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James Bond and Gibraltar: Filming The Living Daylights

jetsetwillyjetsetwilly
edited August 2012 in News Posts: 3,327
Sean Connery and John Lennon both got married there, and Ian Fleming was inspired by a real-life WW2 incident to use it in his novel Thunderball.

The opening title sequence to The Living Daylights (1987) was filmed on Gibraltar. It was the fifteenth entry in the James Bond film series and the first to star Timothy Dalton as 007 James Bond. The film’s title was taken from Ian Fleming’s short story, “The Living Daylights“. It was the last film to use the title of an Ian Fleming story until the 2006 instalment Casino Royale.

http://www.filmnav.co.uk/2012/08/19/james-bond-and-gibraltar-filming-the-living-daylights/

Comments

  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    And...?
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Well, it was a nice read for of a bit of new information. That's it, I think.
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    It makes a great appearance in TLD. One of my favourite PTS.
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    Gibraltar looks fantastic in tld.
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly
    Posts: 3,327
    Getafix wrote:
    And...?
    And what?
    I don't understand your question. Please elaborate.

  • myworldisenoughmyworldisenough
    Posts: 1,143
    jetsetwilly wrote:
    Getafix wrote:
    And...?
    And what?
    I don't understand your question. Please elaborate.

    I think Getafix doesn't understand the purpose of your thread, Maybe you can elaborate? Interesting article to read - I guess you were just wanting to share with the community as oppose to us having a discussion / debate?
  • jetsetwillyjetsetwilly
    Posts: 3,327
    Exactly. It was just an article to read about Gibraltar and Bond. I thought people here may find it interesting, as opposed to sparking a debate.

    I thought it would be obvious to everyone here..... ;))
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    Never been to Gibraltar, as far as I understand it there are more Brits living there than Spaniards, been that way for years apparently. It's the gateway to North Africa, and famous for it's indigenous monkeys, we get to see a few scattered about during the Daylights pre credit sequences. The ending was in fact filmed off the coast of southern Britian for some reason rather than Spain itself. I think it's one of the best Bond openings ever, only spoilt by a silly ending with Dalton landing on a private boat and some woman having a banal conversation, but still a very good opening. I like it when M has his office on the plane and the guys drop out and all his papers get blown about, 'Oh Blast'..
  • StationGStationG
    edited October 2012 Posts: 5
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    Never been to Gibraltar, as far as I understand it there are more Brits living there than Spaniards,
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    rather than Spain itself.

    Just to be clear. Gibraltar is NOT in any way part of Spain. In the same way that Portugal is not in anyway part of Spain. All 3 share the Iberian peninsula.

    [The Spanish crown ceeded Gibraltar to the British crown in perpituity (for ever) under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, and Spain recieved other things in return. It has been British for 300 years (and was only spanish for 200 before then anyway!) Whenever the Spanish economy goes through the floor, the Spanish govt kicks up a fuss about it - to distract their own population, a nationally rallying cry introduced by their dictator General Franco. Despite their own enclaves in North Africa.]

    Gibraltar is British, the UK is also British, however Gibraltar is not part of the UK and the UK is not part of Gibraltar. They do have what is termed 'an integrated constitutional relationship'.

    So, as for saying that 'Brits' in Gibraltar, of course they are - the people of Gibraltar are British. Don't mistake that for being 'UK people necessarily', British Gibraltarians may have nothing to do with the UK, etc. Both are British.
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    The ending was in fact filmed off the coast of southern Britian for some reason rather than Spain itself.

    There is a popular misconception that the landrover going off the cliff was not filmed in Gibraltar. It was - I saw it! However, the cliff that it went off (no where near where the other action was), was quite low down, and it landed in swiming pool carpark. So there was not the 'height falling time' for anything with the parachute.

    They wanted bond to leave the jeep in parachute, so first they tried dropping one from a helicopter over the Mojave desert, with a stuntman on top. I believe this was (again contrary to some reports) tested in advance of Gibraltar filming. However this didn't really work (and take 2 was a disaster).

    So then, following the Gibraltar filming, they fired a series of models off Beachy Head in the UK with a remote control dummy and parachute, and explosion of jeep. All the shots of the dummy with parachute are Beachy Head. However all the shots of it going through the wall are Gibraltar. And the shots of the land rover in mid air are a mix of the two.
    Baltimore_007 wrote:
    I think it's one of the best Bond openings ever, only spoilt by a silly ending with Dalton landing on a private boat and some woman having a banal conversation,

    Having seen filming, I'm biased, but I agree it is one of the best. What bothers me about the boat is actually where the bits of the landrover landed! However if you want something interesting watch the trailer for the Living Daylihts, the woman on the boat originally had a TOTALLY different voice!

  • StationGStationG
    Posts: 5
    jetsetwilly wrote:
    Ian Fleming was inspired by a real-life WW2 incident to use it in his novel Thunderball.

    If you want to know more you could start here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_auxiliary_ship_Olterra

    Basically, a ship with a hidden secret door, launching mini chariot style human submarines, transporting bombs underwater. So nobody on the survace could see anything.

    Never mind just the books, the screenplays were very inspired by this.

    A war film, The Silent Enemy was made about this:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Silent_Enemy_(film)
  • Baltimore_007Baltimore_007
    Posts: 5,634
    I like a good nautical movie and have seen a few submarine films such as The Enemy Below (with Kurt Jurgens), Crimson Tide and Das Boot (The Boat), which incidentally if I recall actually passed by Gibraltar. All I know is, it was a damn fine movie

    I haven't seen The Living Daylights for such a long time, been meaning for a watch, but time just hasn't allowed it. Next opportunity, will have another viewing, but this time will pay extra attention to the pre credits sequence. @StationG

    Now that I think about it, as Dalton and the OO impostor are falling from the skies, and he explodes with the dynamite on board the truck, wouldn't the woman on the 'phone have heard the explosion as it was almost directly over the top of her boat? Dalton just lands and that's the biggest surprise she has..

    "It's all so boring here Margo, there's nothing but playboys and tennis pro's, if only I could find a real man..."

    She couldn't find a man or even hear a loud explosion directly above her head ?

    I will say though, that I hope one day they film again in Gibraltar for the opening scenes, although I don't think they will ever surpass the 1987 one, so maybe it's best they don't try..
  • GetafixGetafix
    Posts: 11,425
    TLD PTS is one of my favourites. Packs a lot in and sets up the film nicely. Like OP it involves the assasination of some of Bond's MI6 OO colleagues and this gives Bond's subsequent actions an added level of intensity. He is motivated at least in part by a desire to avenge. I like the way this is done. It is not overplayed and it is believable. Much preferable to some of the more 'personal' storylines we sometimes get.
  • SpiralFirstSpiralFirst
    Posts: 1
    I saw the film crews at Beachy Head filming the Land Rover stuff. Isn't it odd that the woman on the boat mentions on the phone that it's boring but clearly never noticed the exploding vehicle and subsequent raining down of burning debris and body parts.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 14,001
    Maybe she was too busy thinking about the raining down of a welsh born nothern spy. ;)
  • CraterGunsCraterGuns
    Posts: 618
    jetsetwilly wrote:
    ...Ian Fleming was inspired by a real-life WW2 incident to use it in his novel Thunderball.
    Indeed. During WWII, Italian frogmen -- operating from a docked "neutral" ship with a secret underwater hatch below the waterline -- conducted sabotage and espionage operations there.

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