moore and Patrick Macnee was improvised.
Patrick Macnee drove Albert R. Broccoli’s real Rolls Royce in the film.
During filming in San Francisco, Maud Adams visited the set to see Moore and appeared as an extra.
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (1987)
After a training exercise in Gibraltar is hijacked and an MI6 agent is murdered, it seems that the KGB’s old policy of Smert Spionam (Death to Spies) has been reactivated. Bond is sent to Czechoslovakia to support the defection of a Russian Army Officer, Koskov. He becomes suspicious when the sniper he has to assassinate appears to be a glamorous cellist, Kara Milovy. Later, when Koskov is kidnapped from the MI6 safe house, Bond’s suspicions are heightened and he combines his official assignment to assassinate General Leonid Pushkin – the new head of the KGB, whom Koskov has named as the initiator of the Smert Spionam policy – with an investigation into Kara and Koskov. Bond, with Kara in tow, pursues Koskov to Tangier, where he is hiding with arms/drug dealer Whitaker and his hired killer, Necros. Betrayed by Kara, Bond is kidnapped and taken to Afghanistan. He escapes and, with the assistance of an army of Afghan rebels led by charismatic Kamran Shah, brings down Whitaker’s illegal activities.
CAST…
The Living Daylights starred Timothy Dalton as James Bond, Maryam d’Abo as Kara Milovy, Jeroen Krabbé as General Georgi Koskov, Joe Don Baker as Brad Whitaker, John Rhys-Davies as General Leonid Pushkin, Art Malik as Kamran Shah, Andreas Wisniewski as Necros, Thomas Wheatley as Saunders, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Robert Brown as ‘M’, Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny, John Terry as Felix Leiter, Geoffrey Keen as Minister of Defense, Walter Gotell as General Anatol Gogol, Virginia Hey as Rubavitch, John Bowe as Col. Feyador, Julie T. Wallace as Rosika Miklos, and Belle Avery as Linda.
PRODUCERS…
The Living Daylights was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
DIRECTOR…
The Living Daylights was directed by John Glen.
RELEASE DATE…
The Living Daylights was released on June 30, 1987, in the United Kingdom, and on July 31, 1987, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
The Living Daylights had its big screen debut on June 29, 1987, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
The Living Daylights was filmed on location in Ouarzazate, Tangier, Morocco; Gibraltar; the sky over California, U.S.A.; Vienna, Weissensee, Austria; Oxfordshire, Beachy Head, RAF Wittering, Thetford, Norfolk, London and at Pinewood Studios, England.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “The Living Daylights” – written and performed by A-ha, and produced by John Barry.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in The Living Daylights featured an Aston Martin Volante, Aston Martin V8; British SAS Land Rover Series III; Saunder’s Audi 200 Quattro; Red Army’s Land Rover Series III armored; Harrier jet; Hercules C-130 aircraft, Chevrolet Impala Convertible, cello case.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Walther WA 2000 sniper’s rifle
- Colt Commando Model M733 assault rifle with ballistic face shield
- Philips key fob – Bond activates the key fob with a wolf whistle and then by whistling the first bars of ‘Rule Britannia’ stun gas is released to a range of 5ft (1.5m). It is also packed with a highly concentrated plastic explosive and the skeleton keys open 90 percent of the world’s locks
- Milk bottle grenades
- Fake assassination kit consisting of a bulletproof vest, a clear plastic bag containing ‘blood’ and a blood capsule for ‘the victim’ to bite into at the time of the ‘fake’ shooting
- Hydraulic detonator
- Night-vision goggles
- Opium bomb
- Pipeline pig
- Emergency alarm watch
- Rake metal detector
TRIVIA…
At a script conference in LA, director John Glen came up with the idea to use Kara’s cello case to make their escape down the snowy hillside after self-destructing Bond’s Aston Martin. Glen had a cello case sent up from the MGM music stage and invited Albert R. Broccoli to try out his idea with him. It was snug but they both fit – it went into the script.
Bond and Kara’s escape included sliding through a border control requiring Bond to throw the cello in the air and catch it after they pass under the barrier. Timothy Dalton wanted to try it himself and executed this stunt perfectly for the camera.
Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson began writing The Living Daylights before casting Timothy Dalton.
This was the last Bond film to be scored by John Barry.
One of the prop missiles in Q’s lab was set off by Prince Charles, who visited the set with Princess Diana.
The fight sequence between Bill Weston (as Safe House Security) and Andreas Wisniewski (as Necros) took three days to shoot.
LICENCE TO KILL (1989)
En route to the wedding of his friend Felix Leiter in Florida, Bond and Leiter take a detour to arrest drug baron Franz Sanchez. It doesn’t take too long, however, for Sanchez to break himself out of jail, and kill the new Mrs. Leiter and maim Felix. Bond seeks revenge. With his license revoked by the British government, and with the aid of CIA operative Pam Bouvier as well as MI6 gadget specialist Q, they bring Sanchez and his entire corrupt drug empire to its knees.
CAST…
Licence To Kill starred Timothy Dalton as James Bond, Carey Lowell as Pam Bouvier, Robert Davi as Franz Sanchez, Talisa Soto as Lupe Lamora, Anthony Zerbe as Milton Krest, Frank McRae as Sharkey, Wayne Newton as Professor Joe Butcher, Benicio Del Toro as Dario, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, David Hedison as Feliz Leiter, Robert Brown as ‘M’, Everett McGill as Killifer, Anthony Starke as Truman-Lodge, Pedro Armendáriz Jr. as President Hector Lopez, Priscilla Barnes as Della Churchill, Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny, Don Stroud as Heller, and Grand L. Bush as Hawkins.
PRODUCERS…
Licence To Kill was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson.
DIRECTOR…
Licence To Kill was directed by John Glen.
RELEASE DATE…
Licence To Kill was released on June 13, 1989, in the United Kingdom, and on July 14, 1989, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Licence To Kill had its big screen debut on June 13, 1989, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Licence To Kill was filmed on location in Key West, Florida; Churubusco Studios in Mexico City, Isla Mujeres, Cancun, Veracruz, Mexicali, near Acapulco, and near Toluca, Mexico.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Licence To Kill” – performed by Gladys Knight, and written by Michael Walden, Jeffrey Cohen, and Walter Afanasieff.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Licence To Kill featured Kenworth tankers; The WaveKrest ship; Q’s 1978 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow; Pam’s crop duster plane.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Beretta 950 Automatic known as the Jetfire
- Cigarette packet detonator used in conjunction with plastic explosives disguised as Denton toothpaste
- Laser camera
- Exploding alarm clock
- A signature gun disguised as a Hasselblad camera
- Rappelling cummerbund
- Manta ray cover
- Iguana tail whip
- Broom radio transmitter
- Decompression chamber
- Kevlar vest
- Stinger missiles
TRIVIA…
The final Bond film produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
Dalton did many of the stunts himself, including running from the exploding tanker.
This was the fifth and final Bond film directed by John Glen.
The film also marked the final appearances of Robert Brown as M and Caroline Bliss as Moneypenny.
This was the first film to not use the title of an Ian Fleming story.
This was the first Bond film to be shot outside the UK in its entirety, with Estudios Churubusco in Mexico replacing Pinewood for interior shots.
The film was originally called ‘Licence Revoked’.
This was the last film that Maurice Binder designed/shot the main title credit sequence.
Michael Kamen wrote the film score for the first time after John Barry’s run of 26 years.
GOLDENEYE (1995)
It’s 1986, James Bond and agent 006, Alec Trevelyan, infiltrate a Russian weapons factory, but Trevelyan is killed by General Ourumov while Bond escapes. Nine years later General Ourumov and Russian mafia assassin Xenia Onatopp attack the Severnaya satellite control center and gain control of the GoldenEye weapons system in outer space. Only computer programmer Natalya Simonova escapes Severnaya alive. In St Petersburg, Bond discovers that Trevelyan had faked his own death, and is planning to use the GoldenEye system to punish Britain for betraying his Cossack parents, who later committed suicide. After a dramatic tank chase on the streets of St Petersberg, Bond and Natalya join forces to track Trevelyan to Cuba and infiltrate his facility. Natalya reprograms GoldenEye, and Bond fights Trevelyan to the death on the installation’s giant radio dish.
CAST…
GoldenEye starred Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Sean Bean as Alec Trevelyan, Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova, Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp, Joe Don Baker as Jack Wade, Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky, Alan Cumming as Boris Grishenko, Gottfried John as Colonel Ourumov, Tchéky Karyo as Dimitri Mishkin, Michael Kitchen as Bill Tanner, Serena Gordon as Caroline, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Samantha Bond as Moneypenny, Minnie Driver as Irina, Pavel Douglas as French Warship Captain, Olivier Lajous as French Warship Officer, and Billy J. Mitchell as Admiral Chuck Farrell.
PRODUCERS…
GoldenEye was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
GoldenEye was directed by Martin Campbell.
RELEASE DATE…
GoldenEye was released on November 24, 1995, in the United Kingdom, and on November 17, 1995, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
GoldenEye had its big screen debut on November 13, 1995, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, NY, U.S.A..
LOCATIONS…
GoldenEye was filmed on location in Monte Carlo, Monaco; near Thorenc, France; St. Petersburg, Russia; Nene Valley, Peterborough, London, Leavesden Studios, England; Puerto Rico; Locarno, Switzerland.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “GoldenEye” – performed by Tina Turner, and written by Bono and The Edge.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in GoldenEye featured Bond’s BMW Z3 Roadster; Aston Martin DB5; Tiger helicopter; Xenia’s 1995 Ferrari 355; Russian tank; Cagiva Motorcycle; Trevelyan’s armored train; British Airways Boeing 757-200; Whitaker’s blue ZAZ 965.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- GoldenEye device
- Parker Pen grenade
- Piton belt
- Code-cracking device
- Piton laser gun
- Omega Seamaster laser watch – 300M Diver Quartz not only features a laser but by pressing the watch’s helium release valve it disarms limpet mines
- Digital monocular
- Magnetic Limpet mines
- Rocket firing leg cast
- Phone box with concealed suffocating airbag
- X-ray document scanner concealed in a tray
TRIVIA…
This was the first Bond film to use CGI, with computer graphics being used to create the iconic gun barrel opening reimagined by Daniel Kleinman who also produced the main title sequence.
‘GoldenEye’ is the name of Ian Fleming’s house in Jamaica where he wrote the Bond novels and short stories.
Brosnan drank water in place of his vodka martini on set.
The famous tank chase took approximately four weeks to film, the tank was nicknamed Metal Mickey by the crew.
This was Barbara Broccoli’s first Bond film as a producer.
The film marked the return of the Aston Martin DB5, which had not appeared in a Bond film since Thunderball (1965).
Pierce Brosnan never traveled to St. Petersburg for filming. Peter Lamont recreated the Russian streets on the Leavesden film lot.
TOMORROW NEVER DIES (1997)
While James Bond spies on a terrorist arms bazaar, he identifies “techno terrorist” Henry Gupta, who is buying a stolen American GPS encoder. As Bond hijacks a Russian plane carrying nuclear torpedoes, Gupta escapes with the encoder during the confusion. Gupta is working for media baron Elliot Carver, who plans to provoke a war between China and the United Kingdom, Gupta uses the encoder to send the British frigate HMS Devonshire off-course into Chinese waters, where Carver’s stealth ship, commanded by Stamper, sinks the frigate with a sea drill and steals one of its missiles. Bond has 48 hours to investigate the sinking before the British and Chinese go to war. Bond investigates Carver in Hamburg, seduces Carver’s wife, Paris, and steals the GPS encoder. Carver orders assassin, Dr. Kaufman to kill Paris and Bond. Paris dies, but Bond kills Kaufman and escapes. Bond travels to the South China Sea and discovers that one of the missiles is missing from the wreck of the HMS Devonshire. Wai Lin, a Chinese agent on the same case, and Bond are captured by Stamper and taken to Carver’s headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City, but they escape and team up. They board Carver’s stealth ship to prevent him from firing the stolen British missile at Beijing. In the final confrontation, Bond detonates an explosive exposing the ship on the radar to the Royal Navy, and kills Carver with the sea drill.
CAST…
Tomorrow Never Dies starred Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver, Michelle Yeoh as Wai Lin, Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver, Joe Don Baker as Jack Wade, Götz Otto as Stamper, Ricky Jay as Henry Gupta, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, Geoffrey Palmer as Admiral Roebuck, Colin Salmon as Robinson, Vincent Schiavelli as Dr. Kaufman, Cecilie Thomsen as Professor Inga Bergstrom, Nina Young as Tamara Steel, and Daphne Deckers as PR Lady.
PRODUCERS…
Tomorrow Never Dies was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Tomorrow Never Dies was directed by Roger Spottiswoode.
RELEASE DATE…
Tomorrow Never Dies was released on December 12, 1997, in the United Kingdom, and on December 19, 1997, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Tomorrow Never Dies had its big screen debut on December 9, 1997, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Tomorrow Never Dies was filmed on location in Bangkok, Thailand; Hamburg, Germany; the Pyrenees, France; Baja Studios, Mexico; Sugarloaf Airfield, Florida, U.S.A.; London, Stoke Poges Golf Club, Eon Studios at Frogmore, Hertfordshire and at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, Oxford, and Stansted Airport, U.K..
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Tomorrow Never Dies” – written and performed by Sheryl Crow, and produced by Mitchell Froom.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Tomorrow Never Dies featured a BMW 750iL; BMW R1200C motorcycle; Stealth ship; Aston Martin DB5; Carver’s henchmen MercedesS-class (W126), Range Rover (P38a series II), and a Range Rover helicopter.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Ericsson phone (includes a 20,000-volt stun gun, a fingerprint scanner, and an electronic lock pick hidden in the antenna. When opened a color LCD screen can be used with the touchpad to remotely drive Bond’s BMW 750iL)
- Walther P99 9mm
- Heckler & Koch 9mm P7 pistol
- Heckler & Koch MP543 submachine guns
- Ninja throwing stars
- Snake bracelet/piton
- Lock pick disguised as earrings
- Dragon statue flame thrower
- Chinese fan which when unfolded fires wire restraints across a room
- Rickshaw which can fire a projectile
- GPS encoder
- Chakra torture kit
- Dunhill cigarette lighter grenade
- Limpet mines
- Omega Seamaster 300M Diver – modified by Chinese People’s External Security Force
- Radar-guided Gatling gun
- Sea vac drill
TRIVIA…
Michelle Yeoh performed most of her own stunts.
The film was dedicated to the memory of Albert R. Broccoli, who passed away the year before the release.
The opening sequence was originally intended for The Living Daylights.
Much of the snow in the opening sequence was fake, as the warm weather was melting the existing snow.
The location in the Pyrenees doubling for the Khyber Pass had a runway that was too steep and narrow for high-speed jets to land – so the production team dismantled the jets – took them up to the location and rebuilt them.
The first of four Bond films to be scored by David Arnold who was recommended to the producers by John Barry.
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH (1999)
Following the murder of her father, oil magnate Sir Robert King, Elektra is assigned a bodyguard – MI6’s top agent James Bond. Sir Robert, an old friend of M’s, has been assassinated by terrorist Renard, who also seems to be targeting the 800-mile King pipeline, under construction from Azerbaijan to bring oil to the West. Freelance terrorist Renard has a bullet lodged in his skull following a run-in with 009; slowly dying, he feels no pain. Bond and Elektra become emotionally involved, but it transpires that Elektra, previously the victim of a kidnapping plot by Renard, seduced him and engineered the takeover of her father’s business empire. Elektra kidnaps M and plans to detonate a nuclear explosion in Istanbul, contaminating the Bosphorus and ensuring the King pipeline is the sole oil route west. Bond, aided by atomic physicist Dr. Christmas Jones, kills Elektra and Renard, rescues M, and prevents the cataclysm.
CAST…
The World Is Not Enough starred Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Sophie Marceau as Elektra King, Robert Carlyle as Renard, Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, Robbie Coltrane as Valentin Zukovsky, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Desmond Llewelyn as ‘Q’, John Cleese as ‘R’, Maria Grazia Cucinotta as Cigar Girl, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, Michael Kitchen as Bill Tanner, Colin Salmon as Robinson, Goldie as Bull, David Calder as Sir Robert King, Serena Scott Thomas as Dr. Molly Warmflash, Ulrich Thomsen as Davidov, John Seru as Gabor, Claude-Oliver Rudolph as Colonel Akakievich, Patrick Malahide as Lachaise, Omid Djalili as Foreman, Jeff Nuttal as Dr. Arkov, and Diran Meghreblian as Coptic Priest.
PRODUCERS…
The World Is Not Enough was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
The World Is Not Enough was directed by Michael Apted.
RELEASE DATE…
The World Is Not Enough was released on November 26, 1999, in the United Kingdom, and on November 19, 1999, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
The World Is Not Enough had its big screen debut on November 8, 1999, at Bruin & Fox Theatre, in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A..
LOCATIONS…
The World Is Not Enough was filmed on location in Baku, Azerbaijan; Istanbul, Turkey; Chamonix, France; Tudela and Bilbao, Spain; offshore Bahamas; Snowdonia National Park, Wales; Hankley Common, Surrey, Swindon, London and at Pinewood Studios, England; Eilean Donan Castle, Scotland.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “The World Is Not Enough” – performed by Garbage, with lyrics by Don Black, and written by David Arnold.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in The World Is Not Enough featured a Q Boat; BMW Z8; Parahawks; Zukovsky’s cream Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II; Sunseeker Superhawk, and Aston Martin DB5.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther P99
- Heckler & Koch G36K & H&K HK21 machine guns
- Inflatable avalanche survival jacket
- Detonator spectacles
- An Omega watch with piton
- Nuclear weapon
- Lapel pin transmitter
- Locator card
- Pipeline PIG
- Torture chair
- Visa card skeleton key
- Walking stick gun
- X-ray specs
TRIVIA…
Bond (Pierce Brosnan) on skis for the fifth time on location in Chamonix, France doubling for the Caucasus Mountains between the Caspian and Black Seas.
Stunt coordinator Simon Crane selected champion extreme skiers Francine Moreillon and Stephan Dan to double for Sophie Marceau and Pierce Brosnan because they were also expert guides who knew the rocks, crevasses, and other hazards of Mont Blanc and the surrounding mountains.
The parahawks used in the ski chase sequence are hybrids designed by the Bond production team.
Emmanuel Prévinaire’s mini helicopter with its flying eyeball provides some of the most spectacular swooping shots in the ski chase sequence.
A 170-strong crew shooting for four weeks captured the four-and-a-half minutes of ski chase film time.
The shooting took place at 12,000 feet to get the virgin snow and rugged backdrop that second unit director Vic Armstrong wanted.
The 14-minute pre-title sequence is the Bond series’ longest.
The World Is Not Enough marked Desmond Llewelyn’s final appearance as ‘Q’.
DIE ANOTHER DAY (2002)
In North Korea, Bond kills Colonel Moon, who is trading weapons for African blood diamonds, and disfigures Moon’s henchman Zao in the process. Bond is captured and spends 14 months in prison before being exchanged for Zao, who had been captured by the British. MI6 believes Bond has cracked under torture, so he is disavowed. Bond tracks Zao to a Havana clinic, where he meets NSA agent Jinx Johnson, and finds out Zao is receiving DNA therapy to alter his appearance. After Zao escapes from the clinic, Bond follows the diamonds to London and then to billionaire Gustav Graves. M also suspects Graves – she planted agent Miranda Frost as Graves’ assistant – and gives Bond back his 00 status. In Iceland Graves unveils Icarus, a powerful laser satellite. Working together, Bond and Jinx discover that Graves is actually Moon; the colonel didn’t die in Korea and altered his appearance with gene therapy. Moon plans to use Icarus to help North Korea invade the South, but Bond and Jinx stow away on his cargo plane, where Jinx kills Frost, who had switched her allegiances to Moon, and Bond kills Moon, so preventing the invasion.
CAST…
Die Another Day starred Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, Halle Berry as Jinx Johnson, Toby Stephens as Gustav Graves, Rosamund Pike as Miranda Frost, Rick Yune as Zao, Michael Madsen as Damian Falco, Will Yun Lee as Colonel Moon, Kenneth Tsang as General Moon, Judi Dench as ‘M’, John Cleese as ‘Q’, Samantha Bond as Miss Moneypenny, Emilio Echevarría as Raoul, Michael Gorevoy as Vlad, Lawrence Makoare as Mr. Kil, Colin Salmon as Robinson, Ben Wee as Snooty Desk Clerk, Ho Yi as Mr. Chang, and Rachel Grant as Peaceful.
PRODUCERS…
Die Another Day was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Die Another Day was directed by Lee Tamahori.
RELEASE DATE…
Die Another Day was released on November 20, 2002, in the United Kingdom, and on November 22, 2002, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Die Another Day had its big screen debut on November 18, 2002, at The Royal Albert Hall in London.
LOCATIONS…
Die Another Day was filmed on location in Hawaii, U.S.A.; Aldershot, London, Eden Project, Cornwall, Gloucestershire, Chinnor, Burford, Oxfordshire & at Pinewood Studios, England; Penbryn Beach, Ceredigion, Wales; Iceland; Cadiz, Spain.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Die Another Day” – written and performed by Madonna, produced by Mirwas Ahmadzaï.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Die Another Day featured an Aston Martin V12 Vanquish; Jaguar XKR; Ford Thunderbird; Ford Fairlane Sunliner, Range Rover (L322), Graves’ ice dragster; Osprey hovercraft; Antonov aircraft; switchblade gliders; British Airways Boeing 747-400, Lamborghini Diablo, Ferrari F355 GTS.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther P99
- Beretta Cheetah and Tomcat used by NSA agent Jinx
- Icarus satellite
- Battlesuit
- Surfboard with hidden weapons tray concealing a Walther P99 and ammunition, nylon rope, a tray of C-4 plastic explosives, a combat knife, and a GPS device
- Combat Knife Beacon
- An Omega watch with laser and detonator
- Mini rebreather
- Sonic Ring
- ASAT Missile (Anti-Satellite Missile)
- Bounding mines
- Da Vinci machines
- Dream Machine
- Kevlar vest
- Industrial lasers
- Night-vision goggles
- Tank Buster semi-automatic/canon
- Virtual reality glasses
- Jinx’s descender device
TRIVIA…
The ice palace took six months to construct.
Scenes featuring a North Korean beach in the pre-titles were in fact filmed in Cornwall, England.
This is the first film where Bond is seen with a beard.
Although producer Michael G. Wilson had made several cameos in Bond films since Goldfinger, this was his first credited cameo appearance.
The film marked the 40th anniversary of the franchise.
Die Another Day debuted the remodeled Ford Thunderbird that would be out in 2003 for purchase.
Die Another Day marked Pierce Brosnan’s final appearance as James Bond.
CASINO ROYALE (2006)
After becoming a 00 agent, James Bond hunts down a bomb maker in Madagascar, which leads him to shady financier Alex Dimitrios in the Bahamas, and then to a plot to blow up the prototype Skyfleet airliner at Miami Airport. By preventing the bombing, Bond leaves criminal banker Le Chiffre on the verge of bankruptcy – Le Chiffre lost his clients’ money by betting on Skyfleet’s failure on the stock market. Le Chiffre sets up a high-stakes poker game in Montenegro to win back the lost money. Bond attends with Treasury agent Vesper Lynd and wins, but Le Chiffre kidnaps Lynd and tortures Bond in an attempt to regain the winnings. They are saved when Mr. White, a senior figure in the terrorist organization QUANTUM, he kills Le Chiffre. However, Lynd is secretly working for White and has made a deal with him to save Bond’s life. In love with Lynd, Bond resigns from MI6 and travels to Venice with her. There, he realizes she has betrayed him and stolen the money. After a gunfight with QUANTUM’s men in a collapsing Venetian villa, Lynd lets herself drown because she cannot bear the burden of her guilt. Bond pursues White and shoots him in the leg, then introduces himself; “The name’s Bond, James Bond.”
CAST…
Casino Royale starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, Eva Green as Vesper Lynd, Mads Mikkelsen as Le Chiffre, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Ginacarlo Giannini as Rene Mathis, Caterina Murino as Solange, Simon Abkarian as Alex Dimitrios, Isaach De Bankole as Steven Obanno, Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, Ivana Milicevic as Valenka, Tobias Menzies as Villiers, Claudio Santamaria as Carlos, Sébastien Foucan as Mollaka, Malcolm Sinclair as Dryden, Richard Sammel as Adolph Gettler, Ludger Pistor as Mendel, and Joseph Millson as Carter.
PRODUCERS…
Casino Royale was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Casino Royale was directed by Martin Campbell.
RELEASE DATE…
Casino Royale was released on November 16, 2006, in the United Kingdom, and on November 17, 2006, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Casino Royale had its big screen debut on November 14, 2006, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Casino Royale was filmed on location at Modrany & Barrandov Studios, in Prague and Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic; New Providence and Paradise Island, Bahamas; Dunsfold Aerodrome, Black Park, at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire, England; at Lake Como & Venice, Italy.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “You Know My Name” – performed by Chris Cornell, composed by Chris Cornell and David Arnold.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Casino Royale featured an Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DBS, Notar MD-600N helicopter, Skyfleet S570, Spirit 54 yacht, Sunseeker Predator 108, Texron tanker, Jaguar XJ8, Range Rover Sport, Ford Mondeo.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Walther P99
- Mobile phone tracker
- Key fob detonator
- The Medipack located in the glove compartment of Bond’s Aston Martin DBS
- Tracking device implant
- Heckler & Koch UMP45 submachine guns
- Heckler & Koch UMP9 9mm submachine gun
- Le Chiffre’s knotted rope
- Obanno’s machete
- Backpack bomb
- Nail gun
TRIVIA…
Special permission was granted for Bond and Vesper’s yacht (the Spirit 54) to sail along the Grand Canal between the Accademia and Rialto bridges, marking the first time in many years a yacht has sailed the Grand Canal.
Production designer Peter Lamont is the only crew member to have worked with all six Bond actors as well as working on more Bond films (18 out of 21) than anyone else.
The effects team created an exterior Venetian house model, built to one-third scale, to shoot the building collapsing into the Venetian canal. The same computer system used to control the three-story dilapidated interior set also controlled the model’s hydraulics so Corbould and his team could exactly replicate the motion of the interior set.
Producer Michael G. Wilson has a cameo as a corrupt Montenegrin police chief.
The Guinness World Record for the most cannon rolls in a car are seven and achieved by a stuntman, Adam Kirley, in an Aston Martin DBS, during filming at Millbrook Proving Ground, Milton Keynes.
This is the first Bond film that does not include both Q and Moneypenny’s characters.
The only Bond film to have a black-and-white pre-title sequence and not begin with the gun barrel sequence.
Bond reveals the recipe for his favorite martini, ‘The Vesper.’
The bomb maker Mollaka, whom Bond pursues through the Nambutu Embassy, is played by Sébastien Foucan, the co-creator and one of the foremost practitioners in the art of Parkour, also known as “Free Running”.
Casino Royale is the first Bond novel that Ian Fleming wrote but the rights were not available to EON until the year 2000.
Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming dressed Vesper in red and made sure that none of the extras wore any red so that we could see her as Bond catches glimpses of her through the crowds in Venice. It’s a small homage to Don’t Look Now.
QUANTUM OF SOLACE (2008)
Quantum Of Solace starts 10 minutes after the end of Casino Royale. Bond’s search for answers behind Vesper’s betrayal leads him to uncover QUANTUM, a sinister organization whose tentacles spread across the globe, with double agents buried within the British government, MI6, and the CIA. Evidence takes him to Haiti, where he meets Camille. She is an agent who has her own vengeance-fueled agenda, to avenge her family’s deaths at the hands of former Bolivian dictator General Medrano. Posing as the girlfriend of faux-environmentalist Dominic Greene, she becomes suspicious of his land acquisition and business relationship with Medrano. With Bond by her side, they discover Greene is part of QUANTUM, an organization that is secretly appropriating all of Bolivia’s water supply and replacing its left-of-center president with a more pliable leader.
CAST…
Quantum Of Solace starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, Olga Kurylenko as Camille, Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Giancarlo Giannini as Rene Mathis, Gemma Arterton as Strawberry Fields, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, David Harbour as Gregg Beam, Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, Anatole Taubman as Elvis, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, Tim Pigott-Smith as Foreign Secretary, Joaquín Cosio as General Medrano, Fernando Guillén Cuervo as Colonel of Police, Jesús Ochoa as Lt. Orso, Lucrezia Lante della Rovere as Gemma, Glenn Foster as Mitchell, and Paul Ritter as Guy Haines.
PRODUCERS…
Quantum Of Solace was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Quantum Of Solace was directed by Marc Forster.
RELEASE DATE…
Quantum Of Solace was released on October 31, 2008, in the United Kingdom, and on November 14, 2008, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Quantum Of Solace had its big screen debut on October 29, 2008, at Odeon Leicester Square in London.
LOCATIONS…
Quantum Of Solace was filmed on location at Bruneval Barracks, Montgomery Lines in Aldershot, Farnborough Airport, Bodyflight, Bedford, and Virgin’s ‘The Base’ Crawley. The Reform Club, London, at Pinewood Studios, England; Howard Airport, Casa Vejo, Panama City, Coco Solo, Cabra Island, Colon, Panama; The ESO Paranal, Atacama desert, Chile; Torre di Talamonaccio, Siena, Lake Garda, Carrera, Italy; Bregenz, Austria; Baja California, Mexico.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Another Way To Die” – performed by Jack White and Alicia Keys, and composed by David Arnold.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Quantum Of Solace featured an Aston Martin DBS, Alfa Romeos (156, 159), Bell UH-1H Huey helicopter, Douglas DC-3, Sunseeker Superhawk 43, Ford Ka, Indigenous boat, Montesa motorbike, Ford Edge, Volkswagen Beetle, Range Rover Sport.
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Sony Ericsson mobile phone identification imager
- QUANTUM earpiece
- Smart table
- Heckler & Koch UMP9 submachine gun
- Heckler & Koch G36C assault rifles
- Nail scissors
- Shard of glass
- Oil
- Fire Axe
TRIVIA…
For the stunt where Bond and Camille freefall out of the DC3 aircraft, Daniel Craig and Olga Kurylenko performed it at a wind tunnel facility called Bodyflight. ‘Flying’ in the wind tunnel is the closest you can come to freefalling 10,000 feet without actually jumping out of a plane.
In order to film the high-octane foot chase across the rooftops of Siena, the production team had to remove the existing tiles from the houses and reinforce the roofs, so the actors’ feet did not break through the tiles during the stunt.
Over 200,000 rounds of blank ammunition were purchased for testing, training, and filming.
Quantum Of Solace was filmed in more locations than any other Bond movie covering six different countries including: the UK, Panama, Chile, Mexico, Italy, and Austria.
Over a period of just 12 days, the special effects team set off 54 controlled explosions whilst filming the climax of the movie on the world-famous 007 Stage.
Producer Michael G. Wilson has a cameo as a man reading a newspaper in a Haitian hotel lobby.
SKYFALL (2012)
James Bond chases assassin Patrice through the streets of Istanbul to recover a flash drive containing the names of every MI6 and NATO agent embedded in terrorist organizations around the world. As Bond and Patrice fight on top of a moving train, on M’s orders field agent, Eve attempts to shoot Patrice, but she hits Bond. He falls 300 feet into the water below and is presumed dead. MI6 is attacked, forcing M to relocate the agency underground. These events cause her authority and position to be challenged by Mallory, the new chairman of the Intelligence and Security Committee. Bond returns broken and full of doubts. He fails MI6’s physical and psychological tests, but M lies to him and tells him he has passed, and she sends him on a mission to track down Patrice in Shanghai. Assuming Patrice’s identity, Bond follows clues that lead him to Severine in Macau, and then to her master, Silva, on an abandoned island. Silva is a former MI6 agent seeking revenge for M’s betrayal of him, but Bond captures him before he can carry out his plan. As M goes in front of a board of inquiry, and Q tries to hack into Silva’s computer, Silva escapes and Bond goes in pursuit. Silva attacks the board of inquiry, but Bond gets M out safely and drives her north to his ancestral home in Scotland, Skyfall. With the help of groundskeeper Kincade, Bond and M defend Skyfall from Silva’s assault, and defeat him, but not before M receives a fatal wound. Later Bond reports to Mallory – the new M – and is ready to take on his new mission.
CAST…
Skyfall starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, Javier Bardem as Silva, Judi Dench as ‘M’, Ralph Fiennes as Gareth Mallory, Naomie Harris as Eve, Bérénice Marlohe as Sévérine, Albert Finney as Kincade, Ben Whishaw as ‘Q’, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, Ola Rapace as Patrice, Helen McCory as Clair Dowar MP, Nicolas Woodeson as Doctor Hall, Bill Buckhurst as Ronson, Elize du Toit as Vanessa, Ian Bonar as MI6 Technician, Gordon Milne as M’s Driver, Peter Basham as Vauxhall Bridge Police Guard, and Ben Loyd-Holmes as Vauxhall Bridge Police Guard
PRODUCERS…
Skyfall was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Skyfall was directed by Sam Mendes.
RELEASE DATE…
Skyfall was released on October 26, 2012, in the United Kingdom, and on November 9, 2012, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Skyfall had its big screen debut on October 23, 2012, at The Royal Albert Hall in London.
LOCATIONS…
Skyfall was filmed on location at Longcross & Pinewood Studios, London locations, and Hankley Common, Surrey, England; Glencoe, Scotland; Shanghai, China; Istanbul, Fethiye, Adana, and Calis Beach, Turkey.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Skyfall” – performed by Adele, and written by Adele and Paul Epworth.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Skyfall featured an Aston Martin DB5, Audi A5, AW101 helicopter, London underground train, Jaguar XJ8, Land Rover Defender, Land Rover Discovery 4, Mercedes S-class (W221), Range Rover (L322, series III).
Q BRANCH…
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Anderson Wheeler 500 NE double-barrelled rifle
- AN/MI4 grenades
- Radio transmitter
- Walther PPK/S 9mm short with a micro-dermal sensor in the grip coded to Bond’s palm print. A panel flashes green when the gun is ready to fire
- Beretta 70
- Heckler & Koch HK416 assault rifles
- Lightbulb bombs
- Hunting knife
TRIVIA…
Although the opening sequence lasts only 12 minutes on screen, it took three months of rehearsals and two months of filming to produce.
The production went to great lengths to protect and preserve the Grand Bazaar’s historic architecture, which included floating reinforced steel roof panels over the existing tiles to protect the original structure.
For the scene on Calis Beach, the crew had to negotiate with the 613 part owners of the beach to allow filming to take place on this beautiful Turkish coastline.
The 007 Stage was home to the spectacular underground train crash that occurs when Bond is chasing Silva. For the crash, the crew built two full-size train carriages, each weighing seven tons. It was too dangerous to allow people to stay on the sound stage, so ten remotely operated cameras were placed inside the 007 Stage to cover the crash from various angles.
The paddock tank doubled as the exterior of the Golden Dragon Casino. The set was lit by 300 floating lanterns and two 30ft high dragon heads. 12 artisans were flown in from China to create authentic structures. They were made from wound steel cables, and silk fabric and lit from within by 400 light bulbs.
The exterior of M’s house in the film is the former home of the legendary Bond composer John Barry. Filmmakers thought it would be a fitting tribute to the late composer, who passed away in 2011.
When it came time to casting Silva’s mercenaries, Sam Mendes wanted actors rather than stuntmen. In order to find actors that could fit the physical bill, Gary Powell set up a stunt training camp. Starting with 42 men, the group had to learn how to throw punches, react to punches, hold guns and react to being shot. The group was eventually narrowed down to the seven men who looked most natural.
Skyfall marks the first film for ten-time Oscar®-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins to shoot on a digital camera.
This is the seventh Bond film that the Aston Martin DB5 has been featured in. It first appeared in Goldfinger in 1964 and subsequently appeared in Thunderball, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, and Casino Royale.
It took nine weeks and 250 crew to build the underground MI6 Headquarters on the 007 stage.
Bond’s tie had to be weighted for the motorbike chase. The weight kept the tie from flying around when he drove at high speeds.
This is the first Bond movie where we find out what Miss Moneypenny’s first name is, Naomie Harris, plays Eve, and we eventually by the end, find out her last name is Moneypenny.
SPECTRE (2015)
On a rogue mission in Mexico City Bond kills an assassin. Back in London, Bond is grounded by M but confides in Moneypenny that he was acting on orders from the previous M before she died. Bond travels to Rome and infiltrates a secret meeting, but their leader Franz Oberhauser, reveals Bond’s presence. The terrifying Hinx pursues Bond in a car chase. In Austria, Bond meets his old nemesis Mr. White and makes a promise to keep Mr. White’s daughter safe in exchange for leading him to Oberhauser. The daughter, Dr. Madeleine Swann, is reluctant to help, but after Bond rescues her from Hinx she agrees. She reveals the secret organization is SPECTRE. Swann leads Bond to Tangier and from there they journey by train to a desert location, Swann makes Bond question the life he has chosen for himself. Hinx appears and a vicious fight ensues. At a high-tech facility in the desert Bond and Swann meet Oberhauser, He amasses information to manipulate events and is about to gain control of a global surveillance network. After Oberhauser tortures Bond and reveals himself to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Bond and Swann escape and destroy the base. In London Bond debriefs M, is captured by Blofeld, then rescues Swann. Bond has the opportunity to kill Blofeld but decides to let him live. Bond joins Swann, leaving his old life behind.
CAST…
Spectre starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld, Léa Seydoux as Madeleine, Ralph Fiennes as ‘M’, Monica Bellucci as Lucia, Ben Whishaw as ‘Q’, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Dave Bautista as Hinx, Andrew Scott as ‘C’, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, Jesper Christensen as Mr. White, Alessandro Cremona as Marco Sciarra, Stephanie Sigman as Estrella, Tenoch Huerta as Mexican man in Lift, Adriana Paz as Mexican Woman in Lift, Domenico Fortunato as Gallo, Marco Zingaro as Marco’s Accomplice, and Stefano Elfi DiClaudia as Gallo’s Accomplice.
PRODUCERS…
Spectre was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
Spectre was directed by Sam Mendes.
RELEASE DATE…
Spectre was released on October 26, 2015, in the United Kingdom, and on November 6, 2015, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
Spectre had its big screen debut on October 26, 2015, at The Royal Albert Hall in London.
LOCATIONS…
Spectre was filmed on location at Pinewood Studios, London locations, U.K.; Lake Altaussee, Obertilliach, and Sölden, Austria; Rome, Italy; Mexico City, Mexico; Tangier, Erfoud, and Sahara desert, Morocco.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “Writing’s On The Wall” – performed by Sam Smith, written by Sam Smith and Jimmy Napes.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in Spectre featured an Aston Martin DB5, Aston Martin DB10, Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, Land Rover Discovery Sport SVR, Land Rover Defender Big Foot, Jaguar C-X75, Fiat 500, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander aircraft, McDonnell Douglas MD500E, AgustaWestland AW109. Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm Bo 105
Q BRANCH…
- The smart Blood tracking device
- Omega Seamaster 300 with two-tone NATO strap. Built-in explosive charge with a one-minute timer
- Blofeld’s torture chair
- Nine Eyes Surveillance System
- A laser microphone attached to Bond’s gun
- Hinx’s thumbnails
TRIVIA…
The pre-title Day of the Dead sequence employed 1,520 extras, dressed and made up by 107 different make-up artists, 98 of whom were local. On each working day it took three and a half hours to get the crowd prepared.
The Red Bull helicopter featured in the pre-title sequence is built especially for barrel-rolling and free-diving and is piloted by aerobatic pilot Chuck Aaron.
Spectre marked the first time Bond has filmed in Rome, Italy.
It was also the first time Aston Martin and the Bond production team collaborated on creating a new car designed specifically for the film with the DB10.
Stefan Zurcher began looking for appropriate locations in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, and France, 12 months before the shooting commenced. His first Bond film was On Her Majesty’s Secret Service where he played a Piz Gloria guard. He continued to work on eight more Bond films in different capacities. He is also known as “The Snowman”.
The exterior of the Ice Q in Solden was selected for the start of the chase. The main outdoor set was constructed in Obertilliach, a small village with 500 inhabitants in the Austrian Tirol.
Two 20-ton cranes were used in order to simulate the flight in the forest. The plane was 18m wide and the path through the trees was only 20m wide. Special carbon fiber cables were used between the cranes. Laser equipment was used to ensure the one-mile path through the trees was in a straight line.
A snow team of 30 people worked round the clock to guarantee perfect snow conditions on the road and in the forest.
Spectre includes a Guinness World Record for the largest on-screen explosion (of Blofeld’s lair).
NO TIME TO DIE (2021)
CAST…
No Time To Die starred Daniel Craig as James Bond, Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin, Léa Seydoux as Madeleine, Lashana Lynch as Nomi, Ben Whishaw as ‘Q’, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ralph Fiennes as ‘M’, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter, Rory Kinnear as Bill Tanner, Christoph Waltz as Blofeld, David Dencik as Valdo Obruchev, Ana de Armas as Paloma, Billy Magnussen as Logan Ash, Dali Benssalah as Primo, Lisa-Dorah Sonnet as Mathilde, Coline Defaud as Young Madeleine, Mathilde Bourbin as Madeleine’s Mother, and Hugh Dennis as Dr. Hardy.
PRODUCERS…
No Time To Die was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
DIRECTOR…
No Time To Die was directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga.
RELEASE DATE…
No Time To Die was released on September 30, 2021, in the United Kingdom, and on October 8, 2021, in the United States.
WORLD PREMIERE…
No Time To Die had its big screen debut on September 28, 2021, at The Royal Albert Hall in London.
LOCATIONS…
No Time To Die was filmed on location at Pinewood Studios, London locations, Dunsfold, RAF Brize Norton, Ascot, Salisbury Plain, Windsor Great Park, Aviemore, Ardverikie Estate Inverness-shire, Cairngorms National Park, Portsmouth and Devizes, UK; Faroe Islands; Matera, Gravina, Puglia and Sapri, Italy; Kingston and Port Antonio, Jamaica; Akershus, Langvann Lake, Grevevein, Hakadal, Hakadal Verk, Nittdedal, the Atlantic Road Vevang and Oslo, Norway.
MUSIC THEME…
The theme of the film was “No Time To Die” performed by Billie Eilish, and written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.
VEHICLES…
The vehicles included in No Time To Die featured an Aston Martin DB5, Land Rover Series III, Submersible Glider, Triumph Tiger 1200XE, Triumph Tiger 900, Aston Martin V8, Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Aston Martin Valhalla, Land Rover Defender 110, Jaguar XF, Chevrolet Bel Air, Spirit 46 yacht, Royal Alloy Scooter, C17-Globemaster aircraft, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Series 1, Lancia Thesis, Maserati Quattroporte, Toyota Land Cruiser, HMS Dragon Type 45 air defense destroyer.
Q BRANCH…
- Aston Martin DB5’s upgraded gadgets: LED number plate, M134 miniguns, enhanced smoke screen, mini mine dispenser, re-configured control panel, bulletproof body and glass
- Omega Seamaster Diver 300M with EMP
- Puck Bomb
- Bionic eyeball
- QDAR tracking device
- Heracles DNA targeting weapon
- Walter PPK
- Walter P99 handgun
- Browning high power handgun
- M4 assault rifle
- Sig 226 handgun
- AKS74U assault rifle
- HK 416 assault rifle
- HK MP5K machine gun
- HK VP9 handgun
- HK G36 assault rifle
- Beretta 92 handgun
- Beretta ARX 160 assault rifle
- Beretta PMX machine gun
- Remington 860 super-shorty shotgun
- M4 assault rifle
- VZ58 machine gun
- Uzi machine gun
- Rhino revolver
- AK47 assault rifle
TRIVIA…
The official launch for the film took place at GoldenEye in Jamaica, once the home of Ian Fleming.
Cary Joji Fukunaga is the first American director to make a James Bond film.
The first James Bond film to be shot with IMAX cameras.
There is no blood in the opening gun barrel sequence.
It’s the first time four models of Aston Martin and Land Rover have appeared in a Bond film.
Above Vesper’s grave in Matera there’s a Latin inscription that says “what you are, I once was, and what I am you will be” – a clue to what happens to 007 at the end of the film.
The stunt team used 8,400 gallons of fizzy drink on the streets of Matera in order to make the surfaces stickier for the car and bike chases.
Producer Michael G. Wilson has a cameo as a SPECTRE guest at the party in Cuba.
The film’s theme song was awarded the 2021 Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media, the first time a Grammy has been given to an unreleased film.
Rami Malek wears a wig to portray Safin because he had come straight from shooting the TV series Mr. Robot.
Eight DB5 stunt replicas were built by Aston Martin for filming and two cars that also appear in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, Skyfall and Spectre were used for close-ups.
No Time To Die is the holder of a Guinness World Records title for the highest explosives detonated in a single film take – 136.4kg of TNT equivalent was used as part of the climactic finale.
David Dencik learned a Cuban accent for his audition, only to be told his character had changed nationality. He still did the accent in the audition.
The design of Primo’s eyeball was based on the iPhone’s camera lens.
Ice was shipped from Norway to Pinewood Studios to recreate the exterior of Madeleine’s childhood home.
The escape from Madeleine’s lake house combines shots from seven different locations: a set built in Ascot, a pursuit down the Atlantic highway in Norway, a chase along the shore of Loch Laggan in Scotland, shots from Salisbury Plain, a riverbed on the Ardverike Estate in Scotland, then back to Ascot as the Land Cruiser attempts to hide in the foggy woods, before returning to Scotland for Safin’s helicopter escape and Nomi picking up Bond from the side of the road.
This is the first Bond film where you see Q’s home.
No Time To Die marked Daniel Craig’s final appearance as James Bond.
60 years in 25 movies, that’s the legacy of James Bond in the film world!
While Daniel Craig has only just left his role as James Bond, there are already talks about the new James Bond and who will play the 007 secret agent in her majesty’s secret service with a license to kill. Barbara Broccoli has already said she is looking to maybe find a younger middle-aged James Bond this time around, speculation and rumors say that Aaron Taylor-Johnson has already been approached and had a meeting with the producers, that includes Broccoli, about playing James Bond. This has not been confirmed and we will have to wait and see if any announcements are made about the fate of the dapper secret spy’s film future and who might play him. Or her?
Until then film viewers and James Bond fans have plenty of films to choose from. And if you don’t like James Bond, there are seven to choose from, or you can just watch all of the films and by the time you finish, you just may have learned the fate of Commander Bond!
For now, Mr. Bond’s fate is just a kite dancing in a hurricane…
