Today in 2006, the Casino Royale crew shot the black and white opening fight sequence.
Spectre’s Mountain Chase
It’s Bond v Hinx/plane v car in this sequence from Spectre (2015) filmed in Austria. Special effects supervisor Chris Corbouldcame up with an ingenious solution for when the plane has to skid along on its fuselage. “We had skidoos mounted inside the aircrafts’ bodies,” he explains, “it could drive along the ground at high speed. It looks as though it is sliding on the snow but is actually being driven and steered from the inside.”
Attack On Blofeld’s Base
Bond and Tiger Tanaka’s crack team of ninjas infiltrate Blofeld’s base hidden inside a dormant volcano in You Only Live Twice (1967). The set was created by legendary Production Designer Ken Adam. “The challenge appealed to me,” he said. “When I had done two or three sketches, Cubby Broccoli said, ‘Looks interesting. How much is it going to cost?’ I knew it was going to be a gigantic set but I had no idea. I quoted about a million dollars. That was an enormous amount of money. Cubby didn’t blink an eye. ‘If you can do it for a million go ahead.’ And then my worries started…”
GoldenEye Tank Chase
GoldenEye‘s tank chase through the streets of St Petersburg is one of the most memorable sequences in Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 film. Stunt man Gary Powell drove the tank, often reaching speeds of 35 mph.
Downloadable Video Call Backgrounds
Conference call from Q’s workshop? Summoned to M’s office? Showing off your DB5? Have some fun on your video calls with these Bond backgrounds. Simply download and save the images in the gallery on this page.
Record Breaking Aston Car Flip
This scene from Casino Royale includes the Aston Martin DBS car flip, which set a Guinness World Record for the most barrel rolls in a car (it’s seven!).
“We were going to be happy with a couple of rolls, maybe three at a push,” says stunt driver Adam Kirley. “I could feel that we were going for quite a few rolls, so it was just a case of holding on for the ride.”
Live and Let Die’s Croc Step
Only one man would use crocodiles as stepping stones… it’s Bond’s escape from Kananga’s farm from Live And Let Die. Filmed at Ross Kananga’s Swamp Safari in Jamaica, it was Kananga himself who performed the stunt across the predators’ backs. “One of them turned around whipped his head around and actually bit the heel of his shoe,” recalled Roger Moore. “If it had been me it would have been my whole leg.”
From Russia With Love Boat Chase
“Ahoy Mr Bond”… This boat chase in From Russia With Love was originally filmed on location in Turkey but director Terence Young felt the boats were moving too slow, so the sequence was reshot in Scotland. Can you tell?
Thunderball Jet Pack Flight
That’s one way to make an exit… 007’s jet pack from Thunderball was built by Bell-Textron and originally designed for the US army – but was deemed too dangerous to use. “You could only fly for 20 seconds, then you ran out of fuel and you had nothing,” said Production Designer Ken Adam.
AMC Hornet Corkscrew Jump
“Ever heard of EvelKnievel?” – Bond. The corkscrew jump in The Man With The Golden Gun was performed by Loren “Bumps” Willert in an AMC Hornet X Hatchback. Two dummies of Bond and Sheriff Pepper were positioned either side of Willert, who was dressed in black so he wouldn’t register on camera. He completed the stunt in one take.
The World Is Not Enough Boat Chase
The World Is Not Enough opens with the longest pre-credit sequence in 007 history lasting 14 minutes and includes Bond in the Q Boat in high speed pursuit down the Thames. The boat’s mid-air barrel roll was performed by stuntman Gary Powell using Vickers air mortars attached to the side of the boat — six cameras captured the stunt.
The Spy Who Loved Me Parachute Jump
Nobody does it better. This iconic opening for The Spy Who Loved Me was captured by second unit director John Glen (who went on to direct five Bond films) and filmed on Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Canada.
