You Only Live Twice

You Only Live Twice, British spy film, released in 1967, that was the fifth entry in the James Bond franchise, particularly notable for its set designs.

As the film opens, a U.S. space capsule is on a routine mission when an unidentified vehicle opens its hatches and swallows the capsule. The United States blames the Soviet Union, which denies any involvement in the incident. As tensions mount between the two countries, Bond (played by Sean Connery) is sent to Japan, where MI6 believes the missing capsule landed. After arriving in Tokyo, he meets with the head of the Japanese Secret Service, Tiger Tanaka (Tetsurô Tanba), and is teamed with a female agent, Aki (Akiko Wakabayashi). While investigating near a volcano, the two agents discover what appears to be a centre of criminal activity. During this time, a Soviet spacecraft also goes missing, and the threat of war increases. Before Bond can search the suspicious area further, however, there is an attempt on his life that results in the death of Aki.

Tanaka then devises a plan for Bond to pose as a fisherman in a small village near the volcano. As part of his cover, Bond must pretend to marry a local girl, Kissy (Mie Hama), who is, in fact, another of Tanaka’s agents. Bond and Kissy subsequently discover that the volcano is the headquarters for the criminal organization SPECTRE, which has been hijacking the capsules. As Kissy goes to get help, Bond descends into the volcano and discovers a spaceship preparing to take off in order to capture another U.S. capsule, an act that will instigate nuclear war. He poses as an astronaut but is discovered and taken before Blofeld (Donald Pleasence), the head of SPECTRE. Blofeld reveals that he is in the employ of a foreign power (possibly China) and has been paid to ensure that war breaks out between the United States and the Soviet Union so that a “new world order” will emerge. The SPECTRE spaceship is launched as the clock ticks down to mutual assured destruction. However, Tanaka then arrives with an army of ninjas and, in a spectacular battle, gains entrance to the heavily fortified volcano. With only seconds to spare, Bond manages to hit the self-destruct button on the SPECTRE spacecraft and thus narrowly prevent war. Blofeld activates explosive devices that destroy the volcano, but not before Bond and his allies escape.

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By the time Connery made You Only Live Twice, he had played Bond in every film in the series; he announced that he was tired of the role and that it would be his final Bond movie. While Connery’s performance was uninterested, the film featured inventive gadgetry and stellar sets, especially the mammoth volcano lair, which was designed by Ken Adam. Roald Dahl, who is perhaps best known for his children’s books, wrote the screenplay, which was the first to largely omit most of Ian Fleming’s source novel. Jan Werich was originally cast in the role of Blofeld, but shortly after filming began, he was replaced by Pleasence, whose interpretation inspired the character of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films. Following Connery’s departure from the Bond series, George Lazenby portrayed 007 in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969). However, the film received mixed reviews, and Connery returned as Bond in Diamonds Are Forever (1971).

Production notes and credits

• Studio: Eon Productions, Danjaq
• Director: Lewis Gilbert
• Producers: Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
• Writer: Roald Dahl
• Music: John Barry
• Running time: 117 minutes

Cast

• Sean Connery (James Bond)
• Donald Pleasence (Blofeld)
• Akiko Wakabayashi (Aki)
• Tetsurô Tanba (Tiger Tanaka)
• Mie Hama (Kissy)