July 7th marks the 40th anniversary of the release of
The Spy Who Loved Me, the tenth official James Bond outing. Let’s celebrate with ten fun facts about the film.
The “Jump”
Rick Sylvester’s ski jump was filmed months prior to the casting of the film. It took place off the top of Mount Asgard, in Canada, and was filmed in one take, and the cameras nearly missed it.
To Go Big Is To Go Small
The Liparus supertanker, nuclear submarines, and Atlantis building were all models. In fact, so was the Lotus Esprit submarine. In the case of the tanker, it was sixty-feet long and so realistic that it fooled a Shell tanker captain into believing a real tanker had been used.
Oh, Horror
The only part of Ian Fleming’s novel, The Spy Who Loved Me, that made it into the film was the description of a henchman with metal teeth. However, in the book, his name was Horror.
A Bond Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick actually helped on the lighting of the film’s tanker set. The set was necessary because filming a battle scene on top of a real tanker was too expensive.
Making Waves
During the film’s climactic scene, as Bond and Amasova are attempting to escape the sinking Atlantis, they are blindsided by a wave of rushing water. Barbara Bach’s reaction, of total shock, is real — she had not anticipated the force of the water being so strong.
“Of all the Bonds I did, I think The Spy Who Loved Me is the one I like best.” – Roger Moore, Inside The Spy Who Loved Me
Naomi No Longer
When Bond takes down Naomi’s helicopter, with a missile from the Lotus submarine, it marks the first time that James Bond has directly killed a female character on screen.
Walks and Talks Like a Duck?
Believe it or not, Stromberg’s hands are webbed. But audiences had to look carefully, as it is only noticeable in a few scenes, most notably early in the film, when Stromberg’s thumb is clearly visible next to a computer screen.
Those Teeth
Richard Kiel was actually not fond of the metallic teeth he was required to wear. In fact, they were so uncomfortable that he had to take them out every thirty seconds.
The Big Launch
The film debuted on 07-07-77. Despite competing with Star Wars at the box office, the film still raked in nearly $200 million, worldwide.
Accolades
The first Bond film to receive as many as three Academy Award nominations: Art Direction (Ken Adam), Original Score (Marvin Hamlisch), and Original Song.
References:
Inside The Spy Who Loved Me. Directed by John Cork. MGM Home Entertainment.
Some Kind of Hero by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury, History Press, 2015.