007 MAGAZINE | Fact Files | Thunderball (1965)



Date of release:	World Premiere 9th December 1965 Hibiya Theatre, Tokyo, Japan. Gala Premiere 29th December 1965 The London Pavilion, Piccadilly Circus and simultaneously at The Rialto, Coventry Street, London.
Running Time:	130 minutes
James Bond:	Sean Connery
Plot:	The criminal organisation SPECTRE hijack an RAF Vulcan bomber and hold the Western World to ransom with its deadly cargo of atomic bombs.
Bond’s Women:	Domino Derval (Claudine Auger) [voice of Nikki van der Zyl] Patricia Fearing (Molly Peters) Mlle. Le Porte (Mitsouko)
Bond’s Enemies:	Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) [Voice of Robert Rietty] Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi) Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Anthony Dawson) [not credited in the film] [voice of Eric Pohlmann] Count Lippe (Guy Doleman) Vargas (Philip Locke) Janni (Michael Brennan) Madame Boitier (Rose Alba) [as credited in the film] Col. Jacques Bouvar (Bob Simmons) Latislav Kutze (George Pravda) Quist (Bill Cummings) Angelo Palazzi (Paul Stassino)
Bond’s Allies:	Felix Leiter (Rik Van Nutter) Paula Catlin (Martine Beswick) Pinder (Earl Cameron) M (Bernard Lee) Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell) Q (Desmond Llewelyn)
Bond’s Car:	Aston Martin DB5
Bond’s Gadget:	Underwater propulsion backpack with exploding spearheads
Main Title Music:	‘Thunderball’ sung by Tom Jones
End Title Music:	‘The James Bond Theme’*
[Original US prints featured an orchestral version of the Thunderball* main title theme (track #17 on the 2003 expanded CD release) over the end credits]
Music Score:	John Barry
Costume Designer:	Anthony Mendelson Sean Connery's suits Anthony Sinclair
Production Designer:	Ken Adam
Art Director:	Peter Murton
Main Titles Designer:	Maurice Binder
Supervising Editor:	Peter Hunt
Action Sequences Arranger:	Bob Simmons
Underwater Director:	Ricou Browning
Underwater Engineer:	Jordan Klein
Special Effects:	John Stears
Screenplay:	Richard Maibaum & John Hopkins Based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham & Ian Fleming
Director of Photography:	Ted Moore
Director:	Terence Young
Executive Producers:	Harry Saltzman & Albert R. Broccoli The listing shown is contractual for the Eastern Hemisphere and is reversed for the Western Hemisphere.
Producer:	Kevin McClory
End credit:	No announcement of the next film in the series. The original end credits for Thunderball announced On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the next title, but this caption was removed before the film was released resulting in a clumsy optical wipe.
Poster Tag-line:	“Look Up! Look Down! Look Out! Here Comes The Biggest Bond Of All!”

Awards:	Oscar^® Winner 1966 Best Special Visual Effects (John Stears)

James Bond (Sean Connery)

Gunbarrel (Sean Connery)

Gun barrel (Sean Connery)

Thunderball title screen

Thunderball title screen

Aston Martin DB5

Aston Martin DB5

Underwater propulsion backpack

Bell-Textron jet pack

Felix Leiter (Rik Van Nutter)

CLASSIC SCENE

“Yes – I thought I saw a spectre at your shoulder.”

DIRECTOR: Terence Young STARRING: Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi, Luciana Paluzzi, Rik Van Nutter, Bernard Lee, Martine Beswick, Guy Doleman, Molly Peters, Desmond Llewelyn. SCREENPLAY: Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins. Based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham & Ian Fleming.	CLASSIC SCENE: Having been assigned to Nassau to investigate the disappearance of a Vulcan bomber carrying two nuclear bombs, secret agent 007 (Sean Connery) makes contact underwater with his only lead, Domino (Claudine Auger) – the beautiful sister of the intended pilot of the stolen nuclear load. Discovering Domino is kept a close watch on by her ‘guardian’, millionaire adventurer Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), Bond decides to investigate further by visiting the casino at Café Martinique…

BOND: Banco.

(Bond plays 8. Largo loses the hand and passes the shoe)

LARGO: Someone has to lose.

BOND: Yes – I thought I saw a spectre at your shoulder.

LARGO: What do you mean?

BOND: The spectre of defeat – that your luck was due to change.

LARGO: We’ll soon find out. Any objection to raising the limit - £500 shall we say?

GAMBLER: Too big for me!

VARGAS: Count me out.

LARGO: (to Bond) Perhaps you’d like to take the shoe. My friend won’t mind, mister…

BOND: …Bond.

LARGO: Oh yes – Mister Bond. One of my associates spoke about you.

BOND: Nothing bad I hope. It’s your spectre against mine.

LARGO: You wish to put the evil-eye on me – uh! We have a way to deal with that where I come from.

(Largo gestures, pointing ‘devil fingers’ at Bond)

BOND: Well you may hex me let’s see what it does for the cards.

LARGO: (declines another card) No.

BOND: (plays) Seven.

LARGO: (plays) Six! (plays) Eight.

BOND: (plays) Nine.

LARGO: You seem to be unbeatable Mister Bond.

BOND: No – for the moment this kind of thing can’t last.

DOMINO: Emilio you promised to buy me a drink.

LARGO: Soon my dear – I want to get my money back first.

BOND: May I be allowed to buy the lady a drink.

LARGO: I would appreciate that. Thank you.

BOND: Then I must pass the shoe.

LARGO: Banco!

(Bond leaves the gaming table accompanied by Domino)

DOMINO: He’s going to be impossible if his luck doesn’t change!

BOND: Somehow I don’t think it will tonight.

JAMES BONDFACT FILES

JAMES BOND
FACT FILES