Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas, where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon.

Director:

Guy Hamilton

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay), Tom Mankiewicz (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Jill St. John, Charles Gray

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Jill St. John	...	Tiffany Case
Charles Gray	...	Blofeld
Lana Wood	...	Plenty O'Toole
Jimmy Dean	...	Willard Whyte
Bruce Cabot	...	Saxby
Putter Smith	...	Mr. Kidd
Bruce Glover	...	Mr. Wint
Norman Burton	...	Leiter
Joseph Fürst	...	Dr Metz (as Joseph Furst)
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
Leonard Barr	...	Shady Tree
Lois Maxwell	...	Moneypenny
Margaret Lacey	...	Mrs. Whistler

Storyline

James Bond's mission is to find out who has been smuggling diamonds, which are not re-appearing. He adopts another identity in the form of Peter Franks. He joins up with Tiffany Case, and acts as if he is smuggling the diamonds, but everyone is hungry for these diamonds. He also has to avoid Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, the dangerous couple who do not leave anyone in their way. Ernst Stavro Blofeld isn't out of the question. He may have changed his looks, but is he linked with the heist? And if he is, can Bond finally defeat his ultimate enemy.

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Plot Keywords:

cat | diamond | ford mustang | yanked off bikini top | panties | 

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Taglines:

Bond is back...with a vengeance [British advance double crown poster ; Style D]

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

17 December 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's Diamonds Are Forever

Filming Locations:

Netherlands

Box Office

Budget:

$7,200,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$43,819,547

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$116,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (colour) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vehicles included Tiffany Case's red 1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 "Fastback"; a silver and white MoonBuggy; a 1968 Cadillac hearse; a Hughes 500/OH-6A Cayuse; various Ford makes including a 1971 Thunderbird driven by Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, a 1971 Econoline van, 1969 and 1971 sedans and various 1970 and 1971 Custom 500s as police vehicles; Honda US 90 ATC three-wheeler ATV motorbike; one Bell 206B JetRanger, two UH-1H Huey and three OH-6A Cayuse helicopters for the oil rig attack; Blofeld's one-seater Bathosub mini-submarine; an airplane and cameo appearances of a new yellow Triumph Stag in Amsterdam and Aston Martin DBS in Q's workshop.

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Goofs

H.M. Secret Service goes through the trouble of providing James Bond a set of fake finger prints to match Peter Franks', but does not provide any facial disguise when all it would have taken was a photo of Franks to give Bond away.

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Quotes

[first lines]
James Bond: [tossing Japanese man around] Where is he? I shan't ask you politely next time. Where is Blofeld?
Japanese man: Cai... Cai... Cairo!

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Crazy Credits

THE END of DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER James Bond will return in LIVE AND LET DIE

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Alternate Versions

The original version of the scene where Bond drives on two wheels through the alley. This version was not used due to the watching crowds and the police cars at the end of this scene.

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Connections

Referenced in Die schlechtesten Filme aller Zeiten: Mister Dynamit (2017)

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Soundtracks

British Grenadiers March
(uncredited)
Licensed from the Boosey & Hawes music library

User Reviews

Licenced to chill...out

When it comes to Bond films I watch with trepidation, as I either really like them or absolutely hate them. Diamonds are Forever falls in the former category although I'm not totally sure why. It's like after the serious action-packed 60's they decided to just calm down and relax, this is the most chilled out and mellow Bond film there is. It has that air of coolness that only early 70's films seem to have. There is a plot of sorts but there's no rush to get there. John Barry's score is his most jazzy and laid back. You feel this was the Bond film that most inspired Tarentino. Do you think so Mr Wint, I do Mr Kidd. Connery seems to really enjoy himself playing Bond again, now surprisingly looking older than his forty years although he was still younger than Roger Moore when he played Bond for the first time the following year, the role seems to fit him even better than before. It's a cool...(7/10).