The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writers:

Christopher Wood (screenplay) and
Richard Maibaum (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 August 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

He's Bond. He's Back. He's 007.

Plot:

James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed.

Plot Keywords:

Submarine | British | Jaws | Teeth | Sea

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Barbara Bach	...	Major Anya Amasova
Curd Jürgens	...	Karl Stromberg (as Curt Jurgens)
Richard Kiel	...	Jaws
Caroline Munro	...	Naomi
Walter Gotell	...	General Anatol Gogol
Geoffrey Keen	...	Sir Frederick Gray
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
George Baker	...	Captain Benson
Michael Billington	...	Sergei Barsov
Olga Bisera	...	Felicca
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Q
Edward de Souza	...	Sheikh Hosein (as Edward De Souza)
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Max Kalba
Valerie Leon	...	Hotel Receptionist

Runtime:

125 min | Sweden:123 min (cut version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Italian | Arabic

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Ireland:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Iceland:12 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1977) | Spain:T | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Abu Simbel Temple, Abu Simbel, Egypt

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

The Aquapolis, the enormous Japanese floating sea structure, was considered as an exterior set for the Stromberg Marine Research Laboratory, Atlantis. It resembled an oil rig (something which had already been used in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)), had a gigantic three-tiered deck which was also a helicopter pad measuring 100 m2, and was supported by about a dozen major pillars. It cost 13 billion yen and had been built in Hiroshima in 1975 then transported to Okinawa for the International Ocean Exposition. Depending on weather conditions, it could partially rise or submerge into the ocean, in a similar fashion to the Atlantis setting of the movie's script. At the time of the location scout, it was incomplete and after attempts to make the mega-structure work, production designer Ken Adam felt that it lacked the right creative elements for the nautical villain's lair. Disappointingly, the floating sea city was rejected as an exterior location for Atlantis and the filmmakers decided to go with a model. Sadly, it was closed to tourist visits in 1993 and in 2000, after twenty-five years, the real-life floating city in the ocean was sold for scrap after the company that owned it went bankrupt.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): In the opening credits, the last girl who is doing flips supposedly on the end of the gun barrel pulls down the actual bar during rotation to the point where it shows under the gun barrel (blue; during director credit).

Quotes:

[first lines]
HMS Ranger Navigator: Captain wants to keep 500 feet.
Young officer, HMS Ranger: [over PA] Maneuvering, Control. Come in shallow to 500 feet.
Young officer, HMS Ranger: [to crewman] Keep 500 feet
HMS Ranger crewman: Keep 500 feet, sir.

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Filmpje! (1995)

Soundtrack:

Nocturne No. 8 in D-Flat, Op. 27 No. 2

One Of The Best Bond Movies (And Theme Song) Ever

What a nice surprise this was, a change for me since re-viewing some of these old Bond movies. With the exception of "Goldfinger," I've been disappointed in the rest....but not this one. This film seemed far better than I had remembered, one of the best James Bond movies I've seen. My first look in over 30 years at this stunned me. I couldn't believe how entertaining and fun it was to watch!

It's enjoyable right from the start and features my all-time favorite "Bond song" - "Nobody Does It Better," By Carly Simon. It's sung or palyd throughout the movie.

This was Roger Moore's third attempt at playing James Bond and he really hit his stride with this, being a natural as the suave spy. The action is plentiful but never seems too much or gets boring with an excess. It never quite crosses that line, although it comes close a few times.

Curt Jurgens is very low-key as the villain "Karl Stromberg." His role really isn't all that big. You don't see much of him until the end. Who you DO see is the seven-foot, two-inch giant "Jaws" (Richard Kiel) the main with the iron teeth. He is fun to watch, and is almost indestructible, like the evil cyborg in "Terminator 2." Jaws just keeps coming back no matter what you do to him.

Overall, this Bond film is attractive because it has just the right mixture of action, suspense and humor, and another pretty leading lady in Barbara Bach. I'm not sold on her Russian accent as "Major Anya Amasova" but she is nice the eyes. The accent made her appear sub- par as an actress. Otherwise, no complaints.

The cinematography in here, too, is above-average. There are very nicely-filmed scenes with interesting camera-work. Good work, all-around!