The Spy Who Loved Me
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THE ACTION FILES THE BACKGROUND The film shares little but a THE CAR title with Fleming’s 10th Bond When Lotus’ head of PR book, with writers such as John heard Eon was looking for a new Landis considered before Christopher vehicle, he left a prototype Esprit Wood and Richard Maibaum got the outside its offices to entice them. gig. SPECTRE had to be removed due It worked. Unfortunately, the car’s THE SPY WHO LOVED ME to a lawsuit between Thunderball assured handling made it look too producer Kevin McClory and Eon safe, until Lotus’ Roger Becker took Productions, which dragged the wheel and hammered the car on until 2013. around hairpins. He became LIVE AND LET DIVE the film’s stunt driver. Lotus blossoms… his classic 1977 Roger Moore-era sequence has it all: exotic Sardinian climes; exciting, multi-vehicle action; raised-eyebrow THE asides; two Bond girls; iconic henchmen; and a sting in the AFTERMATH After a promo tour, ‘Wet Nellie’ tail-fins courtesy of Q’s souped-up, transforming Lotus Esprit. was left in a New York storage unit. TThe series would not make such waves again until Casino Royale (2006). A decade later, nobody had claimed her, so the contents of the unit were auctioned for just $100. A restored version sold for £550,000 in 2013. The buyer plans to convert it 01 02 into an actual dual-purpose car/sub. Q, you feel, THE CAST would approve. French sex symbol James Bond (Roger Moore) and Major The sidecar turns into a missile! Bond Catherine Deneuve lowered Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach) speed swerves and it hits a truck, which her usual $400,000 fee to play off towards the north Sardinian coastal explodes in a shower of feathers. Anya, but Broccoli wouldn’t budge roads in a Lotus Esprit. A motorbike- The biker de-cliffs. “All those feathers from $80,000. Instead, Barbara Bach THE and-sidecar begins pursuit. and he still can’t fly,” quips Bond. was cast just four days before filming. The wine-drinker on the beach is CREATIVE TEAM assistant director Victor Tourjansky, Steven Spielberg was offered while the little boy is Richard the director’s job but decided to Kiel Jr., son of the see “how the fish picture turns out”. Jaws actor. Lewis Gilbert (You Only Live Twice) 03 04 took the chair, working with writer Christopher Wood, who turned the book’s henchman Sol Horror into Jaws, but disliked his later comic Helicopter pilot Naomi (Caroline appearances: “The word is Jaws (Richard Kiel) and buddies give overbite,” he said. chase. Bond sprays their windscreen Munro) then appears, spraying the with oil and they plummet through road with gunfire. “Ever get the feeling a local’s roof. “Mamma mia!” he somebody doesn’t like you?” asks exclaims, as Jaws emerges unscathed. Bond as he drives straight off a pier. THE TRANSFORMATION THE SUB The underwater scenes were filmed in the Bahamas using The fully transformed 05 06 different models for each stage of Lotus Esprit was an operable the transformation from car to sub. submarine, called ‘Wet Nellie’ One model had panels covering the after ‘Little Nellie’, the autogyro wheels, the next had fins emerging, Sean Connery flew in You Only and the final one was a working Underwater, the Lotus Esprit turns into The Lotus Esprit emerges from the Live Twice. Wet Nellie was built submarine. The bubbles were a submarine and begins gliding through ocean and drives up the beach as by a Florida oceanographic from an Alka-Seltzer the depths. “It’s time we said goodbye a disbelieving sunbather checks his company for $100,000, tablet. to an uninvited guest!” smarms Bond booze bottle. Bond defenestrates and piloted by ex-US Navy as he torpedoes the helicopter. a fish, and drives off… Seal Don Griffin. | THE ACTION FILES | TOTAL FILM TOTAL FILM | THE ACTION FILES | TFM262.supp_livelet.indd 8 05/07/2017 09:43 TFM262.supp_livelet.indd 9 05/07/2017 09:43.