Filming of James Bond in the 1980s
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (December 2019) |
Films made in the 1980s featuring the character of James Bond included For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Never Say Never Again, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, and Licence to Kill. The decade featured 3 Bond actors Roger Moore, Sean Connery and Timothy Dalton. The 1980s were unique for the Eon franchise in that every Bond film of the decade was directed by one director John Glen. The 1980s also saw the rare occurrence of a Bond film being released by a company other than Eon. 1983's Never Say Never Again saw Connery return to the role one final time.
For Your Eyes Only
Production of For Your Eyes Only begun on 2 September 1980 in the North Sea, with three days shooting exterior scenes with the St Georges.[1][2] The interiors were shot later in Pinewood Studios, as well as the ship's explosion, which was done with a miniature in Pinewood's tank on the 007 Stage.[3] On 15 September principal photography started in Corfu at the Villa Sylva at Kanoni, above Corfu Town,[4] which acted as the location of the Spanish villa. Many of the local houses were painted white for scenographic reasons.[5] Glen opted to use the local slopes and olive trees for the chase scene between Melina's Citroën 2CV and Gonzales' men driving Peugeot 504s.[6] The scene was shot across twelve days, with stunt driver Rémy Julienne – who would remain in the series up until GoldenEye – driving the Citroën.[7] Four 2CVs were used, with modifications for the stunts – all had more powerful flat-four engines, and one received a special revolving plate on its roof so it could get turned upside down.[8][9][10]
In October filming moved to other Greek locations, including Meteora and the
Many of the underwater scenes, especially involving close-ups of Bond and Melina, were actually
Roger Moore was reluctant to film the scene of Bond kicking a car, with Locque inside, over the edge of a cliff, saying that it "was Bond-like, but not Roger Moore Bond-like."[1] Michael G. Wilson later said that Moore had to be persuaded to be more ruthless than he felt comfortable.[14] Wilson also added that he and Richard Maibaum, along with John Glen, toyed with other ideas surrounding that scene, but ultimately everyone, even Moore, agreed to do the scene as originally written.[1]
For the Meteora shoots, a Greek bishop was paid to allow filming in the monasteries, but the uninformed
Roger Moore said he had a great fear of heights, and to do the climbing in Greece, he resorted to moderate drinking to calm his nerves.
Bond veteran cameraman and professional skier
The pre-credits sequence used a church in Stoke Poges as a cemetery, while the helicopter scenes were filmed at the abandoned Beckton Gas Works in London.[11] The gas works were also the location for some of Stanley Kubrick's 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket.[17] Director John Glen got the idea for the remote-controlled helicopter after seeing a child playing with an RC car.[1] Since flying the helicopter through a warehouse was too dangerous, the scene where the vehicle enters was done through forced perspective – stunt pilot Marc Wolff drove besides the building, making it seem as if the helicopter was entering a smaller mock-up built by Derek Meddings' team which was closer to the camera – while the footage inside the building was shot on location, though with a life-sized helicopter model which stood over a rail. Stuntman Martin Grace stood as Bond when the agent is dangling outside the flying helicopter, while Roger Moore himself was used in the scenes inside the model.[6][18]
Octopussy
The filming of Octopussy began on 10 August 1982 with the scene in which Bond arrives at
The pre-title sequence has a scene where Bond flies a nimble
Stunt co-ordinator Martin Grace suffered an injury while shooting the scene where Bond climbs down the train to catch Octopussy's attention.[24] During the second day of filming, Grace – who was Roger Moore's stunt double for the scene – carried on doing the scene longer than he should have, due to a miscommunication with the second unit director, and the train entered a section of the track that the team had not properly surveyed. Shortly afterwards, a concrete pole fractured Grace's left leg.[21] This affected morale in the camp for some time.
The bicyclist seen passing in the middle of a sword fight during the
The Fabergé egg in the film is real; it was made in 1897 and is called the
In a bit of diegesis that "breaks the fourth wall", Vijay signals his affiliation to MI6 by playing the James Bond Theme on a recorder while Bond is disembarking from a boat in the harbour near the City Palace. Like his fictional counterpart, the real Vijay had a distinct fear of snakes and found difficulty holding the basket during filming.[21]
Never Say Never Again
The film is based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which had been previously adapted in a 1965 film under that name. Unlike the majority of Bond films, Never Say Never Again was not produced by Eon Productions, but by Jack Schwartzman's Taliafilm in association with Kevin McClory, one of the original writers of the Thunderball storyline with Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham. McClory retained the filming rights of the novel following a long legal battle dating from the 1960s with a settlement allowing McClory to be contractually able to create his own version of the Thunderball story after 10 years had passed.
Connery played the role of James Bond for the seventh and final time, marking his return to the character 12 years after Diamonds Are Forever. The film's title is a reference to Connery's reported declaration in 1971 that he would "never again" play that role. As Connery was 52 at the time of filming, although nearly three years younger than incumbent Bond Roger Moore, the storyline features an aging Bond, who is brought back into action to investigate the theft of two nuclear weapons by SPECTRE. Filming locations included France, Spain, the Bahamas and Elstree Studios in England. Due to the unique nature of 2 competing Bond films being released in the same year, the media dubbed the circumstance "The Battle of the Bonds".
This film is currently the final Non-Eon Bond film to be released. As Eon have now secured the rights to every Bond story including Thunderball and Casino Royale; it is highly unlikely any future Non-Eon Bond films could ever be released in the foreseeable future.
A View to a Kill
The film was shot at Pinewood Studios in London, Iceland, Switzerland, France and the United States. Several French landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, its Jules Verne Restaurant and the Château de Chantilly were filmed. The rest of the major filming was done in the
The production of the film began on 23 June 1984 in Iceland, where the second unit filmed the pre-title sequence.
On 6 October 1984, the fourth unit, headed by the special effects supervisor John Richardson, began its work on the climactic fight sequence. At first, only a few plates constructed to resemble the Golden Gate Bridge were used. Later that night, the shooting of the burning San Francisco City Hall commenced. The first actual scenes atop the bridge were filmed on 7 October 1984.[30]
In Paris it was planned that two stunt men, B.J. Worth and Don Caldvedt, would help film two takes of a parachute drop off a (clearly visible) platform that extended from a top edge of the Eiffel Tower. However, sufficient footage was obtained from Worth's jump, so Caldvedt was told he would not be performing his own jump. Caldvedt, unhappy at not being able to perform the jump, parachuted off the tower without authorisation from the City of Paris. He was subsequently sacked by the production team for jeopardising the continuation of filming in the city.[31]
Airship Industries managed a major marketing coup with the inclusion of their Skyship 500 series airship in the film. At the time Airship Industries were producing a fleet of ships which were recognisable over many capitals of the world offering tours, or advertising sponsorship deals. As all Bond films have included the most current technology, this included the lighter than air interest.[32]
The ship used in the climax was a Skyship 500, then on a promotional tour of Los Angeles after its participation in the opening ceremony of the 1984 Olympic Games. At that time, it had "WELCOME" painted across the side of the hull, but the word was replaced by "ZORIN INDUSTRIES" for the film. During the 1984 season, the ship was painted green and red as a part of Fujifilm's blimp fleet; it was subsequently coloured white. In real life, inflating it would take up to 24 hours, but during the film it was shown to take two minutes.[32]
The Living Daylights
The film was shot at the
The press would not meet Dalton and d'Abo until 5 October 1986, when the main unit travelled to Vienna.[37] Almost two weeks after the second unit filming on Gibraltar, the first unit started shooting with Andreas Wisniewski and stunt man Bill Weston.[citation needed] During the course of these three days it took to film this fight Weston fractured a finger, and Wisniewski knocked him out once.[38][full citation needed] The next day finds the crew on location at Stonor House doubling for Bladen's Safe House, the first scene Jeroen Krabbé filmed.[39][full citation needed]
The return of Aston Martin
The film reunites Bond with British car maker Aston Martin. Following Bond's use of the Aston Martin DBS in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the filmmakers then turned to the brand new Lotus Esprit in 1977s The Spy Who Loved Me, which reappeared four years later in For Your Eyes Only. Despite the iconic status of the submersible Lotus however, Bond's Aston Martin DB5 is recognised as the most famous of his vehicles. As a consequence, Aston Martin returned with their V8 Vantage.
Two different Aston Martin models were used in filming - a V8 Volante convertible, and later for the Czechoslovakia scenes, a hard-top non-Volante V8 saloon badged to look like the Volante. The Volante was a production model owned by Aston Martin Lagonda chairman, Victor Gauntlett.
Licence to Kill
Principal photography ran from 18 July to 18 November 1988. Shooting began in Mexico, which mostly doubled for the fictional Republic of Isthmus:[40] locations in Mexico City included the Biblioteca del Banco de Mexico for the exterior of El Presidente Hotel and the Casino Español for the interior of Casino de Isthmus whilst the Teatro de la Ciudad was used for its exterior. Villa Arabesque in Acapulco was used for Sanchez's lavish villa, and the La Rumorosa Mountain Pass in Mexicali was used as the filming site for the tanker chase during the climax of the film. Sanchez's Olympiatec Meditation Institute was shot at the Otomi Ceremonial Center in Temoaya.[41] Other underwater sequences were shot at the Isla Mujeres near Cancún.[42]
In August 1988, production moved to the
The scene where Sanchez's plane is hijacked was filmed on location in Florida, with stuntman Jake Lombard jumping from a helicopter to a plane, but Timothy Dalton himself being filmed atop the aircraft. The plane towed by the helicopter was a life-sized model created by special effects supervisor John Richardson. After filming wide shots of David Hedison and Dalton parachuting, closer shots were done near the church location.
For the climactic
Reception table
Film | Critical | Public | |
---|---|---|---|
Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore | |
For Your Eyes Only | 73% (48 reviews)[46] | 54 (12 reviews)[47] | |
Octopussy | 42% (45 reviews)[48] | 63 (14 reviews)[49] | |
Never Say Never Again | 66% (47 reviews)[50] | 68 (15 reviews)[51] | |
A View to a Kill | 37% (57 reviews)[52] | 40 (20 reviews)[53] | |
The Living Daylights | 71% (52 reviews)[54] | 60 (17 reviews)[55] | A[56] |
Licence to Kill | 77% (53 reviews)[57] | 58 (25 reviews)[58] | B+[56] |
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Inside For Your Eyes Only. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 2
- ^ a b Glen, John (August 1981). "The director talks about For Your Eyes Only". American Cinematographer. Archived from the original on March 16, 2005.
- ^ Derek Meddings. For Your Eyes Only audio commentary. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 1
- ^ a b c Cork & Stutz 2007, p. 292.
- ^ a b Bond in Greece. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 2
- ^ a b John Glen. For Your Eyes Only audio commentary. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 1
- ^ David Naylor. For Your Eyes Only audio commentary. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 1
- ^ Lightman, Herb A. (August 1981). "Behind the scenes of James Bond 007: For Your Eyes Only". American Cinematographer. Archived from the original on April 12, 2005.
- ^ Samuelson, David (August 1981). "For Your Eyes Only and Its Special Effects". American Cinematographer. Archived from the original on March 16, 2005.
- ^ "The Car's the Star – Citroën 2CV". The Car's the Star. 1996. BBC 2.
- ^ a b Exotic Locations. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 2
- ^ a b Bond in Cortina. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 2
- ^ Neptune's Journey. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 2
- ^ Barnes & Hearn 2001, p. 137.
- ^ a b Barnes & Hearn 2001, p. 138.
- ^ a b "Double-O Stuntmen". The Man with the Golden Gun Ultimate Edition, Disk 2. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ Falsetto 2001, p. xxii.
- ^ Michael Lamont. For Your Eyes Only audio commentary. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed]. For Your Eyes Only – Ultimate Edition, Disk 1
- ^ "August: This Month in Bond History". Archived from the original on 5 August 2008. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7864-1803-9.
- ^ a b c d e Inside Octopussy (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment Inc. 2000. Event occurs at [time needed]. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ Lunsford, J. Lynn (22 September 2006). "Filming air combat is as risky as a dogfight". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 12 August 2007.
- ^ a b "Episode 2". Main Hoon Bond. Season 1. Episode 2. Mumbai. 54 minutes in. Star Gold.
- ^ Hume, 124
- ^ Hume, 125
- ^ "A View to a Kill filming locations". Archived from the original on 17 August 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- ^ "June: This Month in Bond History". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- ^ "Fire wrecks James Bond film stage". BBC News. 30 July 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "Production of A View to a Kill". Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- ^ "October: This Month in Bond History". Archived from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- ^ Maud Adams. Inside A View to a Kill (VCD/DVD). MGM Home Entertainment Inc. Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ a b "Movie Airship : SkyShip 500 "Zorin Industries"". The Airship Heritage Trust. Retrieved 2 October 2007.
- ^ John Richardson. Inside The Living Daylights. Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ Jake Lombard. Inside The Living Daylights (DVD). Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ B.J. Worth, Jake Lombard, Arthur Wooster. Inside The Living Daylights. Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ "Double-O Stuntmen". The Man with the Golden Gun Ultimate Edition. MGM Home Entertainment. Event occurs at [time needed].
- MI6-HQ.com. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
- ^ Andreas Wisniewski. Inside The Living Daylights (DVD). Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ Jeroen Krabbé. Inside The Living Daylights. Event occurs at [time needed].
- ^ a b c d e f g Cork, John (1999). Inside Licence to Kill (DVD). MGM. Event occurs at [time needed]. Licence to Kill: Ultimate Edition
- ^ a b Cork, John (1999). Exotic Locations (DVD). MGM. Event occurs at [time needed]. Licence to Kill: Ultimate Edition
- ^ Barnes & Hearn 2001, p. 185.
- ^ John Richardson (1999). Audio commentary (DVD). MGM. Event occurs at [time needed]. Licence to Kill: Ultimate Edition
- ^ Cork, John (2006). Kenworth Stunt Trucks (DVD). MGM. Event occurs at [time needed]. Licence to Kill: Ultimate Edition
- ^ Cork, John (2006). On Set with John Glen (DVD). MGM. Event occurs at [time needed]. Licence to Kill: Ultimate Edition
- ^ "For Your Eyes Only (1981)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "For Your Eyes Only Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "Octopussy (1983)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Octopussy Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "Never Say Never Again (1983)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Never Say Never Again Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "A View to a Kill (1985)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "A View to a Kill Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ "The Living Daylights (1987)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "The Living Daylights Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
- ^ a b "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com. Retrieved 25 March 2015.
- ^ "Licence to Kill (1989)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
- ^ "Licence to Kill Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
Works cited
- Barnes, Alan; Hearn, Marcus (2001). Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: The Unofficial James Bond Film Companion. Batsford Books. ISBN 978-0-7134-8182-2.
- Cork, John; Stutz, Collin (2007). James Bond Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1-4053-3427-3.
- Falsetto, Mario (2001). Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis. Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-97291-2.