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The Living Daylights

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The Living Daylights 1987 poster 5

The Living Daylights is a 1987 British spy film, the fifteenth entry in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the first of two to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Directed by John Glen, the film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights", the plot of which also forms the basis of the first act of the film. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instalment Casino Royale. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and co-produced by his daughter, Barbara Broccoli. The Living Daylights grossed $191.2 million worldwide, and received mixed reviews from critics.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

British secret agent James Bond (Timothy Dalton) helps KGB officer Georgi Koskov (Jeroen Krabbé) defect during a symphony performance. During his debriefing, Koskov reveals that a policy of assassinating defectors has been instated by new KGB head Leonid Pushkin (John Rhys-Davies). But as Bond explores this threat, a counterplot surfaces, involving a shady American arms dealer (Joe Don Baker) and a pair of Russian assassins, Necros (Andreas Wisniewski) and Kara Milovy (Maryam d'Abo).

Genres[]

  • Action
  • War
  • Spy
  • Adventure
  • Action/Adventure
  • Thriller
  • Mystery
  • Action Thriller

Motion Picture Rating[]

  • 13 (Argentina)
  • PG (Australia)
  • 12 (Brazil)
  • 14+ (Canada)
  • 14A (Canada) (Canadian Home Video Rating)
  • PA (Canada) (Manitoba)
  • A (Canada) (Nova Scotia)
  • PG (Canada) (Ontario)
  • G (Canada) (Quebec)
  • 12 (Denmark)
  • K-14 (Finland)
  • K-15/13 (Finland)
  • K-16/13 (Finland)
  • Tous publics (France)
  • II (Hong Kong)
  • 12 (Iceland)
  • UA (India) (TV)
  • A (India) (1989)
  • PG (Ireland)
  • T (Italy)
  • G (Japan) (2015)
  • P13 (Malaysia)
  • A (Mexico)
  • 12 (Netherlands) (TV rating)
  • PG (New Zealand)
  • PG (Nigeria)
  • 15 (Norway) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
  • 16 (Norway) (1987, cinema rating)
  • 16 (Poland) (self-applied)
  • M/12 (Portugal)
  • 12+ (Russia)
  • PG (Saudi Arabia)
  • PG (Singapore)
  • PG (South Africa)
  • 15 (South Korea) (2000, DVD rating)
  • 12 (South Korea) (1989, original rating)
  • A (Spain)
  • 15 (Sweden)
  • 7A (Turkey) (self-applied)
  • PG (UK)
  • PG (USA)
  • 12 (West Germany)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

  • John Glen

Writing Credits[]

  • Richard Maibaum (screenplay) and
  • Michael G. Wilson (screenplay)

Cast[]

  • Timothy Dalton - James Bond
  • Maryam d'Abo - Kara Milovy
  • Jeroen Krabbé - General Georgi Koskov
  • Joe Don Baker - Brad Whitaker
  • John Rhys-Davies - General Leonid Pushkin
  • Art Malik - Kamran Shah
  • Andreas Wisniewski - Necros
  • Thomas Wheatley - Saunders
  • Desmond Llewelyn - Q
  • Robert Brown - M
  • Geoffrey Keen - Minister of Defence
  • Walter Gotell - General Anatol Gogol
  • Caroline Bliss - Miss Moneypenny
  • John Terry - Felix Leiter
  • Virginia Hey - Rubavitch
  • John Bowe - Col. Feyador
  • Julie T. Wallace - Rosika Miklos
  • Belle Avery - Linda (as Kell Tyler)
  • Catherine Rabett - Liz
  • Dulice Liecier - Ava
  • Nadim Sawalha - Tangier Chief of Security
  • Alan Talbot - Koskov's KGB Minder
  • Carl Rigg - Imposter
  • Tony Cyrus - Chief of Snow Leopard Brotherhood
  • Atik Mohamed - Achmed
  • Michael Moor - Kamran's Man
  • Sumar Khan - Kamran's Man
  • Ken Sharrock - Jailer
  • Peter Porteous - Gasworks Supervisor
  • Antony Carrick - Blayden Male Secretary
  • Frederick Warder - 004
  • Glyn Baker - 002
  • Scott Hoxby - Sergeant Stagg (as Derek Hoxby)
  • Bill Weston - Blayden Butler
  • Richard Cubison - Trade Centre Toastmaster
  • Heinz Winter - Vienna Hotel Concierge
  • Leslie French - Lavatory Attendant
  • Odette Benatar - Girl
  • Dianna Casale - Girl
  • Sharon Devlin - Girl
  • Femi Gardiner - Girl
  • Patricia Keefer - Girl
  • Ruddy Rodríguez - Girl (as Ruddy Rodriguez)
  • Mayte Sanchez - Girl
  • Cela Savannah - Girl
  • Karen Seeberg - Girl
  • Waris Dirie - Girl (as Waris Walsh)
  • Karen Williams - Girl

Other Cast (in alphabetical order)[]

  • Del Baker - Russian Jail Guard (uncredited)
  • John Barry - Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)
  • Marc Boyle - Blayden Grounds MI6 Man (uncredited)
  • Barbara Broccoli - Opera Patron (uncredited)
  • Graham Cole - Agent (uncredited)
  • Kenneth Coombs - Passer-by (uncredited)
  • Simon Crane - Gibraltar Soldier #1 (uncredited)
  • Gary Dean - Q Branch Technician (uncredited)
  • Rudi Glück - Horse Cart Driver (uncredited)
  • Ron Gregory - Q Branch Technician (uncredited)
  • Gregor Grubhofer - Boy with Balloon (uncredited)
  • Alan Harris - Man Firing Ghetto Blaster (uncredited)
  • Paul Heasman - Gibraltar Soldier #4 (uncredited)
  • Walter Henry - Q Branch Technician (uncredited)
  • Suzy Herman - Boy's Mother (uncredited)
  • Michel Julienne - Man in White Car (uncredited)
  • Gertan Klauber - Fairground Cafe Owner (uncredited)
  • Derek Lyons - MI6 Agent (uncredited)
  • Robert Miranda - Pushkin's Hitman (uncredited)
  • Michael Percival - Chef (uncredited)
  • Hanno Pöschl - Prater Ferris Wheel Operator (uncredited)
  • Kerry Shale - Necros and Parrot (voice) (uncredited)
  • Tina Simmons - Agent (uncredited)
  • Harry Van Engel - Party Guest (uncredited)
  • Chris Webb - Soldier Distracted by Kara (uncredited)
  • Paul Weston - Gibraltar Soldier #3 (uncredited)
  • Nick Wilkinson - Russian Soldier on Plane (uncredited)
  • Jane Wilson - Opera Patron (uncredited)
  • Michael G. Wilson - Opera Patron (uncredited)

Producers[]

  • Albert R. Broccoli (produced by)
  • Michael G. Wilson (produced by)
  • Barbara Broccoli (associate producer)
  • Tom Pevsner (associate producer)

Details[]

Countries[]

  • UK
  • USA

Language[]

  • English
  • Italian

Release Dates[]

  • June 27, 1987 (UK) (London) (premiere)
  • June 30, 1987 (UK)
  • July 3, 1987 (Ireland)
  • July 9, 1987 (Netherlands)
  • July 10, 1987 (Sweden)
  • July 11, 1987 (Taiwan)
  • July 16, 1987 (Hong Kong)
  • July 17, 1987 (Spain)
  • July 23, 1987 (Colombia)
  • July 29, 1987 (Yugoslavia) (Belgrade)
  • July 30, 1987 (Luxembourg)
  • July 31, 1987 (Canada)
  • July 31, 1987 (Finland)
  • July 31, 1987 (USA)
  • August 5, 1987 (Norway)
  • August 10, 1987 (Yugoslavia) (Ljubljana)
  • August 13, 1987 (Argentina)
  • August 13, 1987 (West Germany)
  • August 14, 1987 (Denmark)
  • August 14, 1987 (Yugoslavia) (Zagreb)
  • August 28, 1987 (Portugal)
  • September 16, 1987 (France)
  • September 16, 1987 (Greece)
  • September 17, 1987 (Uruguay)
  • September 19, 1987 (Italy)
  • October 1, 1987 (Belgium) (Gent)
  • October 3, 1987 (Brazil)
  • October 15, 1987 (Peru)
  • November 19, 1987 (Australia)
  • December 12, 1987 (Japan)
  • December 25, 1987 (Mexico)
  • February 4, 1989 (South Korea)
  • May 16, 1996 (Turkey) (TV premiere)
  • October 17, 2000 (Singapore) (DVD premiere)
  • September 15, 2015 (Poland) (DVD premiere)

Also Known As[]

  • The Living Daylights (original title)
  • Su nombre es peligro (Argentina)
  • 007: The Living Daylights (Australia) (video title)
  • The Living Daylights (Australia)
  • 007 - Marcado para Morrer (Brazil) (DVD title)
  • 007 Marcado para a Morte (Brazil)
  • 007 - Zona pericolo (Italy)
  • Zona pericolo (Italy) (short title)
  • Agente 007 - Zona pericolo (Italy) (informal title)
  • The Living Daylights (UK)
  • Bond 15 (UK) (alternative title)
  • James Bond 007: The Living Daylights (USA) (trailer title)
  • The Living Daylights (USA)

Production[]

Originally the film was proposed to be a prequel in the series, an idea that eventually resurfaced with the reboot of the series in 2006, Casino Royale. SMERSH, the fictionalised Soviet counterintelligence agency that featured in Fleming's Casino Royale and several other early James Bond novels, was an acronym for 'Smiert Shpionam' - 'Death to spies'.

Casting[]

In autumn 1985, following the financial and critical disappointment of A View to a Kill, work began on scripts for the next Bond film, with the intention that Roger Moore would not reprise the role of James Bond. Moore, who by the time of the release of The Living Daylights would have been 59 years old, chose to retire from the role after 12 years and 7 films. Albert Broccoli, however, claimed that he let Moore go from the role. During an extensive search for a new actor to play Bond, a number of actors, including New Zealander Sam Neill, Irish-born Pierce Brosnan, and Welsh-born stage actor Timothy Dalton, auditioned for the role in 1986. Bond co-producer Michael G. Wilson, director John Glen, Dana and Barbara Broccoli "were impressed with Sam Neill and very much wanted to use him." However, Albert Broccoli was not sold on the actor. Meanwhile, financial backers at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer recommended Mel Gibson, but Broccoli was not interested. Other actors touted in the press included Bryan Brown, Michael Nader, Andrew Clarke, and Finlay Light.

The producers eventually offered the role to Brosnan after a three-day screen-test. At the time, he was contracted to the television series Remington Steele, which had been cancelled by the NBC network due to falling ratings. The announcement that he would be chosen to play James Bond caused a surge in interest in the series, which led to NBC exercising (less than three days prior to expiry) a 60-day option in Brosnan's contract to make a further season of the series. NBC's action caused drastic repercussions, as a result of which Broccoli withdrew the offer given to Brosnan, citing that he did not want the character associated with a contemporary television series. This led to a drop in interest in Remington Steele, and only five new episodes were filmed before the series was finally cancelled. The edict from Broccoli was that "Remington Steele would not be James Bond."

Dana Broccoli suggested Timothy Dalton. Albert Broccoli was initially reluctant given Dalton's public lack of interest in the role, but at his wife's urging agreed to meet the actor. However, Dalton would soon begin filming Brenda Starr and so would be unavailable. In the intervening period, having completed Brenda Starr, Dalton was offered the role once again, which he accepted. For a period, the filmmakers had Dalton, but he had not signed a contract. A casting director persuaded Robert Bathurst—an English actor who would become known for his roles in Joking Apart, Cold Feet, and Downton Abbey—to audition for Bond.

Bathurst believes that his "ludicrous audition" was only "an arm-twisting exercise" because the producers wanted to persuade Dalton to take the role by telling him they were still auditioning other actors. Dalton agreed to the film while travelling between airports: "Without anything to do, I decided to start thinking about whether I really, really should or should not do James Bond. Although obviously we’d moved some way along in that process, I just wasn't set on whether I should do it or shan’t I do it. But the moment of truth was fast approaching as to whether I'd say yes or no. And that’s where I said yes. I picked up the phone from the hotel room in the Miami airport and called them and said, "Yep, you're on: I'll do it."

Dalton's take was very different from that of Moore, regarded as much more of a reluctant hero following an undeniable influence of the Fleming Bond in the way that the veteran agent was often uncomfortable in his job. Dalton wished to create a Bond different from Moore's, feeling he would have declined the project if he were asked to imitate Moore. In contrast to Moore's more jocular approach, Dalton found his creative muse from the original books: "I definitely wanted to recapture the essence and flavour of the books, and play it less flippantly. After all, Bond's essential quality is that he's a man who lives on the edge. He could get killed at any moment, and that stress and danger factor is reflected in the way he lives, chain-smoking, drinking, fast cars and fast women."

Moore declined to watch The Living Daylights in cinema as he did not wish to demonstrate any negative opinions about the project. Broccoli enjoyed the change of tone, feeling that Brosnan would have been too similar to Moore. Neill thought Dalton performed well in the role and Brosnan called Dalton a good choice in 1987, but felt it too near the bone to watch the finished film. He would win the role in 1994, based on his filmed audition from 1986. Sean Connery endorsed Dalton in an interview, and Desmond Llewelyn enjoyed working with a fellow stage actor.

The English actress Maryam d'Abo, a former model, was cast as the Czechoslovak cellist Kara Milovy. In 1984, d'Abo had attended auditions for the role of Pola Ivanova in A View to a Kill. Barbara Broccoli included d'Abo in the audition for playing Kara, which she later passed.

Originally, the KGB general set up by Koskov was to be General Gogol; however, Walter Gotell was too sick to handle the major role, and the character of Leonid Pushkin replaced Gogol, who appears briefly at the end of the film, having transferred to the Soviet diplomatic service. This was Gogol's final appearance in a James Bond film. Morten Harket, the lead vocalist of the Norwegian rock group A-ha (which performed the film's title song), was offered a small role as a villain's henchman in the film, but declined, because of lack of time and because he felt they wanted to cast him due to his popularity rather than his acting. John Rhys Davies was optioned to revive his part in both Licence To Kill and GoldenEye in the scripting stages. Joe Don Baker was hired based on his performance in Edge of Darkness, which was helmed by future Bond director Martin Campbell.

Director John Glen decided to include the macaw from For Your Eyes Only. It can be seen squawking in the kitchen of Blayden House when Necros attacks MI6's officers.

Filming[]

The film was shot at Pinewood Studios at its 007 Stage in the United Kingdom, as well as Weissensee in Austria. The pre-title sequence was filmed on the Rock of Gibraltar and although the sequence shows a hijacked Land Rover careering down various sections of road for several minutes before bursting through a wall towards the sea, the location mostly used the same short stretch of road at the very top of the Rock, shot from numerous different angles. The beach defences seen at the foot of the Rock in the initial shot were also added solely for the film, to an otherwise non-military area. The action involving the Land Rover switched from Gibraltar to Beachy Head in the UK for the shot showing the vehicle actually getting airborne.

Trial runs of the stunt with the Land Rover, during which Bond escapes by parachute from the tumbling vehicle, were filmed in the Mojave Desert in the southwestern United States, although the final cut of the film uses a shot achieved using a dummy. Bratislavan sequences were filmed in Vienna. The outside shots of the Bratislavan concert hall show the Volksoper, while the interior were shot in Sofiensäle. The tram scene was filmed in Währing, Vienna and the border chase was filmed in Carinthia, also in Austria. Other locations included Germany, the United States, and Italy, while the desert scenes were shot in Ouarzazate, Morocco. The conclusion of the film was shot at the Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna and Elveden Hall, Suffolk.

Principal photography commenced at Gibraltar on 17 September 1986. Aerial stuntmen B. J. Worth and Jake Lombard performed the pre-credits parachute jump. Both the terrain and wind were unfavourable. Consideration was given to the stunt being done using cranes but aerial stunts arranger B. J. Worth stuck to skydiving and completed the scenes in a day. The aircraft used for the jump was a Lockheed C-130 Hercules, which in the film had M's office installed in the aircraft cabin. The initial point of view for the scene shows M in what appears to be his usual London office, but the camera then zooms out to reveal that it is, in fact, inside an aircraft.

Although marked as a Royal Air Force aircraft, the one in shot belonged to the Spanish Air Force and was used again later in the film for the Afghanistan sequences, this time in Soviet markings. During this later chapter, a fight breaks out on the open ramp of the aircraft in flight between Bond and Necros, before Necros falls to his death. Although the plot and preceding shots suggest the aircraft is a C-130, the shot of Necros falling away from the aircraft show a twin engine cargo plane, a Fairchild C-123 Provider. Worth and Lombard also doubled for Bond and Necros in the scenes where they are hanging and fighting on a bag in a plane's open cargo door, with the exterior shots filmed over the Mojave Desert.

The press would not meet Dalton and d'Abo until 5 October 1986, when the main unit travelled to Vienna. Almost two weeks after the second unit filming on Gibraltar, the first unit started shooting with Andreas Wisniewski and stunt man Bill Weston. During the course of the three days it took to film this fight, Weston fractured a finger and Wisniewski knocked him out once. The next day found the crew on location at Stonor House, Oxfordshire, doubling for Bladen's Safe House, the first scene Jeroen Krabbé filmed.

There was also location work outside the United Kingdom, in Morocco and Austria. Maryam d’Abo has recalled “One big and happy family traveling and filming together for five months.”

The return of Aston Martin[]

The film reunites Bond with the 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 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, which reappeared four years later in For Your Eyes Only. Aston Martin then 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 then Aston Martin Lagonda chairman, Victor Gauntlett.

Release and reception[]

The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the film's premiere on 29 June 1987 at the Odeon Leicester Square in London. The Living Daylights grossed the equivalent of $191.2 million worldwide. In the United States and Canada, it earned $51.2 million. On the film's opening weekend, it earned $11 million, surpassing the $5.2 million grossed by The Lost Boys that was released on the same day, and setting a record 3-day opening for a Bond film, beating Octopussy's (1983) $8.9 million. However, it did not beat the 4-day record of $13.3 million set by A View to a Kill (1985).

In the film, Koskov and Whitaker repeatedly use vehicles and drug packets marked with the Red Cross. This action angered a number of Red Cross Societies, which sent letters of protest regarding the film. In addition, the British Red Cross attempted to prosecute the filmmakers and distributors. However, no legal action was taken. As a result, a disclaimer was added at the start of the film and some DVD releases.

Retrospective reviews

Retrospective reviews of the film have been considerably more positive. The Independent placed the film as the fourth best Bond movie, praising the tough, nervy edge Dalton brought to the franchise. Dalton himself has said he preferred The Living Daylights over Licence to Kill. Dalton's predecessor, Roger Moore, discussing the Bond series in 2012, called the film a "bloody good movie". IGN lauded the film for bringing back realism and espionage to the film series, and showing James Bond's dark side. Les Roopanarine, in a retrospective review for The Guardian, called the film his favourite Bond film, praising Dalton for “bringing a more nuanced interpretation to the role, with his relationships evolving in a way never seen before in previous Bond films.” In a poll involving Bond experts and fans of the franchise, The Living Daylights was ranked the sixth best bond film. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 74% based on 57 reviews and an average rating of 6.5/10. The website's critical consensus states, "Newcomer Timothy Dalton plays James Bond with more seriousness than preceding installments, and the result is exciting and colorful but occasionally humorless." On Metacritic it has a score of 60% based on reviews from 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "A" on scale of A to F.

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

  • Eon Productions

Distributors[]

Special Effects[]

  • Screen Opticals (title opticals)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

  • 130 mins

Color[]

  • Color

Sound Mix[]

  • Dolby Stereo
  • Dolby Surround 7.1

Aspect Ratio[]

  • 2.39:1
  • 4:3 (Pan & scan prints, along with the opening and closing credits in proper scope aspect ratio with black bars)

Trivia[]

  • Timothy Dalton had originally been considered for the role of James Bond as a replacement for Sean Connery, but had ruled himself out as being too young. He had been considered again when Roger Moore decided to leave the role prior to For Your Eyes Only, and was apparently all but signed to portray the character when Moore changed his mind at the last moment.
  • Both Sam Neill and Pierce Brosnan were screen-tested for the role of James Bond in The Living Daylights. Brosnan was successfully signed for the role, but his contract to the television programme Remington Steele forced him to withdraw; he would wait seven years for his second chance, in GoldenEye. Maryam d'Abo, however, earned her Kara Milovy role with her screen test with Brosnan; she was not in the running for a role in the film, but had been hired to act opposite the 007 contenders; impressed, the producers gave her the part.
  • The Living Daylights marks the first time a headbutt is used in a James Bond movie, as well as the first use of a variation of the word "fuck" on-screen (by Timothy Dalton, although he is not audible at the time).
  • Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson wrote a first draft of a script portraying James Bond's first field mission; Cubby Broccoli rejected the idea.
  • Originally, the KGB general set up by Koskov was to be General Gogol, however, actor Walter Gotell was ill, unable to handle the major role; the character of Leonid Pushkin replaced Gogol, who appears briefly at the end of the film, having transferred to the Soviet diplomatic service. This is Gogol's final appearance in a James Bond film (Gotell died in 1997). The similarity between Pushkin and Gogol is emphasized by the fact that Pushkin is seen accompanied by a beautiful blonde, much as Gogol was in his early appearances.
  • This is the final James Bond film to be scored by John Barry.
  • Joe Don Baker would reappear in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, as a different character, Jack Wade, Bond's CIA liaison and replacement for Felix Leiter.
  • a-ha's lead vocalist, Morten Harket was offered a small role as a villain's henchman in The Living Daylights, but declined, because of lack of time and the reasoning that they wanted to cast him just because of his popularity, not his acting. Instead, a-ha sang the title song for The Living Daylights.
  • In a cameo role, series composer John Barry conducts the orchestra in Vienna at the end of the film. Producer Michael G. Wilson also continues his string of Bond film cameo appearances; he can be seen as a member of the opera house audience.
  • The use of the Russian phrase "Smert Shpionam" ("Death to Spies") is a reference to SMERSH, the Russian spy agency James Bond combated in the early Ian Fleming novels. It was mentioned in only one previous Bond film, From Russia with Love.
  • The Living Daylights is the first Bond film since Moonraker to not have its title announced in the end credits of the previous film, nor has any Bond film since had its title announced in the end credits of the previous film.
  • The cargo plane sequence was originally planned to be ended with Bond and Kara flying over the ocean and being intercepted by two US Navy F-4 Phantoms.
  • It was the first film in 14 years to feature Felix Leiter who had not been seen since Live and Let Die.
  • The actors who portrayed Pushkin and Rubavitch have starred in science fiction television series after the film's release - John Rhys-Davies in Sliders and Virginia Hey in Farscape. Both actors appeared in 1980s-era blockbuster film franchises (Rhys-Davies in the Indiana Jones series and Hey in Mad Max 2).
  • This film is noted for Virginia Hey appearing partially nude in a Bond film outside the opening credits (images of nudity have been used in a majority of the Maurice Binder designed title sequences).
  • This is the second time we see M in his Royal Navy uniform; the first time was in You Only Live Twice when he wore the Royal Navy whites with the old insignia board.
  • This was the last film of the series ever to be rated PG by the MPAA in North America. The following ones beginning with the next movie License to Kill are rated PG-13.
  • The Living Daylights is the first Bond film without any actors who appeared in the original James Bond film Dr. No, following Lois Maxwell's departure from the role of Miss Moneypenny.
  • After this movie, James Bond does not visit the opera again until Quantum of Solace (2008), where the Te Deum scene and parts of Act 2 of the Opera "Tosca" are seen.
  • At the start of the film, a Land Rover flies off the cliff edge in Gibraltar. The point at which the Land Rover flies off the cliff was filmed on Beachy Head, near the town of Eastbourne, England.
  • This was Geoffrey Keen's final acting role before his death on November 3, 2005, at the age of eighty-nine.
  • Timothy Dalton says the famous "Bond. James Bond" during the pre-title sequence, This is the third (and so far last) time Bond has done this before the opening titles, after On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).
  • John Rhys-Davies (General Pushkin) had previously starred as the character of Sallah in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), and would repeat his appearance in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). The Indiana Jones franchise was conceived by George Lucas to his friend Steven Spielberg after the latter unsuccessfully lobbied to direct a Bond film.
  • The last Bond film (as of 2012) to carry an MPAA rating of PG.
  • This was Timothy Dalton's first of only two appearances as James Bond.
  • Although it had been rebuilt for the previous film, A View to a Kill (1985), no part of this film was shot on the 007 Stage. The music video for the title song was shot on an empty 007 Stage, when it wasn't being used. James Bond would return to the 007 Stage for Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), and every Bond movie after that.
  • The MI6 and "Universal Exports" building exterior, used in this film, "Octopussy" (1983), "A View to a Kill" (1985), and "Licence to Kill" (1989), is the old War Offices near Westminster. It is close to other Bond filming locations, including the College of Arms (used in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (1969)), Westminster tube station exit (used in "Skyfall" (2012)), and Westminster Bridge (used in "The World Is Not Enough" (1999), "Die Another Day" (2002), and "Spectre" (2015)).
  • In 1986, Madonna reportedly declined a one million dollar deal to sing the theme song of this movie. She would eventually sing the theme song to Die Another Day (2002) of which the recording started in 2001, 15 years later.
  • The second James Bond movie to employ the service of a Synth-pop band to sing the opening main theme for the movie. Also, the second film to have a Synth-pop flavored theme song, after A View to a Kill (1985).
  • This is the third Bond film with the word "live" or "living" in it. The other two are You Only Live Twice (1967) and Live and Let Die (1973).
  • Belle Avery's debut.
  • John Rhys-Davies was in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) starring the original Bond Sean Connery

Connections[]

Follows[]

Followed by[]

References[]

  • Dr. No (1962)
  • Goldfinger (1964) - Updated version of the Aston Martin / 25th Birthday series homage
  • Moonraker (1979) - In the pre-credits, after Bond cuts open the truck roof, he thrusts his head in first, as Jaws does in the truck.
  • For Your Eyes Only (1981) - There are four parallels in the film to the earlier James Bond movie 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981). When Koskov is being detained and debriefed during lunch, he mentions Gogol's dislike for the new policy of détente. At the end of 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981), Bond throws the A.T.A.C. off of the mountain, and tells Gogol, "That's détente General. You don't have it, I don't have it". In the kitchen of the same building, is a parrot that has a striking resemblance to Max, the Havelocks' parrot from 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981) (the James Bond encyclopedia by John Cork and Collin Stutz confirms it is the same bird). During the lunch, Koskov says of Pushkin, "We were once like brothers". In 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981), Kristatos also uses the same line when speaking about Columbo. In Morocco, Brad Whitaker's villa features a swimming pool with a bevy of bikini-clad Bond Girls, similar to the villa with bikini-clad Bond Girls in 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981).

Referenced in[]

  • A-ha: The Living Daylights (1987) (Music Video) - Title song music video for this James Bond movie.
  • The Pretenders: If There Was A Man (1987) (Music Video) - Closing titles song music video for this James Bond movie.
  • Licence to Kill (1989) - Both movies have a similar shot of James Bond looking through a sniper scope and opening the eye that is not behind the scope in surprise as he recognises someone.
  • XXX (2002)
  • Die Another Day (2002) - Cars exit the rear cargo hold of the plane. Bond's Aston Martin had retractable spikes in the tires controlled by a switch labelled "traction". When Bond is driving Graves' rocket car, he drives through a patch of trees, and the outriggers are sheared off, just as the outriggers on the Aston Martin are sheared off by trees in 'The Living Daylights' (1987).
  • Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) - Timothy Dalton as a 007-esque spy
  • The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) - Bourne jumps from one roof to another while being chased by the police in Tangiers,just like Bond did
  • 2012 (2009) - The characters use a car to drive out of the back of a crashing plane.
  • The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XXIII (2012) (TV Episode) - poster seen
  • Skyfall (2012) - Part of Silva's modus operandi is disclosing and assassinating MI6 operatives (a la "Death to Spies").
  • Spectre (2015) - Austria and Morocco locations; Main villain is apprehended pending arrest rather than killed
  • Johnny English Strikes Again (2018) - Johnny English drives an Aston Martin Vantage. The Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante was driven by James Bond in 'The Living Daylights' (1987) which has been the only Bond movie where 007 has driven an Aston Martin Vantage.
  • No Time to Die (2021) - A portrait of the former M played by Robert Brown hangs in the MI6 office. James Bond drives the same Aston Martin V8 Saloon with the same license plate but in the new movie the car is brown instead.

Featured in[]

  • A-ha: The Living Daylights (1987) (Music Video) - Clips shown.
  • The Pretenders: If There Was A Man (1987) (Music Video) - Clips of Timothy Dalton in this James Bond movie.
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