The Spy Who Loved Me

The Spy Who Loved Me is a 1977 British spy film, the tenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions. It is the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. The film co-stars Barbara Bach and Curt Jürgens and was directed by Lewis Gilbert. The screenplay was by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum, with an uncredited rewrite by Tom Mankiewicz. It was shot on location in Egypt (Cairo and Luxor) and Italy (Costa Smeralda, Sardinia), with underwater scenes filmed at the Bahamas (Nassau), and a new soundstage built at Pinewood Studios for a massive set which depicted the interior of a supertanker. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards amid many other nominations and novelised in 1977 by Christopher Wood as James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me.

Storyline[]

Plot[]

In a globe-trotting assignment that has him skiing off the edges of cliffs and driving a car deep underwater, British super-spy James Bond (Roger Moore) unites with sexy Russian agent Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) to defeat megalomaniac shipping magnate Karl Stromberg (Curt Jurgens), who is threatening to destroy New York City with nuclear weapons. Bond's most deadly adversary on the case is Stromberg's henchman, Jaws (Richard Kiel), a seven-foot giant with terrifying steel teeth.

Genres[]

Action
Spy
Adventure
Science fiction

Motion Picture Rating[]

13 (Argentina)
M (Australia)
12 (Brazil)
14A (Canada)
PA (Canada) (Manitoba)
A (Canada) (Nova Scotia)
AA (Canada) (Ontario)
G (Canada) (Quebec)
15 (Denmark)
K-16 (Finland)
K-15/13 (Finland)
K-16/13 (Finland)
Tous publics (France)
II (Hong Kong)
12 (Iceland)
UA (India) (re-rating)
A (India) (1979, original rating)
PG (Ireland) (re-rating)
G (Ireland) (1977)
T (Italy)
G (Japan) (2015)
U (Malaysia)
B (Mexico) (original rating)
A (Mexico) (re-rating)
12 (Netherlands)
AL (Netherlands) (2000, DVD rating)
M (New Zealand)
15 (Norway) (DVD and Blu-ray rating)
16 (Norway) (1977, cinema rating)
Apt (Peru)
16 (Poland) (self-applied)
M/12 (Portugal)
PG (Singapore)
PG (South Africa)
15 (South Korea)
A (Spain)
15 (Sweden) (1992, uncut)
15 (Sweden) (1977, cut)
7A (Turkey) (self-applied)
PG (UK) (original rating)
PG (UK) (2012, video rating)
PG (UK) (1987, video rating)
PG (USA)
12 (West Germany)

Images[]

Cast and Crew[]

Director[]

Lewis Gilbert

Writing Credits[]

Christopher Wood (screenplay by) and
Richard Maibaum (screenplay by)

Cast[]

Roger Moore - James Bond
Barbara Bach - Major Anya Amasova
Curd Jürgens - Stromberg (as Curt Jurgens)
Richard Kiel - Jaws
Caroline Munro - Naomi
Walter Gotell - General Gogol
Geoffrey Keen - Minister of Defence
Bernard Lee - M
George Baker - Captain Benson
Michael Billington - Sergei
Olga Bisera - Felicca
Desmond Llewelyn - Q
Edward de Souza - Sheikh Hosein (as Edward De Souza)
Vernon Dobtcheff - Max Kalba
Valerie Leon - Hotel Receptionist
Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny
Sydney Tafler - Liparus Captain
Nadim Sawalha - Fekkesh
Sue Vanner - Log Cabin Girl
Eva Reuber-Staier - Rubelvitch (as Eva Rueber-Staier)
Robert Brown - Admiral Hargreaves
Marilyn Galsworthy - Stromberg's Assistant
Milton Reid - Sandor
Cyril Shaps - Bechmann
Milo Sperber - Markovitz
Albert Moses - Barman
Rafiq Anwar - Cairo Club Waiter
Felicity York - Arab Beauty
Dawn Rodrigues - Arab Beauty
Anika Pavel - Arab Beauty
Jill Goodall - Arab Beauty
Shane Rimmer - Cmdr. Carter
Bob Sherman - USS Wayne Crewman
Doyle Richmond - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Murray Salem - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
John Truscott - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Peter Whitman - USS Wayne Crewman
Ray Hassett - USS Wayne Crewman
Vincent Marzello - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Nicholas Campbell - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Ray Evans - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Anthony Forrest - USS Wayne Crewman
Garrick Hagon - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Ray Jewers - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
George Mallaby - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Christopher Muncke - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Anthony Pullen Shaw - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman (as Anthony Pullen)
Robert Sheedy - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Don Staiton - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Eric Stine - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Stephen Temperley - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Dean Warwick - U.S.S. Wayne Crewman
Bryan Marshall - Cmdr. Talbot
Michael Howarth - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Kim Fortune - HMS Ranger Crewman
Barry Andrews - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Kevin McNally - HMS Ranger Crewman
Jeremy Bulloch - HMS Ranger Crewman
Sean Bury - HMS Ranger Crewman
John Sarbutt - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
David Auker - HMS Ranger Crewman
Dennis Blanch - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Keith Buckley - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Jonathan Bury - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Nick Ellsworth - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Tom Gerrard - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Kazik Michalski - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
Keith Morris - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
John Salthouse - H.M.S. Ranger Crewman
George Roubicek - Stromberg One Captain
Lenny Rabin - Liparus Crewman
Irvin Allen - Stromberg Crew
Yashar Adem - Stromberg Crew (as Yasher Adem)
Peter Ensor - Stromberg Crew

Other Cast (in alphabetical order)[]

Egyptian Folklore Group
Roy Alon - Russian Sub Crewman (uncredited)
Paul Bannon - Sub Mariner (uncredited)
Albert R. Broccoli - Tourist Sunbathing at Sardinian Poolside (uncredited)
Caroline Cheshire - Dancer in Credits (uncredited)
Carolyn Cheshire - Dancer, title sequence (uncredited)
John Clifford - Monorail Guard (uncredited)
Tim Condren - Russian Sub Crewman (uncredited)
Jack Cooper - Cortina Gunman #1 (uncredited)
Jeremy Coote - Guard in Submarine Pen (uncredited)
Harry Fielder - USS Wayne Crewmember (uncredited)
Robert Goodman - Stromberg's Guard (uncredited)
Brian Gwaspari - Tanker Crewman (uncredited)
Fred Haggerty - Stromberg Henchman (uncredited)
Barbara Jefford - Naomi (voice) (uncredited)
Nick Joseph - Armoury Officer (uncredited)
Richard George Kiel - Little boy on the beach pointing to the upcoming Bond car (uncredited)
George Leech - Cortina Gunman #2 (uncredited)
Jimmy Lodge - Stromberg Crew (uncredited)
Jay McGrath - Mojaba Club Patron (uncredited)
Ralph G. Morse - Skier (uncredited)
Anna Noble - Dancer in Credits (uncredited)
Tony O'Leary - US Submarine Crewman (uncredited)
Phil Parkes - Crewman [HMS Ranger] (uncredited)
Jack Ross - Mojaba Club Patron (uncredited)
Bob Simmons - KGB Thug #2 (uncredited)
Colin Skeaping - Monorail Driver (uncredited)
Derek Suthern - Atantis Guard (uncredited)
Rocky Taylor - Liparus Guard (uncredited)
Victor Tourjansky - Man with Bottle (uncredited)
Chris Webb - KGB Thug #1 (uncredited)
Paul Weston - Guard Called on by Monorail Driver (uncredited)
Jeremy Wilkin - Capt. Forsyth (uncredited)
Michael G. Wilson - Man in the Audience at the Pyramid Theatre (uncredited)
Vincent Wong - Liparus Guard (uncredited)

Producers[]

Albert R. Broccoli (produced by)
William P. Cartlidge (associate producer)

Details[]

Countries[]

UK
USA

Language[]

English
Italian

Release Dates[]

July 8, 1977 (UK)
July 8, 1977 (Ireland)
July 21, 1977 (Hong Kong)
August 3, 1977 (Canada)
August 3, 1977 (USA)
August 12, 1977 (Denmark)
August 16, 1977 (Norway)
August 25, 1977 (West Germany)
September 15, 1977 (Uruguay)
September 17, 1977 (Sweden)
September 23, 1977 (Finland)
September 23, 1977 (Greece)
October 3, 1977 (Spain)
October 5, 1977 (Venezuela)
October 12, 1977 (France)
October 27, 1977 (Argentina)
October 27, 1977 (Belgium) (Gent)
October 31, 1977 (Brazil)
November 9, 1977 (Colombia)
November 25, 1977 (Italy)
December 1, 1977 (Australia)
December 9, 1977 (South Africa)
December 10, 1977 (Japan)
December 15, 1977 (Mexico)
December 15, 1977 (Netherlands)
December 20, 1977 (Philippines) (Davao)
April 15, 1978 (South Korea)
April 12, 1979 (Portugal)
February 1982 (Turkey)
March 5, 1982 (Spain) (re-release)
May 29, 1989 (Hungary)
July 7, 1990 (Poland)
August 11, 2004 (USA) (American Cinematheque's Festival of Fantasy, Horror and Science Fiction)
September 29, 2011 (Spain) (Phenomena - Barcelona) (subtitled version)
May 23, 2016 (Spain) (Barcelona) (re-release) (subtitled version)
July 6, 2020 (Singapore) (Blu Ray release)

Also Known As[]

The Spy Who Loved Me (original title)
La espía que me amó (Argentina)
The Spy Who Loved Me (Australia)
Ian Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me (UK) (complete title)
The Spy Who Loved Me (UK)
Ian Fleming's The Spy Who Loved Me (USA) (complete title)
The Spy Who Loved Me (USA)

Production[]

Given the relatively poor financial returns and generally unfavourable response of critics to its predecessor, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me was a pivotal film for the Bond franchise.

Another troubling aspect of the production was the difficulty in obtaining a director. The producers approached Steven Spielberg, who was in post-production for Jaws, but ultimately decided against him. The first director attached to the film was Guy Hamilton, who directed the previous three Bond films as well as Goldfinger, but he left after being offered the opportunity to direct the 1978 film Superman, although Richard Donner took over the project. Eon Productions later turned to Lewis Gilbert, who had directed the earlier Bond film You Only Live Twice.

Filming[]

Tom Mankiewicz claims that Catherine Deneuve wanted to play the female lead and was willing to cut her normal rate from $400,000 per picture to $250,000, but Broccoli would not pay above $80,000. Marthe Keller and Dominique Sanda were also considered, while the original frontrunner Lois Chiles was not pursued after her agent informed the producers that she had retired. Before the casting of Richard Kiel, Will Sampson and David Prowse were considered to play Jaws.

The film was shot at the Pinewood Studios in London, Porto Cervo in Sardinia (Hotel Cala di Volpe), Egypt (Karnak, Mosque of Ibn Tulun, Gayer-Anderson Museum, Abu Simbel temples), Malta, Scotland, Hayling Island UK, Okinawa, Switzerland and Mount Asgard on Baffin Island in the then northern Canadian territory of Northwest Territories (now located in Nunavut).

As no studio was big enough for the interior of Stromberg's supertanker, and set designer Ken Adam did not want to repeat what he had done with SPECTRE's volcano base in You Only Live Twice – "a workable but ultimately wasteful set" – construction began in March 1976 of a new sound stage at Pinewood, the 007 Stage, at a cost of $1.8 million. To complement this stage, Eon also paid for building a water tank capable of storing approximately 1,200,000 gallons (5,500,000 litres). The soundstage was so huge that cinematographer Claude Renoir found himself unable to effectively light it due to his deteriorating eyesight, and so Stanley Kubrick visited the production, in secret, to advise on how to light the stage. For the exterior, while Shell was willing to lend an abandoned tanker to the production, the elevated insurance and safety risks caused it to be replaced with miniatures built by Derek Meddings's team and shot in the Bahamas. Stromberg's shark tank was also filmed in the Bahamas, using a live shark in a saltwater swimming pool. Adam decided to do experiments with curved shapes for the scenery, as he felt all his previous setpieces were "too linear". This was demonstrated with the Atlantis, which is a dome and curved surfaces outside, and many curved objects in Stromberg's office inside. For Gogol's offices, Adam wanted an open space to contrast M's enclosed headquarters, and drew inspiration from Sergei Eisenstein to do a "Russian crypt-like" set.

The main unit began its work in August 1976 in Sardinia. Don McLaughlan, then head of public relations at Lotus Cars, heard that Eon were shopping for a new Bond car. He drove a prototype Lotus Esprit with all Lotus branding taped over, and parked it outside the Eon offices at Pinewood studios; on seeing the car, Eon asked Lotus to borrow both of the prototypes for filming. Initial filming of the car chase sequence resulted in disappointing action sequences. While moving the car between shoots, Lotus test driver Roger Becker so impressed the crew with his handling of the car that for the rest of filming on Sardinia, Becker became the stunt driver.

The motorcycle sidecar missile used in one chase sequence was built by film staff at Pinewood and used a standard Kawasaki Z900 and a custom-made sidecar outfit. The sidecar was made large enough so that a stuntman could lie flat inside. It had two 10-inch scooter wheels on each side, a Suzuki 185 engine, and the detached projectile was steered through a small solid rubber wheel at the front. A heavily smoked perspex nose allowed the stuntman sufficient visibility to steer the device whilst being entirely hidden from view. A pincer-type lock held the sidecar in place until operated by the pilot via a solenoid switch. The sequences involving the outfit were sped up, as the weight of the sidecar made the outfit very difficult to control.

In October, the second unit travelled to Nassau to film the underwater sequences. To create the illusion of the car becoming a submarine, seven different models were used, one for each step of the transformation. One of the models was a fully mobile submarine equipped with an engine built by Miami-based Perry Submarines. The car seen entering the sea was a mock-up shell, propelled off the jetty by a compressed air cannon, whilst the first underwater shot of the car was a miniature model filmed in a test tank. Three full-size bodyshells were used to depict the actual car-to-submersible transition. During the model sequences, the air bubbles seen appearing from the vehicle were created by Alka-Seltzer tablets.

In September, production moved to Egypt. While the Great Sphinx of Giza was shot on location, lighting problems caused the pyramids to be replaced with miniatures. While construction of the Liparus set continued, the second unit (headed by John Glen) departed for Mount Asgard, Baffin Island, where in July 1976 they staged the film's pre-credits sequence. Bond film veteran Willy Bogner captured the action, staged by stuntman Rick Sylvester, who earned $30,000 for the stunt. The scene of Bond skiing off the mountain was inspired by a Canadian Club Whisky advertisement in Playboy magazine of Sylvester performing the same stunt. This stunt cost $500,000 – the most expensive single movie stunt at that time. Additional scenes for the pre-credits sequence were filmed in the Bernina Range in the Swiss alps.

The production team returned briefly to the UK to shoot at the Faslane submarine base before setting off to Spain, Portugal and the Bay of Biscay, where the supertanker exteriors were filmed. On 5 December 1976, with principal photography finished, the 007 Stage was formally opened by former Prime Minister Harold Wilson.

The end credits state "James Bond Will Return in For Your Eyes Only", but following the success of Star Wars, the originally planned For Your Eyes Only was dropped in favour of the space-themed Moonraker for the next film.

Release and reception[]

On top of the production budget, $7.5 million was spent on advertising, prints and parties for The Spy Who Loved Me. On 20 May 1977, Roger Moore and Barbara Bach attended the Cannes Film Festival to promote the upcoming release of The Spy Who Loved Me. It opened with a Royal Premiere attended by Princess Anne at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 7 July 1977. It grossed $185.4 million worldwide, with $46 million in the United States alone. It was United Artist's highest-grossing film at the time. On 25 August 2006, the film was re-released at the Empire Leicester Square Cinema for one week. It was again shown at the Empire Leicester Square on 20 April 2008 when Lewis Gilbert attended the first digital screening of the film.

Eon executive Charles Juroe said that at a screening attended by Charles, Prince of Wales, during the Union Jack-parachute scene: "I have never seen a reaction in the cinema as there was that night. You couldn't help it. You could not help but stand up. Even Prince Charles stood up." This scene came in second place in a 2013 Sky Movies poll for greatest moment of the James Bond film franchise, beaten only by the "No, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die!" sequence from Goldfinger. It was Roger Moore's favourite Bond film, and many reviewers consider it the best instalment to star the actor.

Retrospective reviews[]

On the website FilmCritic.com, Christopher Null awarded the film 3+1⁄2 stars out of 5, in which he praised the gadgets, particularly the Lotus Esprit car. James Berardinelli of Reelviews wrote that the film is "suave and sophisticated", and Barbara Bach proves to be an ideal Bond girl – "attractive, smart, sexy, and dangerous". Brian Webster stated the special effects were "good for a 1979 [sic] film", and Marvin Hamlisch's music, "memorable". Danny Peary described The Spy Who Loved Me as "exceptional ... For once, the big budget was not wasted. Interestingly, while the sets and gimmicks were the most spectacular to date, Bond and the other characters are toned down (there's a minimum of slapstick humour) so that they are more realistic than in other Roger Moore films. Moore gives his best performance in the series ... [Bond and Anya Amasova] are an appealing couple, equal in every way. Film is a real treat – a well acted, smartly cast, sexy, visually impressive, lavishly produced, powerfully directed mix of a spy romance and a war-mission film."

The Times placed Jaws and Stromberg as the sixth and seventh best Bond villains (respectively) in the series in 2008, and also named the Esprit as the second best car in the series (behind the Aston Martin DB5). On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 81% based on 57 reviews with an average rating of 7.20/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "Though it hints at the absurdity to come in later installments, The Spy Who Loved Me's sleek style, menacing villains, and sly wit make it the best of the Roger Moore era." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 55 based on 12 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews"

Company Credits[]

Production Companies[]

Eon Productions

Distributors[]

United Artists (1977) (UK) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (USA) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (West Germany) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (Sweden) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (Japan) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (Italy) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (Greece) (theatrical)
United Artists (1977) (Finland) (theatrical)
United Artists (A-Asia) (1977) (Australia) (theatrical)
Tuschinski Film Distribution (1977) (Netherlands) (theatrical) (as Nova)
Rank Filmes de Portugal (1977) (Portugal) (theatrical)
Les Artistes Associés S.A.B. (1977) (France) (theatrical)
Kommunenes Filmcentral (KF) (1977) (Norway) (theatrical)
C.B. Films S.A. (1977) (Spain) (theatrical)
United Artists Corporation (1979) (India) (theatrical)
Warner Home Video (1983) (Australia) (video)
Warner Home Video (1983) (UK) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1983) (West Germany) (VHS)
CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (video)
CBS/Fox (1984) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
MGM/UA Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1990) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1992) (USA) (VHS)
MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1996) (USA) (VHS)
Warner Home Video (1996) (USA) (VHS)
Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
MGM Home Entertainment (1998) (USA) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Australia) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Spain) (DVD)
MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (UK) (DVD)
MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Special Edition)
Egmont Entertainment (2001) (Finland) (DVD)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (Australia) (DVD)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (UK) (DVD)
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (UK) (Blu-ray)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (Blu-ray)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD) (23-disc Bond 50 edition)
Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (Blu-ray)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (Blu-ray)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2016) (USA) (Blu-ray) (DVD)

Technical Specs[]

Runtime[]

125 mins
123 mins (cut) (Sweden)

Color[]

Color

Sound Mix[]

Mono (35 mm prints, original release)
4-Track Stereo (London premiere print)
6-Track Stereo

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[]

At the end of the film, the credits announce that the next Bond film will be For Your Eyes Only. Ultimately, however, the producers chose instead to adapt Moonraker next in order to cash in on the sci-fi/fantasy craze sparked by the success of Star Wars.
This is the second film in the history of the Bond series in which M refers to Bond by his first name, rather than simply 007 or Bond (the first time was at his wedding in On Her Majesty's Secret Service). We also hear M's real first name (Miles) for the first time on film. In addition, Q is referred to by his real name (Major Boothroyd) for the first time since From Russia with Love. However, Miss Moneypenny would be left without a first name until it was revealed to be Eve in Skyfall 35 years later.
The 007 Soundstage at Pinewood Studios, for many years the largest in the world, was specially constructed for this film.
Prior to the film's release, Barbara Bach posed nude for the men's magazine Playboy.
Michael Billington, who plays Anya's ill-fated lover, Sergei, was considered a candidate for the role of Bond on several occasions in the 1970s and 1980s. He is best known for his role as Paul Foster in the science fiction series UFO.
Allegedly, the Lotus Esprit's starring role in the film came about when executives at Lotus heard the Bond producers were looking for a new car to use in the upcoming movie. Rather than contact the production team to try and persuade them to use their latest model (as many other manufacturers were doing), a prototype Esprit was discretely parked outside the production office at Pinewood Studios. The ploy worked — Cubby Broccoli saw the vehicle and insisted it be used in the film. Demand for Lotus Esprits surged after the film was released, with many new customers being placed on a three-year waiting list.
Stanley Kubrick provided uncredited assistance in supervising the lighting of the tanker set due to cinematographer Claude Renoir's failing eyesight.
Although this isn't the first Bond film to relocate M's office to an exotic location as a branch office (You Only Live Twice was the first), it is the first to have Q-Branch likewise relocated with a full array of weapons and testing personnel catering to the particular region of the world. Future similar relocations would occur in Moonraker and Octopussy. (Q, on his own, first joined Bond in the field in Thunderball.)
Valerie Leon has a brief scene with Moore. She also appears in Never Say Never Again opposite Sean Connery's James Bond.
Another Bond film to show Bond in the Royal Navy uniform. Unlike You Only Live Twice, Bond here has only two awards/decorations on his uniform: The Naval General Service Medal (actually discontinued by 1962) and the General Service Medal.
Other naval officers in this film also have decorations: Captain Benson wears what looks like the Royal Victorian Order along with the Naval General Service Medal and the General Service Medal. (Vice-)Admiral Hargreaves wears the Distinguished Service Order, the Distinguished Service Cross, a rather faded 1939-1945 Star (with clasp), the Atlantic Star, the Africa Star, the Defence Medal and the War Medal 1939-1945.
While filming in Egypt, the cast and crew celebrated Roger Moore's fiftieth birthday.
The scene where Bond comically drops a fish out of the Lotus' window after emerging from the sea was added as a joke by Roger Moore.
When filming the chase scene at the pyramids, Richard Kiel got dizzy often and had to have most of his stunts done by his stunt double, who put a piece of orange wrapped in tin foil in his mouth to emulate Jaws' metal teeth.
Richard Kiel's son was an extra on-set. He appeared during the scene when the Lotus Esprit submarine emerges from the sea and drives up the beach.

Connections[]

References[]

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
I Dream of Jeannie (1965) (TV Series)
Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Agent XXX is contacted using music box that plays Lara's Theme
Murderers' Row (1966)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - Agent XXX mentions to James Bond that he was married only once and his wife was killed.
Jaws (1975) - The henchman character played by Richard Kiel is called Jaws.

Referenced in[]

Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981) - Horse and coach ride sequence; Lotus vehicle is Bond's spy car ; Mediterranean setting; to enter the identigraph booth, Q enters a five digit code. Those five digits were the first five notes to the chorus of "Nobody Does It Better", the theme to The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). James Bond responds by entering the final two notes.
True Lies (1994)
The World is Not Enough (1999) - Submarine pen; the Q-Boat is jettisoned from Mi6 HQ like the speedboats from Atlantis; storyline involving atomic/nuclear submarines.
The Patriot (2000)
Spy Kids (2001)
XXX (2002)
Die Another Day (2002) - Gustav Graves uses a Union Jack parachute. The Ice Palace resembles, in some ways, Stromberg's Atlantis hideout. When Madonna's character is introduced, a few bars of "Nobody Does it Better" is heard.
Love Actually (2003) - Daniel reminds Sam: Ringo Starr married a Bond girl: Barbara Bach from this movie.
Marks and Spencer James Bond 'Die Another Day' Television Commercial (2006) (Video) - White swivel seat.
Skyfall (2012) - Silva wears a prosthetic jaw, which when removed, reveals a hideous set of teeth.
Spectre (2015) - James Bond has liaison with partner of deceased villain; Mute or near mute henchman who is huge, intimidating and very strong, using metal protheses to kill and survives several fights with Bond; Tough physical fight on train; Nehru collarless jacket of villain; James Bond has a romantic interlude on a train
No Time to Die (2021) - The villain's lair has aquariums like Carl Stromberg's Atlantis lair. The Stealthy Bird flying submarine plane - an amphibious folding glider that converts into a submarine - enters a villain's lair like the submarines entered Stromberg's super tanker.

Spoofs[]

Jaws (1975) - The henchman character played by Richard Kiel is called Jaws.

Spoofed in[]

Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) - Underwater car scene is parodied.
Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) - Poster for Damian Drake in "The Spy Who Never Knew Me".
Team America: World Police (2004) - Shark scene.
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) - In the parachuting scene, when the parachute opens to reveal the name of the TV show that Bridget Jones presents the song "Nobody Does It Better" is played. This reprises the same scene in "The Spy Who Loved Me" where James Bond parachutes off a cliff and when his chute opens to reveal a Union Flag the same music plays - which is the theme music to the film.