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James Bond: 25 Iconic Shots
The 007 series in unforgettable moments, one for each film.
From huge sequences of spectacle and stunt work to small moments of intimate drama, the James Bond series has delivered a cornucopia of indelible images. To mark James Bond Day, here’s 25 of the best.
Dr. No (1962)
The Shot: At upscale casino Les Ambassadeurs playing Chemin de fer, 007 (Sean Connery) introduces himself to his opponent with the immortal words: “Bond. James Bond.”
BTS: The opening line has its origins in Chapter 7 of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale. After CIA Agent Felix Leiter asks 007 his name, Bond replies, “Mine’s Bond — James Bond.”
From Russia With Love (1963)
The Shot: SPECTRE agent Red Grant (Robert Shaw) holds Bond at gunpoint on board the Orient Express. “The first one won’t kill you, the second won’t kill you, not even the third — until you crawl over here and you kiss my feet.” Chilling.
BTS: Production Designer Syd Cain went to France to copy the inside of the Orient Express. While Cain was sketching, the train left the station with the artist still onboard, who had to alight miles down the track.
Goldfinger (1964)
The Shot: The Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach. Bond discovers the dead body of Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton), covered in gold paint — death through skin suffocation.
BTS: The shot was captured on April 20, 1964. After the make-up department went through numerous tests with paints, the team landed on a goo that looked gold and could be applied quickly.
Thunderball (1965)
The Shot: After assassinating spy Jacques Bouvar (Bob Simmons), Bond makes a nifty getaway from Bouvar’s chateau via the Bell Rocket Belt.
BTS: In this close-up, Bond is depicted taking off without a helmet. When stuntman Bill Suitar refused to fly the jet pack without a helmet, the close-up of Connery was reshot with protective headgear.
You Only Live Twice (1967)
The Shot: During a reconnaissance mission over Japanese islands, Bond flies an armed autogyro nicknamed Little Nellie. When he is ambushed by four helicopters, the highly weaponised Little Nellie swings into action.
BTS: Little Nellie’s flame-thrower was so hot it caused damage to the camera lens.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
The Shot: Bond (George Lazenby) drives away on honeymoon in Portugal with his new wife, Tracy di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg). After 007 stops to remove flowers from the windscreen, SPECTRE chief Blofeld (Telly Savalas) pulls up in a black sedan with Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat), opening fire, killing Tracy but not Bond. The grieving groom says a tender goodbye, telling his wife, “We have all the time in the world.”
BTS: On the first take of Bond reacting to Tracy’s death, George Lazenby shed a tear, but director Peter Hunt asked him to do a second take as “James Bond doesn’t cry.”
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
The Shot: During a police chase in Las Vegas, Bond (Sean Connery) is confronted by a narrow alley. Asking his passenger, Tiffany Case (Jill St. John), to “lean over”, 007 turns the Ford Mustang Mach 1 on two wheels and escapes down the tight space.
BTS: To avoid a continuity error, the stunt was shot three times: once at Universal and then twice more in Las Vegas to capture the car emerging from the alley.
Live And Let Die (1973)
The Shot: Bond (Roger Moore), clad in all black, undertakes a daring raid on the island of San Monique, the province of drug dealer and dictator Dr Kananga (Yaphet Kotto).
BTS: Roger Moore was shooting TV show The Persuaders at Pinewood during the filming of Diamonds Are Forever. He became the first well-known actor to take on the role.
The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
The Shot: Bond and high-end assassin Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) duel to the death on Scaramanga’s private island: Bond’s Walther PPK has six shots, Scaramanga’s golden gun only one.
BTS: Christopher Lee, a distant cousin of Bond creator Ian Fleming, had worked with Moore before on an episode of Ivanhoe, and the pair shared a great rapport.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
The Shot: Chased by Stromberg’s helicopter, Bond speeds through the Corsican landscape and onto a pier. The Lotus Esprit drives headlong into the sea and, once submerged, swiftly transforms into a fully functioning submarine.
BTS: The production used a total of seven Esprit shells for the underwater sequence. For this shot, the car was launched into the sea by an air cannon.
Moonraker (1979)
The Shot: Q Dept once again saves the day. This time, during Bond’s sortie to Venice. Chased along a Venetian canal, Bond’s gondola becomes superpowered via a hidden engine and steering control, even transforming to a hovercraft that glides serenely across crowded plazas.
BTS: The gondola set-piece took place in the height of summer, meaning the production had to negotiate swarms of tourists. Roger Moore recalls being “absolutely petrified’ — he was ultimately given a klaxon to warn holiday makers.
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
The Shot: Bond presides over injured Belgian assassin Locque (Michael Gothard), the latter’s car teetering precariously on the edge of a cliff. Bond tosses Locque a pin belonging to the M16 agent whom the killer had murdered, a tiny shift in weight that causes it to slide off the cliff. Coldly, Bond gives the car a kick, and it plummets to the ground, with Locque trapped inside.
BTS: Roger Moore had reservations about Bond helping the car over the edge, but director John Glen, a fan of the toughness of Connery’s 007, was adamant it was apt for the emotion of the moment.
Octopussy (1983)
The Shot: Bond battles Kamal Khan’s (Louis Jordan) henchman Gobinda (Kabir Bedi) high in the skies above India. The tussle ends when, clinging desperately to the fuselage, 007 pulls back the plane’s antenna and snaps it at Gobinda’s head, causing him to lose his grip and plummet to his death.
BTS: While supposedly taking place in Indian airspace, the aerial action was actually shot over Utah.
A View To A Kill (1985)
The Shot: In a stolen Renault taxi, Bond chases May Day (Grace Jones) as she parachutes above the streets of Paris. Bit by bit, 007’s ride is smashed to pieces, beginning with the windshield and then the back end.
BTS: Stunt driver Rémy Julienne drove the car as it crashed through the barrier, ducking down at the very last minute. Second Unit Director Arthur Wooster recalled “the timing was terrifying.”
The Living Daylights (1987)
The Shot: Bond (Timothy Dalton), along with two other 00 agents, skydives onto the Rock of Gibraltar on a training mission, an exercise that turns real and deadly.
BTS: Timothy Dalton was approached twice for the role of 007 before signing on, first in the late ‘60s, then again in the early ‘80s.
Licence To Kill (1989)
The Shot: Tailing drug baron Franz Sanchez’s (Robert Davi) convoy carrying huge shipments of cocaine, Bond instructs CIA agent Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell), piloting a crop-duster, to drop him on top of the speeding tanker.
BTS: The moment took three weeks to capture in temperatures up to 120 degrees. Doubling for Bond, stunt coordinator Simon Crane jumped on the tanker travelling 70 mph. The plane was flown by Corkey Fornof, wearing a wig and a dress doubling as Pam.
GoldenEye (1995)
The Shot: Bond (Pierce Brosnan) busts out of the St. Petersburg Military Archives in a vintage Russian tank.
BTS: The scene was created on the Leavesden back lot to save the city’s historic buildings from potential damage. Second Unit Director Ian Sharp dubbed the tank “Frank Sinatra” because he only does one take.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)
The Shot: Bond and Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) escape from media mogul Elliot Carver’s HQ in Saigon by rappelling down a huge banner of Carver’s face.
BTS: Second Unit Director Vic Armstrong had spotted banners on buildings dotted around Hong Kong. A five-storey mock-up of the building and banner was created at Frogmore Studios that allowed Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh to perform the action in close-up.
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
The Shot: Bond and Renard (Robert Carlyle) grapple up against the nuclear core in a submarine’s reactor room — 007’s quick thinking activates the plutonium rod to propel out, stabbing Renard in the heart and killing him instantly.
BTS: While the submarine interiors were built on A Stage at Pinewood, the exterior was created via a 45-foot miniature shot offshore in the Bahamas.
Die Another Day (2002)
The Shot: Captured by Colonel Moon (Will Yun-Lee)’s men in North Korea, Bond is subjected to torture, waterboarding and imprisoned for 14 months before being swapped as a political prisoner.
BTS: The torture scene became the first time in the series that the story was continued through the opening credit sequence.
Casino Royale (2006)
The Shot: In a stark white lavatory, James Bond (Daniel Craig) completes his first kill, shooting corrupt M16 section chief Fisher (Daud Shah). The action subsequently shifts into the iconic gun barrel sequence.
BTS: Daniel Craig’s Bond audition included two scenes: Bond’s first meeting with Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) on a train and the From Russia With Love scene where 007 discovers Tatiana (Daniela Bianchi) in his hotel room bed.
Quantum Of Solace (2008)
The Shot: Picking up directly from Casino Royale, Bond speeds around Lake Garda with Mr White (Jesper Christensen) locked in the boot, chased by a swarm of henchmen.
BTS: The high-speed pursuit featured seven versions of Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 and eight chasing Alfa Romeos.
Skyfall (2012)
The Shot: A gambling chip found on the body of assassin Patrice (Ola Rapace) leads Bond to a floating casino in Macau.
BTS: Bond’s tuxedo is a collaboration between Skyfall costume designer Jany Temime and lauded American fashion designer Tom Ford.
Spectre (2015)
The Shot: Bond and Mexican intelligence operative Estrella (Stephanie Sigman) mingle with the crowds at the Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico City.
BTS: The street celebration involved 1500 extras who had a make-up call beginning at 4.15 am.
No Time To Die (2021)
The Shot: Having killed Safin, but been struck by a lethal toxin, Bond stays on Poison Island to ensure the protective blast doors are open to receive a strike from the British Navy warship HMS Dragon. Saying goodbye to his wife (Léa Seydoux) and child (Lisa-Dorah Sonnet), Bond accepts his fate as the missiles begin to rain down.
BTS: The exterior shots of Safin’s Island were captured at Kalsoy, one of the Faroe Islands.
All 25 Bond films are streaming now on Prime Video.
