James Bond Retrospective: You Only Live Twice (1967) 10 Reasons To Take Up Running James Bond Retrospective: You Only Live Twice (1967) Sean Connery made the shock announcement during the making of You Only Live Twice that this would be his final Bond film.... Flipboard To mark the 50th Anniversary of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time and as James Bond prepares for his 23rd official outing in Skyfall later this year, I have been tasked with taking a retrospective look at the films that turned author Ian Flemings creation into one of the most recognised and iconic characters in film history. After the phenomenal box-office success of Thunderball in 1965 the Bond series producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were left looking for an out of this world adventure for Bonds fifth outing, You Only Live Twice. When Richard Maibaum the screenwriter of all the previous films became unavailable the producers hired popular short story and childrens writer Roald Dahl to pen the screenplay. Dahl had been a close friend of Fleming but described the original novel as Flemings worst book.

Taking only a handful of ideas from the story, Dahl wrote an almost completely original screenplay disregarding much of Flemings plot and adding elements from a rejected script by screenwriter Harold Jack Bloom. As before, many of the crew members from the last four films returned including editor Peter Hunt, production designer Ken Adam, art director Peter Lamont, stunt co-ordinator Bob Simmons and special effects director John Stears. With a budget of $9.5 million, just half a million more than Thunderball the producers brought in a new director, Lewis Gilbert who already had an established track record of well regarded films such as Reach For The Sky, Carve Her Name With Pride and Alfie. Gilbert was persuaded by Saltzman and Broccoli to put his own stamp on the series and in the process was to make the most ambitious Bond film to date. James Bond During the promotional tour for Thunderball, Sean Connery had begun to show the early signs of disillusion with the role. The burden of leading the franchise and the amount of time required to publicise the movies were beginning to take their toll on his blossoming career as well as the fear that the role could lead to typecasting.

Connery made the shock announcement during the making of You Only Live Twice that this would be his final Bond film. Classic Line (About to make love to Helga Brandt) James Bond: Oh the things I do for England. The usual twinkle in his eye that had been evident since From Russia With Love is sadly missing from his performance in You Only Live Twice. He seems jaded and a little bored by the role, lacking the spark that had defined his portrayal of the character. Contributing factors may have included a number of changes in the production team for the fifth film in the series, a new director and screenwriter as well as the fact that Connery was given a hard time by the Japanese press during the making of the film which may have also affected his performance. One thing was for sure that it was the right decision to leave the role before completely running out of steam. He would leave a legacy that would be hard to beat and would prove to be the standard against which all that would follow would be compared.

Pre-Credits & Theme Song In a change of form after the previous two films opening sequences that featured scenes bearing little relation to the main storyline, You Only Live Twice opens with a scene setting in motion the main plot thread for the movie. Beginning in space during a US mission by NASA, an astronaut makes his way out of the space capsule for a space walk. Moments later his mission is literally cut short by a mysterious spacecraft that intercepts the NASA craft mid-flight, opening its nose cone to swallow the US capsule. With the US and Russian space programs in full swing during the sixties and NASAs Apollo missions only two years away from making the first moon landing, the space race was a hot topic of the day making it inevitable that it would be an obvious choice of storyline for Bond to become involved in some way. The second part of the pre-credits sequence sees Bond very briefly enjoying the company of a Chinese girl in a Hong Kong boudoir. As she steps away from the bed it folds up against the wall with Bond still on it as a number of gunmen sweep in and fire machine guns at the underside of the bed.

As the bed is folded back down it is revealed that Bond is dead and Maurice Binders Japanese infused opening titles begin. The actress playing the Chinese girl is Tsai Chin who would make a return to the Bond films almost forty years later appearing in Casino Royale as a poker player in the tournament where Bond takes on Le Chiffre. This part of the opening sequence is so brief and lacking the thrills of the pre-credits scenes of both Goldfinger and Thunderball making it one of the series least memorable openers. The title song was written by John Barry and lyricist Leslie Bricusse and for the first time was performed by a non-British star, Nancy Sinatra, daughter of Frank. Barrys elegant score uses motifs from the title music throughout the film resulting in one of his finest musical accompaniments for the whole series. The Movie When a US spacecraft is hijacked mid-flight, the Americans initially suspect it to be the work of the Soviet Union. British secret service agent James Bond is assigned to the case which leads him to Japan where he is partnered with his opposite number in the Japanese secret service Tiger Tanaka.

Together they discover that the true mastermind behind the hijack is Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). When a Soviet rocket suffers the same fate as the US spacecraft tensions reach an all time high between the two superpowers. Bond uncovers Blofelds secret underground base hidden inside a volcano where he is plotting to spark a nuclear strike between the two countries by disrupting their space programs. Unlike many of Bonds later globetrotting adventures, You Only Live Twice is confined to just the one country. It totally embraces Japanese culture and spends a lot of screen time on a number of Japanese traditions from sumo wrestling to a lengthy wedding scene culminating in a tea ceremony. The observations of the countrys customs seem overlong and are mere padding for a screenplay lacking in excitement. They are, however, played out with respect but when the decision is made to make Bond look more Japanese things take a turn for the worse. It is a largely pointless scene and the transformation is racially dubious and far from convincing, not least the fact that at 6ft 2in he towers above most of the people around him.

The character of Tiger Tanaka, played by Tetsuro Tanba, is essentially a Japanese version of CIA agent Felix Leiter. He is still a likeable character and plays an important role in the overall plot of the film. He is Bonds link to the Japanese way of life and provides invaluable training and assistance from his ninja army for the climactic battle. The final assault on Blofelds lair is a large scale affair with some jaw-dropping stunt work and features the now legendary stuntman Vic Armstrong in one of his first films as one of the ninjas abseiling into the base. Blofelds volcano lair remains one of the largest, most elaborate sets ever built at Pinewood Studios. The set had its own monorail running around the edge and was big enough to house the full scale rocket used by Blofeld to hijack the US and Soviet spacecraft, it was also possible to fly a helicopter in through the roof to the landing pad in the centre of the base. Designed by Ken Adam, the set is probably his most famous creation for the Bond films and not only featured the main base but also housed Blofelds living quarters complete with piranha pools.

Adding to the films epic scale, the cinematography was provided by the incomparable Freddie Young who had previously captured the ambitious scope of Lawrence Of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago for director David Lean. He provides Bond with some unforgettable shots beautifully framing the gargantuan sets as well as capturing some imaginative footage of the action scenes. In particular a spectacular rooftop chase is seen from above with the camera pulling back to reveal Bond fighting his way through dozens of goons all taking place in one wide shot. This fifth film is a far cry from the relatively low key likes of Dr. No and From Russia With Love. The excesses of Goldfinger and Thunderball are exaggerated to create Bonds biggest adventure to date. While Dahls screenplay may be slightly flawed in its approach, essentially borrowing elements from the previous films, it all somehow works to create an overall familiarity that helped shape the mould of the classic Bond. The Bond Villain After several brief glimpses in From Russia With Love and Thunderball and with a build-up not afforded many villains in film history, the face of the leader of SPECTRE, Ernst Stavro Blofeld is finally revealed in You Only Live Twice.

Sadly however it is not quite the staggering reveal that one would hope following such anticipation but this could be attributed to the fact that the actor playing the role was changed after the cameras had already begun to roll. Czech actor Jan Werich had been the first choice to take the role but conflicting reports suggest he was either fired or fell ill shortly after shooting had commenced. Established screen actor Donald Pleasance was brought in by Broccoli and Gilbert as a replacement and he soon settled into the role by trying to put his own stamp on the character. Initially suggesting he should play the character with a hump, a limp, a beard or a lame hand before finally deciding to go with the scar across the eye. Classic Line Blofeld: James Bond. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ernst Stavro Blofeld. They told me you were assassinated in Hong Kong. James Bond: Yes, this is my second life. Blofeld: You only live twice, Mr. Bond. While Pleasance is undoubtedly a fine actor he does not quite imbue enough menace into the character of Blofeld. Instead he is played as more of a feeble, diminutive man who relies on others to take care of business.

While he may be one of the greatest criminal minds, Blofeld is clearly no real match for Bond and would certainly come out worse in a physical fight but then that is probably why he surrounds himself with henchmen. Pleasances interpretation of Blofeld is possibly the most recognised and iconic of all the Bond villains setting a standard that would be followed throughout the series and often used as the starting point for Bond parodies. After the previous films henchmen heavy approach, You Only Live Twice is surprisingly light on supporting villains. Obviously inspired by the success of Fiona Volpe in Thunderball, another redheaded bad girl steps up to take down Bond. SPECTREs Number 11, Helga Brandt played by German actress Karin Dor. While not quite as ruthless as Volpe, she takes a similar approach in seducing Bond only to then attempt to kill him by leaving him pilotless in a stricken light aircraft as she parachutes to safety. When her plan inevitably fails she is at the mercy of Blofeld who, as we have seen before does not tolerate failure, before going on to drop her into his tank of man-eating piranhas in a graphic death scene performed by Dor herself. Classic Line Mr.

Osato: You should give up smoking. Cigarettes are very bad for your chest. Helga Brandt: Mr. Osato Believes in a healthy chest (Bond eyes Helgas breasts) James Bond: Really? Blofelds other henchmen include Mr. Osato, possibly one of the least threatening villains of the series and the 6ft 8in Hans, Blofelds personal bodyguard who with his blonde hair and muscular frame brings From Russia With Loves Red Grant to mind but lacks the style and wit that made that character so memorable. The Bond Girl You Only Live Twice is highly unusual in that the main Bond girl role is effectively split between two characters of which we learn very little over the course of the film. The first is Aki, an agent with the Japanese secret service played by Akiko Wakabayashi. As soon as Bond arrives in Tokyo she is by his side with an uncanny knack of arriving just in time to rescue him in her white Toyota sports car. Incidentally, this is the only Bond film that does not feature him driving a car himself and the Toyota used in the film had to be modified with a soft top to accommodate Connery who proved too tall for the standard model.

Aki is a feisty and likeable sidekick who remains with Bond throughout most of the film until her death at the hands of a ninja assassin who, planning to kill Bond with poison delivered on a thread from above while he sleeps, inadvertently kills Aki instead. Classic Line Aki: I think I will enjoy very much serving under you. The second Bond girl is Kissy Suzuki played by Mie Hama with whom Bond is paired in an arranged marriage. Her name is never actually mentioned and it is only listed as Kissy during the end credits, the surname is taken from the character in the book. She serves very little purpose in the overall story and despite the fact that one of her main roles is to swim for help from Tanaka, she could not actually swim herself and was doubled by Connerys wife Diane Cilento wearing a black wig. Kissy seems to be merely someone for Bond to end up with in the final scene purely to maintain the Bond tradition. Gadgets Bonds main gadget in You Only Live Twice is also one of his most well known only rivalled by the Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger.

Designed by former RAF Wing Commander Ken Wallis, Little Nellie, a WA-116 gyrocopter painted in a distinctive yellow and black livery and heavily armed with machine guns and rocket launchers proves to be one of the highlights of the film. Coming to Bond courtesy of Q branch, housed in four large packing cases and assembled in a neat stop-frame montage, Little Nellie steals the show during an exciting set-piece. Piloted by its creator the gyrocopter holds its own against a squadron of enemy helicopters in a spectacular aerial battle that proved to be very challenging to film. With 85 take-offs and more than 5 hours flying time the sequence was filmed on location in both Japan and Spain after the Japanese government refused to allow any explosions over their national park. James Bond Will Return.. The film was the first Bond film to be released during the summer rather than the traditional October/ November release date and was the first to be screened for a Royal premiere.

There seemed to be no stopping Bond at the box-office with the film once again grossing over $100million however this was the first film not to out-gross the previous movie leading some to speculate that a change of direction would not necessarily be a bad thing for the franchise. With Connery out of the picture for the next adventure, producers Broccoli and Saltzman knew they had a tough act to follow but the search had to begin for a new Bond.. To catch up on previous installments of the James Bond Retrospective click below: Dr. No , From Russia With Love , Goldfinger , Thunderball MI6 :: You Only Live Twice (1967) :: James Bond 007 You Only Live Twice Fan Reviews (You Only Live Twice) Fan Reviews of the James Bond films can be submitted to MI6 via the Contribute page, or on the Reviews board of the "Keeping The British End Up" discussion forums. The views expressed on this page are those of the individual and not mi6-hq.com. "You Only Live Twice" by Overkill Bond gets married! Bond goes into space!! Bond dies! Unfortunately none of these earth-shattering events actually happen in YOLT.

And that’s just three of the disappointments of the biggest Bond to date holds. With a budget greater than the first four films put together, Bond was now well and truly a business. And as every successful business knows (and as Bond reminded Eliot Carver shortly before turning him into mincemeat) ‘always give the public what they want’. Following the unbelievable success of Thunderball, the public had decided what it wanted. It wanted action and spectacle. And lots of it. Story, coherence, even acting could be left to those ‘other’ films. Broccoli and Saltzman duly delivered what, at that time, was possibly the most extravagant blockbuster of all time. They also produced possibly the most soulless and vacuous movie in the series. YOLT has style to spare. The decision to locate the movie in Japan was a masterstroke. In the sixties, Japan was still considered otherworldly to most westerners. Here was a chance for them to experience the thrills of sumo, sake, volcanoes and all that neon! On the subject of volcanoes, Ken Adam created one of the most famous movie sets of all time with his creation of Blofeld’s secret lair.

(In fairness, all the most famous sets are Adams, or at least inspired by him). There’s a million dollars right there. The remaining $11.5 million (an astronomical amount at the time) went on gimmicks like Little Nellie, and the expense of filming in the Far East. A chunk was also delivered to the door of one Roald Dahl. Then more famous for his adult stories than his children’s books, Dahl was commissioned to turn Fleming’s darkest and nastiest book into box-office gold. He failed miserably, despite throwing out almost everything from the original. What we’re left with is a plot that could have come from any one of the many Bond spoofs circulating at the time, and a leaden pace that peaks at the end, but by that point you’ve really lost interest. The only reason the film holds your attention is the prospect of Bond coming face to face with his REAL nemesis from two of his previous four adventures, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.

Jan Werich (who incidentally looked about as menacing as your Granddad) was replaced at the last minute by Donald Pleasance, an actor much more suited to villainy, but given atrocious make-up (never repeated on the character) that made him look like he’d poked himself in the eye. Pleasance is game but comes across a tad too camp to truly convince as the most dangerous man on the planet (a trick Charles Gray would later emulate). The showdown becomes a bit of a damp squib and you just start wishing those bloody ninjas would hurry up. Connery, by now publicly bored with the role, waltzes through like he couldn’t give a monkey’s, and with the material he has to work with, that’s maybe understandable. Karin Dor as Helga, a cynical attempt to recreate the success of Fiona from Thunderball (she’s even a redhead) is a waste of time, despite looking lovely; Roland Rich, the requisite heavy, is given NOTHING to do except fall into Blofeld’s piranha tank; and Mie Hama fails terribly as Kissy.

The only bright sparks in the cast come from Akiko Wakabayashi (Aki) and Tetsuro Tamba (Tiger Tanaka). Aki builds a believable relationship with Bond (rather than just jumping into bed with him) which creates a feeling of genuine loss when she is murdered. Tiger is almost reminiscent of FRWL’s Kerim Bey, such is the friendship that builds between him and Bond. Though isn’t he a little young to be the Japanese equivalent of M? When all is said and done YOLT is most definitely a movie of its time, and one that has not lasted well. I’m sure in 1967 it may have been the Matrix or Lord of the Rings of its day, in terms of spectacle, but today it stands as showy, cynical film which is more likely to invoke cries of laughter than shouts of joy. But... it does feature the first appearances of both Shane Rimmer and Ed Bishop in Bond films, so it can’t be all bad.

Rating "You Only Live Twice" by Icebreaker “Little Nelly got a hot reception.” The first Bond film to have little resemblance to the novel it was based on, “You Only Live Twice” holds credit as the film where our favourite MI6 agent finally meets his arch-nemesis. Featuring a rather outrageous script written by no other than Ronald Dahl, the story keeps Ian Fleming’s characters and settings intact, adding some wild sci-fi/ action elements in the plot that are quite over-the-top even for a Roger Moore film. This is indeed the third most absurd Bond film after “Moonraker” and “Die Another Day”. After faking his own death, Commander James Bond 007 (Sean Connery) is sent to Japan in order to discover who is behind mysterious hijackings of spaceships in orbit. Yes, the space crafts are hijacked in outer space by a mysterious swallowing missile.

Back to the plot, Bond eventually teams up with female agent Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) and the head of Japanese Secret Service Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba) and in order to protect himself from assassins, he is disguised as a Japanese fisherman, trains to become a ninja in a period of days, and eventually gets married to a beautiful Japanese agent whose name we never learn, although she is credited after Ian Fleming’s own character Kissy Suzuki (Mie Hama). But that is not all! SPECTRE (from the previous films) is behind all of this! Their leader is finally revealed as a bald man with a scar named Ernest Stavro Blofield (Donald Pleasence) and they are launching the “swallowing missiles” from a large military base camouflaged as a volcano. Will Bond, his fake wife, and the deadly super-secret ninja squad save the day? This movie is definitely flawed by the usual Ed Wood filmmaking mess-ups. For example, watch for Aki's car as it changes from a left-hand drive to a right-hand drive when she leaves it to trap Bond. Watch for the “bouncing dead ninjas“ during the climax.

Watch for Bond and Aki viewing footage of a helicopter lifting their enemies and dropping them at the sea, even knowing there is no one filming the event. And then the logical mistakes: How on Earth did SPECTRE manage to build that volcano hide-out? Even if they did, how didn’t their rocket launching disturb the villagers? Is this Bond or “Doctor Who“? Even with logical flaws, “You Only Live Twice” is still one of the most fun Bond adventures. One element that works well is seeing Bond handling the cultural differences in Japan. The character of Tiger Tanaka is perfectly portrayed by Tetsuro Tamba and Bond has a far more active chemistry with Tiger than with the Bond girls here. Speaking of which, although they are both attractive, both actresses appear to have no knowledge of the English language. Their chemistry with Bond is robotic at best. They still have far more charisma than, let’s say, Denise Richards, but they are far from the most memorable Bond girls. As for the villain, Donald Pleasence does a rather fine campy portrayal of Blofield with his limited screen time. This is indeed the villain that inspired Dr.

Evil, although Pleasence pales when compared with Telly Savalas‘ more realistic approach. And the best aspect of the film is indeed the music. John Barry’s score is perhaps the best of the entire series, maybe only topped by his next effort. Nancy Sinatra’s theme song is simply beautiful and so are the “oriental” beats Barry includes throughout the film. Barry achieves excellent results when incorporating Sinatra’s theme in the background music. Another good aspect is that the movie is filled with gadgets and action sequences, the most famous being the Little Nelly flying combat around the volcano. And the ninja attack near the end makes the climax of “You Only Live Twice” one of the most exciting of the entire series. Although it does have some campy and unbelievable elements, “You Only Live Twice” is still one of the most entertaining Bond adventures. The Japanese setting is well-done, the soundtrack is brilliant, and the action is extreme. One of the best “popcorn” Bond films, although you can’t help but feel that Connery is getting a bit bored with the role.

Rating "You Only Live Twice" by Matt Cook Bond mania had sunk in with Goldfinger and was intensified with Thunderball, so the fifth film had much to live up to, but also couldn't fail. Whatever film Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman chose would be a financial success. However, was that enough to them? With the longest production time and the largest budget yet for a Bond film, Lewis Gilbert was given $9.5 million to make the biggest Bond movie he could, You Only Live Twice. Along with Ken Adam, Gilbert succeeded in meeting many fans expectations although some felt it ran a bit sluggish at times. Bringing in $111 million, fans and critics gave mixed reviews. James Bond is sent to Japan after an American spacecraft is abducted by a mysterious ship. After following leads to a small island, Bond discovers, along with forgettable Bond girl Aki, SPECTRE leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld is being paid by a foreign government to start a war between Russia and America. With the second most famous introduction in the series, after Bond's in Dr.

No, Blofeld is seen to be cunning, ruthless and eerie with a facial deformity that can frighten one by just looking into his distant and blank stare. Blofeld runs a colossal empire in a hollowed out volcano, a perfect set design for a Bond movie. Adams used one of the $9 million to build the underground lair. It was the largest creation Adams had ever attempted to erect. Gilbert directed a film with both high and low points. Along with Adam's creation and some of the most beautiful locations Japan has to offer, Gilbert finally brings us face to face with Bond's archenemy. However, all other characters are easily overlooked, except for Tiger Tanaka. Tanaka, played by Tetsuro Tamba, who is head of Japan's secret service. Tanaka and Bond form a relationship that is reminiscent of Kerim Bey and Bond, however Tamba does a good job of making the role new and his own. The low points are few and far between. The speed of the film is the first mistake Gilbert made. After the underwater scenes in Thunderball, audiences were looking for a faster pace in the next movie of the series. Gilbert couldn't deliver.

To show the beauty and deep culture Japan has to offer, Gilbert had to separate the action pieces more than audiences wanted. Gilbert's second mistake is he doesn't use the location to its fullest. Bond sees very little of the islands of Japan during his investigation. The final disappointment of You Only Live Twice is the performance by Sean Connery. He gives a lacklustre routine as Bond and even took a break from the series after this movie. His resistance can be seen during the action of the film when he just looks to be going through the motions. Yet, when there is an action sequence, it is fantastic, over-the-top and makes up for the lack of speed and visual locales. The final battle in the volcano and the aerial scene with Q's latest contraption are unforgettable. You Only Live Twice introduced us to Little Nellie. This small gyrocopter is bombarded by four of SPECTRE's helicopters and easily comes out on top with the help of Q's special modifications. Another wonderful addition to the film is Bond composer John Barry. Barry hits gold again with his arrangement in You Only Live Twice. Barry's musical piece during the space rockets in flight is a cornerstone of Bond music now.

The film version of You Only Live Twice is very different from Fleming's book. Roald Dahl uses very little of the literature to write the screenplay. Dahl focuses more on creating a stupefying plot than down-to-earth schemes and character development. We still know very little about Bond's nemesis when the film is over. Dahl conceived a story that would be copied many times in the series - starting a war between two countries for personal gain. This was far from Fleming's vision, however the movie becomes exquisite and a classic entry in the series. Rating "You Only Live Twice" by zDBZ In the year 1967, producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were on top of the world, the success of four James Bond films safely behind them, Thunderball making more than $141 million. Now, for the fifth 007 film, Broccoli and Saltzman did a first; they ignored virtually every element of Ian Fleming's novel. Pushing On Her Majesty's Secret Service back yet again, the two moved forward with You Only Live Twice. Lewis Gilbert was given the job of directing the gigantic film, bringing in Academy Award-winning cinematographer Freddie Young.

With Richard Maibaum unavailable, novelist Roald Dahl was brought in. Though a fan of Ian Fleming's work, Dahl opted for a fantasy tale, with space travel, action, and gadgetry. Ken Adam had his hands full, building a volcano headquarters set too large to fit into a studio. Sean Connery returned for his fifth outing as Bond, but the paparazzi, media frenzy, and long shooting schedules were weighing down on the actor. While in production, Connery publicly announced that this would be his final appearance as James Bond. Up against the big-budget Bond spoof Casino Royale, and with the spymania boom beginning to subside, You Only Live Twice had in some ways the highest risk of failure since Dr. No. However, the film managed to bring in about $112 million, still a sizeable hit. It showed that Bond could outlive his imitators and rivals even after spymania had faded. You Only Live Twice is often criticized for overplaying the action and gadgets, and having errors in logic. Having watched the film again a while ago, I find that those are not the things that bother me.

Roald Dahl's screenplay and Lewis Gilbert's directing work together to create a definite fantasy look, feel, and story. How did SPECTRE build that volcano lair? Not important. I can just accept that it's there, thanks to Gilbert and Dahl's expert handling of fantasy. The more exotic, classy look and atmosphere seems closer to Ian Fleming than Hamilton's brassy comic-book style to me anyway. The film boasts a wonderful cast for the most part. Donald Pleasance takes over from Anthony Dawson and Eric Pohlmann as the SPECTRE chief Ernst Stavro Blofeld. With his calm, menacing voice, scarred face, and wicked stare, Pleasance makes for the most memorable of the three faced Blofeld's. He's my favourite of the trio. Tetsuro Tamba is wonderfully entertaining as Tanaka, surpassing a few of the Felix Leiter's in terms of charisma and chemistry with Bond. Bernard Lee dons M's naval uniform for the only time in the series. Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn give their characters their usual energy and charisma. Of the three women in the movie, Karin Dor as Helga Brandt provides the best performance.

Akiko Wakabayashi has a fairly good grasp of English (better than I would likely be pronouncing her name), and doesn't do too badly in the role of Aki. Mie Hama as Kissy seems a bit too similar to Aki, and her name is never mentioned in the movie. Teru Shimada's performance as the henchman Mr. Osato is suitably terrified of his employer. Sean Connery seems understandably tired in this film. Having been hounded by paparazzi and reporters for so long (he claims that someone followed him to the toilet for an interview), and with long shooting schedules, most would likely want to get away from it all and relax for a while. Connery's performance does not show much emotion or enthusiasm, but as Bond remains a superman in this film, there isn't much required of him. The action is one area where the film really shines. The volcano lair battle is one of the most fantastic large-scale raids in any of the films. Dana Broccoli's concept of a magnet dropping down and carrying the enemy's car off is wonderfully absurd. The "Little Nellie" sequence; shot over Spain and costing cameraman Johnny Jordan his leg; has some wonderful stuntwork.

As mentioned before, Gilbert has some wonderful class to his directing, and it's because of him that the fantasy is acceptable. Freddie Young's cinematography brings out the most of the beautiful Japanese locations. John Barry's score uses the instruments and colours of the country. The fantasy elements aren't a problem for me with this film; I actually like fantasy. My main problem is that Connery's tired performance sometimes seems to make the film drag, and the special effects make this film seem more like a low-budget Godzilla film than what the rest of the movie suggests. You Only Live Twice isn't the revenge-driven story set at a castle and a "Garden of Death" of Ian Fleming's novel, and it isn't a serious spy thriller. But the exotic, classy look and rich atmosphere make this film far more Fleming-esque than it's given credit for. Rating "You Only Live Twice" by Q In some respects Bond's 5th outing, You Only Live Twice, topped the previous, but not always in the way it counts. Sure, You Only Live Twice provided great locations, amazing sets a few good action pieces, but it lacked a solid plot and really good characters.

The backdrop of Japan was a great location and, for me, the highlight of the film. I was somewhat disheartened that 007 was not given a chance to explore the location to its full potential. A highlight of this film will always be 007 meeting, for the first time, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Despite what some say, Donald Pleasence played the super-villain as well as could be expected. He had the look and mannerisms down pat, and looking back, Pleasence gave a memorable performance. Sadly, when writing the film the crew used very little of Fleming's You Only Live Twice and where as, in context, Fleming's plot would have made a very good drama and could have been very hard hitting. The film lacked something, but what it is hard to say. Connery’s performance too was disappointing and held very little enthusiasm. He mentioned after that he never really liked the 007 character either. That probably provided the lack of excitement or interest in his performance throughout You Only Live Twice.

On the whole, You Only Live Twice, that marked the entrance of new Bond director Lewis Gilbert and the temporary departure of Sean Connery, was missing the guts and, dare I say it, “down-to-earth-ness” of the first four, wonderful Bond outings. Rating "You Only Live Twice" by Bond Bishop "My name is Ernst Stavro Blofeld" This movie will always be known as 'the Japanese movie'. Much of the story takes place in Japan and it is a fine location, but much of Ian Fleming's perfect novel has been lost in a very poor script. Roald Dahl's script is not the best even though the confrontation of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Donald Pleasence) is perfect. This is a movie where Blofeld is very much haunting, especially when he drops his colleagues into the piranha pit. I am sure that if Richard Maibaum have been involved with the movie the script should have been better. The music by John Barry is one of his best and the Japanese-esque soundtrack is great. The title song is a very fine one by Nancy Sinatra. The actors also do well. Sean Connery is as always excellent as James Bond 007.

Donald Pleasence is good as Blofeld but not as menacing as Telly Savalas in 'OHMSS'. Tetsuro Tamba is excellent as Tiger Tanaka and is one of the best characters. Mie Hama is also good as Kissy Suzuki (even though we don't hear her name). Akiko Wakabayashi is quite poor. Karin Dor is also good as femme fatale Helga Brandt. Charles Gray does just fine as Dikky Henderson and his character could have returned in 'DAF' instead of him being Blofeld. The action sequences are great in this movie. That is maybe why the script is so bad, Dahl maybe wanted more action and gadgets in this story than usual. The battle in the volcano is a masterpiece - it is so great, and so is the 'Little Nellie' battle. Much in the movie is actually good, but there is nearly no story in the movie and much from the novel is gone. Rating You Only Live Twice - Movies & TV on Google Play You Only Live Twice Item added to wishlist. Item removed from wishlist. You will receive an email when your movie becomes available. You will not be charged until it is released.

( 327) Synopsis James Bond heads East to save the world (and to learn how to serve saki properly) in this action-packed espionage adventure. When an American spacecraft disappears during a mission, it's widely believed to have been intercepted by the Soviet Union, and after a Russian space capsule similarly goes missing, most consider it to be an act of American retaliation. Soon the two nations are at the brink of war, but British intelligence discovers that some sort of UFO has crashed into the Sea of Japan. Agent 007, James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent in to investigate. After staging his own death to avoid being followed, Bond, disguised as a Japanese civilian, teams up with agent Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba) and his beautiful associate Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi). With their help, Bond learns that both the American and Russian space missions were actually scuttled by super criminal Ernst Blofeld (Donald Pleasance) in yet another bid by his evil empire SPECTRE to take over the world...

Also available in 1 $71.96 $29.99 "Bond...James Bond." With those three words Sean Connery introduced the world to the most famous action hero in cinematic history. Relive many of the classic moments from the man who first brought ... 1 1 $425.76 $149.99 "The name is Bond…James Bond." Such a simple line, but perhaps the most famous introduction to the most famous action hero in all of cinematic history. Relive all of the action, villains, strong an... 1 There have been so many flamboyant imitations that the original looks like a copy. Variety Staff Sean Connery plays 007 with his usual finesse. Dave Kehr Tired, poorly paced Bond from 1967, with Sean Connery displaying his discontent. Nigel Floyd Roald Dahl's implausible script is padded out with the usual exotic locations, stunts, and trickery. Bosley Crowther This noisy and wildly violent picture... is evidently pegged to the notion that nothing succeeds like excess. And because it is shamelessly excessive, it is about a half-hour too long.

Roger Ebert This one is top-heavy with gadgets but weak on plotting and getting everything to work at the same time. Critic reviews Full Review Bosley Crowther This noisy and wildly violent picture... is evidently pegged to the notion that nothing succeeds like excess. And because it is shamelessly excessive, it is about a half-hour too long. Full Review Roger Ebert This one is top-heavy with gadgets but weak on plotting and getting everything to work at the same time. Full Review James Berardinelli The plot is the problem. It stretches the limits of credibility, even as that word is applied to Bond movies. User reviews Derek M OCain January 17, 2016 Possibly my favorite Bond film. Donald Pleasance as arch-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld was absolutely brilliant in this one. Sean Connery as super-agent 007 is also brilliant, always able to outwit the thugs of SPECTRE. And don't forget the great performance of 'Little Nellie', who kicked some serious SPECTRE butt by taking out 4 heavily armed helicopters.

Full Review Jacob Scarberry June 9, 2014 You Only Watch Once Yet again the blockbuster model, but with the style of Lewis Gilbert helming this entry. Bond must stop Blofeld before he detonates nuclear arms on earth and causing world war III. The action is decent and the Tokyo settings provide style, but this is pretty much Connery's Moonraker. Full Review Dino Letsios December 28, 2013 Not that great. I don't know why everyone likes You Only Live Twice so much. The only good part of it was the ending.

Full Review Glenn Canady June 2, 2016 Saint Matthews Churches foundations SOUTHDSIDE HIGH SCHOOLS FACILITY'S DESIGNED FOR MANUFACTORY'S HONEYWELL'S AEROSPACE ENGINEERING'S PRODUCTS SUPPORTING ENGINEERING BENTONUTILITIES municipality complexity extensions physicians mutual insurances companies that long view community colleges Treasury department regulations governing electronic message transmission contains confidential information intended recipient please contact us immediately by replying to this message Full Review tachanka 8217 December 30, 2015 The first hour and a half is probably one of the most boring parts of a bond movie except for a car chase and small gun fights but when bond brings an army to the volcano it is great Robincio Geroca February 16, 2013 Bond U only live once Classic Bond flick, S Connery, Bond movies only! Full Review Michael Calibri January 1, 2015 My favorite Bond This is my favorite of all James Bond movies, probably because I've literally seen it 500 times. Full Review Josh Impinto April 4, 2016 One of my favourite Bond movies in the franchise.

YOLT is one of my favourite Bond movies with Sean Connery. Good movie with the right blend of comedy & action. Joanne Urbany December 12, 2015 Gotta say the music and the Japanese back drop I love. Not to mention Sean! Luke Randall January 31, 2015 Great This is the best Connery Bond film by alot! Great action and clever storyline! Loved it. A Google User November 4, 2012 Scenery is wonderful Brings out " little Nelly" Wow! Still my favorite. A Google User August 4, 2015 Great My least favorite Connery Bond film A Google User November 1, 2012 TRAILER BROKEN "Unsupported format"? A Google User October 28, 2012 You only live twice. Beaches and 007.( you like...)! August Baxter September 9, 2015 True.

So don't mess up next time.x Oliver Rozario February 10, 2016 3.5 stars James Nichols March 28, 2016 You only live twice Love it A Google User November 3, 2012 Good movie Another favorite Sam Peel January 6, 2013 Meeeeh. Pretty Good. Tokyo Filming Locations Pt I: You Only Live Twice | Beyond The Movies Tokyo Filming Locations Pt I: You Only Live Twice Posted on by tokyofox One of the first major international films to use Japan’s capital as a backdrop was the 1967 James Bond film ‘You Only Live Twice’ starring Sean Connery. Despite being killed off before Nancy Sinatra’s beautiful 007 theme kicks in its just a crafy strategy. Bond goes on a mission to Japan 16 minutes into the film starting at the sumo arena (more commonly known as Kokugikan) in Ryogoku.

He enters the changing rooms where yokozuna (‘grand champion’) Sadanoyama Shinmatsu gives him his ticket and the match is between Kotozakura Masakatsu and Fujinishiki Takemitsu which he seemingly only watches for a few moments before leaving with Aki. The address is 1-3-28 Yokoami, Sumida-ku. The New Otani Hotel at 4-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku near Akasaka-Mitsuke station plays the part of Osato Chemicals exterior for a few brief moments after 24, 28, 36 and 41 minutes. Its small, but peaceful gardens round the back are worth a visit for anyone wishing to take a break from the concrete jungle. Bond escapes Osata Chemicals in a car with the help of Aki who avoids his questions which makes him suspicious and she flees to a secluded subway station which is Nakano-Shimbashi on the Marunouchi Line (28 mins). This is the private transportation hub of Japanese secret service leader “Tiger” Tanaka who many years later appeared in Raymond Benson’s ‘The Man With The Red Tattoo’ book .

Bond is hot on her trail and follows her down the steps seen below right and on to the platform which is obviously a bit different these days. Believe it or not taking such simple photos wasn’t quite so straightforward as when I was down the far end of the platform a member of staff came down to tell me not to take photos. I asked him why not a few times before giving up as people just don’t question rules in this country. He must have seen me on the CCTV cameras but thankfully I’d got my shot just before he intervened. On yet another escape from Osata Chemicals, Bond and Aki drive by Yoyogi National Gymnasium (above right) on 42 mins. This escape leads them well away from Tokyo to the docks of Kobe where he tries to dodge SPECTRE agents. The photo below left was taken in Kobe Harbour in May and the red bridge in the background appears briefly before the exciting roof-top scene below right. The helicoptor flight (54 mins) was filmed above Ebino in Miyazaki prefecture. Himeji castle appears after 69 mins and is under extensive reconstruction at the moment but luckily I captured it back in 2005.

This white castle is the Ninja training school where Bond turns Japanese and the shots below all get a second or two of screen time! After Aki meets her inevitable demise, Bond limbers up (76 mins) in the West Bailey. When I was in Himeji back in May I had only one screenshot with me and was most surprised to see that the stone statue thing behind Sean Connery was still knocking about. Needless to say I was the only person in the whole place who took an interest in this piece of concrete! Kirishima National Park in Kagoshima (on Japan’s southern main island) is the extinct volcano which can be seen briefly on 87 mins with the interior of Bolfeld’s hideout filmed back in the UK at Pinewood studios. See other James Bond filming locations by clicking on the cities below: You Only Live Twice Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 58 out of 85 people found the following review useful: One of the most entertaining Bond movies. from Groningen, The Netherlands 21 March 2006 It's not the best but it most certainly is one of the most entertaining Bond movies to watch.

Because of that reason, "You Only Live Twice" is one of my favorite Bond movies. Basically the movie is just simple silly fun. The story is very simple and at the same time also totally unbelievable but also because of this the movie is extremely entertaining to watch. As an action movie this movie is really great. The movie is truly filled with many spectacular, if a tad over-the-top action sequences. Most action sequences don't even make sense that they occur in the movie, once you really start thinking about it but that is all part of the charm of this entertaining movie. It's a very imaginative movie that has some unforgettable sequences in it, that are both thrilling as well as spectacular. The movie is mostly set in the culturally rich Japan. It works as a perfect backdrop for the movie and the strange unusual culture helps to make the movie an imaginative filled one. Also sequences like with 'Little Nellie' and the end fight set in the hollowed-out volcano add to the adventurous and imaginative feeling of the movie. Ken Adam is also one of the reasons why everything in the movie works so well.

As a production designer he made the right backdrops for the story and made several elements of the movie work out surprising well, such as mainly all of the sequences in the hollowed-out volcano. Also the musical score by John Barry and the cinematography by Freddie Young are worth mentioning. Sean Connery is good and fun as always as James Bond and he still showed good form in this movie. This time Ernst Stavro Blofeld was played by legendary actor Donald Pleasence. He takes the movie to an even higher level. He plays the best Blofeld out of the long series of Bond movies, along with Telly Savalas who played the villainous character in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". This is a fantastic fast paced, action filled movie, that has some spectacular and unforgettable sequences in it, especially toward the ending. One of my personal favorite Bond movies, of which I never grow tired of watching it. 8/10 from Xanadu 20 November 2004 This one is a triumph for Ken Adam's sets. The volcano base is the most memorable feature of the film. Oh, the story is fun and the gadgets are cool, but those sets really sell the film.

They would inspire countless imitations and variations throughout the years. Finally, we get to see Bloefeld, and it's a bit of a letdown. Donald Pleasance is a fine actor, but he's not quite supervillain material; more of the serial killer variety, in the mold of Peter Lorre. Still, he is by far the superior on-screen version. The Japanese cast are all outstanding. Special mention should be made of Peter Maivia, grandfather of Dwayne Johson, aka The Rock. He and the stuntmen create a brutal fight scene, second only to the train fight in FRWL, although this is perhaps more inventive. As for gadgets, outside of the jetpack from Thundrball and Goldfinger's Aston Martin, Little Nellie is the coolest ride. The aerial scenes are spectacular and are one of the highpoints of the whole series. This film really marks the end of the ultra-cool Bond films. After this, they tend to go down in quality, taken as a whole. Some have better stories and villains, some have better stunts, but they are never the complete package that the earlier films were.

Still, this one (along with Goldfinger and Thunderball) would inspire every spy work that would follow; from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. to Our Man Flint, Marvel Comics' Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.e.L.D., to the X-Men. Everyone stole an idea from here. Was the above review useful to you? 28 out of 29 people found the following review useful: Bond goes East. from the Mad Hatter's tea party. 19 September 2009 This particular 007 entry (which was intended to be Sean Connery's last before he would agreed to return one more time for his sixth shot as 006 in 'Diamonds are Forever (1971)' and lets not the forget the unofficial 'Never Say Never Again' in 1983) was the first Bond film I encountered and from that it has always remained a total favourite.

"You Live Only Twice" we see Bond travel to the land of the rising sun (Japan) in what is quite an expansive concept (dazzling set-designs with spectacular non-stop action) and very well-budgeted effort that lingers on a extremely comic-book-like tone (thanks largely to Roald Dahl's industriously well-guided screenplay that plays its cards close to the chest) with its characters, atmospherics and set-pieces that for me would make it one of the most creative and exciting inclusions to the series. Bond heads to Japan racing to uncover the true mastermind behind the space-jacking that could see another world war, as British sources believe that the mysterious rocket ship which has seized American and Russian space shuttles originates from there, but those countries believe otherwise than each other for the acts. Couple of things which made it more the memorable would be that it's the first chance we get to see arch villain SPECTRE Agent #1 Ernst Blofeld's face, than just the hand stroking the cat although the first hour we get enough of that. It's a devilishly meaty Donald Pleasence who just seemed the part of Blofeld.

Now who didn't love the hidden lair that was in an inactive volcano, and of course Blofeld's pool of pet piranhas. The inventive gadget novelty was really making a mark, just look the deadly mini-copter named 'Nelly' and the dangerous effects of smoking around others. Strangely enough the (witty) script seemed to spit out a few self-knowing quips involving cigarettes, which became rather odd. Director Lewis Gilbert (who would go on to control the very similar in story-structure "The Spy Who Loved Me" and then following that the plain goofy "Moonraker") does a tersely capable job with a fast moving pace that shifted from one well organized set-piece to another (like the chase on-top of a rooftop in a fishing docks that's masterfully captured by cinematographer Freddie Young) to finally finish on a barnstorming climax (with none other than ninjas) and then a familiarly fitting final frame. Sean Connery might look a little tired (a bit funny trying to make himself look like Japanese under make-up), but remains just as charismatic and fittingly lean when it came to getting down and dirty (Bond and his tussle with Blofeld's massive henchman Hans comes to mind).

The bond girls shape up nicely in the form of Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama and the stunning German redhead Karin Dor. Tetsurô Tanba was good as Bond's Japanese counterpart. Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn treat us to their iconic roles. John Barry's classy music score has a smoothly oriental touch, which can get actively copious when called for and theme song "You Only Live Twice" is enticingly sung by Nancy Sinatra. Was the above review useful to you? 43 out of 64 people found the following review useful: One Of The Best Bond Movies from Isle Of Bute, Scotland 23 July 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** I notice this movie has warranted much criticism and some people have gone as far as dubbing it as the worst of the Connery Eon productions ! What you mean it's worse than DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER ? I don't think so and it's certainly better than than THUNDERBALL which spends most of its time with Connery - Or more likely a stuntman - submerged under water .

At least with this movie we get to see Connery's manly handsome features I do agree there are certain flaws to the screenplay . One is the plot which lacks logic . Spectre are manipulating the superpowers into starting a nuclear war ! Can anyone see what a ridiculous idea this is ? There is some historical context to this since Mao thought because of the large population of China if there was a third world war his country would come up trumps and if I remember correctly he stated in the mid 1960s that " Even if we lose 300 million of our citizens China would still survive " which just goes to show that he wasn't perhaps the cleverest of people . It's insinuated heavily without being spelt out that China is paying Spectre to cause the war but what is Blofeld getting out of this apart from 100 million dollars in gold bullion ? At least in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME you can understand why the villain would want to see a nuclear holocaust but Blofeld seems entirely ignorant that you wouldn't be able to trade or spend anything after world war three . There's also a few other little irritants .

Much of the movie is beautifully paced but Bond's burial at sea is again illogical and holds up the story . I mean why don't the Royal Navy just dump a weighted down dummy into the sea and come to think of it doesn't the " Bond is dead " charade just seem entirely stupid in the first place ? How if Bond was alive the Hong Kong police say he was dead ? Were they part of the conspiracy ? For an intricate plot it seems to involve a ridiculous number of people for it to work effectively . Same as the Bond pretends to be a Japanese fisherman subplot . Couldn't the Japanese secret service just land him on the island via boat instead of putting him in a ninja training camp ? There's also something else that is totally unexplained : Bond rescues two Soviet cosmonauts and an American astronaut then one of these characters disappears from the narrative when Bond and the two others knock out the Spectre spacemen then these two characters likewise disappear from the story . It might sound anal of me but I was very annoyed that I never found out what happened to the three space kidnap victims Despite these flaws YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE is a tremendously entertaining movie .

As I said from one or two unnecessary elements ( This would become a serious problem in the latter movies ) it's beautifully paced and contains some great set pieces with special mention going to the chase scene on top of a warehouse and this is the movie where we finally get to see the face of Blofeld . Again I notice that some people aren't all that impressed with Donald Pleasence's performance but I think it's an excellent portrayal of a megalomaniac , he's aloof and attached , almost Hitlerite and compare it to the campy style other actors have played him in Perhaps not as good as DOCTOR NO or GOLDFINGER but this Bond film is much better than most other in the franchise Was the above review useful to you? 24 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Welcome to Japan Mr Bond from TOP SECRET 26 September 2001 You Only Live Twice is pure Comic Book entertaiment. James Bond is very much the superhero character he was in Goldfinger, and every scene is like a panel in a Comic Book and filled with entertaining excitement.

In truth, it is though the feel and style that was vibrant throughout Goldfinger [1964] leapfrogged the dull Thunderball [1965] and found it's way to Japan. Twice is a beautiful looking and sounding addition to the Bond movies, and one is glad Sean Connery didn't really resign from the role of Bond and did indeed Live Twice. By jettisoning most of Ian Flemmings original story You Only Live Twice, in wich an amnesiac Bond Hunts down Blofeld in Japanese castles, Broccoli and Saltzman have ridden themselves of the same problem evident in Thunderball : Slow Movement, Uninterested Audiences. Thunderball may have been a success, but this was probably due to the Bondmania wich raged through the mid sixties like a giant inferno. Luckily for the fans of the eye popping spectacles the Bond series is famous for, You Only Live Twice contains no such problems of dreary moments of boardom. In its place we have a Space Age actioneer written by childrens author Roald Dahl, and an entertaining and swift director in Lewis Gilbert, who seems more suited to Bond than any director yet.

It has been said before, but the real star of the show is Ken Adams sets. His wondefull Volcano set wich Blofeld uses is one of the most memorable in Cinema history. Add to this the Japanese sets, the Submarines [M's Offices], Tanaka's Lair, and the real sense of Japanese authenticy. Adam deserves an Oscar for this movie alone. For his total contributions to Bond and other movies, there is no Award yet created. Donald Pleasence makes a very creepy Blofeld. He is perhaps the ultimate Blofeld. His scenes with the other cast members show the complete acting skills of a fine actor. Twice also contains one of Desmonde Lywellyn's funniest performances as Q,and one of Q's finest creations, the Little Nellie Helicopter. Little Nellie is every Bond fans dreams, personally i think it would be lovely to soar above rural England in Nellie, let alone Japan! Some guys have all the luck! Twice also has one of John Barry's most beautiful themes,and songs sung by Nancie Sinatra. The only real let down this time is Sean Connery.

He makes any Bond film look good, but this time doesn't look as though he is enjoying himself all that much. This is a petty bacause Twice itself is a very impressive and enjoyable Bond movie, with some of the best sets, Action sequences and Acting in the entire series. Was the above review useful to you? 30 out of 44 people found the following review useful: Q introduces 'Little Nellie,' a flying version of the Aston Martin 16 October 2001 *** This review may contain spoilers *** Throughout Bond's career, the SPECTRE chief had lurked behind the scenes, masterminding horrific crimes and dispensing ruthless punishments to those who disappointed him The "You Only Live Twice" mission revealed that evil had a human face Blofeld's love of animals extended beyond his white Persian cat: he also kept piranhas His fishy friends, capable of stripping a person to a skeleton in minutes, were not just for show 'You Only Live Twice' takes place entirely in Japan... The script is a return to a 'From Russia with Love' type plot in which SPECTRE, backed by Red China, enters the space race by playing off the Russians and Americans...

The agent of his plans is a specially designed Intruder rocket which captures spacecraft and returns them to SPECTRE chief Blofeld's secret Japanese volcano hideout... To trick SPECTRE into lowering his guard on British Secret Service activities in Japan, Bond manages to fake his own death... Under the eye of SPECTRE agents, he is given a proper Naval burial at sea aboard a destroyer in Hong Kong, and his body is sent to the bottom of the harbor where a team of frogmen recover it and bring it to a waiting submarine... Bond, wearing his full Commander's uniform, is alive, thanks to a special aqualung, and he reports to M aboard the submarine...To avoid further detection, he is placed in one of the submarine's torpedo tubes and fired towards the Hong Kong shore to investigate the missing satellites... His contact is Henderson (Charles Graywho later played Blofeld in 'Diamond Are Forever'), who informs Bond of Tiger Tanaka (Tetsuro Tamba), the youthful head of the Japanese Secret Service...

Tanaka forged a strong working relationship with Bond The centers of his operation were an underground Tokyo HQ with its own subway train, an ancient castle, and a training school for his Ninja force Although the film does develop a flavor for the Far Eastwith its beautiful women, emerging technology, and ancient customsthe movie's story is a less than compelling one Impressive set pieces take over center stage at the expense of a sustained dramatic structure And "You Only Live Twice" jumps up from villain to villain, escapade to escapade, until the final assault on the volcano rocket base puts 007 up against Blofeld for the first time In spite of pushing aside a bowl of oysters, and drinking his favorite martini 'stirred, not shaken,' plus Russian vodka and Japanese sake, Bondlacking his usual charm is given little to do in the story The women in the film are actually much more interesting than him Aki and Kissy are the advance guard of the new Bond girlless breathless females who have more equality on the firing line In other words, they hold their own with Bond and help him out of more than a few scrapes with death Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi) is 0

07's guardian angel in Tokyo She drives an exotic Toyota 2000 sports car, and wears fancy Western outfits Kissy (Mie Hama) managed to resist Bond's advancesat least until the mission was accomplished Helga Brandt (Karin Dor) turns out to be totally unaffected by Bond's charm...

Schooled in the Fiona Volpe-style of assassination, she decides to give Bond a taste of what she has to offer before leaving him to figure a way to escape the falling plane... Nevertheless 'You Only Live Twice' isn't a bad film, and it does star the best Bond... It also holds off high points: John Barry's most romantic musical sequences, Freddie Young's cinematography, and Moneypennyvery smart in naval uniformconnives to have Bond say 'I love you,' a password chosen for this mission... Was the above review useful to you? 17 out of 19 people found the following review useful: Bond-san, Blofeld, Asian Delights and Production Value Supreme. from United Kingdom 1 May 2012 You Only Live Twice is directed by Lewis Gilbert and written by Roald Dahl. It stars Sean Connery, Tetsuro Tamba, Teru Shimada, Akiko Wakabayashi, Mie Hama, Karin Dor and Donald Pleasence. Music is scored by John Barry and cinematography by Freddie Young. Bond 5 and Connery once again tackles the role of 007.

With American and Soviet space craft mysteriously vanishing from space, both nations are laying the blame at the other's door. Sensing a nuclear war could break out, M assigns Bond to Japan to investigate if there might be a third party stirring the hornets nest. Teaming up with the Japanese secret service, Bond uncovers evidence that SPECTRE is behind the plot to pitch the East and the West against each other. This organisation does not tolerate failure. Thunderball had broke box office records for Bond, gadgetry, outlandish stunts and a quip on the tongue had proved most profitable. It was planned originally that On Her Majesty's Secret Service would be number 5 in the series, but a change of tack to go for You Only Live Twice as the story gave producers Broccoli & Saltzman the scope for a giganticus enormous production. However, it may be set in Japan and feature a Bond/Blofeld conflict, but Roald Dahl's script bares little resemblance to Ian Fleming's source novel. Although a massive financial success with a Worldwide gross of over $111 million, Bond 5 took $30 million less than Thunderball. Strange since this is a better film.

Can we attribute the drop to it being a space age saga? Maybe, the rebirth of sci-fi was a few years away, and of course Bond had lost some fans who had grown tired, like Connery, of 007 relying on gadgets instead of brains and brawn to complete his missions. There was also the rival Casino Royale production, as bad as it was, to contend with, while the spy boom created by Bond had been overkilled elsewhere and was on the wane. Extortion is my business. Go away and think it over, gentlemen. I'm busy. True enough that You Only Live Twice has flaws, though they are far from being film killers if you like the gadgets and hi-techery side of the franchise? Connery announced once production was over that he was leaving the role of Bond behind. He had been close to breaking point after Thunderball, but finally the media circus, typecasting, the fanaticism and the character merely being a cypher for outrageous sequences, led Connery to finally call it a day. His displeasure shows in performance, oh it's professional, very much so, but the swagger and machismo from the earlier films has gone.

Although Dahl's script tones down the "cheese" dialogue and unfolds as a plot of considerable World peril worth, characterisations are thinly drawn, making this reliant on production value and action sequences. Thankfully both are top dollar. And the ace up its sleeve is the long awaited face to face meeting of Bond and Blofeld. The firing power inside my crater is enough to annihilate a small army. You can watch it all on TV. It's the last program you're likely to see. Ken Adam's set design is fit to grace any epic in film history, as is Freddie Young's photography around the Japanese locales, Barry lays a beautiful Bond/Oriental score all over proceedings and Nancy Sinatra's title song is appealingly catchy. The action is excellently constructed by Gilbert (helming the first of three Bond movies on his CV), with the final battle at Blofeld's volcano crater base full of explosions, flying stunt men, expert choreography and meaty fights. Along the way we have been treated to Ninjas, Piranhas, poison, aeroplane peril and the awesome Little Nellie versus the big boy copter smack down! Then there's that Bond/Blofeld confrontation.

Well worth the wait, with Pleasence visually scary with bald head (setting the marker for bald villainy to follow in TV and cinema it seems) and scar across his eye. Pleasence is also very low key with his menace, which is perfect, we don't want pantomime and the scenes with Bond work wonderfully well. It made less than the film before it and it has fierce critics in Bond and Fleming circles. But it's a Bond film that pays rich rewards on revisits, where the artistry on show really shines through in this HD/Upscale age. 8/10 Was the above review useful to you? 14 out of 16 people found the following review useful: Old school Bond, but still one of the most fun Bond movies. 8 June 2007 My Take: Another fun Bond entry. Great Bond, fun villains, neat gadgets, and enjoyable action. "You Only Live Twice" is business as usual for Bond. Not much new, and Connery seemed bored playing his role (explaining his disappearance in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service"). There is a lot to like in this film.

Connery in "You Only Live Twice" is easily comparable to FROM Russia WITH LOVE and GOLDFINGER, but as Bond, he already has established that he is the best in the business and YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE does give him much to do. This film does carry the original tradition of Bond. This time around, Bond is sent to Japan to investigate the disappearances of American space shuttles. While the United States suspect it's Russian interference and threaten to retaliate, the Brits faked 007's assassination, in order to clear the way for Bond to investigate what really is going on. Some areas of YOLT are pretty campy (some of the patterns for the AUSTIN POWERS parodies are pretty evident), but the camp is part of the fun. It's a throwback to the good ol' not-to-be-taken-seriously adventure espionage fun. This is formula Bond, but loaded with great action, neat gadgetry ("Little Nellie" is one of the most beloved Q gadgets) and the glorious sets by the one-and-only Bond veteran Ken Adam make it another high-flying, if not exactly groundbreaking, Bond adventure and one of he series' more fun entries.

Rating: **** out of 5. 28 September 2005 *** This review may contain spoilers *** An entertaining and fast-paced fifth entry for Sean Connery as James Bond, You Only Live Twice audaciously (and cheekily) chooses to ignore the plot of the original novel and instead hurtles along its own merry route. Working from a screenplay by children's' author Roald Dahl, director Lewis Gilbert fashions a thoroughly enjoyable slice of escapism, brimming over with witty dialogue and outrageous action sequences. Following the "swallowing up" of an American space shuttle in orbit by an unmarked enemy shuttle, the U.S angrily accuses Russia of stealing their spacecraft and threatens to declare war if any similar incidents take place during their forthcoming launch. The British remain unconvinced that the Russians had anything to do with the crime, as they suspect the enemy shuttle (the one which swallowed up the American craft) actually came down somewhere in Japan. James Bond (Sean Connery) is sent to Japan to figure out what is going on before it's too late.

He quickly establishes that his old adversaries SPECTRE are the masterminds behind the scheme, but try as he might he cannot trace their operations base, which seems to be concealed in a remote volcanic region. Aided by the head of the Japanese Secret Service, Tiger Tanaka (Tesuro Tamba), Bond races against the clock as Armageddon beckons in an effort to find the criminal lair and put an end to SPECTRE's sinister plot. You Only Live Twice is totally different to the first two movies in the series (Dr. No and From Russia With Love) because it is intentionally extravagant and far-fetched. This is more a continuation of the style of Bondage we came to know and love in number 3 (Goldfinger) and number 4 (Thunderball). If anything, this one reaches an apotheosis of sorts in terms of ludicrous set pieces. Connery is brilliant as Bond (he had really had his fill of the character by this point, but was professional enough to hide his boredom while the cameras were rolling). Also, Nancy Sinatra belts out one of the greatest theme tunes ever to grace the series.

And Ken Adam deserves to be showered with accolades for his amazing set designs, the pinnacle of which is the volcanic base used by SPECTRE (to this day, it remains the best baddie's lair ever seen in a movie). You Only Live Twice might not be one for the purists, but for anyone wanting to be exhilarated and entertained it really hits the mark. Was the above review useful to you? 21 out of 34 people found the following review useful: Understated Bond Film from United States 6 October 2006 When I first saw this in a drive-in in 1967, the opening sequence of this with Bond being shot did not make a big impression as this is the first Bond film I had ever seen. After the credits, the snatching of a space craft made an impression as it looked very much like the simulations CBS used to broadcast of the real flights. While this plot & some of the special effects seem a little dated & far fetched now with the passage of time, Sean Connery is great as his usual Bond self in this one. Donald Pleasance is very effective as the heavy Blofeldt, one of several actors who took a turn at it.

The scenery of 1960's Toyko, Japan are nostalgic now. The thing which makes this Bond a little special is the understated way the humor is handled. Using "I Love You" as a password for one thing. Of course, the irony of the line "This can save your live - this cigarette," is still pretty effective. All the regulars in the series are here with Q much in evidence. This one is still a very pleasant diversion for a rainy afternoon. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 28:

Question: Which country provided the back drop for the Bond film You Only Live Twice
Answer: Japan