The fifth of the James Bond movies – and then was supposed to be Sean Connery’s swan song in the part (he returned for one more time in 1971 in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER) – is one of the most extravagant, exotic because of the Japanese setting, and contains one of the most spectacular sets ever constructed on the Pinewood Studios lot.
Only loosely based on Ian Fleming’s original novel, with a screenplay by famed children’s writer Roald Dahl (CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH), YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE sees Bond killed in Hong Kong at the outset, but in fact it is a staged death to ensure, as M points out to Bond in his early briefing, that his old friends ‘pay a little less attention’.
There’s a crisis – an American space capsule has been abducted in space by a mystery rocket and Bond has to get on the trail of a possible lead to avert WWIII as the Americans suspect it is the Russians.
Bond’s trail leads him to Osato Chemicals in Tokyo, where he discovers a formula for liquid oxygen and a negative of a coastline. Inevitably, the bad boys are onto him – and it is up to Bond to delve deeper whilst avoiding capture and death….
One of three Bond films the late Lewis Gilbert directed (the other two being THE SPY WHO LOVED ME (1977) and MOONRAKER (1979)). YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE also contains the terrific mini-copter ‘Little Nellie’ which proves to be more than a match for four enemy helicopters belonging to the evil SPECTRE.
Truly spectacular escapist entertainment – and one of the best Bond films ever!