Thunderball (film)
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''Thunderball'' is a 1965 spy film and the fourth in the ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, starring
Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as the fictional MI6 agent
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
. It is an adaptation of the 1961 novel of the same name by
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by
Jack Whittingham Jack Whittingham (2 August 1910 – 3 July 1972) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life Whittingham was born in Heaton, West Yorkshire, England, and educated at Charterhouse between 1924 and 1929. He then went up Lincoln Colleg ...
devised from a story conceived by Kevin McClory, Whittingham, and Fleming. It was the third and final Bond film to be directed by Terence Young, with its screenplay by Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins. The film follows Bond's mission to find two
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
atomic bombs stolen by
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...
, which holds the world for ransom of £100 million in diamonds under its threat to destroy an unspecified metropolis in either the United Kingdom or the United States (later revealed to be
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
). The search leads Bond to the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
, where he encounters Emilio Largo, the card-playing, eyepatch-wearing SPECTRE Number Two. Backed by
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
agent Felix Leiter and Largo's mistress, Domino Derval, Bond's search culminates in an underwater battle with Largo's henchmen. The film's complex production comprised four different units and about a quarter of the film comprises underwater scenes. ''Thunderball'' was the first Bond film shot in widescreen Panavision and the first to have a running time of over two hours. Although planned by Bond film series producers
Albert R. Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...
and Harry Saltzman as the first entry in the franchise, ''Thunderball'' was associated with a legal dispute in 1961 when former Fleming collaborators McClory and Whittingham sued him shortly after the 1961 publication of the novel, claiming he based it upon the screenplay the trio had written for a cinematic translation of James Bond. The lawsuit was settled out of court and Broccoli and Saltzman, fearing a rival McClory film, allowed him to retain certain screen rights to the novel's plot and characters, and for McClory to receive sole producer credit on this film; Broccoli and Saltzman instead served as
executive producers Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
. The film was exceptionally successful: its worldwide box office receipts of $141.2 million exceeded not only that of every one of its predecessors but that of every one of the five Bond films that followed it. ''Thunderball'' remains the most financially successful film of the series in North America when adjusted for ticket price inflation. In 1966, John Stears won the
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects. History of the award The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects ...
and BAFTA nominated
production designer In film and television, the production designer is the individual responsible for the overall aesthetic of the story. The production design gives the viewers a sense of the time period, the plot location, and character actions and feelings. Wo ...
Ken Adam Sir Kenneth Adam (born Klaus Hugo George Fritz Adam; 5 February 1921 – 10 March 2016) was a German-British movie production designer, best known for his set designs for the James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for '' Dr. Stra ...
for an award. Thunderball received positive reviews. Critics and viewers praised the film and branded it a welcome addition to the series, although some were critical of the repetitive nature of the underwater scenes and the film's runtime. In 1983, Warner Bros. released a second film adaptation of the novel under the title '' Never Say Never Again'', with McClory as executive producer.


Plot

SPECTRE operative Emilio Largo devises a plan to hold
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
to ransom by hijacking two
atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...
s from a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...
(RAF) Avro Vulcan strategic jet bomber during a training exercise. To facilitate Largo's plans, SPECTRE operative Count Lippe recruits Angelo Palazzi to oversee the theft of the bombs. With help from SPECTRE agent
Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the n ...
, Lippe has Palazzi surgically alter his face to match that of French Air Force pilot François Derval, who is assisting in the exercise. Volpe and Palazzi murder the real Derval, while they are staying at the Shrublands health resort, only for the latter to demand more money. Volpe acquiesces, merely to have him continue with their operation. Following the plan, Palazzi successfully hijacks the bomber, killing its crew, and lands it in shallow waters within the
Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the a ...
. While the bombs are recovered by his men, Largo murders Palazzi for reneging on his original deal with SPECTRE. British secret agent James Bond, recuperating at Shrublands after a previous assignment, notices Lippe's presence and keeps him under observation, discovering Derval's body. Upon being urgently recalled to London, Bond finds himself targeted by Lippe for trying to interfere. Before he can defend himself, Volpe kills Lippe for jeopardizing Largo's scheme. Once back in London, Bond learns that all 00 agents are being put on high alert following the theft of the bombs, after being informed a major city in the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
or the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
will be destroyed unless £100 million is paid to SPECTRE within seven days. While in talks with M on his assignment, Bond requests he be assigned to Nassau, Bahamas, to contact Derval's sister Domino, after recognising Derval from the photo given to the agents in their main briefing as the body he found at the resort. Bond meets with Domino, who he learns is the mistress of Largo when he visits a local casino. Both men recognise each other as adversaries and engage in a tense cat-and-mouse game while still pretending ignorance of each other's true nature. Following their initial meeting, Bond meets with his friend, CIA agent Felix Leiter, fellow agent Paula Caplan, and MI6 quartermaster Q, to receive equipment to help with finding the bombs, including an underwater infrared camera and miniature underwater breathing apparatus. Investigating Largo's ship, '' Disco Volante'', he notices an underwater hatch beneath her that intrigues him. The next day, he visits Largo at his estate during the night, only to find that Paula had been abducted and committed suicide before she could talk. Forced to escape, Bond evades Largo's men during a Junkanoo celebration. Volpe catches up to Bond, but is accidentally shot by a henchman aiming for Bond. Suspecting the bombs were brought to the area, Bond and Leiter search for the Vulcan and find it camouflaged underwater, along with the body of Palazzi. Upon returning to the island, Bond reveals to Domino that her brother was killed by Largo and gets her to help him search ''Disco Volante''. However, Largo catches her in the act and has her imprisoned. Meanwhile, Bond replaces one of Largo's men as SPECTRE prepares to move the bombs, and manages to learn where one of them is being moved to before being discovered and left behind. Reuniting with Leiter, the pair gets the U.S. Coast Guard to intercept ''Disco Volante'' crew and recover one of the bombs in an underwater battle. Bond pursues Largo and grabs hold of ''Disco Volante'' as she sheds the rear half to become a hydrofoil to escape. Bond gets on deck and sends the ''Disco Volante'' out of control whilst he defeats Largo's men and fights Largo. Largo gets the upper hand and is about to shoot Bond when Domino kills Largo in revenge after his hired nuclear physicist frees her. The trio quickly flees ''Disco Volante'' just barely before her destruction, whereupon Bond and Domino are retrieved by a plane with the Fulton system.


Cast

*
Sean Connery Sir Sean Connery (born Thomas Connery; 25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to portray fictional British secret agent James Bond on film, starring in seven Bond films between 1962 and 1983. Origina ...
as
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors hav ...
: An MI6 agent assigned to retrieve two stolen nuclear weapons * Claudine Auger as Domino (voice dubbed by
Nikki van der Zyl Monica "Nikki" van der Zyl (27 April 1935 – 6 March 2021) was a German actress based in the United Kingdom, known for her dubbing work on the ''James Bond'' film franchise. Early life Nikki van der Zyl was born on 27 April 1935 in Berlin, t ...
): Dominique "Domino" Derval is Largo's mistress. In early drafts of the screenplay, Domino's name was Dominetta Palazzi. When Claudine Auger was cast as Domino, the name was changed to Derval to reflect her nationality. The character's wardrobe reflects her name, as she is usually dressed in black and/or white. * Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo (voice dubbed by
Robert Rietty Robert Rietti, (born Lucio Rietti; 8 February 1923 – 3 April 2015), was an actor, and Oscar-nominated director of Anglo-Italian descent. With over 200 credits to his name, he had a highly prolific career in the American, British and Ita ...
):
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and wri ...
's Number Two, he creates a scheme to steal two atomic bombs. * Luciana Paluzzi as
Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the n ...
: SPECTRE assassin who becomes Francois Derval's mistress to kill and replace him with his double and later helps with Largo's plot in Nassau. *
Rik Van Nutter Frederick Allen Nutter (May 1, 1929 – October 15, 2005), known professionally as Rik Van Nutter, was an American actor who appeared in many minor films and the James Bond picture '' Thunderball''. Career He is best known for playing the thi ...
as Felix Leiter: CIA agent who helps Bond *
Guy Doleman Guy Doleman (22 November 1923 – 30 January 1996) was a New Zealand born actor, active in Australia, Britain and the United States. Early life Doleman was born in Hamilton, Waikato, New Zealand, later moving to Australia. Career During the 1 ...
as Count Lippe: the SPECTRE agent (ranked Number Four) in charge of the operation of replacing Derval with Angelo. *
Molly Peters Molly Peters (15 March 1939 – 30 May 2017), born Vivien Mollie Rudderham, was an English actress and model best known for her role as Bond girl Patricia Fearing in the James Bond film '' Thunderball''. Career Molly Peters started out as a mod ...
(voice dubbed by
Barbara Jefford Mary Barbara Jefford, OBE (26 July 1930 – 12 September 2020) was a British actress, best known for her theatrical performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Old Vic and the National Theatre and her role as Molly Bloom in the 1 ...
) as Patricia Fearing: A physiotherapist at the health clinic *
Martine Beswick Martine Beswick (born 26 September 1941) is Jamaica-born British actress and model perhaps best known for her roles in two James Bond films, '' From Russia with Love'' (1963) and '' Thunderball'' (1965), who went on to appear in several other n ...
as Paula Caplan: Bond's CIA ally in Nassau * Bernard Lee as " M": Head of MI6 * Desmond Llewelyn as " Q": MI6's quartermaster, he supplies Bond with multi-purpose vehicles and gadgets useful for the latter's missions. * Lois Maxwell as Moneypenny: M's secretary * Roland Culver as the
Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all nationa ...
: British Minister who briefs the "00" agents for Operation Thunderball and has doubts about Bond's efficiency * Earl Cameron as Pinder: Bahaman intelligence operative who serves as Bond and Leiter's contact in Nassau. * Paul Stassino as François Derval / Angelo Palazzi (credited for Palazzi): François Derval is a French Air Force pilot assigned to the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...
staff and also Domino's brother. He is killed by Angelo, who impersonates him. *
Rose Alba Rose Alba (born Felicity Mary Devereux; 5 February 19182 December 2005) was an Egyptian-born British film actress. She also acted in TV series, such as '' The Persuaders!'', in the episode Angie, Angie (1971), as Madame La Gata. She died in De ...
as Madame Boitier, purportedly the widow of Colonel Jacques Bouvar, while in actuality 'she' is Bouvar in disguise. * Philip Locke as Vargas: Largo's personal assistant and primary henchman. *
George Pravda George Pravda (19 June 19161 May 1985) was a Czechoslovak theatre, film and television actor. Early life He began his career in Czechoslovakia, where he was credited as Jiří Pravda, and then emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1956. Career H ...
as Ladislav Kutze: A nuclear physicist, he aids Largo with the captured bombs, but when Largo disregards the authorities firing on them, he pities and rescues Domino. * Michael Brennan as Janni: one of Largo's henchmen, usually paired with Vargas * Leonard Sachs as Group Captain Prichard, Bond's RAF liaison during Operation Thunderball. * Edward Underdown as
Air Vice Marshal Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
, a senior RAF officer who briefs the 00 agents on the range of the missing Vulcan and its disappearance * Reginald Beckwith as Kenniston, the Home Secretary's assistant. Uncredited: *
Maryse Guy Mitsouko Maryse Guy Mitsouko (born Maryse Guy; 1943 – March 1995) was a Eurasian artist and actress. She was mostly billed as Mitsouko. She made her debut in ''Douce Violence'' in 1962. Mitsouko is most known for playing a minor Bond girl Madame La Po ...
as Madame La Barbie, a French secret service agent (uncredited) * Bob Simmons as Colonel Jacques Bouvar, SPECTRE Number Six, who is killed by Bond in the pre-title scene (uncredited) *
Anthony Dawson Anthony Douglas Gillon Dawson (18 October 1916 – 8 January 1992) was a Scottish actor, best known for his supporting roles as villains in films such as Alfred Hitchcock's ''Dial M for Murder'' (1954) and ''Midnight Lace'' (1960), and playin ...
as Ernst Stavro Blofeld (voiced by Eric Pohlmann): The head of SPECTRE, Number One (both uncredited) * Bill Cummings as Quist: one of Largo's henchmen. (uncredited) * Murray Kash as SPECTRE Number Eleven, an American senior member of SPECTRE who reports on a drug dealing mission jointly led by him and Number Nine. (uncredited) * André Maranne as SPECTRE Number Ten, a French senior member of SPECTRE who reports on assassinating a French defector to the USSR. (uncredited) * Clive Cazes as SPECTRE Number Nine, a French senior member of SPECTRE. (uncredited) * Michael Smith as SPECTRE Number Eight, a senior member of SPECTRE. (uncredited) * Cecil Cheng as SPECTRE Number Seven, a Japanese senior member of SPECTRE who reports on a blackmail mission. (uncredited) * Philip Stone as SPECTRE Number Five, an English senior member of SPECTRE who reports on helping to plan the Great Train Robbery. (uncredited) * Victor Beaumont as SPECTRE Number Three, a senior member of SPECTRE. (uncredited) *
Gábor Baraker Gábor Baraker (10 June 1926 – 30 April 1983) was a Hungarian actor who performed in his home country, Australia and the United Kingdom. Early life Before Baraker could complete his schooling, he and his Jewish family came under threat from ...
as SPECTRE Number Thirteen, a senior member of SPECTRE. (uncredited)


Production


Legal disputes

Originally meant as the first James Bond film, ''Thunderball'' was the centre of legal disputes that began in 1961 and ran until 2006. Former
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer who is best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., an ...
collaborators Kevin McClory and
Jack Whittingham Jack Whittingham (2 August 1910 – 3 July 1972) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life Whittingham was born in Heaton, West Yorkshire, England, and educated at Charterhouse between 1924 and 1929. He then went up Lincoln Colleg ...
sued Fleming shortly after the 1961 publication of the ''Thunderball'' novel, claiming he based it upon the screenplay the trio had earlier written in a failed cinematic translation of James Bond. The lawsuit was settled out of court; McClory retained certain screen rights to the novel's story, plot, and characters. By then, Bond was a box-office success, and series producers Broccoli and Saltzman feared a rival McClory film beyond their control; they agreed to McClory's producer's credit of a cinematic ''Thunderball'', with them as executive producers. Later, in 1964, Eon producers Broccoli and Saltzman agreed with McClory to cinematically adapt the novel; it was promoted as "Ian Fleming's ''Thunderball''". Yet, along with the official credits to screenwriters Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins, the screenplay is also identified as 'based on an original screenplay by
Jack Whittingham Jack Whittingham (2 August 1910 – 3 July 1972) was a British playwright and screenwriter. Early life Whittingham was born in Heaton, West Yorkshire, England, and educated at Charterhouse between 1924 and 1929. He then went up Lincoln Colleg ...
' and as 'based on the original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming'. To date, the novel has twice been adapted cinematically; the 1983
Jack Schwartzman Jack Schwartzman (July 22, 1932 – June 15, 1994) was an American film producer. Early life Jack Schwartzman was born on July 22, 1932, in New York City. He had a brother, Leonard Schwartzman, who became a physician. Career Schwartzman was an ...
-produced '' Never Say Never Again'' features Sean Connery as James Bond, but is not an Eon production.


Casting

Broccoli's original choice for the role of Domino Derval was Julie Christie following her performance in ''
Billy Liar ''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a film, a musical and a TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popular songs. The semi-comical story is about William Fisher, ...
'' in 1963. Upon meeting her personally, he was disappointed and turned his attentions towards Raquel Welch after seeing her on the cover of the October 1964 issue of ''Life''. Welch was hired by Richard Zanuck of
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
to appear in the film '' Fantastic Voyage'' the same year, instead. Faye Dunaway was also considered for the role and came close to signing for the part. Saltzman and Broccoli auditioned an extensive list of relatively unknown European actresses and models, including former
Miss Italy Miss Italia is a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film. History The forer ...
Maria Grazia Buccella, Yvonne Monlaur of the Hammer horror films, and Gloria Paul. Eventually, former Miss France Claudine Auger was cast, and the script was rewritten to make her character French rather than Italian, although her lines were dubbed in the final cut by
Nikki van der Zyl Monica "Nikki" van der Zyl (27 April 1935 – 6 March 2021) was a German actress based in the United Kingdom, known for her dubbing work on the ''James Bond'' film franchise. Early life Nikki van der Zyl was born on 27 April 1935 in Berlin, t ...
, who had voiced several previous Bond girls. Nevertheless, director Young cast her once again in his next film, '' Triple Cross'' (1966). One of the actresses who tried for Domino, Luciana Paluzzi, later accepted the role as the redheaded ''femme fatale'' assassin Fiona Kelly, who originally was intended by Maibaum to be Irish. The surname was changed to Volpe in co-ordination with Paluzzi's nationality.


Filming

Guy Hamilton was invited to direct, but considered himself worn out and "creatively drained" after the production of '' Goldfinger''. Terence Young, director of the first two Bond films, returned to the series. Coincidentally, when Saltzman invited him to direct '' Dr. No'', Young expressed interest in directing adaptations of ''Dr. No'', '' From Russia with Love'' and ''Thunderball''. Years later, Young said ''Thunderball'' was filmed "at the right time", considering that if it was the first film in the series, the low budget (''Dr. No'' cost only $1 million) would not have yielded good results. ''Thunderball'' was the final James Bond film directed by Young. Filming commenced on 16 February 1965, with principal photography of the opening scene in Paris. Filming then moved to the Château d'Anet, near
Dreux Dreux () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise, a tributary of the Eure, about 35 km north of Chartres. Dreux station has rail connections to Argentan, Paris and Gra ...
, France, for the fight in precredit sequence. Much of the film was shot in the Bahamas; ''Thunderball'' is widely known for its extensive underwater action scenes which are played out through much of the latter half of the film. The rest of the film was shot at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, Silverstone racing circuit for the chase involving Count Lippe,
Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the n ...
's RPG-armed BSA Lightning motorcycle and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 before moving to
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
, and Paradise Island in the Bahamas (where most of the footage was shot), and Miami. Huntington Hartford gave permission to shoot footage on his Paradise Island and is thanked at the end of the film. On arriving in Nassau, McClory searched for locations to shoot many of the key sequences of the film and used the home of a local millionaire couple, the Sullivans, for Largo's estate, Palmyra. Part of the SPECTRE underwater assault was also shot on the coastal grounds of another millionaire's home on the island. Most of the underwater scenes had to be done at lower tides due to the sharks on the Bahamian coast. After he read the script, Connery realised the risk of the sequence with the sharks in Largo's pool and insisted that production designer
Ken Adam Sir Kenneth Adam (born Klaus Hugo George Fritz Adam; 5 February 1921 – 10 March 2016) was a German-British movie production designer, best known for his set designs for the James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for '' Dr. Stra ...
build a Plexiglas partition inside the pool. The barrier was not a fixed structure, so when one of the sharks managed to pass through it, Connery fled the pool, seconds away from attack. Ken Adam later told UK daily newspaper ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
'',
We had to use special effects, but unlike special effects today, they were real. The jet pack we used in ''Thunderball'' was real - it was invented for the United States Army. Bloody dangerous, and it only lasted a couple of minutes. The ejector seat in the Aston Martin was real and Emilio Largo's boat, the ''Disco Volante'', was real. You had power boats at that time, but there were no good-sized yachts that were able to travel at 40 to 50 knots, so it was quite a problem. But by combining a hydrofoil, which we bought in Puerto Rico for $10,000, and a catamaran, it at least looked like a big yacht. We combined the two hulls with a one-inch slip bolt and when they split it worked like a dream. We used lots of sharks for this movie. I'd rented a villa in the Bahamas with a saltwater pool which we filled with sharks and used for underwater filming. The smell was horrendous. This was where Sean Connery came close to being bitten. We had a plexiglass corridor to protect him, but I didn't have quite enough plexiglass and one of the sharks got through. He never got out of a pool faster in his life - he was walking on water.
When special-effects coordinator John Stears provided a supposedly dead shark to be towed around the pool, the shark, which was still alive, revived at one point. Due to the dangers on the set, stuntman Bill Cummings demanded an extra fee of £250 to double for Largo's sidekick Quist as he was dropped into the pool of sharks. The climactic underwater battle was shot at Clifton Pier and was choreographed by Hollywood expert Ricou Browning, who had worked on '' Creature From the Black Lagoon'' in 1954 and other films. He was responsible for the staging of the cave sequence and the battle scenes beneath ''Disco Volante'' and called in his specialist team of divers who posed as those engaged in the onslaught. Voit provided much of the underwater gear, including the
Aqua-Lung Aqua-Lung was the first open-circuit, self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (or "scuba") to achieve worldwide popularity and commercial success. This class of equipment is now commonly referred to as a twin-hose diving regulator, or dem ...
s, in exchange for product placement and film tie-in merchandise. The ability to breathe underwater for extended periods of time was a new product that had previously been used by underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau and using it in a movie was a new approach. Lamar Boren, an underwater photographer, was hired to shoot all of the sequences. Filming ceased in May 1965, and the final scene shot was the physical fight on the bridge of ''Disco Volante''. While in Nassau, during the final shooting days, special-effects supervisor John Stears was supplied experimental rocket fuel to use in exploding Largo's yacht. Ignoring the true power of the volatile liquid, Stears doused the entire yacht with it, took cover, and then detonated the boat. The resultant massive explosion shattered windows along Bay Street in Nassau roughly 30 miles away. Stears went on to win an Academy Award for his work on ''Thunderball''. As the filming neared its conclusion, Connery had become increasingly agitated with press intrusion and was distracted with difficulties in his marriage of 32 months to actress
Diane Cilento Diane Cilento (2 April 1932 – 6 October 2011) was an Australian actress. She is best known for her film roles in '' Tom Jones'' (1963), which earned her an Academy Award nomination, '' Hombre'' (1967) and ''The Wicker Man'' (1973). She also r ...
. Connery refused to speak to journalists and photographers who followed him in Nassau, stating his frustration with the harassment that came with the role; "I find that fame tends to turn one from an actor and a human being into a piece of merchandise, a public institution. Well, I don't intend to undergo that metamorphosis." In the end he gave only a single interview, to ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...
,'' as filming was wrapped up, and even turned down a substantial fee to appear in a promotional TV special made by Wolper Productions for NBC, '' The Incredible World of James Bond''. According to editor Peter R. Hunt, ''Thunderballs release was delayed for three months, from September until December 1965, after he met
David Picker David Victor Picker (May 14, 1931 – April 20, 2019) was an American motion picture executive and producer, working in the film industry for more than forty years. He served as president and chief executive officer for United Artists, Paramount, ...
of United Artists, and convinced him it would be impossible to edit the film to a high enough standard without the extra time.


Effects

Thanks to special-effects man John Stears, ''Thunderballs pretitle teaser, the Aston Martin DB5 (introduced in ''Goldfinger''), reappears armed with rear-firing water cannon, seeming noticeably weathered – just dust and dirt, raised moments earlier by Bond's landing with the Bell Rocket Belt (developed by
Bell Aircraft Corporation The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer, a builder of several types of fighter aircraft for World War II but most famous for the Bell X-1, the first supersonic aircraft, and for the development and production of man ...
). The
rocket belt A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. ...
Bond uses to escape the château actually worked, and was used many times, before and after, for entertainment, most notably at Super Bowl I and at scheduled performances at the 1964–1965 New York World's Fair. Bond receives a spear gun-armed underwater jet pack scuba (allowing the frogman to manoeuvre faster than other frogmen). Designed by Jordan Klein, green dye was meant to be used by Bond as a smoke screen to escape pursuers. Instead Ricou Browning, the film's underwater director, used it to make Bond's arrival more dramatic. The sky hook used to rescue Bond at the end of the film was a rescue system used by the United States military at the time. At ''Thunderballs release, there was confusion as to whether a
rebreather A rebreather is a breathing apparatus that absorbs the carbon dioxide of a user's exhaled breath to permit the rebreathing (recycling) of the substantially unused oxygen content, and unused inert content when present, of each breath. Oxygen i ...
such as the one that appears in the film existed; most Bond gadgets, while implausible, often are based upon real technology. In the real world, a rebreather could not be so small, as it has no room for the breathing bag, while the alternative open-circuit scuba releases exhalation bubbles, which the film device does not. It was made with two CO2 bottles glued together and painted, with a small mouthpiece attached. For this reason, when the Royal Corps of Engineers asked Peter Lamont how long a man could use the device underwater, the answer was "As long as you can hold your breath." On 26 June 2013,
Christie's Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémi ...
auction house sold the Breitling SA Top Time watch worn in the film by Connery for over £100,000; given to Bond by Q, it was also a Geiger counter in the plot.


Music

''Thunderball'' was the third James Bond score composed by John Barry, after '' From Russia with Love'' and '' Goldfinger''. The original title song was entitled "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang", taken from an Italian journalist who in 1962 dubbed agent 007 as Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The title theme was written by Barry and Leslie Bricusse; the song was originally recorded by Shirley Bassey, but it was realized late in the day that the track was too short for the needed titles. As Bassey was unavailable, it was later rerecorded by
Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles ch ...
with a longer instrumental introduction. Her version was not released until the 1990s. The song was removed from the title credits after producers
Albert R. Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...
and Harry Saltzman were worried that a theme song to a James Bond film would not work well if the song did not have the title of the film in its lyrics. Barry then teamed up with lyricist Don Black and wrote "Thunderball", which was sung by
Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...
, who according to Bond production legend, fainted in the recording booth when singing the song's final note. Jones said of it, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning." Country musician
Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his c ...
also submitted a song to Eon productions titled "Thunderball", but it went unused.


Release and reception

The film premiered on 9 December 1965 at the Hibiya Theatre in Tokyo and opened on 29 December 1965 in the UK. It was a major success at the box office with record-breaking earnings. In its opening in Tokyo in one theatre, it grossed a Japanese record opening day of $13,091 and the following day set a record one-day gross of $16,121. It grossed $63.6 million in the United States, equating to roughly 58.1 million admissions, and became the third-highest grossing film of 1965, only behind '' The Sound of Music'' and ''
Dr. Zhivago ''Doctor Zhivago'' is the title of a novel by Boris Pasternak and its various adaptations. Description The story, in all of its forms, describes the life of the fictional Russian physician and poet Yuri Zhivago and deals with love and loss during ...
''. In total, the film has earned $141.2 million worldwide, surpassing the earnings of the three preceding films in the series—easily recouping its $9 million budget—and remained the highest-grossing Bond film until '' Live and Let Die'' (1973) assumed the record. After adjusting its earnings to 2011 prices, it has made around $1 billion, making it the second-most financially successful Bond film after '' Skyfall''. ''Thunderball'' won an
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects The Academy Award for Best Visual Effects is an Academy Award given for the best achievement in visual effects. History of the award The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first recognized the technical contributions of special effects ...
awarded to John Stears in 1966.
Ken Adam Sir Kenneth Adam (born Klaus Hugo George Fritz Adam; 5 February 1921 – 10 March 2016) was a German-British movie production designer, best known for his set designs for the James Bond films of the 1960s and 1970s, as well as for '' Dr. Stra ...
, the production director, was also nominated for a Best Production Design BAFTA award. The film won the Golden Screen Award in Germany and the Golden Laurel Action Drama award at the 1966 Laurel Awards. The film was also nominated for an Edgar Best Foreign Film award at the Edgar Allan Poe Awards.


Contemporary reviews

Upon its release, the film received generally positive reviews. Dilys Powell of ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'' remarked after seeing the film that "The cinema was a duller place before 007." David Robinson of the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'' criticised the appearance of Connery and his effectiveness to play Bond in the film, remarking: "It's not just that Sean Connery looks a lot more haggard and less heroic than he did two or three years ago, but there is much less effort to establish him as connoisseur playboy. Apart from the off-handed order for Beluga, there is little of that comic display of bon viveur-manship that was one of the charms of Connery's almost-a-gentleman 007." Bosley Crowther of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' found the film to be more humorous than its previous instalments and felt "''Thunderball'' is pretty, too, and it is filled with such underwater action as would delight Capt. Jacques-Yves Cousteau." He further concluded his review with praise for the principal actors and wrote "The color is handsome. The scenery in the Bahamas is an irresistible lure. Even the violence is funny. That's the best I can say for a Bond film." '' Variety'' felt ''Thunderball'' was a "tight, exciting melodrama in which novelty of action figures importantly." Philip K. Scheuer, reviewing for the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'', was less impressed with the film writing, "It is the same as its predecessors, only more–too much of everything, from sudden desire to sudden desire." Additionally, he wrote: "The submarine sequences are as pretty as can be in Technicolor, featuring besides fish and flippered bipeds, all sorts of awesome diving bells and powered sea sleds – not to mention an arsenal of lethal spear guns. If I could have just known more than half the time what, precisely, they were doing, the effect could have been prettier yet." ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'' applauded the film's underwater photography, but felt the "script hasn't a morsel of genuine wit, but Bond fans, who are preconditioned to roll in the aisles when their hero merely asks a waiter to bring some beluga caviar and Dom Pérignon '55, will probably never notice. They are switched on by a legend that plays straight to the senses, and its colors are primary."


Retrospective reviews

According to Danny Peary, ''Thunderball'' "takes forever to get started and has too many long underwater sequences during which it's impossible to tell what's going on. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable entry in the Bond series. Sean Connery is particularly appealing as Bond – I think he projects more confidence than in other films in the series. Film has no ''great'' scene, but it's entertaining as long as the actors stay above water." Critics such as James Berardinelli praised Connery's performance, the '' femme fatale'' character of
Fiona Volpe Fiona Volpe is a character in the James Bond film '' Thunderball'', played by actress Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi originally auditioned for the role of Domino Vitali in the film, but was given the role of Volpe. The character does not appear in the n ...
, and the underwater action sequences, remarking that they were well choreographed and clearly shot. He criticised the length of the scenes, stating they were in need of editing, particularly during the film's climax. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, the film has a "Certified Fresh" 87% rating based on 52 reviews with an average rating of 6.70/10. The website's consensus reads: "Lavishly rendered set pieces and Sean Connery's enduring charm make ''Thunderball'' a big, fun adventure, even if it doesn't quite measure up to the series' previous heights." On
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
the film has a score of 64 out of 100 based on reviews from 9 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". In 2014, ''
Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an engine ...
'' polled several film critics, directors, actors, and stunt actors to list their top action films; ''Thunderball'' was listed at number 73.


See also

* Outline of James Bond


References


Sources

* '' Casino Royale history'' for further information on the James Bond legal disputes between
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
and MGM. * * *


External links

* * * *
MGM's official page for ''Thunderball''

Official James Bond website


{{DEFAULTSORT:Thunderball (Film) 1960s action films 1960s spy films 1960s thriller films 1965 films British sequel films Cold War spy films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Terence Young Films about nuclear war and weapons British films about revenge Films about extortion Films about terrorism Films produced by Harry Saltzman Films produced by Albert R. Broccoli Films scored by John Barry (composer) Films set in the Bahamas Films set in England Films set in London Films set in Miami Films set in Paris Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in the Bahamas Films shot in England Films shot in Florida Films shot in France Films shot in Miami Films shot in Paris Films that won the Best Visual Effects Academy Award James Bond films Films with screenplays by John Hopkins Films with screenplays by Richard Maibaum Underwater action films United Artists films Eon Productions films Films with screenplays by Jack Whittingham Films with screenplays by Kevin McClory Films with screenplays by Ian Fleming Seafaring films 1960s British films