You Only Live Twice

007 Dies Twice (Japan)

Producer: EON

Released: 1967

Best line:
Officer (Finding Bond dead in bed): "At least he died on the job."
Second Officer: "He would have wanted it this way..."

Worst line:
Aki: "From now on you must do everything Japanese..."
Bond (leering): "Everything...?"

Undercover

While in Japan, Sean Connery and his wife (back together temporarily) were hounded by the international press. During news conferences the press insisted on referring to Connery as James Bond.

To ease the tension the producers removed his contractual obligation to do one more 007 movie for $1 million and offered to renegotiate, but Connery was clearly tiring of the notoriety.

To everyone's surprise and dismay, there are no rumors of an affair between Connery and beautiful co-star Karin Dor.

Bond's cigarette gun had a real-life counterpart: The CIA used their own single-shot weapon, disguised as a cigarette.

Aerial cinematographer Johnny Jordan was photographing the film's helicopter sequences on September 22, 1966, when one of the choppers struck an updraught and was hurtled toward Jordan's helicopter. Jordan's foot was sliced by a rotor blade from the other helicoptor. Amazingly, he filmed his own foot after getting hit, saying it might be useful to the surgeons. Doctors stopped the blood flow, but the foot was amputated several months later.

The female leads Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi both appeared in King Kong versus Godzilla. Wakabayashi also appeared in Woody Allen's dubbed spy-spoof What's Up Tiger Lilly?

Connery caused some controversy at a press conference when he said he didn't find Japanese women sexy.

Director Lewis Gilbert: "The Japanese people said, in effect, use our girls, or else. Mie (Kissy Suzuki) was lovely, but she couldn't get her English down. So we decided to drop her, and I took Tetsuro Tamba (Tiger Tanaka) aside and told him our situation, and asked him to explain nicely to Mie. He was helpful - he took her out to dinner and told her - and next morning he came to Cubby's office and we were having a meeting and we said, 'Well, does she know?' 'Yes,' Tamba said, I told her.' 'and how did she take it?' Tamba was very philosophical. He said, 'She said OK, if she was out she'd commit suicide. She couldn't go home to Japan and face the loss of honor after all the pre-publicity. James Bond is king in Japan, and she's got the big role opposite him.' Harry and Cubby looked at Tamba with mouths open. Then we all said, 'Well, on second thought she's not so bad. She can keep at it and we'll fit her in.'"

Mie's original part of Aki was swapped with Akiko Wakabayashi's Kissy Suzuki, a part far less demanding in dialogue.

Screenwriter Roald Dahl: "The girls were constantly surrounded by such a retinue of protectors and interpreters that nobody, not even the slyest seducer in the place, got a look in. Once I went to Mie's hotel suite at her own request to help with dialogue. I hadn't been in there 40 seconds when a side door opened and a sort of female Cerberus entered and positioned herself between me and the maiden. I imagine she was armed."

Connery was constantly harassed by fans and the press in Japan. Finally, after paparazzi poked their cameras under the stall door in the men's room, he said "I'm finished. Bond's been good to me but I've done my bit. I'm out." (He would appear again as Bond in Diamonds Are Forever and Never Say Never Again.)


Films, main The Sixties


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Music: "You Only Live Twice"