Thunderball (1965)

James Bond heads to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay), John Hopkins (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Claudine Auger, Adolfo Celi

Won 1 Oscar. Another 4 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Claudine Auger	...	Dominique 'Domino' Derval
Adolfo Celi	...	Emilio Largo / SPECTRE #2
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Fiona Volpe
Rik Van Nutter	...	Felix Leiter
Guy Doleman	...	Count Lippe
Molly Peters	...	Patricia Fearing
Martine Beswick	...	Paula Caplan
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
Lois Maxwell	...	Moneypenny
Roland Culver	...	Home Secretary
Earl Cameron	...	Pinder Romania
Paul Stassino	...	Angelo Palazzi / Major François Duval
Rose Alba	...	Madame Bouvar

Storyline

James Bond continues on his fourth mission, with his aim to recover two stolen warheads. They have been taken by the evil S.P.E.C.T.R.E. organization. The world is held hostage and Bond heads to Nassau, The Bahamas. Here, he meets the beautiful Domino and is forced into a thrilling confrontation with S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Agent Emilio Largo on-board his boat, the Disco Volante. Will 007 prevent the killing of millions of innocent victims?

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Plot Keywords:

official james bond series | woman in bathtub | girl in a bikini | underwater battle | vodka martini | 

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Taglines:

Look Out!...Remember there is only one James Bond and Thunderball's the Biggest of them All! (Australian theatrical daybill poster)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 December 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Thunderball

Filming Locations:

Atlantis Hotel, Bahamas

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$63,595,658

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$63,595,658

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the trailer for this movie, Bond says the line, "The things I do for England." The line was cut from the final version of this movie, and then used in the next Bond movie, You Only Live Twice (1967).

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Goofs

After Paula is late to meet Bond and Felix at the beer stand, they walk towards the building Q is in. When bond reaches the last of the three people passing them, it looks as if he slips, or does some sort of dance with his feet. Yet he is suave and debonair.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Madame LaPorte: The coffin - it has your initials: J.B.
Bond: At the moment, rather him than me.
Madame LaPorte: At least you've been saved the effort of removing him. Colonel Bouvar passed away in his sleep, so they tell me.
Bond: Mm...
Madame LaPorte: You sound disappointed you did not kill him yourself.
Bond: I am. Jacques Bouvar murdered two of my colleagues.

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Alternate Versions

The UK cinema release was cut to receive an "A" rating to remove a shot of Bond stroking Patricia with a mink glove. All video releases are restored and uncut.

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Connections

Followed by GoldenEye (1995)

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Soundtracks

Thunderball
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Don Black
Performed by Tom Jones

User Reviews

An Enjoyable Film from an Equally Enjoyable Series

Two nuclear warheads are stolen from a British Vulcan by the secret criminal organization known as SPECTRE. With only a small time to meet the blackmail demands the British send James Bond (Sean Connery) to the Bahamas to try to find the warheads and the people responsible. Anyway, what I liked about this film was that it had just about all of the ingredients that have made this series so entertaining. It has action, suspense, sly humor, innovative gadgets and a bevy of beautiful women to include Claudine Auger (as "Domino) who won the title of "Ms. France" in 1958, Luciana Pullizi as the evil assassin named "Fiona", Molly Peters as the attractive masseuse named "Patricia" and Martine Beswick ("Paula") who played the role of one of the gypsy women in the James Bond film "From Russia with Love" in 1963. It even won an Academy Award for special effects. Along with that, I especially liked the underwater battle between the frogmen at the end of the film. In short, I thought that this was an enjoyable film in an equally enjoyable series. Definitely recommended for all fans of James Bond.