Thunderball
| 280px | |
| Thunderball | |
|---|---|
| Caption: | Thunderball movie poster |
| Bond: | Sean Connery |
| Writer: | Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham |
| Screenplay: | Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins |
| Director: | Terence Young |
| Music: | John Barry |
| Composer: | John Barry Don Black |
| Performer: | Tom Jones |
| Distributor: | United Artists |
| Released: | December 17, 1965 |
| Runtime: | 130 min. |
| Preceded by: | Goldfinger |
| Followed by: | You Only Live Twice |
| Budget: | $11,000,000 |
| Worldgross: | $141,200,000 |
| Admissions: | 166 million |
| Imdb id: | 0059800 |
Thunderball is the fourth film in the EON Productions James Bond series and the fourth film to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond 007. Released in 1965, it was directed by Terence Young, his third 007 film.
The source material to the film has long been a subject of debate and controversy within James Bond fandom. The original Thunderball novel written by Fleming was based on a screenplay that was created with the intention of being turned into a film. A number of screenwriters and producers were attached to help flesh out a story, however, nothing came of this and Fleming novelised it for his ninth novel in his series. Consequently, Fleming was sued for plagarism for which he settled out of court in 1963. EON producer's Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman made a deal in 1964 to film an adaptation of the novel. Like a good number of James Bond films, it was promoted as "Ian Fleming's Thunderball," however, the screenplay is officially credited to Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins, but was written as being "Based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham," which also was credited as being "Based on the original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming."
Thunderball has, to date, been adapted twice for the cinema, although there had been plans for further adaptations that have resulted in lawsuits. In 1983 McClory produced an unofficial remake (outside of the EON Productions canon), Never Say Never Again, which again starred Connery as Bond.
Thunderball was originally scheduled to have been the first James Bond film, in 1962, but this was later changed to Dr. No due to a lawsuit brought about by McClory.
Overview
Prior to the agreement in which Thunderball would become the fourth official James Bond film, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had planned to follow Goldfinger with On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which some prints of the film claim in the closing "James Bond will return" line. For the film, Richard Maibaum revised his 1961 screen adaptation he initially wrote to be the first James Bond film. John Hopkins was later brought in to add the finishing touches.
Since teaming up with Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory had always wanted to direct the film himself, however, the agreement with EON did not allow this. Instead McClory took on the role of executive producer. Consequently, with the exception of GoldenEye (1995), Thunderball is the only official James Bond film for which Broccoli, during his lifetime, did not receive credit as producer. Saltzman also did not receive credit as producer, however, the pair were credited as having the film "presented by" them.
Initially, Broccoli turned to director Guy Hamilton, who directed Goldfinger. Hamilton turned the job down claiming that he had done all he could with the Bond character, although he would later return in 1971 for Diamonds Are Forever as well as Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and was at one point attached to direct The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), but backed out to pursue other films. Terence Young, who directed the first two Bond films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love, was subsequently chosen.
Sean Connery, who already had a contract to do a certain number of Bond films, returned to the role of James Bond; however, he had started to have reservations about the role and the future of the James Bond film franchise. In February 1965 Connery was quoted in The Daily Mail saying,
- "I think it could be better than the last one, but I can't see the cycle going on past that. Though I am signed to do two more - OHMSS and one other. But who knows? America seems to lap them up... My only grumble about the Bond films is that they don't tax one as an actor... I'd like to see someone else tackle Bond, I must say - though I think they'd be crazy to do it."
Although this is the fourth official James Bond film, it is the first time Sean Connery performed the gun barrel intro sequence, traditionally present at the beginning of all Bond films. Previously, stuntman Bob Simmons performed the scene. The sequence was reshot primarily because this is the first James Bond film to be shot in anamorphic widescreen. The sequence is also, for the first time, in colour rather than in black and white (although a black-and-white version of the sequence would be used in Diamonds Are Forever).
Thunderball's release in 1965 marks the height of what is generally referred to as "spymania" that was essentially created after the cinema success of Dr. No, From Russia with Love, and Goldfinger. Fueled by James Bond, 20 new spy films had been announced to be either in preproduction or production in 1965 and numerous successful television shows featuring similar spy elements and secret agents were just beginning, such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I Spy, The Wild Wild West, and Get Smart. When Thunderball was released, it became the most financially successful Bond film to date and the most successful of Sean Connery's official Bond films, taking in $141.2 million worldwide. John Cork's James Bond: The Legacy, a book about the cultural impact of James Bond states, "Thunderball would go on to sell over 58.1 million tickets in the U.S., which at the end of 1965 had 194.5 million inhabitants. In raw terms, this meant that statistically more than one in every four Americans paid to go and see the movie. The film became the highest-grossing hit of 1966 all over the world." Additionally, to date, Thunderball is the only James Bond film to rank #1 on the American box office chart. With inflation taken into account, Thunderball is also the most financially successful Bond film ever. In 1966, Thunderball became the second James Bond film to be nominated and win an Academy Award. John Stears won for Best Visual Effects.
Plot summary
Like most of the earlier James Bond films, Thunderball is a close adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel with changes mostly for the pre-title credits, the inclusion of gadgets, and an update of technology.
The film begins with James Bond attending the funeral of Jacques Boitier, a SPECTRE agent who had murdered two British agents. As it would turn out, a woman who Bond notices open a car door for herself at the funeral is Boitier in disguise. Bond comes to this realization and ambushes Boitier at his château where he kills him. Afterwards, Bond escapes using a jetpack to fly to his car parked outside the château where he has a brief battle with his pursuers, during which Bond uses water cannons on the Aston Martin DB5.
A major difference between the novel and film versions of Thunderball is that, in the film continuity, Bond was first introduced to SPECTRE in Dr. No and the events of From Russia with Love are also masterminded by the organization. The plot of Thunderball deals with SPECTRE attempting to hold the world hostage by hijacking two nuclear bombs. In the film, the Avro Vulcan that is transporting the bombs is hijacked by a SPECTRE henchman who has undergone plastic surgery to appear as a NATO observer that would accompany the pilots on the trip. Once in control of the plane, the henchman lands it in the middle of the ocean near the Bahamas where Emilio Largo (number two in SPECTRE) and his men retrieve the warheads and conceal the plane from any sort of overhead reconnaissance looking for it. The bomb retrieval begins after Largo kills the man posing as the NATO observer because he demanded more money prior to the hijacking.
Prior to this event, Bond is ordered by M to attend a health farm in order to improve his physical condition. While enjoying a massage from a sexy attendant, Bond meets Count Lippe, a shifty individual who becomes distrustful of Bond when 007 notices a gangland tattoo on the Count's arm. Lippe subsequently attempts to murder Bond on a traction machine, but Bond is rescued by the attendant (whom he promptly beds); Bond subsequently has his revenge by trapping Lippe in a steam bath, although the count survives. Things become stranger when Bond finds a dead man wrapped in bandages, and survives yet another attempt on his life.
Due to the SPECTRE crisis, Bond attends an emergency conference where all of MI6's 00-agents are briefed and given assignments (although no faces are clearly seen, this is the first time 00-agents other than Bond have been seen on-screen). Initially M assigns Bond to Canada, but Bond recognizes a photo of the NATO observer as the dead man he saw at the health club. Since the NATO observer's sister is in Nassau, M allows Bond to journey there to investigate. The sister, Domino, played by Claudine Auger, is Largo's mistress. Bond exploits this connection to get close to Largo after meeting Domino while scuba diving.
An additional character in the film is Fiona Volpe (played by Luciana Paluzzi), who is not in the novel. A member of SPECTRE, she was responsible for the substitution of the NATO observer, and attempts to kill Bond after rendezvousing with Largo in Nassau. She is later shot in the back by a bullet intended for Bond while dancing at a nightclub with him during local Junkanoo celebrations. Bond leaves her body at a table, saying: "Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She's just dead."
Amongst Bond fans it is controversial as to whether or not Bond intentionally moves her into the path of the bullet, Fleming's Bond being against killing anyone in cold blood.
In Nassau, Bond teams up with Felix Leiter and the two set out to find the hijacked plane, which they eventually find along with the corpse of the phoney NATO observer. Afterwards Bond informs Domino that her brother was killed by Largo and pleads for her to aid him in finding the nuclear warheads. She gives Bond information that allows for him to take the place of a SPECTRE agent on a mission with Largo, who is retrieving the nuclear warheads from their underwater hiding place, in order to plant one at its target just off the coast of Florida. After an underwater battle that Bond barely escapes from, he is rescued by Leiter from the underwater cave where the bombs were concealed. Bond informs Felix of the location of the bomb, and then he as well as a platoon of U.S. Navy Frogmen parachute to the location of the bomb where a massive underwater battle takes place. Bond eliminates numerous SPECTRE frogmen, utilizing various high tech devices as well as his bare hands.
As the battle ends, Largo escapes to the Disco Volante which still has one of the two warheads aboard, and Bond follows, sneaking onto the vessel. Bond encounters Largo, who is attempting to escape by using the Disco Volante's hydrofoil to speed away. The two have a fierce hand-to-hand fight; however, just as Largo gains the upper hand he is shot in the back with a spear gun by Domino. Bond and Domino jump overboard as the out of control hydrofoil runs aground and explodes. Bond and Domino are picked up from the sea via a sky hook-equipped plane.
Cast & characters
- James Bond - Sean Connery
- Dominique 'Domino' Derval - Claudine Auger
- M - Bernard Lee
- Miss Moneypenny - Lois Maxwell
- Q - Desmond Llewelyn
- Felix Leiter - Rik Van Nutter
- Emilio Largo, aka 'Number 2' - Adolfo Celi — dubbed by Robert Rietty
- Fiona Volpe - Luciana Paluzzi
- Count Lippe - Guy Doleman
- Francois Derval/Angelo Palazzi - Paul Stassino
- Vargas - Philip Locke
- Wladislav Kutze - George Pravda
- Paula Caplan - Martine Beswick
- Patricia Fearing - Molly Peters
- Mademoiselle La Porte - Maryse Guy Mitsouko (uncredited)
The Women of Thunderball
| Picture | Name | Actress | |
| 100px | Dominique Derval | Claudine Auger | The lead Bond girl of Thunderball. Nicknamed "Domino", Dominique Derval's brother Francois was murdered by SPECTRE and replaced with an exact duplicate. Conveniently, she is also the villain Largo's mistress. It seems Domino is not very happy with Largo to begin with and eventually had an affair with Bond. When Bond revealed to her the death of her brother, Largo's involvement and that he needs her help to locate the stolen nuclear missiles, she said cynically: "That's why you made love to me". This seems to be an answer to criticism leveled against Bond in the way he seduces (and hence uses) women to get his way. However, Fiona Volpe addressed this even more directly. |
| 100px | Fiona Volpe | Luciana Paluzzi | Although she is preceded by Miss Taro in Dr. No, Fiona set the standards for Bond femme fatales. Whereas Miss Taro uses her sexuality to distract Bond and has someone else do the dirty work, Fiona uses it as a weapon and is not squeamish about killing. Her influence extends to later villainesses such as Helga Brandt, May Day and Xenia Onatopp. She is also memorable in which she mocks 007, saying that after a woman beds him, she starts hearing heavenly choirs, before repenting and return to the side of right and virtue; something that does not work on Fiona (and villainesses including Brandt, Onatopp, May Day, Elektra King and Miranda Frost). Although she is a creation for the movie rather than the novel, she made such an indelible impression that the unofficial remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again, had a Fiona Volpe-like character in the form of Fatima Blush. |
| 100px | Patricia Fearing | Molly Peters | A physical therapist who attends to Bond in the Shrublands Clinic, Patricia was relentlessly harried by Bond which nowadays would be seen as blatant sexual harrassment. In the end, it seems Patricia rather enjoyed the attention. |
| 100px | Paula Caplan | Martine Beswick | Martine Beswick return to the world of Bond as Bond's Nassau contact and assistant Paula Caplan (spelt Kaplan in the DvD subtitles). Beswick previously appeared as the gypsy girl Zora in From Russia With Love. Although Paula's relationship with Bond seems purely to be a professional one, she couldn't quite cover up her jealousy when she thought that Fiona Volpe had a date set up with him. In the end, to avoid giving away vital information through torture, Paula uses cyanide to commit suicide. There is a scene in the movie cut from theatrical release in which Fiona interrogates Paula after ambushing her about the pictures that Bond took of the Disco Volante. |
| 100px | Mademoiselle La Porte | Maryse Guy Mitsouko | The uncredited role of Mademoiselle La Porte is played by French actress Maryse Guy aka Mitsouko. La Porte is Bond's French contact and the two attended the phoney funeral of SPECTRE agent Jacques Boitier (spelled Bouvard in the film's DvD sub-titles, and the way the name was pronounced in the film). La Porte stands guard over Bond's Astin Martin as Bond himself gives his condolences to the "widow". After Bond kills Boitier, he and La Porte makes their escape in the car, having it fire jets of water at their pursuers. |
Crew
- Directed by: Terence Young
- Produced by: Kevin McClory
- Written by: Kevin McClory, Ian Fleming, Jack Whittingham
- Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins
- Music composed by: John Barry
- Cinematography by: Ted Moore
- Supervising editor: Peter R. Hunt
- Production design by Ken Adam
Vehicles & gadgets
Main article List of James Bond gadgets
In Thunderball, the famous Aston Martin DB5 makes its second appearance, previously in Goldfinger. For this film a surprise modification of rear water cannons were used in the opening pre-title sequence, although the vehicle itself has a noticeably weathered appearance that goes unexplained (perhaps suggesting other, unseen adventures). Also used in the pre-title sequence was the "Bell Rocket Belt" developed by Bell Aircraft Corporation. The rocket belt, which was used by Bond to escape from a building, actually works and was used numerous times before and afterwards for entertainment and amusement purposes; most notably Super Bowl I and at a regularly scheduled show at the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair. The very popular rocket belt made a cameo appearance in 2002's Die Another Day and is a feature borrowed for the video game adaptation of From Russia with Love.
Q branch provides Bond with a number of other gadgets throughout the film, which were given to Bond while in the field, a first in the Bond films. Included was a homer pill that when swallowed emits a signal that helps headquarters trace his whereabouts, a waterproof watch that doubles as a Geiger counter and a camera that doubles as a Geiger counter. Bond was also outfitted with an underwater jet pack that was armed with a spear gun. It was used by Bond to manoeuvre through the water faster than anyone else. Lastly, Bond was given a very small scuba set that can be carried unnoticed and, when used, provided a few minutes of air in underwater emergency. It was called a rebreather in the movie, but it was actually open-circuit: two very small air cylinders end-to-end joined by a demand valve. After the film's release there was some confusion as to whether a "rebreather" of this size actually existed and worked, since most of Bond's gadgets (at the time), while possibly implausible, were somewhat based on real gadgets. In the real world a rebreather could not be that small, as it would not have room for a breathing bag; but this "rebreather" appeared again in later Bond films, most notably Die Another Day, and would also possibly be the inspiration for other similar devices found in other movies such as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
Locations
Film locations
- Paris, France
- Shrublands Health Farm
- London, United Kingdom
- Nassau, The Bahamas
Shooting locations
Filmed in Caribbean locales, Thunderball is remarkable for its underwater scenes, which contributed greatly to the popularisation of scuba diving as recreation. While in Nassau during one of the final days of shooting, John Stears, the special effects supervisor, was supplied experimental rocket fuel to use to blow up Largo's ship, the Disco Volante. Not knowing how volatile the fuel was, Stears doused the entire ship with the fuel and took cover from a safe distance of the ship. When the ship was detonated, the resulting explosion was massive; so massive in fact that it shattered windows along Bay Street in Nassau roughly thirty miles away.
- Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire
- Château d'Anet, near Dreux, France - fight in pre-credit sequence
- Paris, France - exterior of SPECTRE headquarters
- Silverstone racing circuit - chase involving Count Lippe, Fiona Volpe and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5
- Nassau, Paradise Island, The Bahamas
Trivia
- At the last minute, a reference to the then-recent Great British Train Robbery was inserted into the SPECTRE briefing near the beginning of the film.
- In the conference room, Agent 007 sits in the 7th chair.
- Throughout the entire film, James Bond never introduces himself as "Bond, James Bond".
- The name of Emilio Largo's yacht, the Disco Volante, means "Flying Saucer" in Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. In the 1983 remake Never Say Never Again, Largo's ship is named the Flying Saucer.
- Some prints of this film are lacking the trademark "James Bond will return" message at the end, while others include it.
- Thunderball was delayed from an October 1965 release to December 1965. Peter Hunt stated this was due to the film running long; Variety reported the runtime to be four and half hours.
- On November 20, 2005, many surviving members of the cast and crew gathered in London for a special 40th Anniversary screening.
Further reading
- Casino Royale history for further information on the James Bond legal battles between Sony and MGM.
External links
- Official James Bond website
- MGM's official site for Thunderball
- Universal Export's entry on Thunderball
- Production notes for Thunderball — MI6.co.uk
- Thunderball — The Bond Film Informant
- "McClory, Sony and Bond: A History Lesson — Universal Exports
- Thunderball obsessional; a website devoted to all things, Thunderball
| The James Bond films |
|---|
| Official films Dr. No | From Russia with Love | Goldfinger | Thunderball | You Only Live Twice | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Diamonds Are Forever | Live and Let Die | The Man with the Golden Gun | The Spy Who Loved Me | Moonraker | For Your Eyes Only | Octopussy | A View to a Kill | The Living Daylights | Licence to Kill | GoldenEye | Tomorrow Never Dies | The World Is Not Enough | Die Another Day | Casino Royale | Quantum of Solace |
| Unofficial films Casino Royale (1954 TV) | Casino Royale (1967 spoof) | Never Say Never Again |