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The Making Of The Spy Who Loved Me
8th July 2007
MI6 goes behind the scenes and charts the three year production process that delivered the tenth James Bond film...
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After the ninth Bond picture “The
Man With The Golden Gun” hit cinema screens in 1974 with a
lackluster response, Bond producers turned their attention immediately
to the to question, “what’s next?” The tenth
picture would be the biggest step up for 007 since the immense
success of “Goldfinger” with the double the production
budget of its predecessor and double the effort to produce an
epic picture.
Directors And Debts
Three time Bond director Guy Hamilton was invited to direct "The
Spy Who Loved Me", but while the producers searched for a writer with the imagination and
flare to
pen a Bond picture, co-producer Harry Saltzman ran into financial trouble.
Other less successful ventures had left
Harry Saltzman in debt. Attempting to finance multiple
productions and
other personal projects had lead Saltzman to massive loans
with the Swiss banks - and up as collateral were
his shares in Eon Productions.
When Saltzman’s colleagues discovered his immense
debt many threw themselves into the battle to try and save
him from bankruptcy. To top off his troubles, Saltzman’s
wife had fallen seriously ill suffering from cancer. Friends
and family tried to find a solution but in the end Saltzman
had no choice but to relinquish his Bond right.
Several businessmen showed immediate interest in the highly
successful franchise, but it was important to Saltzman
and Broccoli that 007 did not fall into the wrong hands.
For a time Eon Productions was closed for business while
Saltzman declared bankruptcy and was forced to turn over
his shares of James Bond - leaving Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli
the primary shareholder in Eon productions and the James
Bond film rights. From then on in, the fate of 007 laid
in Broccoli’s hands alone. |
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A Spy From Scratch
Due to an agreement with the Fleming estate, Broccoli held the rights to no more
than the title of “The Spy Who Loved Me” - and so the story
had to be concocted from scratch. The hunt was on far and wide and authors
and movie buffs alike were all considered for the writing job. Anthony Burgess
(author, “The Clockwork Orange”) was one of those keen to lend
his style to Bond but at the recommendation of MGM, John Landis was invited
to work with Guy Hamilton on developing the “Spy” script. Ultimately,
the stress of deadlines and a few creative differences lead Guy Hamilton to
bow out of the production, and with him went Landis.
Without a screenwriter, director, or useable
script, Broccoli turned to friend and old Bond hand Lewis Gilbert
to bring the
production back on track. Gilbert, who previously directed "You
Only Live Twice", accepted the challenge and quickly set about
finding a plot for Bond #10.
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Above: Director Lewis Gilbert
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The creative team, including a young Michael
G. Wilson, concocted the concept of a supertanker that
swallows up
submarines. Gilbert recommended Christopher Wood to piece
together the screenplay. Both Wood and Gilbert were Fleming
fans and so the decision was made to make Bond less like
Sean Connery, but more like the literary character - very
English, suave, snobbish, and... humorous. With Wood trusted
with the screenplay, Gilbert went location scouting.
Welcome To Japan, Mr Bond?
With much of the production team assembled, including regular production designer
Ken Adam, the crew began the massive task of location scouting. Gilbert had
heard of an underwater “city” being developed in Tokyo and for
a while considered sending Bond Far East, as he did in “You Only Live
Twice”. As it happened, the underwater Atlantis is written in but instead
of Japan, Egypt and Sardinia become key locations in the final draft. With
the script approved by Broccoli, the team searched for one final piece of adventure - the
pre-title sequence!
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A Leap Of Faith
Legendary among Bond fans, the “ski-parachute jump” has become synonymous
with 007 and “Spy”. Michael G. Wilson saw a piece with
Rick Sylvester and he approached the stuntman about performing his signature
trick
on film. Sylvester agreed to jump, for a mammoth sum, but ‘fessed up to
the crew, admitting that he had never successfully completed the stunt.
Nevertheless, Sylvester displayed all
the confidence the Bond producers needed to hire the stuntman.
Thus, the Austrian Alps is added to the ever-growing list
of “The
Spy Who Loved Me” locations. Test footage was shot in the Artic circle
and John Glen and his second unit team were given the go-ahead
to film
the pre-title sequence, provided they get it done long
before the film’s 1st unit shooting schedule. The
2nd unit crew arrived in Austria with Rick Sylvester in
tow, but a storm prevented shooting for almost a week.
When the days were finally clear and Rick was ready to
jump, four cameras - including a helicopter camera -covered
the feat.
The crew knew it was to be a one-shot-wonder
and no amount of rehearsing could prepare for the real
thing. Of all the cameras covering the event, only
one caught the complete jump. This shot is the shot that
appears in the final film. |
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Lights, Camera, Action...
Back home, Broccoli and Gilbert turned their attention to the supporting cast.
Charles Juroe of Eon’s marketing department recommended Curt
Jurgens for the villainous role of Stromberg. For his infamous henchman, the team was
inspired by Fleming’s character, Horror - who, like Jaws, had menacing
silver-planted teeth. Richard Kiel was an obvious choice for his sheer stature
and menace and lives on in fan’s memories as the classic Bond henchman.
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Bond girls were scouted for all across
the globe but the standout act always wins the lead. Producers
had looked
far and wide to find a lady worthy to play Bond's equal.
For “The Spy Who Loved Me”, and Barbara
Bach was cast as 007’s Russian ally, Anya Amasova.
In the role, Bach must match up to Bond’s wit and
prove herself the Bond girl to rival all Bond girls. Casting
Bach was
a last minute panic and she was tested and signed a mere
4 day period before shooting was due to start.
Cameras began to roll at Pinewood on 31st August 1976
in the office of General
Gogol, and continued in to M’s
office scenes. Two weeks later, on 15th August, the production
traveled to Sardinia where Gilbert shot the first of his
many scenes with Richard Kiel - his towering henchman.
The brand new Lotus
Esprit gave a memorable performance
in “The Spy Who Loved Me” during its scenes
in Sardinia. Only two cars of its type in the world were
available, and so the production had to requisition the
Esprit from Colin Chapman, the head of the Lotus Company.
Chapman’s car performs some of the Lotus’ stunts
in the final cut.
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Back at Pinewood, the stunt crew prepared the
various hand-to-hand fights in the film, including a nod to “From
Russia With Love” in which Bond battles Jaws in a grueling
train fight. Despite being less than six foot, veteran stunt
man Bob Simmons
successfully doubled for seven foot Richard Kiel for the sequences.
In the final seconds of the sequence Simmons plunged himself
through a plate glass window, with nothing but his forehead to
smash the glass.
The second unit journeyed to the Bahamas set
and shot the underwater scenes of both the Lotus and the giant
lair Atlantis. Derek Meddings
took charge of fitting out several models of the Lotus to shoot
the car-sub transformation. In the end, seven different models
of the Esprit were used in the film.
Meanwhile, across the oceans, the first
unit traveled to Egypt. The crew tried and failed to light
the pyramids
for Bond’s encounter with Jaws and Anya. Resigned
to the fact that they could only shoot close-ups on location,
the production team made a call to Alan Maley, a Hollywood
recognized visual effects artist. Maley and his team would
fill in the blanks - making the pyramids glow.
Shooting the climax of “The Spy Who Loved Me” posed
problems for both the production crew and the second unit.
Originally, the script called for Bond to battle Stromberg’s
goons on the decks of his massive
super-tanker, but problems
arose. The use of a Shell supertanker would be free to
the production - but the insurance for both the tanker
and its crew stacked up to be over $60,000 per day.
A new
scheme was formulated. A combination of lavish interior
design from Ken Adam and lifelike miniatures from resident
model maker Derek Meddings lends to this impressive sequence. |
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Search For A Stage
Shooting the interior of the massive supertanker (large enough to comfortably
hold three two-third scale nuclear submarines) needed a studio space that simply
did not exist. The production searched for hangers or warehouses that might
be large enough, but without success.
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Above: Cubby Broccoli and the 007 Stage
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Cubby Broccoli made the call to construct
a soundstage large enough to accommodate the set Ken Adam
was to design. Ken Adam came up with a crafty solution
to build the set as they built the soundstage. It was soon
adopted and the plans for both Adam’s set and the “007
Stage” are laid down.
While Ken Adam worried about the style
and interest of the set, the producers worried about their
shooting schedule.
With just 17 weeks before Lewis Gilbert was due to roll
cameras on the sequence, only the first foundations were
laid. The 007 Stage required a mammoth effort from all
involved to get the building and the Liparus set completed.
On 5th December 1976, the official opening for Europe’s
largest soundstage was held. The set was a triumph, and
completed in perfect time!
Premiere Bond
“The Spy Who Loved Me” made its world
premiere at the Odeon in Leicester
Square on 7th July 1977 and quickly took a startling $185.4m worldwide. For the
sole producer, Albert R. Broccoli, “Spy” has sealed his respect in
the film industry and concedes it will be an impossible task to out-do the 10th
Bond film, for sheer magnitude and roaring success. The sky was no longer the
limit…
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