On this day in 2015, the scene from Spectre where Bond grapples with Sciarra in the helicopter was filmed. The chopper was piloted by aerobatic expert Chuck Aaron. Stunt coordinator Gary Powell said, “The pilots made it look dangerous but they were in control at all times and if they saw any indicators flag a problem, they would put the aircraft down as soon as possible.”
Cable Car Fight
Bond takes on Jaws on top of the cable car in Moonraker (1979). The fight was filmed at Sugarloaf Mountain, Rio de Janeiro and was a stunt idea originally conceived for the climax of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service ten years earlier.
GoldenEye’s Climactic Fight
On this day in 1995, shooting began on Bond and Alex Trevelyan’s climactic fight scene in GoldenEye. Pierce Brosnan’s debut 007 film was the first to extensively utilize digital effects with 140 CGI shots alongside traditional special effects including this fight scene. “The fight scene goes on and on and on,” recalled Sean Bean. “It’s a hell of a showdown. It’s not just about fighting. It’s seeing it in their eyes as much as anything — seeing the link between them and they’re having to fight to the death.”
Live And Let Die’s Bus Chase
Bond gets behind the wheel of a double-decker bus in this Live And Let Die (1973) chase. Roger Moore said: “Before we started shooting, I was sent to London Passenger Transport, to their skid pan, to learn how to skid a bus, which I have to admit is rather scary.”
Secret Sofa Presents Casino Royale
This Friday, from Secret Cinema comes Secret Sofa Presents Casino Royale. Fans of the film looking for something fun to do at home can sign up to take part at secretcinema.org/secret-sofa
Once signed up you’ll receive your mission details… then all you need to do is find a copy/stream of the film, dress up, prepare the snacks and set the scene. For style inspiration, take a look at the Casino Royale collection at 007store here. The action starts at 7.30pm BST and we’ll all start watching at 8pm.
Casino Royale is available from Amazon, YouTube, iTunes, Google Play and more.
Lockdown Entertainment At 007Store
Keeping busy in the extended lockdown is a conundrum that even Q would struggle to crack. Here’s a few ideas to keep you and your household entertained in James Bond style…
Gather round for games
If playing games is your thing then why not throw your own Casino Royale poker night (or Solitaire session) with a set of Bond picture playing cards. Just watch out for someone cheating like Goldfinger… Or what about a Monopoly session? 007 Monopoly (2020 Edition) will keep you and your lockdown partners entertained (and probably arguing) for hours and features all 25 films, including No Time To Die. For something a little different, try Legendary 007: A James Bond Deck Building Game. Choose a Bond, recruit allies and deploy technology on your mission to foil the machinations of criminal masterminds like Goldfinger and Scaramanga.
Consider yourself a Bond expert? Put it to the test with the new edition 007 Top Trumps set. Go head-to-head on your knowledge of characters from Dr. No to No Time To Die, in categories from Power & Influence and Treachery, to Allure & Charm. Budding MI6 code breakers should look no further than the new Royal Mail James Bond Secret Dossier, which contains six missions linked to the special 007 stamps.
Puzzle time
Jigsaws have become THE thing to do during lockdown and the Bond limited edition ones at 007Store stand out from the crowd. Made with special shaped wooden pieces, there are two to choose from: Moonraker showcases artwork from poster artist Dan Goozee and features Hugo Drax, Dr. Holly Goodhead, Jaws and of course Bond. The Dr. No puzzle features the French poster artwork from 1962.
Perfect your bar skills
Now’s the perfect time to break out the cocktail shaker from the back of your cupboard and hone your home bar skills with Shaken: The Official James Bond Cocktail Book. Whether it’s the iconic martini, a refreshing negroni or daiquiri, Shaken has delicious cocktail recipes inspired by Ian Fleming’s stories, developed by award-winning London bar, Swift.
Sofa escape
Create your own home cinema in the lounge with 007 Dry Martini Popcorn and a boxset of the Bond movies. Once you’ve worked your way through all 24 films, you may want to go deeper. Find out how the franchise started with a watch of Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 documentary which reveals how Ian Fleming’s books made it to the big screen.
Turn the house into a race track
If a full-size Aston Martin DB5 is slightly out of your price range, go for the next best thing with a remote-controlled version. Take the iconic Skyfall Edition for a spin, or if you prefer American muscle cars, opt for the red Ford Mustang from Diamonds Are Forever. Bond’s Mach 1 car has front and side wheelie action with sound and light effects – now you just need to find an alleyway to drive it down…
Skyfall Tube Chase
Bond pursues Silva through the London tube system in Skyfall (2012). The train crashing through the ceiling of the tunnel was the brainchild of special effects supervisor Chris Corbould. “During pre-production, Sam rang me and said, ‘We’ve got the great chase in the underground of London but I feel we are short of one spectacular set piece,’” recalled Corbould. “That night I dreamt about a train crash. I mentioned it to Sam and it evolved from there. I didn’t realise how big it would become. It turned into a monster.”
Bond Versus Renard In Kazakhstan
“No hard feelings Mr Bond.” 007 faces off against Renard in The World Is Not Enough (1999). The main location for the Kazakhstan desert test-facility exterior, was meant to have been in Cappadocia in Turkey. Sets had been partially built, but the filmmakers were advised not to travel to Turkey because of a series of explosions in Istanbul. Production Designer Peter Lamont recced several sites across Spain before settling on areas at Tudela and Cuenca instead.
Live And Let Die Boat Chase
Bond takes to the water for the thrilling Live And Let Die (1973) boat chase. The scene used 26 boats, 17 of which were destroyed. Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz said: “I knew there was going to be a boat chase and until we started shooting, it just said, ‘The most terrific boat chase you’ve ever seen,’ because I never got around to writing it. That really happened as a result of going around the bayous and seeing the different stunts they could do.”
The Living Daylights Cello Case Escape
That’s no way to treat a Stradivarius! Bond and Kara Milovyescape the police and KGB in a unique way in The Living Daylights (1987). To film the scene the case was made of fibreglass, had skis on the bottom and control handles on the sides. Special effects supervisor John Richardson said; “As long as you made sure there was nothing at the bottom of the hill they were liable to crash into, it was actually quite fun to ride it down.”
Bond And Goldfinger Golf Match
Cheats never prosper… as Auric Goldfinger discovers in this classic scene from Goldfinger (1964).
It was filmed on location at Stoke Poges and filming began on April 30, but the unit was plagued by five days of bad weather and was forced to return to the studio to shoot other scenes.
“The great joke about him (Sean Connery) was his absolute obsession about golf. He was mad about it. A real addict. The rest of us had to steer him away from the subject or he’d go on for hours, giving us a ball-by-ball replay,” said Honor Blackman.
Hinx v 007
It’s silent assassin versus superspy in this clip from Spectre (2015). Director Sam Mendes said of Hinx: “Dave Bautista is really scary when he does his stuff. He’s incredibly fast for such a huge man and there’s an unstoppable, unbreakable aspect to the characte
