Thunderball
Thunderball film poster
James Bond	Sean Connery
Also starring	Claudine Auger Adolfo Celi Luciana Paluzzi
Directed by	Terence Young
Produced by	Kevin McClory
Novel/Story by	Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham
Screenplay	Richard Maibaum, John Hopkins
Cinematography by	Ted Moore
Music by	John Barry
Main theme	Thunderball
Composer	John Barry Don Black
Performer	Tom Jones
Distributed by	United Artists
Released	December 21, 1965 (USA) December 29, 1965 (UK)
Running time	130 min.
Budget	$5,600,000
Worldwide gross	$141,200,000
Preceded by	Goldfinger (1964)
Followed by	You Only Live Twice (1967)
IMDb profile

Thunderball, released in 1965, is the fourth spy film of the British James Bond series, and the fourth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond. Thunderball refers to a James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming and its subsequent cinematisation. ... 007 - Thunderball movie poster File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Claudine Auger as Dominique Derval, AKA Domino, in Thunderball. Claudine Auger (born April 26, 1942 in Paris) was a former Miss France and actress during the 1960s and onwards. ... Adolfo Celi (July 27, 1922 – February 19, 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. ... Luciana Paluzzi (born June 10, 1939 in Rome, Italy), is a redheaded Italian actress. ... Terence Young in the 1960s Stewart Terence Herbert Young (June 20, 1915 – September 7, 1994) was a British film director, born in Shanghai, China, was public-school educated, and read Oriental History at St Catharines College in the University of Cambridge (like the fictional James Bond - see below). ... Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... // James Bond Novels By Ian Fleming Ian Fleming. ... This article is about the author. ... Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... Jack Whittingham (1910 - July 4, 1972) was a British playwright, film critic, and screenwriter. ... Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 - January 4, 1991) was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his adaptations of Ian Flemings James Bond novels. ... John Hopkins (sometimes credited as John R. Hopkins; born January 27, 1931 in London, England, UK; died July 23, 1998 in Woodland Hills, California, United States) was a British film and television writer. ... Ted Moore (August 7, 1914 - 1987) was a cinematographer and camera operator for a number of Hollywood films, most famous for his work on a number of movies in the James Bond series. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... John Barry. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... The soundtrack to Thunderball was released by Capitol Records in 1965. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation). ... This article is about the film studio. ... is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... Goldfinger is the third film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Sean Connery as the MI6 agent. ... For the Ian Fleming novel, see You Only Live Twice. ... // Events Top grossing films North America Mary Poppins The Sound of Music, starring Julie Andrews Goldfinger My Fair Lady Whats New Pussycat? Shenandoah The Sandpiper Father Goose Academy Awards Best Picture: The Sound of Music - Argyle, Twentieth Century-Fox Best Actor: Lee Marvin - Cat Ballou Best Actress: Julie Christie... The spy film genre deals with the subject of fictional espionage, either in a realistic way or as a basis for fantasy. ... 007 redirects here. ... The official film logo of James Bond (007) The adventures of Ian Flemings fictional secret agent, James Bond, have become a successful film series, with twenty-one titles made by EON Productions as of 2007. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6). ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ...

The film follows Bond's mission to find two NATO nuclear bombs stolen by SPECTRE, who hold the world to ransom for £100 million in diamonds, in exchange for not destroying an unspecified major city in either England or the United States of America (later revealed to be Miami). The search leads Bond to the Bahamas, where he encounters Emilio Largo, the card-playing, eye-patch wearing SPECTRE Number Two. Helped by the CIA and Largo's mistress, Bond's search culminates in underwater battle with Largo's henchmen. This article is about the military alliance. ... Spectre, taken from the Battle for Wesnoth computer game. ... This article is about the mineral. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...

Thunderball was at the center of a legal dispute, from 1961 when former Ian Fleming collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham sued him 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.^[1] 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 story, plot, and characters. This article is about the author. ... Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... Jack Whittingham (1910 - July 4, 1972) was a British playwright, film critic, and screenwriter. ...

The film earned a total of $141.2 million worldwide^[2] exceeding the earnings of the three previous Bond films and broke box office records on the first weekend of opening in France and Italy. The film won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects awarded to John Stears in 1966 and Ken Adam the production designer was also nominated for a BAFTA award. Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... John Stears (August 25, 1934 - June 28, 1999) was a special effects supervisor most famous for his work on early James Bond films. ... Sir Ken Adam (born 5 February 1921 as Klaus Adam) is a production designer most famous for his set designs for the early films in the James Bond series. ... Production designer is a term used in the movie and television industries to refer to the person responsible for the overall look of a filmed event such as films, TV programs, music videos or adverts. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ...

Plot

In the prologue, James Bond attends the funeral of Colonel Jacques Bouvar, a SPECTRE operative (Number 6), who had murdered two British spies.^[3] Bouvar is actually disguised as his widow but identified by Bond. Following him to a château, Bond kills him and then escapes flying a jetpack to his Aston Martin DB5 parked outside. Spectre, taken from the Battle for Wesnoth computer game. ... For the game, see Jetpack (computer game). ... The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. ...

Bond is sent by M to a health clinic located by a nearby NATO airbase to improve his health. While massaged by physiotherapist Patricia Fearing, Bond encounters Count Lippe, a shifty man with a criminal tattoo (Tong- Red Dragon of Macau) on his left wrist. The suspicious Bond searches Lippe's room, but is seen leaving it by Lippe's clinic neighbor who is bandaged because of plastic surgery. Later, Lippe tries to murder Bond with a spinal traction machine but the attempt is foiled by Fearing. Bond soon finds a dead bandaged man, and survives a second murder attempt. The dead man is François Derval, a French NATO pilot due to be part of the crew flying an Avro Vulcan jet bomber loaded with two nuclear bombs for a training session. He is replaced by a SPECTRE henchman named Angelo, surgically altered to resemble him and heavily trained as a pilot. M is a fictional character in Ian Flemings James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. ... This article is about the military alliance. ... Patricia Pat Fearing is the shapely, blonde, brown eyed nurse who looks over James Bond (Sean Connery) while hes at her healthy clinic in Thunderball (1965). ... For the album by The Huntingtons, see Plastic Surgery (album). ... The Avro Vulcan was a British delta wing subsonic bomber, operated by the Royal Air Force from 1953 until 1984. ...

Emilio Largo with Domino Derval.

Before leaving Angelo demands a higher fee for his mission on which his cohorts relunctantly appear to agree to. Angelo successfully poses as Derval and hijacks the plane during its training flight, gassing the crew and eventually sinking the plane is a designated location with underwater landing lights near the Bahamas. He is killed underwater by Emilio Largo (SPECTRE No. 2) for considering himself underpaid, and following this Largo and his henchman steal the atomic bombs on the seabed. The theft summons Bond and all other double-0 agents to Whitehall. En route, Lippe chases Bond on the road but is killed by a motorcyclist for failing to foresee Angelo's greed. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Emilio Largo is a fictional character from the James Bond novel Thunderball. ... Dominetta Vitali, known simply as Domino, is a fictional character in the James Bond novel, Thunderball. ... Emilio Largo is a fictional character from the James Bond novel Thunderball. ... Whitehall, London, looking south towards the Houses of Parliament. ...

At the meeting, Bond recognizes Derval as the cadaver he encountered in the health clinic from a photograph. Since Derval's sister, Domino, is in Nassau, Bond asks M to send him to the Bahamas. Domino turns out to be Largo's mistress. Bond exploits the connection to approach Largo after meeting Domino while scuba diving. Bond and Largo immediately recognize each other as enemies but play a mutual psychologic cat-and-mouse game. Bond's assistant Paula is eventually abducted by Largo and later poisons herself. For other uses of Nassau, see Nassau (disambiguation). ...

An additional cinema character, originally not in the novel, is Fiona Volpe. She is the SPECTRE assassin responsible for substituting Angelo for Derval, and for killing Count Lippe. She tries to kill Bond after a rendezvous with Largo in Nassau; but later, while chasing the escaped Bond, she is shot in the back with the bullet meant for Bond while dancing with him at a local nightclub's Junkanoo celebration; Bond leaves her body at a table, asking: "Do you mind if my friend sits this one out? She's just dead." Junkanoo is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across the Bahamas every Boxing Day (December 26) and New Years Day. ...

From left Fiona Volpe, Paula Caplan, James Bond, Domino Derval, and Patricia Fearing

In Nassau, Bond and CIA case officer Felix Leiter search for the Vulcan by helicopter, eventually finding it underwater, along with the crew corpses and Angelo the counterfeit NATO observer pilot. Afterwards, Bond tells Domino that Largo killed her brother, pleading for her help in finding the nuclear bombs. She tells Bond where and how to replace a SPECTRE agent on a mission with Largo, who is retrieving the bombs from a submarine hiding place. It is when Bond (in the frog suit taken from one of Largo's henchmen) discovers Largo's plans to detonate the bombs in Miami Beach. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Fiona Volpe, played by Luciana Paluzzi, is a secondary villains in the James Bond film Thunderball. ... Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan in Thunderball. Paula Caplan is a fictional character in the James Bond film, Thunderball. ... 007 redirects here. ... Dominetta Vitali, known simply as Domino, is a fictional character in the James Bond novel, Thunderball. ... Patricia Pat Fearing is the shapely, blonde, brown eyed nurse who looks over James Bond (Sean Connery) while hes at her healthy clinic in Thunderball (1965). ... Felix Leiter is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. ... Miami Beach is a city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida. ...

Largo's men battling Bond and the U.S. Navy underwater

En route to the bomb cave where the bombs will be temporarily stored, Bond's cover is blown by Largo. After an underwater fight with Largo's men in the bomb cave, from which Bond barely escapes, Leiter rescues Bond. Bond tells Leiter of the bombs' location and Largo's plans to strike Miami Beach; Leiter orders a unit of United States Navy SEALs to parachute to the area for underwater battle against SPECTRE frogmen. Bond joins the fray, killing several SPECTRE frogmen with high tech submarine weapons, and his knife and hands. The sudden appearance of sharks forces the SEALs and the SPECTREs to join forces against them; the remaining SPECTRE frogmen surrender. Underwater scene from Thunderball. ... Underwater scene from Thunderball. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... Navy SEALs redirects here. ... For other uses, see Shark (disambiguation). ...

As the battle ends, Largo escapes to the Disco Volante (Italian: Flying Saucer), which still has one bomb aboard; Bond follows him and sneaks aboard. In the yacht, during their vicious hand-to-hand fight, Largo gains the upper hand and is about to shoot Bond, however, Domino shoots a spear into Largo's back. With the dying Largo death-locked to the uncontrolled yacht's wheel, Bond and Domino jump overboard as it runs aground and explodes. A sky hook-equipped U.S. Navy airplane rescues Bond and Domino from the sea. An underwater submarine belonging to the Disco Volante in Thunderball (film) The Disco Volante is a fictional ship created by Ian Fleming in Thunderball which features in both the book and the 1965 film of the same name. ... The Fulton system in use The Fulton system in use from below The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system is a system used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy for retrieving persons on the ground from a C-130 Hercules aircraft. ...

Cast

Main articles: List of James Bond henchmen in Thunderball and List of James Bond allies in Thunderball

• Sean Connery as James Bond — An MI6 agent assigned to retrieve two stolen nuclear weapons.
• Claudine Auger as Dominique 'Domino' Derval^[4] — Largo's mistress
• Adolfo Celi as Emilio Largo — SPECTRE Number Two
• Luciana Paluzzi as Fiona Volpe — SPECTRE agent
• Rik Van Nutter as Felix Leiter — CIA agent
• Guy Doleman as Count Lippe — SPECTRE agent
• Molly Peters as Patricia Fearing — a physiotherapist ^[5]
• Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan — Bond's ally in Nassau
• Bernard Lee as M — The strict head of MI6
• Desmond Llewelyn as Q — MI6's "quartermaster" who supplies Bond with multi-purpose vehicles and gadgets useful for the latter's missions.
• Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny — M's secretary
• Philip Locke as Vargas - Largo's personal assistant and henchman who according to Largo abstains from alcohol, smoking and sexual intercourse emphasising his devotion as a killer. He is killed by Bond with a speargun on the beach after lurking in the palm trees to which Bond quips "I think he got the point".
• Anthony Dawson as Ernst Stavro Blofeld voiced by Eric Pohlmann (both uncredited)

A list of henchman from the 1965 James Bond film and novel Thunderball from the List of James Bond henchmen. ... This is a list of James Bond allies in the 1965 film and 1961 novel Thunderball. ... Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930) is a retired Scottish actor and producer who is perhaps best known as the first actor to portray James Bond in cinema, starring in seven Bond films. ... Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by novelist Ian Fleming, and the protagonist of the James Bond series of novels and films. ... Claudine Auger as Dominique Derval, AKA Domino, in Thunderball. Claudine Auger (born April 26, 1942 in Paris) was a former Miss France and actress during the 1960s and onwards. ... Dominetta Vitali known simply as Domino, is a fictional character and Bond girl in the James Bond novel, Thunderball. ... Adolfo Celi (July 27, 1922 – February 19, 1986) was an Italian film actor and director. ... Emilio Largo is a fictional character from the James Bond novel Thunderball. ... Luciana Paluzzi (born June 10, 1939 in Rome, Italy), is a redheaded Italian actress. ... Fiona Volpe, played by Luciana Paluzzi, is a secondary villains in the James Bond film Thunderball. ... Rik Van Nutter playing Felix Leiter in Thunderball Rik Van Nutter (May 1, 1929 – October 15, 2005), was an American actor who appeared in many minor films, but is most famous for playing the third version of Felix Leiter in the James Bond movie Thunderball. ... Felix Leiter is a fictional character created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. ... Guy Doleman (November 22, 1923 – January 30, 1996) was an actor born in Hamilton, New Zealand. ... Count Lippe is a villain who appears in both the film Thunderball and its remake, Never Say Never Again. ... Molly Peters was a shapely, blonde British actress, roughly 56, who appeared in three films in the 1960s, the most notable of which was the role of Bond girl, Patricia Fearing or Pat, a nurse who takes care of James Bond (Sean Connery) while hes on vacation at... Patricia Pat Fearing is the shapely, blonde, brown eyed nurse who looks over James Bond (Sean Connery) while hes at her healthy clinic in Thunderball (1965). ... Martine Beswick Martine Beswick, born September 26, 1941, in Port Antonio, Jamaica, to British parents, is an actress and model. ... Martine Beswick as Paula Caplan in Thunderball. Paula Caplan is a fictional character in the James Bond film, Thunderball. ... Bernard Lee as M in The Man with the Golden Gun Bernard Lee (January 10, 1908 – January 16, 1981) was a British actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven James Bond films. ... M is a fictional character in Ian Flemings James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. ... Desmond Wilkinson Llewelyn (September 12, 1913 – December 19, 1999) was a Welsh actor, famous for playing the fictional character of Q in the James Bond series of films. ... Q is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. ... Lois Maxwell (born 14 February 1927) is a Golden Globe-winning Canadian actress, known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond franchise. ... Jane Moneypenny, better known as Miss Moneypenny is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. ... Philip Locke (born 29 March 1928 in London, England) is an actor. ... A list of henchman from the 1965 James Bond film and novel Thunderball from the List of James Bond henchmen. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the food preparation, see Smoking (cooking). ... It has been suggested that Duration of sexual intercourse be merged into this article or section. ... Anthony Dawson (October 18, 1916 – January 8, 1992), born in Edinburgh, was a Scottish-born actor. ... Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character from the James Bond universe. ... Eric Pohlmann (July 18, 1913 in Vienna—July 25, 1979 Bavaria, Germany), was an Austrian actor and voice actor, perhaps most famous to James Bond fans for his audio portryal of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond films. ...

Production

Legal disputes

Originally meant as the first James Bond film, Thunderball was the center of legal disputes, from 1961 to this day. Former Ian Fleming collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham sued him 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.^[6] The lawsuit was settled out of court; McClory retained certain screen rights to the novel's story, plot, and characters. By then, James 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. 007 redirects here. ... This article is about the author. ... Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... Jack Whittingham (1910 - July 4, 1972) was a British playwright, film critic, and screenwriter. ... 007 redirects here. ...

The sources for Thunderball are controversial among film aficionados. In 1961, Ian Fleming published his novel based upon a television screenplay that he, and others developed into the film screenplay; the efforts were unproductive, and Fleming expanded the script into his ninth James Bond novel. Consequently, one of his collaborators, Kevin McClory, sued him for plagiarism; they settled out of court in 1963. The book The Battle for Bond, by Robert Sellers, details this as part of the Thunderball mythos. Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... The Battle for Bond published in 2007 by Tomahawk Press, is a book about how James Bond came to the big screen. ...

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, the screenplay is officially credited to Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins, but also is identified as based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham and as based on the original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming. To date, Thunderball has twice been adapted cinematically; the 1983, McClory-produced Never Say Never Again, features Sean Connery as James Bond, but is not an offical EON production. Credits for A Christmas Story. ... Richard Maibaum (May 26, 1909 - January 4, 1991) was an American film producer, playwright and screenwriter best known for his adaptations of Ian Flemings James Bond novels. ... John Hopkins (sometimes credited as John R. Hopkins; born January 27, 1931 in London, England, UK; died July 23, 1998 in Woodland Hills, California, United States) was a British film and television writer. ... Jack Whittingham (1910 - July 4, 1972) was a British playwright, film critic, and screenwriter. ... Kevin ODonovan McClory (b. ... Never Say Never Again is a James Bond film, itself a remake of the 1965 film Thunderball. ...

As the filming neared its conclusion, Connery had become increasingly agitated with press intrusion and was distracted with marriage difficulties in his marriage of 32 months to actress Diane Cilento. 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 only gave a single interview to Playboy 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. Diane Cilento (born October 5, 1933 in Brisbane, Australia), is a theater and film actress. ... // Nassau may mean the following: Place names: Nassau, Germany: a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, after which all the following are named: Nassau, Bahamas: the capital of the Bahamas Burg Nassau: Nassau Castle, ancestral seat of the House of Nassau Nassau (duchy): an extinct German duchy Hesse-Nassau: the Prussian province... For other uses, see Playboy (disambiguation). ... This article is about the television network. ...

Forty years later, on November 20, 2005, many of the surviving cast and crew gathered in London for a special 40th Anniversary screening. is the 324th day of the year (325th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Casting

Broccoli's original choice for Domino Derval was Julie Christie following her performance in Billy Liar in 1963. However on meeting her personally he was disappointed and turned his attentions towards Raquel Welsh after seeing her on the cover of the October 1964 issue of Life magazine. Welsh however was hired by Richard Zanuck of Twentieth Century Fox 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.^[7] Saltzman and Broccoli auditioned an extensive list of relatively unknown European actresses and models including former Miss Italy Maria Grazia Buccella, Yvonne Monlaur of the Hammer horror films and Gloria Paul. Luciana Paluzzi initally auditioned for the role herself and was keen to play the character but eventually the former Miss France Claudine Auger was cast, and the script was rewritten to make her character French rather than Italian although her voice was dubbed anyway. Paluzzi later accpeted the role as the redheaded femme fatale assassin Fiona Kelly who originally was intended by Maibaum to be Irish and the surname was changed to Volpe in coordination with Paluzzi's nationality.^[8] Rik Van Nutter was hired to play CIA agent Felix Leiter and dubbed throughout. Julie Frances Christie (born 14 April 1941) is an English Academy Award-winning film actress. ... For other uses, see Billy Liar (disambiguation). ... Raquel Welch on the film poster for One Million Years B.C. Raquel Welch (born September 5, 1940) is an American actress. ... A cover of Life Magazine from 1911 Life has been the name of two notable magazines published in the United States. ... Richard Darryl Zanuck (born December 13, 1934) is an American movie producer. ... Related articles FOX Television Network Fox Searchlight Pictures Fox Entertainment Group List of Hollywood movie studios List of movies Variant of current 20th Century Fox logo External links 20th Century Fox Movies official site Twentieth Century Fox is also the punning title of a song by The Doors on their... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Faye Dunaway (born January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida) is an Academy Award-winning American actress. ... Miss Italia is the name of a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young female contestants from Italy. ... Maria Grazia Buccella, (August 15, 1940 - ) is a former Italian glamour model, Miss Italy contestant (1959) and film actress. ... Yvonne Monlaur (December 15, 1939 - ) is a retired French film actress of the late 1950s and 1960s best known for her roles in the Hammer horror films. ... Hammer horror refers to a series of gothic horror films produced from the late 1950s until the 1970s by the British film production company Hammer Film Productions Ltd. ... Gloria Paul (February 28, 1940 - ) is a retired Anglo Italian film actress. ... Luciana Paluzzi (born June 10, 1939 in Rome, Italy), is a redheaded Italian actress. ... The Miss France pageant is a long-standing competition which awards prizes to young women contestants from France. ... Claudine Auger as Dominique Derval, AKA Domino, in Thunderball. Claudine Auger (born April 26, 1942 in Paris) was a former Miss France and actress during the 1960s and onwards. ... In filmmaking, dubbing refers to the recording of voices for a movie. ... Rik Van Nutter playing Felix Leiter in Thunderball Rik Van Nutter (May 1, 1929 – October 15, 2005), was an American actor who appeared in many minor films, but is most famous for playing the third version of Felix Leiter in the James Bond movie Thunderball. ...

Filming

The Disco Volante in the Bahamas after seperation from the main burning yacht

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, France for the fight in pre-credit 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. Filming was shot at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, Silverstone racing circuit for the chase involving Count Lippe, Fiona Volpe and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5^[9] before moving to Nassau, and Paradise Island in The Bahamas where most of the footage was shot and Miami. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 47th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... The Château dAnet is a French palace near Dreux built by Philibert de lOrme for Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II of France from 1547 to 1552. ... Dreux is a town and commune in northwest France, in the Eure-et-Loir département. ... The gatehouse at Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a major British film studio situated in Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire. ... Buckinghamshire (abbreviated Bucks) is one of the home counties in South East England. ... Silverstone Circuit is a racing circuit at Silverstone, England. ... For other uses of Nassau, see Nassau (disambiguation). ... Paradise Island is a small island in the Bahamas adjacent to the central island of New Providence (Nassau). ... This article is about the city in Florida. ...

On arriving in Nassau McClory searched for possible 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.^[10] Part of the SPECTRE underwater assault was also shot on the coastal grounds of another millionaires' home on the island. The most difficult sequences to film were the underwater action scenes and the first to be shot underwater was at a depth of 50 feet to shoot the scene where SPECTRE divers remove the nuclear warheads from the sunken Vulcan bomber. Peter Lamont had previously visited an air force base carrying a concealed camera in which he used to get close-up shots of the secretive missiles and those appearing in the film would not actually present. Millionairess redirects here. ... Spectre, taken from the Battle for Wesnoth computer game. ...

Connery's life was in danger in the sequence with the sharks in Largo's pool and one which he had been in fear of when he read the script. Sean Connery insisted that Ken Adam build a special Plexiglas partition inside the pool but despite this it wasn't a fixed structure and one of the shark's managed to pass through it and Connery had to abandon the pool instantly seconds from attack.^[11] Another dangerous situation occurred when Special effects coordinator John Stears brought in a supposed dead shark carcass was brought in to be towed around the pool. However at one point the shark revived and wasn't dead as had been originally thought. Due to the dangers on the set, stuntman Bill Cummings demanded an extra fee £250 to double for Largo's sidekick Quist as he was dropped into the pool of sharks.^[12] John Stears (August 25, 1934 - June 28, 1999) was a special effects supervisor most famous for his work on early James Bond films. ...

A model of Bond demonstrating the underwater scuba equipment and speargun used by Connery in the film action sequences

The climactic underwater battle was shot at Clifton Pier was choreographed by Hollywood expert Ricou Browning, who had worked on many films previously such as Creature From the Black Lagoon in 1954. He was responsible for the staging of the cave sequence and the battle scenes beneath the Disco Volante and called in his specialist team of divers who posed as those engaged in the onslaught. Lamar Boren a, underwater photographer was brought in to shoot all of the sequences. Royal Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Russhon who had already helped alliance Eon productions with the local authorities in Turkey for From Russia With Love 1963 and at Fort Knox forGoldfinger 1964 stood by and was able to supply the experimental rocket fuel used to destroy the Disco Volante. Russhon using his position was also able to gain access to the US Navy's still experimental Skyhook rescue system which was used to lift Bond and Domino from the water at the end of the film. Filming ceased in May 1965 and the final scene shot was the physical fight on the bridge of the Disco Volante. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Ricou Browning (born February 16, 1930) is an American film director, actor, producer and underwater cinematographer and action specialist. ... Creature from the Black Lagoon is a 1954 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno, and Whit Bissell. ... Charles J. Russhon (March 23, 1911 - June 26, 1982 ) was an American photographer and Lietenant in the United States Airforce who later became noted for his role as a technical adviser and liason officer on the Sean Connery James Bond films of the 1960s. ... From Russia with Love, published in 1957, is the fifth James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming and is considered to be one of the best in the series—the 1963 film version has been often cited by several film critics as the best of the movie franchise. ... This article is about United States Army post. ... Goldfinger is the seventh novel in Ian Flemings James Bond series. ...

While in Nassau, during the final shooting days, special effects supervisor John Stears was supplied experimental rocket fuel to use in exploding villain Largo's yacht, the Disco Volante. Ignoring the true power of the volatile fuel, 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 thirty miles away.^[13] Stears went on to win an Academy Award for his work on Thunderball. This article is about the album. ... The ability of a liquid to evaporate quickly and at relatively low temperatures. ...

According to editor Peter Hunt, Thunderball's release was delayed for 3 months, from September 'til December of 1965, after he met Arnold Picker of United Artists, and convinced him it would be impossible to edit the film to a high enough standard without the extra time.^[14] Peter Hunt could refer to: General Sir Peter Hunt is a former Chief of the General Staff of the British Army. ...

Effects

Main articles: List of James Bond vehicles and List of James Bond gadgets

In Thunderball's pre-title 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 rocket belt James 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).^[15] Throughout the James Bond series of films Q Branch has given Bond a wide variety of vehicles with which to battle his enemies. ... A popular element of the James Bond franchise is the exotic equipment and vehicles he is assigned on his missions, which often prove to be critically useful. ... The 1963 Aston Martin DB5 was an improved DB4. ... Goldfinger is the third film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Sean Connery as the MI6 agent. ... // Water cannon of the French National Police deployed in prevision of rioting following Nicolas Sarkozys election, May 6, 2007 A water cannon is a device that shoots a high-pressure stream of water. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Bell Aircraft Corporation was an aircraft manufacturer of the United States, 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 many types of helicopters. ... For the game, see Jetpack (computer game). ... Date January 15, 1967 Stadium Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum City Los Angeles MVP Bart Starr, Quarterback Favorite Packers by 14 National anthem University of Arizona and Grambling State University Bands Coin toss Norm Schachter Referee Norm Schachter Halftime show University of Arizona and Grambling State University Bands Attendance 61,946...

Agent 007's escape flight with the Bell Rocket Belt jet belt in Thunderball's pre-title teaser.

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.^[16] Instead Ricou Browning, the film's underwater director, used it to make Bond's arrival more dramatic.^[17] The jetpack used by James Bond in Thunderball This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... The jetpack used by James Bond in Thunderball This is a screenshot of a copyrighted website, video game graphic, computer program graphic, television broadcast, or film. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Dutch fishermen using tridents in the 17th century Spearfishing is a form of fishing that has been popular the whole world over for centuries. ... A Diver Propulsion Vehicle or a DPV is an item of diving equipment used by scuba divers to increase their range while underwater where their endurance is restricted due to limited availability of breathing gas and need to avoid decompression sickness. ...

The sky hook, used to rescue Bond at the end of the film, is an actual rescue system used by the United States Military at the time. At Thunderball's release, there was confusion as to whether or not such a rebreather 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. In fact, it was made with two CO2 bottles glued together and painted, and a little mouthpiece put on;^[18] so, there is no answer to "How?" or "For how long does it work?" When the Royal Corps of Engineers asked Peter Lamont: How long can a man use the device underwater? The answer was: How long can you hold your breath?^[19] The Fulton system in use The Fulton system in use from below The Fulton surface-to-air recovery system is a system used by the United States Air Force and United States Navy for retrieving persons on the ground from a C-130 Hercules aircraft. ... Inspiration Closed Circuit Diving Rebreather Description A rebreather is a type of breathing equipment that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycles exhaled gas. ... A scuba diver in usual sport diving gear SCUBA is an acronym for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. ...

Thunderball title sequence

Maurice Binder was hired to design the title sequence, and was involved in a dispute with Eon Production to have his name credited in the film. As Thunderball was the first film shot in Panavision, Binder had to reshoot the iconic gun barrel scene which permitted him to not only incorporate pinhole photographic techniques to shoot inside a genuine gun barrel, but also made Connery appearing in the sequence himself for the first time a reality as stunt man Bob Simmons had doubled for him in the three previous films. Binder gained access to the tank at Pinewood which he used to film the silhouetted title girls who appeared naked in the opening sequence and was the first time actual nudity however concealed had ever been seen in a Bond film. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Maurice Binder (August 25, 1925 - April 4, 1991) was a famous title designer best known for his work on 14 James Bond films including the first, Dr. No in 1962. ... Panavision is a motion picture equipment company specializing in cameras and lenses, based in Woodland Hills, California. ... Pinewood Studios is a major film studio that is situated approximately 20 miles west of London among the pine trees on what was the estate of Heatherden Hall in the village of Iver Heath in Iver Parish, in the county of Buckinghamshire, England. ...

Music

See also: Thunderball (soundtrack)

The original title credit theme to Thunderball was entitled "Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," which was written by John Barry and Leslie Bricusse. The title was taken from an Italian journalist who in 1962 dubbed agent 007 as Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. The song was originally recorded by Shirley Bassey, but was later rerecorded by Dionne Warwick, whose version was not released until the 1990s. The song was removed from the title credits after producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were worried that a theme song to a James Bond movie would not work well if the song did not have the title of the film in its lyrics. John Barry teamed up with lyricist Don Black and wrote "Thunderball" which was sung by Tom Jones who, according to Bond production legend, fainted in the recording booth when singing the song's final, high note. Jones said of the final note, "I closed my eyes and I held the note for so long when I opened my eyes the room was spinning." ^[20] The soundtrack to Thunderball was released by Capitol Records in 1965. ... Leslie Bricusse (born 29 January 1931) is a British lyricist. ... Dame Shirley Veronica Bassey, DBE (born January 8, 1937 in Cardiff, Wales), is a Welsh singer, perhaps best-known for performing the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979). ... Marie Dionne Warrick (born December 12, 1940), known professionally as Dionne Warwick, is an acclaimed five-time Grammy Award-winning African American singer best known for her work with Hal David and Burt Bacharach as songwriters and producers. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Don Black OBE (born June 21, 1938) is an English lyricist. ... For other uses, see Tom Jones (disambiguation). ...

Country musician Johnny Cash also submitted a song to EON productions titled "Thunderball" but it was not used. ^[21] For the song of the same name, recorded by Tracy Byrd and later by Jason Aldean, see Johnny Cash (song). ...

Release and reception

The film premiered on December 21, 1965 in the United States - a first for a Bond film and opened 8 days later on December 29, 1965 in the UK. Thunderball was a major success at the box office with record-breaking takings. The gross rivalled that of the newly released The Sound of Music and was of a greater success than the epic Battle of the Bulge. 58.1 million admissions were recorded in the USA totaling a gross of $63.6 million a record and the film earned more in the first week than the previous three films combined. France and Italy also reported record takings, scooping $95,000 and $79,000 respectively within the first three days of screening. The film eventually earned a global total of $141.2 million which in 2002, was calculated to be the equivalent of roughly $950 million, taking inflation into account. is the 355th day of the year (356th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see The Sound of Music (disambiguation). ... For the 1965 film, see Battle of the Bulge (film). ...

In 1965 the film received mixed reviews although were generally positive. Dilys Powell of The Sunday Times remarked after seeing the film that "The cinema was a duller place before Bond." and the Kinematograph Weekly dated 20 December 1965 emphasised the enjoyment of the film particular the combination of humour, the Bond girls, and the effectiveness of the Caribbean location on the cinema screen. However she criticized part of the plot in that the explanation of SPECTRE's ransom plan took too long in explaining to the audience. Other critics like David Robinson of The Financial Times criticized 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."^[22] For other uses, see The Sunday Times (disambiguation). ... is the 354th day of the year (355th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... The Financial Times building The Financial Times (FT) is an international business newspaper printed on distinctive salmon pink broadsheet paper. ...

However film critics such as James Berardinelli praised Connery's performance and the femme fatale character of Fiona Volpe and in particular the underwater action sequences remarking that they were well choreographed and clearly shot. However he criticized the length of the scenes and believed they were too long and were in need of editing particularly during the underwater climax scene.^[23] At Rotten Tomatoes.com the film is given an 89% fresh rating, although like Berardinelli many film critics have also cited the length of the underwater action scenes as one of the flaws in the film. Film criticism is the analysis and evaluation of films. ... James Berardinelli (born September 1967, New Brunswick, New Jersey) is an online film critic. ... Convicted spy Mata Hari made her name synonymous with femme fatale during WWI. A femme fatale (plural: femmes fatales) is an alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. ... For use of tomatoes against performers, see modern uses of tomatoes. ...

Thunderball won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects awarded to John Stears in 1966 and Ken Adam the production director was also nominated for a BAFTA award. The film won the Golden Screen award for Best Film in Germany and won 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. Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... Sir Ken Adam (born 5 February 1921 as Klaus Adam) is a production designer most famous for his set designs for the early films in the James Bond series. ... The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), is a British organization that hosts annual awards shows for film, television, childrens film and television, and interactive media. ...

References

is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further reading

• Casino Royale history for further information on the James Bond legal battles between Sony and MGM.
• Chapman, James (1999). Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films. I.B. Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-387-6. 

Casino Royale by Ian Fleming was the first James Bond novel. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Thunderball

• Thunderball at the Internet Movie Database
• Thunderball at Rotten Tomatoes
• Thunderball at Box Office Mojo
• Official James Bond website
• MGM's official site for Thunderball
• Universal Export's entry on Thunderball
• Thunderball Overview on The Ultimate James Bond Community
• Production notes for Thunderball — MI6.co.uk
• Thunderball — The Bond Film Informant
• "McClory, Sony and Bond: A History Lesson — Universal Exports
• Thunderball obsessional; a website devoted to all things, Thunderball