Focus Of The Week:A View To A Kill

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A View To A Kill (1985), the 14th EON 007 adventure, proved to be Roger Moore’s last appearance as James Bond. Deftly mixing humour and action, it typified his genial approach to the role and made for a fitting goodbye to the series. The title itself comes from Ian Fleming’s 1960 short story collection ‘For Your Eyes Only’. Screenwriters Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson developed their own story. Wilson came up with the idea of using Silicon Valley as a backdrop and the pair hatched a plot where Bond is out to thwart psychopathic industrialist Max Zorin attempting to destroy America’s high tech centre by flooding the San Andreas Fault so creating a double earthquake. Success would mean Zorin would gain complete monopoly over the lucrative microchip market.

To play Max Zorin (originally named Zorn), the producers chose Christopher Walken, an Academy AwardÒ winner for The Deer Hunter. Tanya Roberts signed on to play geologist Stacey Sutton, the granddaughter of an oil tycoon whose company is taken over by Zorin. Model and singer Grace Jones was hired to play Zorin’s super-strong cohort May Day. The role of Sir Godfrey Tibbett, a horse trainer working undercover as Bond’s chauffeur, went to Patrick Macnee, best known as John Steed in TV series The Avengers.

A vast undertaking, the scope of the story demanded five film units working at various times in France, San Francisco, Iceland, Switzerland and the UK. In June 1984, the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios burned down during the production of Ridley Scott’s Legend. EON productions set about rebuilding the stage but the delay meant production designer Peter Lamont’s set for Zorin’s mine could not be completed until the end of shooting. It took clever shuffling of schedules and locations to keep the production on track.

Filming began in Paris in August 1984. To perfect May Day’s iconic jump from the Eiffel Tower, parachute/skydiving expert BJ Worth made 22 test jumps from a hot-air balloon. After lengthy negotiations, the French authorities approved the jump that looked in jeopardy when two daredevils jumped off the tower for fun. Yet the thrill-seekers served to prove the stunt could be performed safely. Worth pulled off the leap in one take captured by multiple cameras.

The production moved to San Francisco, simulating a real fire at City Hall and shooting a fire truck chase over three weeks of night shooting. For the climactic Golden Gate Bridge action sequence, Martin Grace rehearsed stuntmen fighting on the main suspension tables. On Jan 7th 1985, the crew celebrated the re-opening of the 007 stage. Pinewood renamed the stage the Albert R. Broccoli 007 stage in honour of the producer’s long association with the studio and huge contribution to the British film industry.

John Barry composed his tenth score for the series. John Taylor of pop-rock group Duran Duran asked Broccoli if the band could create the title song. Broccoli agreed and Duran Duran, collaborating with Barry, created the most successful Bond theme to date, hitting number one in the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US and, helped by a tongue in cheek video directed by Godley & Creme, reaching number two in the UK.

January 16th 1985 proved to be a momentous day in James Bond history. It marked the last day Roger Moore played James Bond on film.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Focus Of The Week: Karl Stromberg

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Misanthropic, impatient, obsessed with life under the sea (he even has webbed fingers), Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens) is one of the richest men in the world. Unlike other Bond adversaries he is not looking for riches. Instead his plan is to orchestrate global nuclear destruction, destroy humanity and rebuild a more civilised world beneath the waves. It’s a plan only thwarted by the sometimes testy collaboration between James Bond (Roger Moore) and KGB agent Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach).

Stromberg lives in a submersible ocean laboratory known as Atlantis and owns a shipping line, including the Liparus, a huge tanker, capable of swallowing up submarines whole. He hires scientists Professor Markovitz (Milo Sperber) and Dr. Bechmann (Cyril Shaps) to develop a tracking system that he uses to trace and capture the ballistic missile-equipped submarines, Britain’s HMS Ranger and the Soviet Potemkin. His plan: to use them to launch strikes against Moscow and New York to initiate nuclear warfare.

When Markovitz and Bechmann come to discuss their payment ($10 million each), Stromberg asks his assistant (Marilyn Galsworthy), who has placed a microfilm detailing the tracking system up for sale, to leave them in private. When she enters the elevator, Stromberg presses a button and the lift drops her into a shark tank. After the two scientists leave, Stromberg instructs his henchman Sandor (Milton Reid) and Jaws (Richard Kiel) to kill anyone who comes into contact with the microfilm. To prove his point, he lets the two scientists survive a nervy lift journey but coldly dispatches them by blowing up their helicopter. He asks their families be informed the pair were “buried at sea”.

The microfilm catches the attention of Bond and Amasova, who visit Atlantis under the guise of marine biologist Robert Sterling and his wife. Stromberg sees through their disguise and orders the pair to be killed, the instruction starting numerous attempts on their life. Bond and Amasova go aboard the submarine USS Wayne which is sent to attack the Liparus. Stromberg captures the Wayne, kidnaps Amasova and sets the HMS Ranger and the Potemkin to launch their missiles.

As Stromberg returns to Atlantis to enjoy the fruits of his nefarious endeavours, Bond joins forces with British, American and Soviet sailors and takes over the Liparus to foil the missile strike. Using a Wetbike, Bond travels to Atlantis to confront Stromberg. Sending the lethal elevator to collect Bond, Stromberg intends to drop 007 in the shark tank. Yet Bond evades the trap door by keeping his feet off the floor. The two men sit at a long table. Stromberg tries to shoot Bond with a hidden torpedo gun attached to the underside of the table. Bond evades the missile and returns with four shots from his Walther PPK.

James Bond Swim Shorts Collection

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EON Productions have partnered with men’s resort wear brand Orlebar Brown to create an exclusive collection of swim shorts using iconic poster art from the James Bond archive. The four shorts in the collection feature artwork from Dr. No, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice and Live And Let Die with each pair coming complete with a 007 woven label and a limited edition waterproof swim bag.

The shorts can be purchased from 007 STORE: 007store.com/collections/orlebar-brown-swim-shorts

Focus Of The Week: Tatiana Romanova

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A corporal in Soviet Army Intelligence, Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi) — known as Tania — works as a cipher clerk at the Soviet Consulate in Istanbul. Loyal, innocent, graceful (she studied ballet in Leningrad, but grew one inch too tall to qualify), she is unknowingly entrusted with a pivotal role in SPECTRE’s plot to kill 007 in From Russia With Love (1963).

She meets with her commanding officer Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya), not knowing that Klebb works for SPECTRE. With her life depending on the mission, she agrees to Klebb’s demands to give false information to the enemy, becoming a pawn in the terrorist organisation’s plot to humiliate and discredit the British Secret Service.

Tania begins by contacting Istanbul head of Station T, Turkey, Kerim Bey (Pedro Armendáriz), claiming she wishes to defect with a Lektor decoder (a cipher machine) but only on the condition that 007 (Sean Connery) escorts her and the decoder to England — she claimed she had fallen in love with him from a picture she saw in a secret file and wanted to live with him.

She first meets Bond in his hotel room (“You’re even nicer than your photograph,” she tells him), slipping into his bed wearing only a black choker and black stockings. SPECTRE surveillance experts secretly film their lovemaking from behind a mirror, garnering footage to scandalize the service and Bond in retaliation for killing Dr. No.

Tania helps Bond obtain the Lektor and escapes with him aboard the Orient express bound for Italy. She is deeply conflicted about her growing feelings for Bond versus her fear of Klebb and loyalty to Russia. When Bond confronts her about the murder of Kerim Bey at the hands of SPECTRE assassin Red Grant (Robert Shaw), she truthfully defends her ignorance but does not reveal Klebb’s plot.

Grant, operating under the cover of British spy Nash, catches up with Bond and Tania on the train. Grant sedates Tania during dinner and overpowers Bond, revealing Tania is a pawn in SPECTRE’s conspiracy. Bond’s booby-trapped briefcase distracts Grant and the men begin brutal hand to hand combat until Bond manages to stab Grant with a knife concealed in his case before strangling Grant with his own garrotte.

After Grant’s death, Bond and Tatiana escape to Venice where they are confronted by Rosa Klebb, who disguises herself as a maid and tries to eliminate 007 with a gun and a dagger-tipped shoe poisoned with blowfish venom. As she disarms Klebb and picks up the gun, Tatiana must decide where her true loyalties lie: the world of freedom represented by Bond or Soviet-style obedience. Klebb orders Tania to shoot Bond but instead she turns the gun on Klebb, saving the day.

Later, she and Bond enjoy a boat trip in Venice. The couple look at the surveillance film, before Bond nonchalantly tosses it into the water.

 

Focus Of The Week: Oddjob

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The bodyguard, chauffeur and caddy of Auric Goldfinger (Gert Fröbe) in Goldfinger (1964), Oddjob (Harold Sakata) is the perfect henchman, an intimidating mix of brute strength, unique skills and unquestioning loyalty. He is capable of killing his prey with a single blow or, if his victims run, by throwing his steel-rimmed hat with pinpoint accuracy. He is a true force to be reckoned with.

Oddjob first meets 007 at the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach, knocking Bond out and murdering Jill Masterson (Shirley Eaton). When Bond regains consciousness, he discovers a lifeless Jill covered head to foot in gold paint having died from ‘skin suffocation’.

Oddjob and Bond’s paths cross again at a golf club in Britain. During a high stakes game with a Nazi gold bar as the prize, Oddjob caddies for Goldfinger, helping him cheat by surreptitiously putting down a new ball when Goldfinger loses his original in the rough.

Becoming increasingly suspicious of 007’s motives Goldfinger sends him a warning about meddling in his affairs by ordering Oddjob to decapitate a marble statue by throwing his metal-rimmed hat. Before the pair depart in Goldfinger’s 1937 Rolls-Royce Phantom III, Bond tosses Oddjob the duplicate golf ball, which the henchman duly crushes in his bare hand.

Later, when Bond and Jill’s sister Tilly (Tania Mallet) trip an alarm in Goldfinger’s factory in Switzerland, Oddjob supervises a squad of Korean guards in the chase and kills Tilly with a lethal hat throw. He further shows his cold-blooded streak by shooting Mr. Solo (Martin Benson), the one gangster who refuses to take part in Goldfinger’s scheme. Oddjob later has his body crushed in a Lincoln Continental.

Deploying an atomic bomb to irradiate the US Gold Supply, Goldfinger locks Oddjob, Bond and Goldfinger’s enforcer Kisch (Michael Mellinger) in Fort Knox. Once again revealing unswerving allegiance to his boss, Oddjob refuses to join forces to get the bomb disarmed, killing Kisch and turning on 007. During the fight, Oddjob displays incredible resilience — Bond throws a gold bar which just bounces off his chest — but also for the first time, fear when 007 uses his own steel-rimmed hat against him.

Oddjob manages to dodge Bond’s throw, the hat getting stuck between a pair of bars. As he goes to retrieve it, Bond acts quickly and pushes a severed live wire onto the rods, the electric current transferring from the metal bars to the metal in the steel hat, which electrocutes Oddjob in a spectacular flurry of sparks.

Focus Of The Week: Licence To Kill

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Following the success of The Living Daylights, Producer Cubby Broccoli looked to continue with harder-edged stories suitable for Timothy Dalton’s tougher incarnation of 007. The Screenplay was written by Screenwriter Richard Maibaum and Producer/Screenwriter Michael G. Wilson.

The filmmakers decided to base storyline around the drug cartels in Mexico, investing 007 with a much more personal motivation than ever before. En route to the wedding of his friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison) in Florida, James Bond and Leiter arrest drug baron Franz Sanchez (Robert Davi). As the wedding party hits full swing, Sanchez escapes from law enforcement officers and orders the murder of Felix’s new bride. Swearing revenge, Bond sees his licence to kill rescinded by the British government. With the help of CIA operative Pam Bouvier (Carey Lowell) as well as MI6 gadget specialist Q (Desmond Llewelyn), Bond sets out to thwart Sanchez’s plot to smuggle huge quantities of cocaine by dissolving the drug in petrol.

Looking for an actor with enough presence to play Sanchez, Broccoli and Maibaum spotted Robert Davi in a TV movie Terrorist On Trial — The Us Vs. Salim Ajami. To prep for the role, Davi not only researched South American drug lords but also had the script translated into Spanish to learn the lines with the correct cadence. Davi also played opposite actresses auditioning for the role of his mistress Lupe, eventually played by Brooklyn born Talisa Soto. Future Academy Award winner Benicio Del Toro played knife-wielding henchman Dario. The role of televangelist Professor Joe Butcher was played by Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, fulfilling a life-long dream to appear in a Bond film.

On Bond’s team, Carey Lowell won the role of CIA operative Pam Bouvier while David Hedison returned as Felix Leiter, which he had previously played in Live And Let Die. Desmond Llewelyn enjoyed his largest role ever as Q, a reassuring presence amidst the darker storyline. “I’d never really been on location before, so I loved every moment of it,” Llewelyn recalled.

Filming began on July 18 1988 at Churubusco Studios in Mexico City. On August 18, the production re-located to Key West, Florida with the second unit led by Arthur Wooster capturing Bond lassoing Sanchez’s plane in mid-air. Special consultants Sparky Greene and Jillian Palenthorpe came up with the sequence involving Bond’s escape from the Wavecrest and then via plane — water-skiing champion David Reinhardt doubled for Bond barefoot skiing behind a plane.

The idea of drug dealers smuggling cocaine by dissolving it in aircraft fuel and then reconstituting it in the US came from a Coast Guard law enforcement friend of Michael G. Wilson’s. The film’s climax sees Bond destroy the tankers shipping the illegal substances. To allow the tankers to do side and back wheelies, stunt arranger Rémy Julienne contacted Larry Orr chief engineer of Kenworth Trucks, who modified the stunt trucks known as Pamela 1, 2 and 3 (after the film’s heroine). The scene was shot over seven weeks at Rumorosa Pass, an hour from Mexicali.

After filming was finished, the film’s original title, Licence Revoked, was changed to Licence To Kill. With a score by action maestro Michael Kamen, Gladys Knight performed the title song and Patti LaBelle sang the end credits number ‘If You Asked Me To’ which later became a hit for Celine Dion. The film proved to be the last 007 film not only for Dalton but also for many Bond regulars; title designer Maurice Binder, screenwriter Richard Maibaum, director of photography Alec Mills and director John Glen, Licence To Kill being his fifth 007 film.

“I think it is probably the best film I’ve ever done,” recalled Glen, “and I’m very proud of it,”

Eunice Gayson (1931-2018)

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Comment from Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli: “We are so sad to learn that Eunice Gayson, our very first ‘Bond girl’ who played Sylvia Trench in Dr. No and From Russia With Love has passed away. Our sincere thoughts are with her family.”

 

Inside 007 Elements in Austria

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New images have been released of the interior of 007 ELEMENTS, the new James Bond cinematic installation built inside the summit of the Gaislachkogl Mountain in Sölden, Austria. Housed in a striking new architectural structure, designed and created by Obermoser Architects, 007 ELEMENTS is an interactive, immersive and educational experience that places visitors inside the world of 007 while revealing how that world is made. It opens to the public on 12 July 2018.

BARREL OF THE GUN

Visitors enter 007 ELEMENTS via the Barrel of the Gun, an atmospheric anteroom. This space focuses on two fundamentals that are synonymous with the James Bond films, innovative title sequences and dramatic, spine-tingling music.

PLAZA

In the open-air Plaza, the imposing angles of the building’s architecture frame the mountain panorama. The sharp angles recall the work of famed Bond Production Designer Sir Ken Adam who was the primary influence on the building’s design.

LOBBY

The Lobby echoes the type of antechamber that Bond often enters upon his arrival at a villain’s lair. It features an exclusive film that is narrated by Skyfall and Spectre Director Sam Mendes, which takes the visitor through the history of the James Bond films, from Dr. No to Spectre. Mendes also describes his own personal connection to the series.

LAIR

This room features an innovative piece of immersive digital theatre designed to showcase the characters and dialogue from the Bond films in a fresh and exciting way.

BRIEFING ROOM

Actress Naomie Harris, who plays Moneypenny, narrates an exclusive film that explains how the series’ scriptwriting has led to location choices, and how these locations have, in turn, inspired some of the series’ most iconic studio sets. Special attention is given to the locations that form the story-scape for Spectre’s Austrian action sequence.

VALLEY PASSAGE

This spectacular glass viewing space looks north over the Gletscherstraße, a filming location that was used in Spectre.

TECH LAB

The Tech Lab explores some of the cutting-edge technology that features in the Bond films. This state-of-the-art space allows visitors to interact with the technology and to explore some of the legacy props and digital creativity used in a James Bond production.

ACTION HALL

This is an installation that centres on the work of the special effects and stunt departments. It features the front portion of the aircraft that Bond pilots in Spectre. Visitors will also get a behind-the-scenes look at the exact make-up of Spectre’s thrilling mountain chase sequence.

SCREENING ROOM

In the Screening Room guests can watch the Austrian action sequence from Spectre with a fresh understanding of how it was created.

LEGACY GALLERY

The Legacy Gallery allows visitors to discover an extensive 007 archive through interactive touch screens that dip into EON Productions’ archive vault. Exclusive 007 merchandise is also available for purchase.

Photographs: Kristopher Grunert

Focus Of The Week: Emilio Largo

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Arrogant, amoral, cruel, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) is SPECTRE operative No.2 in charge of the extortion operation. He loves the finer things in life — his villa in Palmyra including a shark pool, his luxury yacht the Disco Volante — but his exquisite tastes masks a ruthless streak.

In Thunderball (1965), Largo leads a plot to hijack a bomber carrying two hydrogen bombs and extort $280 million from the NATO countries by threatening to blow up the USA and United Kingdom.

Largo’s plot to steal the aircraft begins with altering the appearance of SPECTRE pilot Angelo Palazzi (Paul Stassino) to resemble NATO air man Francois Derval (also Stassino), who is subsequently murdered by Palazzi. After Palazzi intentionally crashes the NATO bomber into the sea, Largo kills him for trying to wrestle more money out of his deal from SPECTRE. Largo’s men camouflage the sunken bomber at the bottom of the sea and ferry the nuclear weapons to a sealed underwater cave.

In Nassau, Largo first encounters James Bond (Sean Connery), who also starts up a flirtatious relationship with Largo’s mistress Domino (Claudine Auger), who is the deceased Francois Derval’s sister. A psychological game of cat and mouse ensues as both men understand they are watching each other while never revealing their true intentions.

As the NATO deadline looms, Largo retrieves the bombs but discovers 007 has infiltrated his team. Largo traps Bond behind the doors of the underwater pen. He then takes the Disco Volante to Biscayne Bay but discovers Domino has betrayed him by alerting the CIA the bombs are on board. Filled with fury, he tortures her.

Largo and his men escape out of the underwater hatch to plant one bomb to be detonated if NATO does not pay the ransom. However, as he guides his men underwater, CIA aquaparas engage them in battle. Bond, having escaped the underwater pen, joins the fray and the CIA retrieve one bomb.

Largo returns to the Disco Volante which he converts into a high speed hydrofoil. Bond manages to clamber aboard the speeding craft and battle Largo. When the speeding vessel clips a coral reef at top speed, Bond falls, giving Largo the upper hand in the fight. He aims his gun at Bond but, before he can pull the trigger, Domino fires a spear gun into Largo’s back in revenge for killing her brother.

A dying Largo falls onto the yacht’s controls, causing the yacht to run aground and explode violently — but not before Bond and Domino leap overboard to safety.

Focus Of The Week: Sheriff J.W. Pepper

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Loud, overbearing and colourful, Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James) is a lawman in Louisiana who spends his afternoons trying to catch speeding drivers and looking after small town problems such as shooting Mrs Pearson’s rabid dog. His two encounters with Bond turn his small world upside down.

We first meet J.W. during the boat chase sequence in Live And Let Die (1973). Pepper’s attention is caught by Mr. Big’s henchman Adam (Tommy Lane) pursuing Bond at nearly 90mph. The Sheriff arrests Adam and holds him at gun point. Without warning, Bond’s Glastron Speedboat leaps over Pepper’s head while his pursuer crashes into the idling squad car. A third boat sails overhead, allowing Adam to escape.

Pepper commandeers a police vehicle and proceeds to a bridge where an obstruction has been set up to stop Bond and his pursuers. The blockade doesn’t halt the cavalcade of boats and Pepper arrives at the scene to find his lawmen flailing in the water.

Realising he needs to raise his efforts, Pepper enlists his brother-in-law Billy Bob who has the fastest boat on the river. The Sheriff heads further along the river boasting about the prowess of Billy Bob’s vessel, blissfully unaware it has been stolen by Adam. When Pepper finally confronts Bond and CIA agent Felix Leiter (David Hedison) at a marina, the fuming Sheriff accuses 007 of being reckless — “What are you? Some kinda doomsday machine boy?” — and attempts to arrest him. After a quick word from Leiter, the supervising police officer informs Pepper that Bond is actually a British secret agent, much to the Sheriff’s annoyance.

Bond meets J.W. again on the hunt for assassin Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). Holidaying in Bangkok, Pepper catches sight of Bond when he tours with his wife Marybelle (Jay Sidow). Later, browsing in a car showroom, Pepper finds himself in an AMC Hornet when Bond gets in and drives the car through a plate glass window. Joining the chase for Scaramanga, Pepper is an enthusiastic, encouraging passenger until the point Bond spiral jumps across a canal attempting to catch up with the cultured killer. After Scaramanga escapes, Pepper is arrested by the Thai police, protesting he is a policeman himself.

Focus Of The Week: Severine

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A woman of mystery, Severine (Bérénice Marlohe) is the mistress of cyber criminal Silva (Javier Bardem) in Skyfall (2012). Powerful, dangerous and charismatic, she is a pivotal player in Bond’s mission to track down the nefarious mastermind but ultimately comes to a tragic end.

We encounter Severine as an accomplice to mercenary Patrice (Ola Rapace) in a Shanghai hotel room, she shows a stolen Modigliani painting ‘Woman With A Fan’ to Silva’s latest target. Yet this is a ruse to get the art dealer into the crosshairs of Patrice who assassinates the man, shooting him from an adjacent building. Severine watches Bond subsequently fight Patrice, the assassin falling from a window. She throws the secret agent an icy glance before rejoining her guards.

Bond and Severine first meet at Macau’s Floating Dragon Casino. Severine greets 007 on his arrival and the pair have a drink at the bar, discussing the topics of fear and death. Bond quizzes her on information about Silva, yet she warns him about digging too deep into the terrorist’s affairs. Bond notices that she has a Beretta 70 strapped to her thigh and observes her bodyguards are not so much protecting her as controlling her. Beneath her icy confident exterior, Bond senses she is frightened of her boss and deduces her current employer rescued her from an abusive past.

Hoping that Bond can rescue her from Silva’s clutches, Severine warns 007 about her guards’ intentions to assassinate him by throwing him into a pit with komodo dragons. She implores him, if he survives, to meet her on board Silva’s yacht Chimera. However, the pair are captured and taken to Silva’s base, an abandoned island known as the Dead City. Due to her disloyalty to Silva, Severine is separated from Bond and then beaten.

After meeting and being interrogated by Silva, Bond is taken to a courtyard where Severine is bound to a fallen statue. “There is nothing superfluous in my life,” Silva tells Bond. “When a thing is redundant it is eliminated.” Silva places a shot glass of 1962 Macallan Scotch on Severine’s head and forces Bond to engage in a shooting challenge with antique dueling pistols. Bond misses the target on purpose, convincing Silva he has lost his skill at marksmanship. Having no further need for her, Silva cold-bloodedly shoots Severine. As she slumps over, the glass falls to the floor, spilling the fifty-year old Scotch.

Focus Of The Week: Thunderball Underwater Battle

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The underwater battle in Thunderball (1965) is a spectacular finale to the film. Bond (Sean Connery) uncovers SPECTRE’s Number Two Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi)’s plot to hold NATO to ransom with two stolen nuclear warheads. After 007 is captured by Largo, CIA Agent Felix Leiter (Rik Van Nutter) orders the US Coast Guard to parachute in and engage Largo’s men beneath the hull of Largo’s boat the Disco Volante. What follows is a spectacularly choreographed battle that is as beautiful as it is thrilling.

Underwater filmmaking specialists Ivan Tors Films were hired to create 18 underwater sequences which contained 83 separate scenes. The unit were led by Ricou Browning, a filmmaker, cameraman and stunt performer best known for playing the Gill-Man in The Creature From The Black Lagoon.

“I asked (Thunderball Director) Terence Young, ‘Can you tell me what do you want?” recalled Browning about his preparation for the sequence. “He said, ‘Why don’t you shoot it and if you don’t do what I want, I’ll tell you about it.’ I never had another discussion with him about the show after that. He gave me a lot of freedom.”

Filming on the sequence began on May 10 1965 with close-ups of Sean Connery and Adolfo Celi. While the cast and crew of the first unit then returned to the UK, the Ivan Tors unit continued for another two weeks with over 45 divers.

“The underwater fight was the most difficult sequence, only in that there were so many people involved and we had dangerous weapons,” said Browning. “We didn’t want anyone to get hurt, and to coordinate each sequence we took some time to rehearse topside aboard the huge barge that we had rented, and then we would try and recreate underwater what we had rehearsed on the surface.”

The complexity of the sequence as well as the danger also slowed the production down. As Browning put it, “You can only retain so much in your mind before you need to talk again. And in those days we didn’t have underwater communication so we had to use hand signals. When it got so complicated that you couldn’t use hand signals, you just came topside and rehearsed it again, and went back again. It was time consuming.”

The sequence culminates in the Disco Volante running aground and exploding in a huge fireball. The experimental rocket fuel used to detonate the boat was far more powerful than Special Effects Supervisor John Stears predicted, blowing out windows 30 miles away in Nassau.

Stears won an Academy Award for his effects on Thunderball.