1965 saw the 4th Bond film hit the big screen, with the director of Dr No and From Russia With Love, Terence Young, returning for a third film, Thunderball. Sean Connery reprised the role of Bond for the fourth time.
The Plot
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s latest agent to trouble James Bond is Emilio ... Read review
Sean Connery reprises his role as James Bond in a film that he would later re-make as ... more
Never Say Never Again under controversial circumstances. The thrills never stop as Agent 007 (Sean Connery) goes above the call of duty - and to the bottom of the o...
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The thrills never let up as James Bond dives into this riveting adventure filled with ... more
explosive confrontations and amazing underwater action sequences! Sean Connery brings his characteristic style, humor and magnetism to Agent 007 as he travels to Nass...
James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a ... more
nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a health spa (where he tangles with a mechanised masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, courtesy of the resourceful Q (Desmond Llewellyn), agent 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for an underwater plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 asNever Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. Tom Jones belts out the bold theme song to another classic Maurice Binder title sequence.--Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com--On the DVD: The absence of any new contribution from Sean Connery leaves a hole in the behind-the-scenes selection, but the "making of" documentary still has plenty to talk about, including why Bond wore a crash helmet for the jet-pack flight, and what was for the time the utterly unique situation of having to stage an underwater battle (one of the Bond series' enduring legacies is its pioneering stunt work). A supplemental documentary describes the "Thunderball Phenomenon" that swept the world on the release of what was the most successful Bond movie to date (back in those innocent days when blanket retail saturation of movie merchandise was still a novelty). Two audio commentaries flesh out even more of the background: the first is another edited selection of various interviews, the second has editor Peter Hunt in conversation with the host John Quark of the Ian Fleming Foundation, as well as more sundry interview snippets, notably from screenwriter John Hopkins. Any contribution from series composer John Barry is also sadly absent. --Mark Walker
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James Bond's fourth adventure takes him to the Bahamas, where a NATO warplane with a ... more
nuclear payload has disappeared into the sea. Bond (Sean Connery) travels from a health spa (where he tangles with a mechanised masseuse run amuck) to the casinos of Nassau and soon picks up the trail of SPECTRE's number-two man, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi), and his beautiful mistress, Domino (Claudine Auger), whom Bond soon seduces to his side. Equipped with more gadgets than ever, courtesy of the resourceful Q (Desmond Llewellyn), agent 007 escapes an ambush with a personal-size jet pack and takes to the water as he searches for an underwater plane, battles Largo's pet sharks, and finally leads the battle against Largo's scuba-equipped henchmen in a spectacular underwater climax. This thrilling Bond entry became Connery's most successful outing in the series and was remade in 1983 asNever Say Never Again, with Connery returning to the role after a 12-year hiatus. Tom Jones belts out the bold theme song to another classic Maurice Binder title sequence.--Sean Axmaker, Amazon.com--On the DVD: The absence of any new contribution from Sean Connery leaves a hole in the behind-the-scenes selection, but the "making of" documentary still has plenty to talk about, including why Bond wore a crash helmet for the jet-pack flight, and what was for the time the utterly unique situation of having to stage an underwater battle (one of the Bond series' enduring legacies is its pioneering stunt work). A supplemental documentary describes the "Thunderball Phenomenon" that swept the world on the release of what was the most successful Bond movie to date (back in those innocent days when blanket retail saturation of movie merchandise was still a novelty). Two audio commentaries flesh out even more of the background: the first is another edited selection of various interviews, the second has editor Peter Hunt in conversation with the host John Quark of the Ian Fleming Foundation, as well as more sundry interview snippets, notably from screenwriter John Hopkins. Any contribution from series composer John Barry is also sadly absent. --Mark Walker
Postage & Packaging:£1.21 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Action/Adventure - Director: Peter Jackson - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring:Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Sean Astin, Billy Boyd, Dominic Monaghan, Andy Serkis
Production Year: 2002 - Action/Adventure - Director: Vincenzo Natali - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring:Lucy Liu, David Hewlett, Anne Marie Scheffler, Joseph Scoren, Matthew Sharp, Jeremy Northam
Production Year: 1964 - Action/Adventure - Director: Cyril Endfield - Original Language: English - Classification: Parental Guidance - Starring:Stanley Baker, Jack Hawkins, Ulla Jacobsson, James Booth, Michael Caine, Nigel Green
Advantages: Great Bond film Disadvantages: Behind the scenes tension apparent in the film
...My Opinion
Thunderball was originally the film that Bond producer Cubby Broccoli wanted to film first. The team were not so interested in going in chronological order as they already did not have the rights to the very first of Ian Fleming's Bond books, Casino Royale. I am personally glad that they have gone with the option of chronology with the Bond films, because it means that each film learns from the last, and I am not sure if ... ...had Bond not already made a 3-film impact. As it is, there is tension in the film that does not seem due to the plot itself, and is maybe a measure of the ongoing rights dispute to the story, with Ian Fleming and writers Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham contesting who actually conceived the idea.
In the heart of the Cold War, tensions running high regarding nuclear and ballistic missiles mean that this film was very topical at the ... more
1965 saw the 4th Bond film hit the big screen, with the director of Dr No and From Russia With Love, Terence Young, returning for a third film, Thunderball. Sean Connery reprised the role of Bond for the fourth time.
The Plot
S.P.E.C.T.R.E.'s latest agent to trouble James Bond is Emilio Largo, the criminal organisation's number 2. Largo has stolen two nuclear warheads and plans to hold the world ransom. Bond must travel to the Bahamas and infiltrate the S.P.E.C.T.R.E. base to eliminate the threat of world disaster at the hands of Largo.
The Cast and Performances
Connery's 4th film as Bond shows how he has adapted the role to create even more on-screen charisma, and the one-liners from the smooth-talking agent are coming thick and fast now. Adolfo Celi gives a good turn as the latest Bond villain, Largo, and Claudine Auger is sultry as the 4th Bond girl, Domino. Bernard Lee continues the mantle of M, Lois Maxwell returns as Miss Moneypenny, and Desmond Llewellyn settles in once more as the gadget master Q. The remainder of the cast give good supporting performances.
My Opinion
Thunderball was originally the film that Bond producer Cubby Broccoli wanted to film first. The team were not so interested in going in chronological order as they already did not have the rights to the very first of Ian Fleming's Bond books, Casino Royale. I am personally glad that they have gone with the option of chronology with the Bond films, because it means that each film learns from the last, and I am not sure if the plot for Thunderball would have been as well received had Bond not already made a 3-film impact. As it is, there is tension in the film that does not seem due to the plot itself, and is maybe a measure of the ongoing rights dispute to the story, with Ian Fleming and writers Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham contesting who actually conceived the idea.
In the heart of the Cold War, tensions running high regarding nuclear and ballistic missiles mean that this film was very topical at the time, and Young handles the subject matter very cleverly by using villains S.P.E.C.T.R.E. to take the fall.
As a plot, I was pleased with this one. The setting of the Bahamas is a wonderfully picturesque one, and Connery is very much at home in summer gear, as well as at sea, where a great deal of the action takes place. This is a very well done Bond film, with Tom Jones providing the music for the title track.
Advantages: Sean Connery as Bond Disadvantages: Really dark in the underwater scenes
BACKGROUND
The fourth in the Bond series, Thunderball is a unique film experience, due to advanced techniques of filming it used. Filmed in 1965 it used state of the art technology to film it's numerous under water sequences, which took months to create. Much of the brilliance of the under water filming can be attributed to the knowledge and expertise of veteran film maker Lamar Boren, who worked on the 1951-1961 TV series 'Sea Hunt' and so clearly had a lot of experience in the field. This experience combined with a superb original story by Ian Fleming, and immaculate direction by Terrance Young (a man famous for his Bond direction) adds up to an unforgettable film.
CAST
Connery again plays Bond, to the delight of the fans. For many Bond fans Sean Connery is the original and the best. I am still yet to be convinced. I have ...
Advantages: Lots of Special Features Disadvantages: none
Thunderball is the Ultimate James Bond film. It is the 4th film from the Bonds Series which is thankfully still going to date. In this film James Bond battling a powerful organisation named S.P.E.C.T.R.E, which has threatened to destroy Miami with an atomic weapon unless a huge ransom is paid. I First watched this film when i was young and did enjoy it, as i have gotten older i have enjoyed the film even more first having it on video i taped myself to owning it on video i purchased and now i have just got it on DVD purchased from Play.com at the great price of £11.99
Run Time: 125 minutes
Number of discs: 2
Classification: PG
Studio: Mgm Home Ent. (Europe) Ltd
Actors: Sean Connery,Bernard Lee, Claudine Auger,Lois Maxwell, Adolfo Celi
Region: Region 2
The Dvd contains lots of Special Features including
The Making ...
Based on Ian Fleming's 1961 novel. Here's 007 at his best. The fourth film in the Bond series finds the super spy battling a powerful organisation named S.P.E.C.T.R.E, which has threatened to destroy Miami with an atomic weapon unless a huge ransom is paid.
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