007 - Not 25 Questions from 25 Films, Part II Quiz

Answer: Live and Let Die

In "Dr No", the character of Major Boothroyd, who would eventually come to be known simply as 'Q' (for 'Quartermaster'), who provided Bond with his Walther PPK for the first time, was played by actor Peter Burton. During production of "From Russia With Love", Burton was unavailable to reprise the role, and so Desmond Llewellyn was cast in his place. From "Goldfinger" onwards, the character was referred to as 'Q', and started to show the semi-exasperated relationship with Bond that would become famous during his tenure.

However, in 1973, while "Live and Let Die" was in production, 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman elected to dispense with 'Q' as they made a decision to try and downplay the gadget aspect of the series that was becoming more prominent in each film. Llewellyn returned as 'Q' in the following film, "The Man With The Golden Gun", and appeared in every subsequent film up to "The World Is Not Enough", which was released a few weeks prior to his death in a car crash in 1999.

Answer: Thunderball

In 1958, Ian Fleming entered into a development partnership with Kevin McClory looking to develop an original screenplay for a film to feature James Bond. This led to the development of a proposed screenplay by the two, alongside screenwriter Jack Whittingham. No concrete production deal came from the script that was produced, and so Fleming used the ideas from it to write his ninth novel, "Thunderball". Upon its publication, McClory and Whittingham sued Fleming for plagiarising the ideas from the screenplay, a case that was eventually heard in 1963.

In an out of court settlement, Fleming retained the film rights to his novel, while McClory was granted the rights to the screenplay, which included rights to certain characters and concepts from it.

By the time of the settlement, the Eon series had become hugely successful and so, fearing the potential of a rival "Bond" film, 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman reached a deal with McClory - Eon would adapt "Thunderball" as a film in their series, with themselves listed as executive producers, while McClory would be credited as the sole producer.

The deal also prevented McClory from producing another adaptation for a minimum of ten years. A second adaptation of the novel was eventually released by McClory in 1983 under the title "Never Say Never Again".

Answer: Donald Pleasence

Although Blofeld made two previous appearances, in "From Russia With Love" and "Thunderball" (played by Anthony Dawson and voiced by Eric Pohlmann), his first full appearance came in "You Only Live Twice". In this, the character spent much of the film as he had previously, with his face hidden.

His face was only revealed to the camera when he introduces himself to Bond. For the role, Czech actor Jan Werich was originally cast, primarily by Harry Saltzman, and did several days of filming. However, both 'Cubby' Broccoli and director Lewis Gilbert felt he was not right for the role, as he resembled "a poor, benevolent Santa Claus", and was simply not menacing enough.

After five days of filming, Werich was let go, and English actor Donald Pleasence brought in instead. Pleasence tried several ideas to try and make the character appear more menacing, which included a hump, a limp, a beard and a lame hand, before he settled on the scar that adorned the right side of his face. Following "You Only Live Twice", Blofeld appeared in the next two films, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (played by Telly Savalas) and "Diamonds Are Forever" (played by Charles Gray).

Answer: The World Is Not Enough

"The World Is Not Enough" was introduced as Bond's family motto in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", when Bond is corresponding with the College of Arms in London about his own family history as cover for his search for Blofeld. In the film, the genealogist Sir Hilary Bray shows Bond an image of his family's coat of arms - argent, on a chevron sable three bezants, with the motto "Orbis non sufficit" ("The World Is Not Enough"), which is the arms of his purported ancestor, Sir Thomas Bond. In 1999, the motto was used as the title of the 19th film in the series, the third to star Pierce Brosnan in the role. Reference was made to it being Bond's family motto during an exchange between Bond and Elektra King, one of the film's main villains:
Elektra King: I could've given you the world.
James Bond: The world is not enough.
Elektra King: Foolish sentiment.
James Bond: Family motto.

Answer: Spectre

Until 1973, no theme song from a "Bond" movie broke into the UK Top Ten, with the highest ranked song to that point being "You Only Live Twice" by Nancy Sinatra, which peaked at Number 11. "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings eventually reached Number 9 in the chart, and began an alternating cycle of popular, well received songs and songs that did not chart.

This culminated in "A View To A Kill" by Duran Duran reaching Number 2 in 1985 (at the same time reaching Number 1 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart). From this point onwards a succession of popular artists were brought in to perform (and often write) the theme song, with the lowest ranked being "Tomorrow Never Dies" by Sheryl Crow, which reached Number 12.

However, even the presence of one of the world's most popular artists, Adele, who wrote and performed "Skyfall", was not enough to get a "Bond" theme to Number 1 in the UK.

It was Sam Smith's "Writing's On The Wall", the theme to "Spectre" in 2015, that finally saw one of the themes reach the coveted top spot.

This was replicated in 2020 when "No Time To Die" by Billie Eilish also reached Number 1 in the UK.

Answer: Live and Let Die

Harry Saltzman had been unhappy with the song written by John Barry and Don Black for "Diamonds Are Forever", feeling that the lyrics were "too suggestive". As a result, the two fell out, and Barry was not asked to work on "Live and Let Die". Instead, Saltzman and 'Cubby' Broccoli approached Paul McCartney with a view to producing a theme tune for the new film. McCartney agreed, and approached his former Beatles producer George Martin to help arrange and produce the track.

However, Martin was nonplussed when, having recorded McCartney singing the song he was asked by Saltzman who should then perform the final version for the film, as the film producer envisaged a female soul singer doing it. Martin told Saltzman that McCartney would only allow the song to be used if his band, Wings, performed it. Eventually, two versions were included in the film - McCartney's original over the title sequence, and a soul themed version performed by B.J. Arnau as part of the story.

The song reached Number 2 in the Billboard Hot 100, and Number 9 in the UK Top 40 charts, and became the first "Bond" theme song to be nominated for Best Original Song, the second nomination in the category for McCartney.

The song was also nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus.

Answer: Hong Kong

Bond's apparent assassination in "You Only Live Twice" is intended to allow him to disappear from view for a while so as to quietly continue the search for SPECTRE. To maintain the ruse, he is buried at sea off the coast of Hong Kong (where his "assassination" had taken place) from the deck of the Royal Navy frigate HMS Tenby. Ironically, given that the majority of the film was shot in the Far East, the scene aboard Tenby was one of the few not to be filmed in that part of the world, as the ship at that time was operating near Gibraltar.

The use of HMS Tenby in the film, alongside the use of the submarine HMS Aeneas, was the first instance of significant cooperation between Eon and the Royal Navy. Subsequent to this film, the producers obtained the use of HMS Fearless in "The Spy Who Loved Me"; HMS Somerset and HMS Westminster were used to portray a number of different ships in "Tomorrow Never Dies"; and HMS Dragon played a prominent role at the end of "No Time To Die".

Answer: Prague

With "Casino Royale" serving as the first film in a new continuity for the series, showing Bond at the start of his time as a Double-0 agent, it was decided to alter the traditional format of the films, which had, since 1962, always opened with the "gun barrel sequence".

As a result, we see Bond confronting Dryden, the MI6 station chief in Prague, who has been selling secrets to a foreign power; in order to gain Double-0 status, he has to undertake two kills, of which the first is Dryden's contact, Fisher.

The scene is then intercut with Bond's fight with Fisher in a bathroom. This proves to be violent and difficult, with Bond seemingly triumphant having apparently drowned the man in a basin. Having goaded Bond, Dryden is despatched with a single shot, Bond commenting that the second kill was considerably easier than the first.

This is as a result of Fisher not having been killed by drowning - he recovers and goes to shoot Bond, before Bond, quicker, spins and shoots him instead. It is here that we then see the traditional gun barrel, forming part of the narrative of the story, and leads directly into the film's title sequence, which includes the confirmation of Bond's status as a Double-0, being assigned the number 007.

Answer: Vauxhall

Up to 1989, the headquarters of the British Secret Service (or, at least, the Double-0 section) in the films was depicted as the "Universal Exports" building. This, in reality, was Malaysia House in Trafalgar Square, the former location of the Malaysian High Commission.

At this time, the real Secret Intelligence Service was based at Century House, a 22-storey office block on Westminster Bridge Road in Lambeth, which opened in 1964. By the mid-1980s, it was felt that the location was too insecure for the UK's intelligence service, and so the government planned the construction of a new, purpose built headquarters.

The chosen site was a riverfront location in Vauxhall, on the south side of the River Thames, that had once housed Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.

In 1988, the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, authorised the purchase of the site and the construction of the building. Work was completed in April 1994, with the building officially opened in July of the same year. In 1995, the building made its first appearance in a "Bond" film, featuring in "Goldeneye".

It made subsequent appearances in "The World Is Not Enough", "Die Another Day" and "Skyfall". In the latter, it is attacked with the damage enough to see it condemned and slated for demolition.

Answer: True

Of the six actors to have played James Bond in the Eon series up to the release of "No Time To Die", two of them have been born in England. Roger Moore was born in Stockwell, a district in South-West London, on 14 October 1927, while Daniel Craig was born in the city of Chester on 2 March 1968. Of the other four, Sean Connery was born in Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, on 25 August 1930; George Lazenby was born in Goulburn in New South Wales, a city about half-way between Sydney and Canberra in Australia, on 5 September 1939; Timothy Dalton was born in Colwyn Bay, a seaside town on the north coast of Wales, on 21 March 1946; and Pierce Brosnan was born in Drogheda, a port town on the east coast of Ireland, on 16 May 1953.