Focus Of The Week: Die Another Day

Posted by

Die Another Day (2002) is a landmark James Bond film. Not only was it the 20th film in the series, it also marked the 40th anniversary of the very first cinematic 007 adventure Dr. No (1962).

For the first Bond film of the new millennium, Producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli wanted to create an adventure similar to the grand scale of You Only Live Twice (1967). Screenwriters Neal Purvis and Robert Wade suggested the story could cleave close to Ian Fleming’s 1955 novel Moonraker which centred on a villain who transforms his identity, becomes a vaunted industrialist and plans to use a space weapon in a crazed act of vengeance.

The finished story sees Bond (Pierce Brosnan) captured in North Korea after killing Colonel Moon (Will Yun Lee), who has been trading weapons for African blood diamonds. Bond is imprisoned for 14 months and released in exchange for Moon’s henchman Zao (Rick Yune). Disavowed by MI6, Bond follows Zao to Cuba — Zao is having his appearance altered by DNA therapy — and joins forces with NSA agent Jinx Johnson (Halle Berry). The pair follow the diamonds’ trail to billionaire Gustav Graves (Toby Stephens) who unveils Icarus, a powerful laser satellite, in Iceland. Bond and Jinx discover that Graves is actually Colonel Moon — he didn’t die in Korea and has used gene therapy to alter his appearance. Moon’s plan is to employ Icarus to help North Korea invade the South. Bond and Jinx stow away on Moon’s cargo plane and kill him thus preventing the attack.

To direct, Wilson and Broccoli selected New Zealander Lee Tamahori, who had impressed with his film Once Were Warriors. As well as stage actor Toby Stephens and Halle Berry, the Producers cast newcomer Rosamund Pike as duplicitous MI6 agent Miranda Frost. On Christmas Day 2001, a small unit started shooting off Maui, Hawaii, where Laird Hamilton and his surfing team rode some of the world’s largest waves for the opening scene. The scene set the benchmark for the scope of action sequences that followed. The initial idea for the ending — set in an indoor Japanese beach — was upgraded to a fight in an out-of-control Antonov plane, the largest aircraft in the world. Tamahori also expanded a car chase in Iceland, starting on a frozen lake then moving into Graves’ melting Ice Palace, a magnificent set designed by Production Designer Peter Lamont at Pinewood Studios.

During the shoot, Halle Berry won the Best Actress Academy Award for Monster’s Ball. When she returned to the production after the ceremony, she shot Jinx’s dramatic emergence from the sea in an orange bikini deliberately echoing Ursula Andress’ iconic first appearance in Dr. No. The scene was shot in Spain (doubling for Havana, Cuba) during a cold but clear day after five days of heavy rain.

The nod to Honey Ryder’s introduction was one of a number of playful homages to 007 history to mark the 40th anniversary.  While some were obvious to most Bond fans — Graves arrives at Buckingham Palace via Union Jack parachute evoking The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Jinx is tortured by lasers suggesting Goldfinger (1964) — others were more difficult to spot: the Hong Kong hotel is called The Rubyeon Royale paying sly tribute to EON’s ruby anniversary and a Jet Pack is in the background of Q (John Cleese)’s Lab reminiscent of Thunderball (1965).

Composer David Arnold returned to score his third Bond film. Madonna wrote and performed the title song but also played Verity, a fencing instructor who proves a worthy foil to Bond. Madonna became the first title-song performer to play a role in a Bond film.

On November 18 2002, Die Another Day enjoyed its world premiere at London’s Royal Albert Hall in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The 3,000 strong audience also had the privilege of joining former James Bond actors George Lazenby, Sir Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton to mark the 40th anniversary. The film broke box office records for a Bond film and marked the end of an era as was to be Pierce Brosnan’s last outing as 007.

 

Focus Of The Week: Rosie Carver

Posted by

Live And Let Die’s Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry) is an inexperienced CIA field agent operating on the Caribbean island of San Monique. Yet she has another job. She is also a double agent for Kananga (Yaphet Kotto), the prime minister of the Island who — under the alias Mr. Big — is looking to flood the US drug market with heroin produced on his own plantations. Naïve and superstitious, Rosie drip feeds Kananga crucial bits of intelligence, living in fear of displeasing him.

Bond (Roger Moore) first encounters Rosie when she brazenly checks into his San Monique hotel as Mrs. Bond and enters his room brandishing a Smith & Wesson. 38. She tells Bond this is only her second assignment, after previously being paired with Baines (Dennis Edwards), a British secret agent who has recently been murdered. Bond understandably has little confidence in her abilities.

Rosie later finds a voodoo sign in her bedroom — a small top hat with bloody feathers — and becomes frightened. Bond tries to make light of the situation but she begs him not to leave her alone that night. Next morning, Bond receives a Queen of Cups tarot card in an upside down position anonymously sent by Solitaire — it is a message that Rosie is not to be trusted. The pair are taken to Kananga’s plantation by Quarrel Jr. (Roy Stewart), Bond’s associate. Rosie discovers weapons in a secret compartment on board Quarrel Jr’s boat and mistakes him for a villain. When he appears behind 007 with a rope, she holds him at gun point. Bond soon clarifies the situation.

Bond and Rosie search the spot in the hills where the authorities discovered the body of Baines. Rosie appears afraid and confused, although her assignment from Kananga is clear: to lure Bond into a trap.

After a romantic picnic in a jungle clearing, Bond confronts Rosie with the incriminating tarot card. She says she dare not tell him anything, telling him, “They’ll kill me if I do.” When Bond aims his gun at her, Rosie runs in panic. She is shot by a gun hidden in one of Kananga’s scarecrows.

Focus Of The Week: 007 Elements

Posted by

Built 3,048 metres above sea level inside the summit of the Gaislachkogl Mountain in Sölden, Austria, 007 ELEMENTS is the ultimate celebration of James Bond. Housed in a striking architectural structure, each of the galleries explores a key element from the series, from music to characters, to glamorous locations, gadgets, and action sequences.

The concept was designed by Creative Director Neal Callow (Art Director on Casino Royale, Quantum Of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre) together with the team at Optimist Inc. lead by Tino Schaedler. Callow and Schaedler collaborated with Obermoser Architects to create the bespoke structure the installation is housed in; a large futuristic space built into the side of a mountain. With the angular architecture of the open-air Plaza, and the use of concrete, steel and glass, it is an homage to legendary 007 production designer Sir Ken Adam. The immersive James Bond experience invites visitors into the world of 007 and reveals how that world is made.

The location was a key backdrop for Spectre (2015). Just metres away lies the impressive futuristic glass restaurant ice Q, which became the Hoffler Klinik, the private clinic where LéaSeydoux’s Madeleine Swann works as a psychologist. The winding glacier road where the unique mountain chase was set in the film involving an aeroplane and 4x4s can be seen from the large windows in the exhibition.

Visitors pass through the entrance to the installation and into The Barrel of the Gun which shows a unique cut of the Spectre title sequence. They then emerge onto the open-air Plaza with spectacular views across the Tyrolean Alps. The Lobby resembles the type of antechamber found in a villain’s lair and an exclusive film, narrated by Skyfall and Spectre director Sam Mendes, reveals the history of the franchise. Visitors then move into the Lair, where a larger-than-life film highlights the iconic characters from the series.

In the cylindrical Briefing Room, Naomie Harris, who plays Moneypenny in Spectre and Skyfall, narrates an insightful film about the way screenwriting, locations and set design influence each other throughout the series, with a special focus, on Spectre’s Austrian sequences.

The Tech Lab includes interactive bays relating to Spectre and other Bond films. Visitors can scan their arm and create a secret agent ID, and see legacy props such as the Snooper Dog from A View To A Kill (1985) and the golden gun from The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). The spectacular mountain chase sequence from Spectre is explored further in the Action Hall. The front portion of the BN-2 Islander plane that Bond gives chase in before crashing through a barn is on display, along with detailed models showing how the scene was shot. A state-of-the-art screening room shows the actual snow chase sequence from Spectre which visitors can watch with a deeper understanding of how it was created.

007 ELEMENTS is accessed via the Gaislachkoglbahn Gondola in the resort village of Sölden. Open daily from 09:00 to 15:30, tickets are available online or from the Bergbahnen Sölden ticket offices and cost €22 for adults, €12 for children. For further information or to book tickets, please visit: 007elements.com

Focus Of The Week: Dominic Greene

Posted by

By turns smooth-talking and vindictive, sophisticated but ruthless, Quantum Of Solace’s Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric) is a man of many colours. As the CEO of utilities company Greene Planet, he masquerades as a legitimate, committed conservationist, performing philanthropic work by purchasing large tracts of land for environmental purposes.

Yet he has a darker streak too, revealed when, aged 15, he burned the face of one of his mother’s piano students who crushed his unrequited feelings for her. As an adult, Greene is a high-ranking member of sinister organisation Quantum and plots with deposed Bolivian Dictator General Medrano (Joaquin Cosio) to stage a political coup in exchange for a barren piece of land. The seemingly worthless territory is pivotal in Greene’s carefully crafted plot.

Green’s ex-lover and employee Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko) attempts to buy reports from one of the environmentalist’s top geologists regarding the stretch of land known as the Tierra Project. Greene commands the geologist to be killed and sends assassin Edmund Slate (Neil Jackson) to kill Camille. James Bond (Daniel Craig) kills Slate before he can get to Camille.

Greene and Medrano meet, the former turns Camille over to the Bolivian dictator to sweeten the deal over the land — he coldly tells Medrano to “throw her over the side” when he’s finished with her. Greene subsequently negotiates a deal with CIA South American Section Chief Gregory Beam to ignore the Bolivian coup in exchange for rights to oil discovered in Greene’s land. Greene also commissions Beam to remove a “pest” — 007.

In a high-level Quantum meeting in Austria, concerns are raised over the Tierra Project yet Greene counters that Bolivia must be the organisation’s top priority. Bond and Camille investigate the Project and discover Greene has been inhibiting the delivery of fresh water, holding it in a vast underground reservoir. Greene and Quantum want to control Bolivia’s water supply, convinced that whoever owns the natural resource will be more powerful than the government.

At the Perla de las Dunas Hotel in Bolivia, Greene informs Medrano that the country’s already expensive water costs will double when Greene Planet becomes the sole provider. Medrano is faced with a tough choice: to agree to Greene’s demand or face certain death. Bond tracks Greene to the hotel and, after an explosive clash, Bond extracts information from Greene about Quantum before leaving him in the desert with just a can of motor oil — perhaps a nod to the murder of Agent Fields (Gemma Arterton) who Greene previously had drowned in pitch black oil.

M (Judi Dench) later informs Bond that Greene has been found with motor oil in his stomach and two bullets in the back of his skull. The environmentalist was executed for leaking secrets by the very organisation he previously served.

Focus Of The Week: Octopussy

Posted by

Octopussy, the 13THfilm in the official EON James Bond series, takes its title from a 1966 Ian Fleming short story collection but the plot is completely original. Regular writers Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson retooled George MacDonald Fraser’s early draft of the script retaining some  of colourful elements including India as a locale, a deadly yo-yo buzzsaw and Bond evading capture by hiding in a gorilla suit.

The final story sees Bond investigate the murder of 009 (Andy Bradford), found dead dressed as a clown and carrying a fake Fabergé egg at the British Ambassador’s residence in East Berlin. At an auction, Bond encourages Afghan prince Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) accompanied by his henchwoman Magda (Kristina Wayborn), to bid for the fake collectible egg. The trail leads 007 to Khan’s palace in Rajasthan, India, where Bond discovers the corrupt art dealer is in league with Orlov (Steven Berkoff), a maverick Soviet general. The pair are using the circus troupe of Khan’s mistress Octopussy (Maud Adams) to smuggle Soviet art treasures into the West. 007 infiltrates the circus and discovers Orlov has replaced the art with a nuclear warhead, intending to blow up a US Air Force base in West Germany. Bond deactivates the device and leads an assault on Khan’s palace. After a spectacular battle, Khan kidnaps Octopussy and makes his escape by plane, only to be foiled by Bond who detaches the fuel line and sends Khan to a fiery end.

Roger Moore returned for his sixth 007 adventure. Cubby Broccoli cast Maud Adams as the enigmatic Octopussy. Adams previously played Andrea Anders in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), the first time an actress had returned for a second leading role. French actor Louis Jourdan won the role of the cultured Khan. Writer George MacDonald Fraser suggested Indian film and TV actor Kabir Bedi as Khan’s deadly henchman Gobinda. Barbara Broccoli spotted Steven Berkoff in an LA stage production of Greek and suggested him for power crazed Russian, General Orlov. Davis Cup champion Vijay Amritraj made his film debut as Bond’s contact Vijay, his real life profession providing light relief during a tuk-tuk chase.

The pre-title sequence sees Bond escape in an Acrostar Bede jet hidden in a horse box. Having previously appeared in early drafts of the Moonraker script, the stunt was divided into two sections. For the aerial action J.W. “Corkey” Fornoff piloted his jet over Southern Utah. For close-ups of the heart-stopping moment Bond manoeuvres the jet through a hangar, special effects supervisor John Richardson mounted a plane on a pole attached to a stripped-down Jaguar. The car was driven through the hangar at breakneck speed, soldiers running in front of the car to hide the chassis. To create the effect of the missile following the plane, Richardson constructed a model plane and attached a flaming firework to it.

The first unit started shooting on Aug 10 1982 in West Berlin — Peter Lamont doctored a section of the graffiti-covered Berlin Wall to represent the East Berlin side — and moved to Udaipur in September. The filming of the tuk-tuk chase drew huge crowds. At one moment, a man broke through the security cordon on a bicycle and joined the chase – the moment remains in the film. The district’s Maharana was incredibly welcoming to the team, not only letting the safari scenes be filmed in his garden, but also lending his stuffed tiger for the moment Bond is attacked in the jungle.

The score was once again composed by John Barry. Collaborating with celebrated lyricist Tim Rice, the pair created six songs for consideration. ‘All Time High’ was chosen, a rare 007 song not to feature the title of the movie, performed by US soul singer Rita Coolidge. The film premiered in June 1983.

Focus Of The Week: Ben Whishaw’s Q

Posted by

Played by Ben Whishaw, the Q of Skyfall (2012) and Spectre (2015) is the first time in a Bond film where the Quartermaster is younger than the secret agent. While this age gap initially creates a tension, this Q retains many of the qualities of his predecessors; his inventive genius, his loyalty to 007 and his ability to help Bond escape from the tightest of corners.

Q first meets Bond at the London’s National Gallery in front of J.M.W. Turner’s 1839 painting The Fighting Temeraire. 007 is taken aback when the young man introduces himself as his new Quartermaster, mocking him for his youthful appearance (“You must be joking… You still have spots”), but the tech wizard holds his own, suggesting he “can do more damage on his laptop in his pyjamas than Bond can do in a year in the field.”

The pair acknowledge their place in the contemporary espionage world and shake hands. Q gives Bond tickets to Shanghai and his new weapon, a biometrically-encoded Walther PPK (matched to Bond’s palm-prints) and a radio transmitter for tracing 007’s whereabouts in the field. When Bond looks underwhelmed by his equipment, Q retorts, “Were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really go in for those anymore?”

After Bond has captured cyber criminal Silva (Javier Bardem) and incarcerated him in MI6’s makeshift headquarters, Q connects Silva’s laptop to MI6’s computer network in order to decrypt its information. Silva’s sophisticated hacking prowess sees data from his laptop corrupt MI6’s mainframe, releasing the villain from his cell and on his mission to kill M (Judi Dench).

On a three-dimensional map of London’s subterranean tunnel network, Q tracks Silva with Bond in hot pursuit, tapping into the security cameras in the London Underground to identify Silva in disguise as a policeman. After Bond rescues M from Silva’s attack, Q leaves a cunning electronic trail for Silva to follow as Bond and M head to 007’s childhood home, Skyfall, in Scotland. This line of digital breadcrumbs, works, delivering Silva directly to Skyfall.

Q once again proves invaluable to Bond’s mission in Spectre. Following his suspension, 007 requests Q make him “disappear”. When Q replies that he reports to M and has a mortgage to pay and two cats to feed, Bond says, “Well, then I suggest you trust me, for the sake of your cats.” Q reluctantly makes 007 invisible for 24 hours. The following morning, Q arrives at work to find Bond has stolen the new Aston Martin DB10 car assigned to 009, leaving the Quartermaster a bottle of Bollinger champagne as an apology.

Despite his fear of flying, Q joins Bond in Austria. He comes under threat from Spectre operatives but manages to outwit them and links Franz Oberhauser (Christoph Waltz) to Bond’s previous missions, identifying Le Chiffre, Dominic Greene and Silva as belonging to the same organisation confirming the existence of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Later Q teams up with M (Ralph Fiennes) to foil C (Andrew Scott)’s plans to launch the global intelligence initiative Nine Eyes that would provide information to S.P.E.C.T.R.E about counter-terrorist investigations.

Q’s final act of assistance to 007 is to furnish him with a remodelled Aston Martin DB5. But will Bond return in it one piece?

Global James Bond Day

Posted by

Today is official Global James Bond Day, an annual celebration of the 007 franchise held on October 5th. This date marks the release of the first James Bond film Dr. No, in 1962.

To celebrate Global James Bond Day this year, seven of James Bond’s iconic Aston Martins will be in central London. Four of the Aston Martins from the 007 films, the DB10, V8 Vantage, DB5 and DBS will be driving through central London passing major landmarks and James Bond film locations. The DBS from Casino Royale (2006) will be parked outside Bond In Motion at the London Film Museum. For a opportunities to win prizes throughout the day head to our official social media channels.

Forza Horizon 4 Launch

Posted by

To celebrate the launch of Forza Horizon 4, which includes The Best of Bond Car Pack, four classic Bond cars were on display at Goodwood House in the UK. The home to the famous Festival of Speed was the backdrop to two Aston Martin DBS’ from Quantum Of Solace (2008), an Aston Martin DB10 from Spectre (2015) and the iconic Aston Martin DB5 seen on screen in GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), Skyfall (2012) and Spectre. All four cars feature in the game.

The Best of Bond Car Pack for Forza Horizon 4 allows players to drive 10 classic Bond cars and is included as part of the Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition. The pack will be playable with early access to the game, beginning on September 28. Players will also be able to purchase the Best of Bond Car Pack separately at the global launch of the game on October 2.

Focus Of The Week: GoldenEye

Posted by

GoldenEye (1995), the seventeenth film in the series, is named after author Ian Fleming’s Jamaican residence.

The plot pits Bond (Pierce Brosnan) against his old MI6 mentor Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean) who, as the film begins, fakes his own death. In cahoots with Russian General Ouromov (John Gottfried) and Mafia Assassin Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen), Trevelyan gains control of the GoldenEye weapons system at the Severnaya satellite control centre. His plan is to punish Britain for betraying his Cossack parents who committed suicide. Bond, working alongside Severnaya computer programmer Natalya Simonova (Izabella Scorupco), tracks Trevelyan to Cuba and breaks into his facility. Natalya reprograms the GoldenEye and Bond fights Trevelyan in the installation’s giant radio dish, the latter crushed by a falling antenna.

Timothy Dalton had decided not to return as Bond so the search was on for a new 007. Pierce Brosnan had been offered the role when Roger Moore departed but his contract to US TV show Remington Steele had prevented him from slipping on the tux. “The moment Timothy jumped ship, I thought ‘No it won’t happen a second time’,” recalled Brosnan. But it did and the Irish-American actor won the coveted role. Echoing the real life head of MI6 Stella Remington, Dame Judi Dench joined the series as the first female M, a role she made her own for seven films.

With Pinewood Studios booked up, the team needed a new home. Production designer Peter Lamont took over an abandoned Rolls Royce factory and created a new studio space dubbed Leavesden, now one of the leading filmmaking hubs in the world.Production began on January 16 1995 under the direction of Martin Campbell (TV’s Edge Of Darkness), the exact month and day that Dr. No started shooting in Jamaica 33 years before.

Perhaps the most complex set-piece saw 007 drive a tank through the streets of St. Petersburg leaving maximum devastation in his wake. After negotiating with Government bureaucracy, stunts and explosions were staged in the heart of the city by the 2ndUnit and augmented by carnage created with a 42- ton tank (nicknamed Metal Mickey) on a two block stretch of St. Petersburg built at Leavesden.

GoldenEye proved to be immensely popular. The success confirmed the relevance of Bond in a post-cold war world and firmly established Pierce Brosnan as the new 007. But it also saw something else; the passing of the series’ reigns from Cubby Broccoli to new producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli. A new era had begun.

Bond Cars In Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition

Posted by

Gamers will be able to drive an iconic car from the James Bond films in The Best of Bond Car Pack as the Day One Car Pack included in Forza Horizon 4 Ultimate Edition. It will be playable with early access to the game beginning on September 28. Players will also be able to purchase the Best of Bond Car Pack separately at the global launch of the game on October 2.

The Best of Bond Car Pack features 10 cars including the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (1964), the AMC Hornet X from The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) and the Jaguar C-X75 from Spectre (2015).

The full line-up of James Bond Edition cars inspired by the films in the James Bond Car Pack:

• The Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (1964)

• The Aston Martin DBS from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)

• The AMC Hornet X Hatchback from The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)

• The Lotus Esprit S1 from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

• The Citroën 2CV6 from For Your Eyes Only (1981)

• The Aston Martin V8 Vantage from The Living Daylights (1987)

• The BMW Z8 from The World Is Not Enough (1999)

• The Aston Martin DBS from Quantum Of Solace (2008)

• The Jaguar C-X75 from Spectre (2015)

• The Aston Martin DB10 from Spectre (2015)

Several of the cars will feature film-inspired gadgets that players will be able to view while in Forzavista mode. For example, the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger (1964) will feature numerous gadgets such as revolving number plates and retractable tyre slashers. In addition, the Lotus Esprit S1 will feature a special body kit option inspired by the “Wet Nellie” submarine vehicle from The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

In addition to the cars, players who own the Best of Bond Car Pack in Forza Horizon 4 will also receive some Bond inspired goodies, including Bond outfits, and exclusive “Quick Chat” phrases.

Focus Of The Week: Kamal Khan

Posted by

Charismatic and captivating, Octopussy’s Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan) is an exiled Afghan prince with a taste for the finer things in life; priceless art, fine wines, expensive jewels. Yet Khan is as corrupt as he is cultured. The suave art dealer and international gem smuggler is in cahoots with the power-crazed Soviet General Orlov (Steven Berkoff) – the two men are plotting to create a ‘nuclear accident’ on a US air base in West Germany.This mishap will encourage NATO to abandon nuclear arms, allowing Orlov’s armies to invade Western Europe while Khan makes a fortune selling priceless masterpieces.

To finance this crazed scheme, the pair generate funds by Orlov stealing Soviet art treasures from the Kremlin Art Depository and replacing them with forgeries designed in the basement workshop of Khan’s Monsoon palace. They use Khan’s mistress Octopussy (Maud Adams)’s travelling circus as a front to smuggle the treasures into the West. Kahn and Orlov betray Octopussy by replacing the treasures with a nuclear warhead.

Bond (Roger Moore) first encounters Khan at an auction where the art collector is clearly desperate to purchase a real Fabergé egg. Bond swaps the real one for a fake, forcing Khan to pay £50,000 for a forgery. 007 tracks Khan back to his palace in India and exposes his cheating at backgammon. Bond is subsequently chased by Khan’s henchman Gobinda (Kabir Bedi) and his hoodlums but evades his pursuers in an auto rickshaw. Gobinda later knocks 007 unconscious and brings him back to Khan’s palace. Bond discovers Khan is working with Orlov and escapes.

As the action switches to Germany, Khan discovers Bond on board Octopussy’s circus train and forces him off. Bond chases the train in a stolen car but Khan is confident Bond will cease to be a problem. Preparing to return to India, unaware that Bond has defused the nuclear bomb (disguised as a clown), Khan starts to pack the smuggled treasures. His departure is thwarted by Octopussy and her gymnast guards who infiltrate his palace. While Octopussy’s guards deal with Khan’s men –  Octopussy confronts Khan but he pulls a gun on her.   Bond and Q (Desmond Llewelyn) arrive to the chaotic battle in a Union Jack hot air balloon. Khan kidnaps Octopussy and escapes first on horseback and then on a light aircraft. Bond gives chase.

Bond jumps onto the outside of the plane and engages Gobinda in hand-to-hand combat as Khan puts the plane through aerobatic manoeuvres. After flicking a metal antenna at Gobinda’s head, causing him to lose his grip, Bond detaches the fuel line sending the plane into a nosedive. 007 and Octopussy leap clear as Khan desperately tries to land the plane on a short runway. Unable to stop the plane falling off a cliff, Khan falls to an expensive death.

 

 

Focus Of The Week: Moonraker

Posted by

Within weeks of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) opening, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli announced the team would next be tackling Moonraker (1979), an adaptation of Ian Fleming’s third novel. Realising the movie could coincide with the launch of the first NASA space shuttle, Broccoli announced he wanted Moonraker to be “science fact” not science fiction. The idea was simple but enticing: James Bond in outer space.

While Fleming’s novel centred on a nuclear rocket, Christopher Wood’s screenplay sees Bond (Roger Moore) investigate the hijacking of the Space Shuttle Moonraker. The trail leads him to aeronautics mogul Hugo Drax (Michael Lonsdale) who Bond discovers is developing a highly toxic nerve gas. Teaming up with CIA Agent Holly Goodhead (Lois Chiles), Bond uncovers Drax’s plan to launch multiple Space Shuttles to fire globes filled with the deadly gas towards Earth so he can repopulate the planet with his own master race of perfect specimens. Bond and Goodhead infiltrate Drax’s space station, alert the US Marines to the space station’s location, and take part in a huge laser battle to decide the fate of the human race.

The cast was an international one: French actor Lonsdale was cast as the cultured, messianic Drax, American actress Lois Chiles won the role of Dr. Holly Goodhead, an astronaut and CIA agent who is undercover in Drax’s organisation. Due to popular demand, Richard Kiel was brought back to reprise his role as the metal-toothed Jaws, who this time round finds love and undergoes a change of allegiances. Sadly, Moonraker would prove to be the last 007 film to feature Bernard Lee as M.

The production moved from Pinewood to Paris, booking every studio in Paris to accommodate the film. The globetrotting location shoot found logistical challenges at every turn. For the pre-credit sequence, Bond is pushed out of a plane without a parachute. It took over 83 jumps over five weeks to complete the aerial action in the skies above California. A high speed boat chase through Venice’s centuries old canals took careful negotiations with the Italian authorities. And in France, weightless sequences on Drax’s space station required days of rigging to allow a dozen performers to float in Zero G.

Hundreds of effects shots were needed depicting space shuttles, the space station and space debris customised for each shot. Visual Effects Supervisor Derek Meddings created all the special effects in camera, shooting one element, winding back the film in camera and then shooting the next element — for one shot of the space battle, a single piece of film might require 48 exposures. To realise the moment of Drax’s space station exploding, the team obtained two shotguns, closed the doors at a stage on Pinewood and blew the model to smithereens. The effects work earned Meddings and his team an Oscar nomination.

John Barry wrote the score and theme song with lyrics by Hal David. Johnny Mathis was the original choice to sing the song yet didn’t click with the song so Barry quickly recruited Shirley Bassey to lend the song her stunning vocals. The film would break office records during the summer of 1979, grossing $210 million.