- Mr. Wint: "The scorpion."
- Mr. Kidd: "One of nature's finest killers, Mr. Wint."
- Mr. Wint: "One is never too old to learn from a master, Mr. Kidd."
- ―Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd.
Diamonds Are Forever is a 1971 spy film, and the seventh film in the EON Productions film franchise, produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. The film stars Sean Connery as James Bond in the actor's sixth and final official film appearance as the spy. Connery would later portray Bond again for the seventh and final time in the unofficial Bond film Never Say Never Again 12 years later in 1983, and lend his voice for the character in the 2005 video game adaptation of From Russia with Love.
Synopsis[]
After having seemingly killed his arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld for good, James Bond is tasked by MI6 to investigate a sudden disappearance of South African diamonds, with the perpetrator apparently hoarding them for unknown purpose.
Infiltrating a diamond smuggling ring through the beautiful Tiffany Case, Bond's investigation leads him to Las Vegas, with shady undertakings occurring at Willard Whyte's businesses. Eventually, Bond comes to learn that not only has Blofeld survived, he has used the diamonds and Whyte's businesses to create a laser satellite, which he intends to use to bring world superpowers to their knees.
Relatively little of the original 1956 novel survives the adaptation to film, though many characters from the original book, plus the idea of Tiffany Case being a diamond smuggler, are retained, so it isn't a complete "rewrite".
Plot summary[]
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Hunt for Blofeld[]
Blofeld entering the surgeons' room.
The movie begins with James Bond in a global pursuit of the Ernst Stavro Blofeld - head of SPECTRE - (presumably over murder of Tracy Bond), violently extracting information from his contacts in Japan and Cairo, until being lead to an associate named Marie.
Then, at a secret underground lair, a team of surgeons is going over the details of a plastic surgery operation, that is to be performed on Blofeld. The villain himself soon enters hastily, demanding that the medical operation is to be completed by night. The doctors demand patience, but Blofeld orders them to comply with his schedule.
The surgeons began the operation, first placing the subject in a bath of mud and covering their face with it. They leave the operating room, with another surgeon heading in, whom to the other surgeon tells to keep the bath's temperature stable. Unbeknownst to them, the actual surgeon is knocked out in the bushes, with James Bond having taken his identity to get close to Blofeld.
With everybody out - with just him and Blofeld - Bond pulls off the surgeon's mask and begins inspecting the room, thinking that the person in the bath is incapacitated. However, the person in the bath is conscious, and start to slowly drawing a revolver towards Bond. Bond notices just in time and rolls towards the man in the bath (forcing him rise up, since he can't aim at Bond), with 007 pulling a cord that causes the tank above the man to pour mud over the man, forcing him under and drowning him.
Bond goes by the mud bath, acquiring pressure washer to clean the mud over the patient. However, to Bond's dismay, the patient wasn't Blofeld, but an random gunman. Blofeld then appears - accompanied by two armed guards - and tells that the man dead in the mud bath was to have plastic surgery in order to become Blofeld's body double, had Bond not interfered.
Blofeld orders one of the guards to disarm Bond, but when he reaches inside the sleeve of Bond's suit, he sets off the Pocket Snap Trap and injures himself. Bond then grabs the man and the second guard reaches closer and Bond overpowers the two. Bond gets near Blofeld, who orders the guard to get up and kill him, only for Bond to grab surgical scalpels and throw them at the guard, killing him.
Blofeld grabs a amputation knife from the medical tools and attempts to stab Bond with it. He tries to lunge over the operating table to stab him, but but misses and Bond slams the surgical lights on him, stunning him for a moment.
Bond hoists Blofeld over the operating table, tying him up and showing him into a pool of steaming hot mud. Blofeld's body sinks in and Bond cranks the pool's heat further and wryly quips "Welcome to Hell, Blofeld", seemingly killing his archnemesis for good. This prompts Blofeld's cat to meow, cueing in the opening credits.
Search for the diamond smugglers[]
Mr. Wint putting a scorpion inside Dr. Tynan's shirt, while the latter is occupied with checking Mr. Kidd's teeth.
Meanwhile, huge quantities of South African diamonds are being stolen but have not been sold on the market. Suspecting that the gemstones are being stockpiled to depress prices or blackmail the mining corporation, M orders Bond to assure the identity of a professional diamond smuggler called Peter Franks to infiltrate the smuggling operation and find out who the stockpilers are. Meanwhile every link in the diamond smuggling pipeline are being systematically executed by Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd once they have done their job.
Bond and Franks' intense fight in the elevator.
Bond travels to Amsterdam to meet with Franks' contact Tiffany Case, who verifies his identity (Bond is wearing fake fingerprints supplied by Q), but his cover is almost blown when the real Franks escapes capture and turns up at Tiffany's apartment. Bond intercepts Franks and kills him. Bond switches his wallet with that of Franks to continue the ruse to Tiffany that he is Franks, and suggest that they smuggle the diamonds to Las Vegas inside Franks' corpse. The pair board a flight to America, but are unaware that Wint and Kidd are on the same aircraft following them.
Arrival to Las Vegas[]
Mr. Wint & Mr. Kidd trapping Bond inside a coffin, which is going inside a furnace.
Upon arrival, Bond is met by Felix Leiter who reveals that the CIA are also investigating the case. Bond accompanies Franks' corpse to Slumber Inc. - a funeral home in Las Vegas where it is cremated and the diamonds extracted. However, upon collecting Franks' $50,000 payout for the diamond smuggling, Bond is knocked out by Wint and Kidd, who then seal him in a coffin and attempt to incinerate him alive in the crematorium furnace.
He is rescued in the nick of time by Shady Tree, the next link in the "pipeline" who discovered the diamonds inside Franks' body were fakes planted by Bond and the CIA. Bond (still posing as Franks) concludes the money must also have been fake if they were willing for it to burn with him in the crematorium and refuses to deliver the real diamonds until he is paid.
James Bond and Plenty O'Toole at the roulette table.
Bond tails Shady Tree to Lincoln Lounge - a casino hotel owned by the reclusive billionaire Willard Whyte, where he works as a stand up comedian. Tree is executed by Wint and Kidd, but are told too late by casino manager and Whyte's right-hand man Bert Saxby that Franks had double crossed them and they still don't have the real diamonds.
On the casino floor, Bond meets the opportunistic Plenty O'Toole and uses the fake money from the funeral home as collateral in a craps game and wins $50,000 which is the real payout for the diamond smuggling. He takes Plenty back to his hotel room, but a mob of gangsters are already there and throw Plenty out the window with the intention of killing her (but she falls in a swimming pool and survives). Tiffany reappears, and demands that Bond (as Franks) delivers the diamonds.
Bond, Leiter and other CIA agents observing Tiffany Case's movements at the Circus Circus.
They both agree to try and escape Las Vegas with the diamonds instead of delivering them, and instructs her to go to the Circus Circus casino to collect them, knowing that the CIA are watching her every move.
Tiffany shakes off the CIA agents and betrays Bond, delivering the diamonds to the next link in the "pipeline", but returns home to discover that Plenty O'Toole has been drowned in her swimming pool by Wint and Kidd - having mistaken Plenty for her. Now realizing her own life is in danger, she joins forces with Bond to follow the diamonds to the next link.
W Tectronics[]
Bond (posing as Klaus Hergersheimer) pestering Prof. Metz at his lab.
Bond and Tiffany witness the pick-up of the diamonds by Professor Dr. Metz, and follow him to a remote desert research facility owned by Willard Whyte. Bond infiltrates the base, and poses as a lab technician - discovering that Metz is constructing a Laser Satellite which uses the diamonds to intensify its beam, making it able to hit a target on Earth from outer space.
Bond - driving the Moon Buggy - escaping the W Tectronics R&D.
After being detected by the guards, Bond escapes in a moon buggy and evades Whyte's security forces in a desert chase. During the chase, Bond crashes the moon buggy, with a guard riding a Honda ATC 90 arriving to the scene. Bond knocks the guard off the ATC and hops on it, driving it towards the site perimeters. Subsequently, Bond finds Tiffany waiting by her Ford Mustang, with Bond abandoning the ATC and getting aboard Tiffany's car.
Las Vegas strip and Whyte House[]
He and Tiffany return to Las Vegas, and after evading the police a second time in another car chase through The Strip, they return to the Whyte House.
Bond baffled by the two Blofelds.
Bond ascends to, and then breaks into the penthouse to confront Willard Whyte, but finds the occupant is really Ernst Stavro Blofeld posing as Whyte (whom he has kidnapped) and is using his business empire as a front for his latest scheme.
Blofeld only gives cryptic clues as to his intentions with the diamonds, and despite Bond killing yet another one of his doubles, he spares him - sending him away in an elevator, where he is gassed and then buried in a desert pipe and left to die by Wint and Kidd.
Bond escapes by short circuiting a pipe welding machine.
Rescue of Whyte[]
Bond getting double-teamed by Bambi and Thumper.
With the CIA's help, Bond tracks down and frees the kidnapped Willard Whyte after overcoming his female guards Bambi and Thumper and saves him from an assassination attempt by Saxby - who is shot dead by the CIA agents. Whyte reveals he has no knowledge of ever employing Metz or of the satellite being developed by his company.
Blofeld's Diamond Satellite begins its attack on superpowers' nuclear arsenals.
Shortly afterwards, the satellite is launched and starts to selectively destroy nuclear installations in America, Russia and China, The group return to the Whyte House in search of Blofeld to find that he has fled, and has captured Tiffany in the process.
It is later revealed that he is holding the world to ransom, with nuclear supremacy going to the highest bidder, and he threatens to destroy a major city with the space weapon if his demands are not met. Whyte directs Bond to an oil platform off the coast of Baja California as the likely location of the ground base controlling the satellite.
Blofeld's Oil Rig[]
Blofeld explaining his scheme to Bond.
Bond travels to the oil platform with a team of covert CIA forces by helicopter, with the intention of sabotaging the computer controlling the satellite. After being captured by Blofeld, he discovers that Washington D.C is the city to be targeted. Bond escapes and sends a signal to the helicopters to begin attacking the base.
Amid the confusion, Tiffany tries and fails to put a false control tape into the computer, but as the base is being battered by mortar fire form the helicopters and his security forces being overcome, Blofeld attempts to escape in his Bath-o-Sub.
With time rapidly running out and the satellite bearing down on Washington, Bond commandeers the crane lowering the sub into the water and instead uses it as a wrecking ball to destroy the control center for the satellite moments before it was due to fire.
Epilogue[]
Wint & Kidd bringing the banquet to Bond and Tiffany.
With Blofeld's scheme foiled (and his fate remaining unclear), Bond and Tiffany set sail for London on a cruise ship. Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd are however still at large and also on the vessel.
Later that evening, the two assassins pose as waiters delivering a banquet, whilst secretly hiding a bomb inside a cake -- "La Bombe Surprise". Bond catches a wiff of Wint's aftershave - connecting it to the smell during the pipe burial escapade - and begins to slowly set up traps to see if the two are real waiters. After exposing their etiquette mistakes and the aftershave smell, the two assassins know the jig is up and attack Bond.
Wint incapacitates Bond with a necklace chain, while Kidd gets burning shish-kebab skewers to stab Bond with. However, Bond breaks a bottle of alcohol open and throws its contents at Kidd, which, upon contact with the burning skewers, sets him on fire. Kidd is forced to jump overboard, with Bond overpowering Wint, revealing the bomb inside the cake.
Bond and Tiffany embracing at the end.
Bond traps Wint and attaches the bomb onto him, throwing the second assassin overboard. Wint lands in the water and explodes, killing both assassins. Bond and Tiffany embrace, and look up at the night sky. They muse over how the diamonds could ever be retrieved from the satellite, which is still orbiting the Earth.
Cast & characters[]
Crew[]
- Directed by: Guy Hamilton
- Written by: Ian Fleming
- Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, Tom Mankiewicz
- Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
- Composed by: John Barry
- Cinematography by: Ted Moore
- Production design by: Ken Adam
- Set decoration by: Peter Lamont
Production[]
Writing[]
Original ideas[]
While On Her Majesty's Secret Service was in post-production, Richard Maibaum wrote several drafts not really based on the Ian Fleming's novel, but rather about Bond avenging the death of his wife Tracy[1]. The characters Irma Bunt and Marc-Ange Draco were set to return, and Bond mourned his deceased wife Tracy while Louis Armstrong's We Have All the Time in the World played in the background[1][2][3]. Blofeld was also to return, with a scheme involving synthetics diamonds[1].
Following this, Maibaum added a new villain to the plot in addition of Blofeld: Auric Goldfinger's twin brother[1][4]. In this version, Goldfinger's brother was a Swedish shipping magnate armed with a laser-satellite composed of diamonds, send to space from a supertanker[1]. The idea was borrowed from an early draft of On Her Majesty's Secret Service in which Ernst Stavro Blofeld was to be Goldfinger's twin brother, with Gert Fröbe set to return[1].
Theses early plots were mainly set in Southeast Asia locations like Thailand, India or Malaysia[1].
Howard Hughes plot and Tom Mankiewicz[]
It was later decided to change the story, focusing it on a magnate character based on Howard Hughes, who would had been kidnapped by Blofeld[1]. The character will later be called Willard Whyte. Albert Broccoli indeed had a dream, where his close friend Howard Hughes was replaced by an imposter and talked about it to Maibaum[1]. One of the other changes decided was to abandon the Southeast Asia locations to replace them by Las Vegas, like in the novel. A boat chase on Lake Mead was notably a part of it, as the western town of the novel and its locomotive[1].
Screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz was chosen to rework Maibaum's script. Mankiewicz says he was hired because Broccoli wanted an American writer to work on the script, since so much of it was set in Las Vegas "and the Brits write really lousy American gangsters" – but it had to be someone who also understood the British idiom, since it had British characters[5]. David Picker, then-president of United Artists, had seen the stage musical Georgy written by Mankiewicz, and recommended him; he was hired on a two-week trial and kept on for the rest of the movie, as well as several subsequent Bond films[5]. During his presence, the moon-buggy chase and the car chase with the police were added, and the final was changed to an oil-rig assault[1][4].
Originally the oil rig finale also had Blofeld escape from the rig in his mini submarine, pursued by Bond who would hang from a weather balloon[1]. Bond would eventually catch up to his nemesis in a salt mine where the two would finally fight to the death, with Blofeld killed by Bond[1]. The elimination of this entire sequence, and indeed of any death scene for Blofeld, leaves a major plothole in the film, as Blofeld simply disappears without explanation.
Screenwriters Stanley Price and Ronald Hardy also did some uncredited rewrites[1].
In the end, the plot of the novel Diamonds Are Forever is very little used, with the exception of a few characters and a few scenes, including the one where Wint and Kidd try to kill Bond and Tiffany Case on a cruise ship. The two main antagonists of the novel, Jack and Seraffimo Spang, don't appear in the film.
The film also makes no allusion to Tracy's murder and Bond's widowhood. The hunt for Blofeld at the beginning of the film is unexplained, but understandable for those who have seen the end of the previous film.
Casting[]
Following George Lazenby departure from the role, John Gavin, an American actor, was originally cast as Bond. However, the producers were unhappy with this decision due to their experience with the similarly unknown Lazenby in the previous film, and when Sean Connery made it known that he would be interested in returning, Gavin's contract was quietly bought out.
When first approached about resuming the role of Bond, Sean Connery half-jokingly demanded the astronomical fee of £2m ($4m or over $20m in 2005) and a production deal. Both demands were met and Connery used part of the fee to establish a charity to help deprived children in Edinburgh.
Connery's final scene to be filmed - his last in an official EON produced Bond film - was the crematorium sequence. Somewhat fittingly, it was shot on Friday 13th, 1971.
Deleted scenes[]
Scenes also cut from the theatrical release include Plenty O' Toole sneaking back into Bond's hotel room and searching through Tiffany Case's purse, and Plenty breaking into Tiffany's house.
Soundtrack[]
- Main article: Diamonds Are Forever (soundtrack)
Weapons & gadgets[]
Gadgets[]
- Main article: List of Gadgets
Utility[]
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Fake Fingerprint - Bond uses a fake fingerprint that clings to his thumb to trick Tiffany Case into believing he is Peter Franks. |
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Voice Algorithm Recorder - Used primarily by Blofeld to disguise his voice as that of Willard Whyte. |
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Slot Machine Ring - Q created a ring that, when used, ensures a jackpot at the slot machines every time. |
Weaponized[]
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Pocket Snap Trap - A small gadget hidden in a pocket to give a person performing an unwanted search on the wielder a painful surprise that would provide a critical distraction for the wielder to exploit for an attack. |
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Grappling Suspenders & Piton Pistol - When Bond rides ontop of the elevator to the suite of Willard Whyte, he uses for the last leg of this trip the rappelling cord built into the suspenders. |
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La Bombe Surprise - "Cake" with an "explosive filling", actually a domed shell covered in cake icing covering a small explosive device with a timer. Used by Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd, and unsuccessfully deployed against Bond. The bomb ended up being tied to Mr. Wint's rear end and tossed overboard, with explosive results. |
Weapons[]
- Main article: List of Firearms
Prominent use[]
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Walther PPK - James Bond's sidearm. Only seen in hands of Bond a couple times, but he never fires it. |
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M1911 Pistol - carried by Las Vegas police and some of the CIA agents. Some of the M1911 pistols are authentic American ones and some are Spanish Star Model B copies. |
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Smith & Wesson Model 10 - standard model is used by the duplicate Blofeld hiding in the mud. The 10HB variant is used by the Las Vegas Sheriff. |
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Colt Detective Special - Used by Joe and later the CIA agents. |
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Smith & Wesson Bodyguard - used by Peter Franks, who draws it during the elevator fight. Later seen in the hands of Blofeld at the Whyte House. |
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Thompson M1A1 - used by the CIA agents accompanying Leiter to rescue Willard Whyte. |
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Madsen M50 - used by Blofeld's troops at the Baja oil rig. One is grabbed by Tiffany Case, but the gun's full-auto recoil makes her tip-toe backwards off the oil rig. |
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M16 Rifle - carried by one of Blofeld's henchmen at the pre-title sequence. Later seen shouldered by the US soldier by the Strategic Air Command base. |
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Sporter Mauser Rifle - used by Bert Saxby to try assassinate Willard Whyte after the latter is freed by Bond. |
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Browning M1919 - used by gunners aboard the helicopters that siege Blofeld's oil rig. |
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Browning M2 (Aircraft model) - used by Blofeld's troops at the Baja oil rig to defend against the American helicopters. |
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Oerlikon 20mm Cannon - used by Blofeld's troops at the Baja oil rig to defend against the American helicopters. |
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Surgical Scalpels - used by Bond to kill one of Blofeld's two bodyguards in the operating room sequence. |
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Amputation Knife - used by Blofeld in the operating room sequence. |
Background/low presence firearms[]
- Sterling Arms Model 302 (appears only in the music titles)
- Mauser Kar98k (The Chinese soldier by the missile battery)
Vehicles[]
- Main article: List of James Bond vehicles
Major vehicles[]
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1971 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Fastback - after escaping henchmen Bond is picked up by Tiffany Case in this car while in Las Vegas; Bond uses it to elude the Las Vegas Police. |
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Triumph Stag Mk. 1 - Bond is seen early in the movie driving a yellow Stag to Amsterdam, while posing as diamond smuggler Peter Franks. |
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1971 Ford Galaxie 500 Four-Door Sedan - The car Bond has when Leiter tries to survey Tiffany Case at the funfair. Also used by some of Whyte Electronics security that chase down Bond after he escapes the lab. |
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1970 Ford Custom - the blue-white cars used by the Las Vegas Police. Black ones are later used by Felix Leiter and the CIA agents, when they search the house where Willard Whyte is imprisoned at. |
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1971 Ford Custom - first appear as cars driven by Whyte Electronic security. Later appear as the black-white cars of the Las Vegas Police. |
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1968 Cadillac Funeral Coach - the Slumber Inc hearse that picks up Bond and takes him to the funeral parlor. |
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1971 Ford Club Wagon Custom Window Super Van - Professor Dr. Metz is driving a van which Bonds sneaks into. |
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Honda ATC 90 - Bond commandeers an all-terrain vehicle after he ditches the moon buggy. |
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Moon buggy - Used by Bond to escape from the laboratory. Fast but infamously fragile, one of its wheels can be seen rolling past the camera position as Bond drives by it during the escape. |
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Manitowoc 3900 - the mobile crane at Blofeld's Baja oil rig. Used by Bond to wreck Blofeld's Bathosub and destroy the control center for the diamond satellite. |
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Hughes OH-06 - first appears when piloted by diamond smuggler Joe. Later in the film, armed variants are used by US military to siege Blofeld's Baja Oilrig. |
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Bell 206 JetRanger - Willard Whyte's personal helicopter. Appears during the siege on Blofeld's Baja Oilrig. |
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Bell UH-1 Iroquois - used by US military to siege Blofeld's Baja Oilrig. |
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Bathosub – Midget submarine employed by Blofeld to try escape the Baja oil rig. |
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SS Canberra - cruise ship at the end of the movie. |
Other notable vehicles[]
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Aston Martin DBS - from the previous movie. Seen at Q's workshop. |
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1971 Mercedes-Benz 200 D (W115) - Taxi |
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1971 Plymouth Fury III 4-door Sedan - driven by Felix Leiter to reach Bond to tell about Tiffany Case having gotten away. |
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1971 Mercury Montego MX 4-door Sedan (54B) - driven by the rude driver who yells at Metz to get his van moving. |
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1965 Mercury Comet 202 Series |
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Ford Thunderbird Landau - Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd use a bronze Thunderbird Landau (Nevada registration NU3680) to collect an unconscious James Bond on the "WW" level of the Whyte House. They put Bond into the trunk and use underground tunnels to take him out of Las Vegas unnoticed. |
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1971 Lincoln Continental (53A) |
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1968 Mercedes-Benz 600 (W100) - Blofeld's car, that he uses to snatch Tiffany Case. |
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Jeep M38 A1 - by the dig site where Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd have hidden Bond at. |
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1966 Triumph T 100 - driven by Dr. Tynan to the meeting site where he finds Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. |
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Still - the forklift used for the casket that has Peter Franks' body and the diamonds. |
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Grove TM-Series - one of the construction machines at the dig site where Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd have hidden Bond at. |
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Hough 80 Payloader - one of the construction machines at the dig site where Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd have hidden Bond at. |
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Boeing 707-430 - used by Bond and Tiffany - as well as Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd - to travel from Amsterdam to Las Vegas. |
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British Hovercraft Corporation SR.N4 (Princess Margaret) |
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Prins Willem-Alexander - the tour boat in Amsterdam. |
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1930 August Pahl Brandweerboot (Jan van der Heyde) - used by Dutch police to recover the body of Mrs. Whistler. |
Background vehicles[]
- 1968 AMC Rambler American
- 1962 Austin A60 Cambridge
- 1968 Austin 1300 Countryman MkII
- 1956 Buick Century
- 1962 Buick Special
- 1963 Buick Riviera
- 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood 60 Special
- 1967 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
- 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado
- 1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille
- 1971 Cadillac Fleetwood Eldorado
- 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air
- 1959 Chevrolet Corvette C1
- 1961 Chevrolet Impala
- 1962 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Greenbrier
- 1963 Chevrolet C-10
- 1965 Chevrolet Impala
- 1968 Chevrolet Biscayne
- 1968 Chevrolet Caprice
- 1969 Chevrolet C-30
- 1969 Chevrolet Suburban
- 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu
- Citroën 2CV (dark-blue parked, appears when Bond is driving Triumph Stag in Holland)
- 1970 Commer 1500
- 1960 Dodge Dart Seneca
- 1961 Dodge Dart Seneca
- 1964 Dodge 330
- 1969 Dodge Polara
- 1959 Ford Custom 300
- 1960 Ford Fairlane 500
- 1960 Ford Falcon Ranchero
- 1962 Ford Falcon
- 1963 Ford Fairlane 500
- 1964 Ford Fairlane
- 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL
- 1965 Ford Custom
- 1965 Ford Econoline
- 1967 Ford Mustang
- 1969 Ford Galaxie 500
- 1969 Ford Zodiac MkIV
- 1970 Ford Custom
- 1970 Ford F-350
- 1970 Ford Mustang
- 1970 Ford XL
- 1971 Ford Custom 500
- 1971 Ford Pinto
- 1941 GMC CCKW 353
- 1965 Mercedes-Benz LP [LP 7,5t]
- 1963 Mercury Monterey
- 1964 Mercury Colony Park
- 1969 Mercury Marquis
- 1969 Mercury Marquis Colony Park
- 1970 Mercury Marquis
- 1971 Mercury Marquis Colony Park
- 1971 Mercury Marquis Colony Park
- 1960 MG A 1600 MkI
- 1970 Mini 850 MkIII
- 1962 Morris Minor 1000 Traveller
- 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88
- Parsons Trenchliner
- 1966 Plymouth Belvedere
- 1967 Plymouth Belvedere
- 1970 Plymouth Fury
- 1961 Pontiac Tempest
- 1962 Rambler Classic
- 1963 Rambler Ambassador
- 1964 Rambler American
- 1965 Renault 16
- 1968 Renault 10
- 1961 Studebaker Lark
- 1966 Volkswagen Squareback Sedan [Typ 36]
- 1968 Volkswagen Fastback Sedan [Typ 31]
- 1969 Volkswagen Station Wagon T2 [Typ 2]
- 1970 Volkswagen Bus T2 [Typ 2]
- 1970 Volkswagen Sedan (Typ 1)
- White-Freightliner WFT-7264T
- 1964 Wolseley 6/110 MkII
- 1968 Wolseley 1300 MkII
- Riva Junior (boat near Marie at the beginning)
Locations[]
Film locations[]
| Country and region | Location | Real/shooting Location |
|---|---|---|
| Various; Bond's global manhunt | Japanese House | TBA |
| Cairo Casino | TBA | |
| Beach | Bay near Villa Médy Roc | |
| Blofeld's Secret Plastic Surgery Center | TBA | |
| UK | MI6 Headquarters | TBA |
| Dover Ferry Terminal | Same | |
| South Africa | South African Mine | TBA |
| Diamond exchange location | TBA | |
| Netherlands, Amsterdam | Mrs. Whistler's school | TBA |
| Grachtengordel (Canal District) | Same; Amstel Canal, Prinsengracht, Reguliersgracht, and Keizersgracht. The Magere Brug and Oetgenssluis bridges are also seen | |
| Apartment Building (Tiffany Case's apartment) | Reguliersgracht 36 | |
| USA, Los Angeles | Los Angeles International Airport | Same |
| USA, Nevada | Slumber Inc. Mortuary | Palm Boulder Highway Mortuary and Cemetery, 800 South Boulder Highway, Henderson |
| Las Vegas Hotel | TBA | |
| Lincoln Lounge Casino | TBA | |
| Circus Circus | Same | |
| Tiffany Case’s apartment in Las Vegas | "The Kirk Douglas Residence", 515 West Via Lola, Palm Springs, California, USA | |
| Las Vegas Airport | McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | |
| Las Vegas Gas Station | TBA | |
| W Tectronics R&D Site | Johns Manville Gypsum Plant, Gypsum Road off East Lake Mead Road (desert) | |
| Las Vegas streets | Same | |
| The Whyte House | International Hotel aka The Las Vegas Hilton | |
| Dig site outside Las Vegas | Same | |
| Luxury Residence at the outskirts of Las Vegas | Elrod House, 2175 Southridge Drive, Palm Springs, California | |
| Mexico, western coast of Baja California | W.W. Petroleum Oil Platform | TBA |
| North Atlantic Ocean | Ocean Liner | SS Canberra |
Shooting locations[]
Map[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- In the first scene, the man that is being attacked by Bond speaks without moving his mouth in any way, suggesting that the voice over was dubbed on top after recording, or the man in question wasn't intended to have any lines.
- Diamonds Are Forever contains shortest post-gunbarrel moment of peace in a James Bond film. The distance between the white dot revelation and a subsequent clash of chaos is around 10 seconds; it shows a quiet, seemingly tranquil Japanese living room (with appropriate background music) being intruded and crashed by a criminal - possibly a SPECTRE agent - who gets bashed up by Bond who violently demands the information of Blofeld's whereabouts.
- This is the first Bond film where the film's title is never mentioned even once other than during the theme song.
- No reference is made to Tracy Bond at all throughout the film, despite her death immediately prior being such an important moment in Bond's life. In fact, owing the film's opening scene taking place in Japan, it has been suggested by some that Diamonds Are Forever is actually intended as a direct sequel to You Only Live Twice, completely ignoring the events of On her Majesty's Secret Service. However, the presence of Bond's Aston Martin DBS in Q's lab appears to contradict this theory, plus Bond's rough handling of the people he interrogrates suggest he is engaging in revenge against Blofeld (although once again no reference is made to this later in the film when Bond again encounters Blofeld). The reference to Bond having been on vacation might suggest his pursuit of Blofeld was unauthorized, which may explain M's somewhat cold attitude towards Bond after the mission. Fans would have to wait until The Spy Who Loved Me for the first post-OHMSS reference to Tracy.
- In his final scene as James Bond in his last ever EON Bond film, Sean Connery was seen wearing a black dinner suit with blue shirt. Back when he played the 007 agent for the first time in Dr. No, he was firstly seen wearing a standard black-and-white tuxedo in the famous "Bond, James Bond" scene. This made Connery the first Bond who wears tuxedo in both his first and last ever scenes as 007.
- As was the case with OHMSS, an actor very different from his predecessor was cast as Blofeld. This is in keeping with how Fleming depicted Blofeld in his novels as frequently changing his appearance and even demeanour. The fact his scheming includes using plastic surgery to create doubles of himself further explains his change of appearance (which, among other things, included restoring his earlobes that had been removed as part of his scheme in OHMSS). The film avoids the question of whether the real Blofeld is apparently killed by Bond at the end or another double; when a Blofeld-like character (assumed to be the original) appears in the opening sequence of For Your Eyes Only, his poor physical condition would suggest he is the same individual seen in this film.
- The exterior for the Whyte House Hotel is the Las Vegas Hilton (then called the Las Vegas International Hotel).
- The Lufthansa flight that carries Bond and Tiffany, Wint and Kidd from Frankfurt to Los Angeles was LH450. To the present day (2019) this same flight number and route is still operated by Lufthansa.
- Two villains in the Cartoon Network's animated series Codename: Kids Next Door, Mr. Fibb and Mr. Wink, are spoofs of Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint.
- Sammy Davis Jr.'s brief cameo appearance was cut from the theatrical release. It would later be restored on the DVD. The scene has Davis and Saxby ridiculing Bond's decision to wear a tuxedo to a Vegas casino, an indication of how standards in Vegas differed from European casinos (Bond wears a tux when visiting a European casino in The World is Not Enough, for example.) Davis still appears in the final film, however: his photograph and name are prominently visible on the opposite page of a newspaper advertisement for Shady Tree's show.
- The woman in the bikini named "Marie", who was in the beginning of the film who Bond "convinced" to give up the location of Blofeld was Denise Perrier, Miss World 1953.
- The man who drowns in the mudbath was played by stuntman Max Latimer. The mud was actually bucketloads of mashed potatoes. Latimer had to hold his breath as he submerged under the substance each time. As the studio lamps were very hot, the mashed potato mixture started to cook due to the filming taking a long time, by the end of which it started to smell horrible.
- Jay Sarno, owner of the circus seen in this film, insisted that he be allowed to display the scene featuring the Zambora attraction, in exchange for letting them use his circus as a set. He also plays a minor role in the film.
- Beginning with Diamonds are Forever and ending with Octopussy, the franchise would alternate from film-to-film between being scored by John Barry or other composers.
- The fate of the three people Bond interrogates during the teaser is left ambiguous, with Marie in particular left in the process of being choked by Bond. Whether he lets them go or uses his licence to kill in order to prevent Blofeld from being forewarned is left unconfirmed.
- The Las Vegas sequences are a time capsule of the city as it was in 1971, referencing numerous Vegas locations, some of which no longer exist (Bond references the Tropicana - demolished in 2024 - and during the Fremont Street chase, the then-under-construction Union Plaza hotel towers over the scene, complete with visible "opening soon" sign; the Circus Circus resort is still operational in 2024 though its current fairground attractions differ from those featured).
- One scene often cited as an example of unnecessary comic relief shows an elephant walking through a casino and playing a slot machine. In fact, this was a real animal performer at Circus Circus named Tanya who was known for doing exactly that.
External links[]
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| James Bond films |
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| Sean Connery Dr. No (1962) • From Russia with Love (1963) • Goldfinger (1964) • Thunderball (1965) • You Only Live Twice (1967) • Diamonds Are Forever (1971) |
| George Lazenby On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) |
| Roger Moore Live and Let Die (1973) • The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) • The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) • Moonraker (1979) • For Your Eyes Only (1981) • Octopussy (1983) • A View to a Kill (1985) |
| Timothy Dalton The Living Daylights (1987) • Licence to Kill (1989) |
| Pierce Brosnan GoldenEye (1995) • Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) • The World Is Not Enough (1999) • Die Another Day (2002) |
| Daniel Craig Casino Royale (2006) • Quantum of Solace (2008) • Skyfall (2012) • Spectre (2015) • No Time To Die (2021) |
| Unofficial films Casino Royale (1954) • Casino Royale (1967) • Never Say Never Again (1983) |
| All Bond films on Archive |
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 (2024) Scripting 007: Behind the writing of the James Bond movies.
- ↑ Chernov, Matthew. "Why We Never Saw Alfred Hitchcock's Bond, and Three More Lost 007 Movies", 26 October 2015.
- ↑ Why James Bond Doesn't Chase His Wife's Killer in Diamonds Are Forever (30 March 2021).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 (2012) My Life as a Mankiewicz. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-3605-9.