Details

Release year: 1979

Storyline

James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle, and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.

Top credits

Directors

Lewis Gilbert

Writers

Cast

Roger Moore — James Bond
Lois Chiles — Holly Goodhead
Michael Lonsdale — Drax
Richard Kiel — Jaws

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Awards

0 wins & 1 nomination

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Did you know

• Except for a few brief close-ups, the entire sequence of Bond, Jaws and the pilot falling from the plane, with Bond and the pilot fighting for a single parachute, was shot in free fall. The seven-pound camera for these sequences was mounted on the helmet of another skydiver, and a few shots are of the cameraman's own arms and legs. Stuntmen Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth wore parachutes concealed within their suits. The "parachute" over which they fight is actually a dummy chute, which had to be removed before the stuntman could use the real parachute underneath. Stuntman Jake Lombard would don and remove the dummy chute up to three times in a single jump. The actual parachutes used by the stuntmen had a main and reserve chute concealed within the suit-coats. A breakaway seam ran down the back, which allowed the parachute to be opened without the need to remove the coat. There were only 60 to 70 seconds of free fall time, between when the stunt performers exited the aircraft and when they had to activate their chutes. After factoring in the time needed to get the performers and cameraman into position after leaving their plane, only a few seconds of film could be shot per jump. Therefore, the entire sequence required 88 jumps, and five weeks to film, just to produce the two minutes of footage in the final movie.

• The cable that Jaws bites is actually made of licorice.

• The scene in which the gondola converts into a hovercraft, and elevates out of the water, succeeded with the fifth attempt. During the first four takes, the vehicle was so unstable that Sir Roger Moore fell into the water, and he needed to have his silk suit replaced for each take. It was fortunate that the stunt worked during the fifth take, because he was wearing the last available silk suit.