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:

PG

Details

Official Sites:

MGM [United States]

Country:

UK

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:

$43,819,547

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

Upon release, this movie broke Hollywood's three-day gross record.

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Goofs

Cremation furnaces run at 870-980 °C which would burn up any diamonds present (diamonds are not in fact forever); it would be impossible to successfully smuggle diamonds inside a cadaver and separate them via cremation. However, we never see the furnace at Slumber, Inc. actually operating, and cremation usually takes an hour and a half whereas Bond is given the diamonds a few minutes after the coffin moves down the belt. It is more likely that the diamonds were simply removed from the body.

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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

Besides various outtakes, the documentary on the DVD contains an alternate version of the death scene of the Dentist. Instead of putting the scorpion into the doctors shirt, Mr. Wint puts the scorpion in his mouth. There are four deleted scenes on the DVD:

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Connections

Edited into Stealth Fighter (1999)

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Soundtracks

James Bond Theme
Music by Monty Norman
Arrangement by John Barry

User Reviews

We may be stirred... but never shaken!

In this 7th Bond movie, there is little of Bond's prowess in sex and violence... Connery's return to his role for a final throw is simply disappointing... Seeking a diamond smuggler, Bond has adventures in Amsterdam, in a Los Angeles crematorium, in various Las Vegas gambling parlors, and in a secret factory in Nevada desert...

For that Bond receives an urn containing a hoard of gems; leads the police on a wild chase; drives a Moonbuggy and a tiny Mustang convertible on two side wheels; wins at the Craps table; struggles superbly with two hot-tempered vixens; rips off a woman's top bikini; substitutes a fake computer tape; tries to escape from a blazing coffin; and knocks what he thinks is the real Blofeld // For the audience, it's intended to function as a glorious reinstatement of Connery-Bond, avenging Tracy's murder...

Jill St. John is the free agent who defies Bond's charm, but is reduced to a weak heroine, as she displays none of the class we've come to expect of a Bond girl... Nevertheless this redheaded diamond smuggler becomes the first American Bond beauty who does know how to wear a 'nice little nothing.' Jill inspires the best line in the movie...

Charles Gray becomes the third actor to portray a wildly sophisticated Blofeld on-screen following Donald Pleasance and Telly Savalas… He succeeds as the reclusive tycoon Ernest Stavro Blofeld who creates doubles of himself to confuse Commander Bond... He hates martial music and takes no chances with his staff... His hit men are "gay and fun," Mr Kidd and Mr Wint... Putter Smith is the sadistic Mr Kidd and Bruce Glover is his sinister sidekick Mr Wint… Jimmy Dean plays the multimillionaire Willard Whyte unaware that his company is being improperly used by Blofeld for his devil scheme for world domination...He is held prisoner in his desert mansion which is protected by two female karate experts nicknamed Bambi and Thumper...

Lana Wood becomes the glamorous society girl who meets Bond at a Las Vegas crap table… One night she barely had enough time to remove her top, and gets an undeserved but chilling sendoff...

Desmond Llewelyn is Bond's gadget man, Q, who tries out an electromagnetic controller for his own amusement that makes an entire raw of slot machines hits jackpots...

Lois Maxwell is, as always, the loving Moneypenny in emigration uniform, this time, who still is aching for a diamond ring; Bernard Lee is the imposing 'M' who assigns 007 to infiltrate the smuggling ring and find out who was stockpiling stolen diamonds; Norman Burton is the CIA agent Felix Leiter who greets Bond and asks which part of the stiff holds the gems; Joseph Fürst is the brilliant scientist Dr Metz, who thinks that Blofeld is a mankind's benefactor, and a believer in world disarmament; and Bruce Cabot is Whyte's treacherous right-hand-man...