THUNDERBALL (1965)

Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman originally wanted to launch their James Bond series with Thunderball. Although a battle over rights forced them to postpone the adaptation, it ultimately worked out in their favor. With the success of their first three pictures, they were able to make this their biggest Bond film yet. This time out, the enemy organization SPECTRE steals two nuclear bombs and threatens to target an unnamed city unless they’re paid a hefty ransom. To foil them, Bond (Sean Connery) travels to the Bahamas to confront SPECTRE’s number two, Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and seduce his mistress (Claudine Auger). Director Terence Young and screenwriter Richard Maibaum took advantage of the Caribbean setting, with almost a quarter of the action—from battles to a love scene—taking place under water. The result was the highest-grossing film of 1965, the decade’s highest-grossing Bond film and the first of their films to win an Oscar for Best Visual Effects.

d. Terence Young, 130m, DCP

Courtesy of Park Circus, Eon Productions and Amazon.

Conversation with Luciana Paluzzi will be post-screening.