The Spy Who Loved Me ( Lotus Esprit ) 1976
The Spy Who Loved Me
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) is the tenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional secret agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum.
After the film’s release, demand for white Lotus Esprit cars surged to the point that new customers had to be placed on a three-year waiting list.
Theme Tune
Carly Simon – Nobody Does It Better
Nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you’re the best
I wasn’t lookin’ but somehow you found me
It tried to hide from your love light
But like heaven above me
The spy who loved me
Is keepin’ all my secrets safe tonight
And nobody does it better
Though sometimes I wish someone could
Nobody does it quite the way you do
Why’d you have to be so good?
The way that you hold me
Whenever you hold me
There’s some kind of magic inside you
That keeps me from runnin’
But just keep it comin’
How’d you learn to do the things you do?
Oh, and nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, baby, darlin’, you’re the best
Baby you’re the best
Darlin’, you’re the best
Baby you’re the best
Oh, oh, oh…
Quote
Q: Right. Now pay attention, 007. I want you to take great care of this equipment. There are one or two rather special accessories…
James Bond: Q, have I ever let you down?
Q: Frequently.
[the motorcycle henchmen flies off a cliff in a cloud of feathers]
James Bond: All those feathers and he still can’t fly!
Stromberg: I’ve been expecting you.
James Bond: [after detaining Jaws with a huge magnet] How does that grab you?
[after meeting in a bar and guessing each other’s secret identities]
James Bond: The lady will have a… Bacardi on the rocks.
Major Anya Amasova: For the gentleman, vodka martini – shaken, not stirred.
James Bond: Touche.
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
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 employee Roger Becker impressed with his handling of the car and for the rest of filming on Sardinia, Becker became the stunt driver.
It was shot on location in Egypt and Italy, with underwater scenes filmed at the Bahamas, and a new soundstage being built at Pinewood Studios for a massive set which depicted the interior of a supertanker. The Spy Who Loved Me was well received by critics. The soundtrack, composed by Marvin Hamlisch, also met with success. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards amidst many other nominations and novelized in 1977 by Christopher Wood as James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me.
Gadgets/Weapons/Technology
- Walther PPK 7.65mm
- Jaws’ metal teeth
- Beretta 950 automatic
- Micro-film viewer assembled from a cigarette case and lighter
- Ski pole gun capable of firing .30 calibre round from a four-shot magazine in the handle
- Seiko 0674 telex watch
- Knockout cigarette
- Wet Nellie – a Lotus Esprit that transforms into a submarine includes front mounted underwater rockets, an underwater smoke/ink screen, a limpet mine dispenser and radar-guided surface-to-air missiles. On land armed with a rear cement blaster.
- Linear induction craft
- Sea launched ballistic missiles (SBLMs)
- High explosive detonator
- Atlantis sea base
- Waterproof helipad
- Surveillance monitor
- Trick elevators with trap doors
- Dinner table gun
- Retracting paintings
- Escape pods
Trivia
The closing credits say, ‘James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only (1981)’ but, because of the successes of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (1977) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Moonraker (1979) was chosen.
Singer, Elvis Presley saw The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) on Wednesday, August 10th 1977 during a special viewing at the General Cinema in Whitehaven, Tennessee. It was the last movie he saw as he died six days later on Tuesday, August 16th, 1977 at the age of 42.
Trivia
The production team could only get to the summit of Mount Asgard by helicopter but you can’t fly helicopters all the way from Frobisher Bay. They had to dismantle the helicopters, pack the parts in crates, fly the crates to the take-off point in the area, then reassemble them
Info
| Cinematography | Claude Renoir |
|---|---|
| Edited by | John Glen |
| Music by | Marvin Hamlisch |
|
Production
company |
Eon Productions
|
| Distributed by | United Artists |
|
Release date
|
7 July 1977 (London, premiere) 13 July 1977 (USA) |
|
Running time
|
125 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13.5 million |
| Box office | $185.4 million |
Quote
Captain Carter: [as James is removing the warhead to a nuclear missile] James, are you sure you know what you’re doing?
James Bond: Well, there has to be a first time for everything.
OPENING SCENE
The ski chase that opens The Spy Who Loved Me is among the most thrilling sequences in the entire series. On assignment in Austria, 007 is pursued down a mountain by KGB assassins when he is confronted by a cliff face. All looks lost when Bond skies off the edge to a certain death — until, after a few heart-stopping moments, a parachute opens emblazoned with a Union Jack.
Out of the three cameras rolling during filming, only one managed to capture the stunt and an instantly iconic moment was born. As Broccoli put it, “It was brave and it was beautiful. It was the pure essence of James Bond.”
Captain wants you to keep 500ft .Manoeuvring, Control.Come in shallow to 500ft.- Keep 500ft.- Keep 500ft, sir.
JAMES BOND ( Roger Moore )
OPENING CREDITS
Nobody does it better. This iconic opening for The Spy Who Loved Me was captured by second unit director John Glen (who went on to direct five Bond films) and filmed on Mount Asgard in Auyuittuq National Park, Baffin Island, Canada.
Nobody does it better
Makes me feel sad for the rest
Nobody does it half as good as you
Baby, you’re the best
BOND VILLAINS
-
- Jaws
-
- Karl Stromberg
-
- Sandor
BOND GIRLS
-
- Anya Amasova
-
- Naomi
-
- Miss Moneypenny
007 GADGETS
-
- Seiko Quartz watch
-
- Ski pole gun
-
- Stun gas cigarette
STUNTS
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.[19] 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
QUIZ 1
This Movie introduced a new type of interest that is now commonly used. What was it ?
A. Mini Hovercraft
B. Quad Bike
C. Jet Ski
D. Kitesurfing
Press for Answer
C. Jet Ski
Scroll Down for More
QUIZ 2
How much was stuntman Rick Sylvester paid , for the famous opening ski stunt.?
A. £23,000
B. £30,000
D. £10,000
C. £8,000
Press for Answer
A. £23,000
Scroll Down for More
QUIZ 1
This Movie introduced a new type of interest that is now commonly used. What was it ?
A. Mini Hovercraft
B. Quad Bike
C. Jet Ski
D. Kitesurfing
The film introduced a spy sea scooter known as a ’wetbike’ (better known now as a jet ski) to the world, sparking a new water-sport industry. This gadget was commonly referred to as the ’motorbike that rides on water’
-
- Mini Hovercraft
-
- Quad Bike
-
- Jet Ski
-
- Kitesurfing
QUIZ 2
How much was stuntman Rick Sylvester paid , for the famous opening ski stunt.?
A. £23,000
B. £30,000
D. £10,000
C. £8,000
Rick Sylvester’s opening ski stunt was shot from the top of Asgard Peak on Baffin Island in Canada. The summit was only accessible by helicopter. A small crew, including Sylvester and second unit director John Glen, travelled there in July 1976, a month before principal photography began. They stayed in the neighboring village of Pangnirtung for ten days, awaiting the right weather conditions. Numerous cameras were positioned around the site to capture the moment. All the camera operators felt that they lost sight of the skier as he went sailing off the cliff, all except one camera, which stayed with him throughout the stunt. The scene was all uncut. Sylvester’s pay was £23,000. Sylvester was supposedly given an additional bonus when he successfully completed the shot.
Famous Cars from TV, Film ( www.gadgetshowprizes.co.uk ) is unofficial and for information only. It is in no way linked to any official companies. All Amazon Links are linked directly to an official Amazon associates affiliated website ( www.amazon.co.uk )