- "Stuff my orders! I only kill professionals. That girl didn't know one end of a rifle from the other. Go ahead. Tell M what you want. If he fires me, I'll thank him for it... Whoever she was, I must have scared the living daylights out of her."
- ― James Bond to Saunders
The Living Daylights is a 1987 spy film and the fifteenth film in the James Bond film series produced by EON Productions. It was the first of two films to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond, and is also the first Bond film to have Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny, replacing Lois Maxwell. The story was inspired by Ian Fleming's eponymous short story, first published in 1962. It was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and Broccoli's daughter Barbara Broccoli. This was the last film to make use of an Ian Fleming story title until the release of Casino Royale in 2006.
Plot summary[]
Pre-title sequence: Gibraltar[]
In the prologue, three skydiving 00 Agents are tasked with penetrating radar installations atop the Rock of Gibraltar as part of a Ministry of Defence training exercise. 002 is captured almost immediately upon landing by the SAS, while 007 and 004 start scaling the cliffs.
As they ascend, an assassin sends a tag reading Smert Shpionam down 004's climbing rope before cutting it, sending the spy to his death. Bond hears the assassination and goes to investigate, finding the body of 004. Bond then hears gunshots from a nearby Land Rover - which is loaded with explosive munitions - with the assassin boarding it to flee the area. Bond gives chase and leaps onto the Land Rover, with the munitions catching on fire when a gate guard shoots at it.
The struggle concludes with the explosives-laden Land Rover careening down Gibraltar's narrow roads and then into the air. Bond escapes with his reserve parachute and lands on a yacht interrupting a lady while the assassin is killed when the Land Rover explodes in mid-air.
Koskov's defection[]
Bond and Saunders getting ready to intercept the "KGB sniper" targeting Koskov.
The early part of the film has much of the original short story's plot: Bond assists Saunders, head of Section V, in the defection to the West of a devious KGB General Georgi Koskov, acting as a counter-sniper to protect Koskov during his intermission escape from a concert hall in Bratislava, Czechoslovakia.
Bond notices that the sniper targeting Koskov is the beautiful female cellist from the orchestra, Kara Milovy. Bond begins to suspect that something wrong, as he notices that the female sniper isn't handling the rifle properly. Following his instinct, Bond only shoots the rifle out of the woman's hands, sparing her life. Saunders is displeased with Bond's decision, but they have to go meet Koskov, who has reached the safehouse.
Bond orders Saunders to dispose the rifle, as he takes Koskov to the Trans-Siberian Gas Terminal with their Audi. While driving the car to the terminal, Koskov inquires if Bond killed the female sniper, but does not anwser, Koskov assuming that Bond did so. At the terminal, Rosika Miklos helps Bond to get Koskov aboard the PIG Pod, which transports the defector to an Austrian Gasometer, where Q then helps Koskov board a Harrier Jump Jet to fly to England and complete the defection.
Bond reaches Saunders in the car and the two cross the border without incident. However, Saunders berates Bond disobeying the orders, while Bond sharply rationalizes to his actions, telling that if M doesn't like it, then he can discharge Bond from MI6 service.
Q Lab and Blayden safe house[]
Back in England, at the Universal Exports Headquarters, Bond and Q are going over KGB assassins to identify the Opera House shooter, with no success. Miss Moneypenny interrupts, telling to Bond that M expects 007 at the Blayden House.
Gen. Koskov telling the Blayden House attendants about Pushkin's SMERSH operation.
At the Blayden House, General Koskov informs MI6 that the KGB is being run by power-hungry General Pushkin. According to Koskov, Pushkin has revived the old policy of Smert Shpionam — literally, Death to Spies (SMERSH), a programme of Western spy assassinations — and as such Pushkin needs to be eliminated. Although Bond remains skeptical, the story sounds plausible to the higher ups, particularly following the recent murder of Bond's partner at the Gibraltar training exercise.
Shortly afterwards the KGB, in person of the assassin Necros, raids the safe-house where British Intelligence hide Koskov. After murdering a chef, he engages in a brutal fight with an agent in the kitchen and after knocking him unconscious, lobs grenades disguised as milk bottles at two guards, knocking them out, and lobs a second at another agent on the stairs, killing him. After briefly holding a stenographer and holding Koskov hostage, he snatches Koskov back East using the disguise of a doctor’s outfit and a Red Cross helicopter.
Czechoslovakia[]
For his mission to kill Pushkin at a trade conference in Tangier, Morocco, Q supplies Bond with a new Aston Martin and an electric key-finder able to both release stun gas or explode. Bond doubts the Smert Shpionam theory and begins suspecting that Koskov's defection and recapture were staged.
James Bond's Vantage jettisoning over the Czechoslovak VB.
Bond returns to Bratislava, presenting himself to Kara Milovy as Koskov's friend and discovers that Kara is in fact Koskov's girlfriend, who is under KGB surveillance. The pair flee to Vienna, Austria, in the weaponized Aston Martin, pursued by KGB and Czechoslovak Police (Veřejná bezpečnost or VB — Public Security). Bond, however, is forced to destroy the car, whereupon he and Milovy sled down a snow-covered hill in the Kara's cello case.
Austria[]
After the opera in Vienna Bond excuses himself from Milovy to meet Saunders in a café. Saunders has investigated Koskov's story and has discovered a tenuous link between him and a greedy arms dealer, "General" Brad Whitaker. Kara's Stradivarius cello, though bought by Koskov, was funded by him.
The military enthusiast is merely a self-styled general, as he has been expelled from West Point for cheating, and has never served as a military officer. Whitaker has arranged to supply the KGB with Western high-technology weapons through Koskov, and the latter is attempting to deliver the down payment in diamonds. As Pushkin is investigating Koskov and cancels the arms deal with Whittaker, the pair wants him dead. Because Necros is known to the KGB, Koskov intends to deal with Pushkin by having the British kill him. Whitaker agrees but wants Necros to ensure that Pushkin is dead if Bond hasn't done so before the end of the conference.
As Saunders leaves the café he is killed by Necros, who detonates a bomb slamming the sliding door of the café onto Saunders. Necros leaves behind a balloon with the words Smert Shpionam on it, unaware that Bond already suspects the true motives behind the trail of clues lain for him. Bond returns to Milovy, and they immediately leave for Tangier, Morocco.
Tangier[]
Bond confronts Pushkin, who says the KGB deactivated Smert Shpionam in 1967, and that they had nothing to do with the recent deaths of the British agents. Pushkin also reveals that Koskov is actually guilty of embezzling Soviet government funds. This confirms Bond's suspicions that a third party is behind the plot.
James Bond carrying out the fake assassination of Leonid Pushkin.
Bond and Pushkin decide to let Koskov progress with his scheme by faking Pushkin's assassination as he speaks at the convention, just seconds before Necros, who had also infiltrated the convention, could kill Pushkin. Bond escapes from the police and is picked up by Felix Leiter, who is observing Pushkin in Tangier.
Meanwhile Milovy contacts Whitaker's home and Koskov convinces her that Bond is a KGB Agent looking to kill him. She assists in capturing Bond for him by drugging Bonds drink, causing him to faint out! She grasps too late that Koskov has fooled her and had intended her being killed in his defection. After being captured by Koskov, Bond and Milovy are flown to a Soviet air base in Afghanistan, at the height of Soviet occupation.
Afghanistan[]
Imprisoned on arrival, they escape, helped by Bond's key-finder, and free a prisoner to be hanged the next day. The prisoner is Kamran Shah, leader of the local Mujahideen. Bond discovers that Whitaker and Koskov are paying diamonds for a large shipment of opium, which would turn a profit within days of distribution in the streets of the US, and so continue supplying the Soviets with arms.
James Bond firing the AKMS from the Hercules to keep Soviets at bay.
The Mujahideen help Bond and Milovy infiltrate the air base. Bond plants a bomb in the back of the cargo airplane transporting the drugs, but Koskov recognises him. Bond hijacks the airplane, while the Mujahideen attack the airbase. Milovy, at the last minute, joins Bond in the airplane take off and assumes the controls while Bond leaves to defuse his bomb.
Necros, however, has stowed away on board, and attacks Bond. Milovy accidentally opens the cargo door, and Bond and Necros are sucked out, on the cargo net holding the opium; Necros and Bond fight. Necros is left hanging from Bond's boot. Bond cuts his bootlaces, dropping Necros to his death.
Bond manages to find the bomb amidst a slew of bags and defuses it with just two seconds left on the fuse. Milovy flies over Kamran Shah's Mujahideen, who are being pursued by Soviet soldiers across a bridge. Bond reactivates the bomb and drops it onto the bridge, killing the Soviets, helping the Mujahideen win their battle. However, soon after their gunfire-punctured fuel tanks deplete, and as there is no place to land Bond and Milovy use the release chute on the jeep to extract themselves as the airplane crashes in Pakistani territory.
Showdown[]
With Leiter's help Bond infiltrates Whitaker's residence, and pops in as "General" Whitaker is playing a battle in his terms. When Bond tells him that the opium is burned, Whitaker is determined to kill him. He takes out a heavy assault rifle with a shield. When Bond uses up all of his bullets, Whitaker makes a glib remark: "Well, you've had your 8, now I'll have my 80!", taunting Bond with remarks about new technology with weapons while hunting him through his amory.
Bond's key-finder saves him again, when he uses the plastic explosive to topple a bust of Wellington onto Whitaker, killing him. The KGB save Bond's life when agents, led by General Pushkin, burst in and kill the Whitaker guard who had cornered Bond. General Koskov is found by KGB agents, and, while not killed, he is to be flown back to Moscow "in the diplomatic bag", by Pushkin's order.
Epilogue[]
Bond and Kara together at the end.
In London, Milovy performs with an orchestra with M, now-diplomat General Gogol and General Pushkin attending. M reveals that Gogol has persuaded the Soviet government to allow her to perform in both the Soviet Union and in Great Britain. Kamran Shah and his men arrive but miss most of the performance. Milovy introduces Shah and his men to Gogol and the Russians before retiring to her dressing room. Bond then surprises her there and the two share a kiss.
Cast & characters[]
Crew[]
- Directed by: John Glen
- Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
- Written by: Ian Fleming
- Screenplay by: Michael G. Wilson, Richard Maibaum
- Composed by: John Barry
- Production design by: Peter Lamont
Production[]
Writing[]
Early script ideas[]
- Main article: Unmade Bond 15
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The 15th James Bond movie was originally envisioned to have primarily taken place at the Golden Triangle region.
Following the release of the A View to a Kill in summer of 1985, screenwriter Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson began brainstorming the next James Bond film during the later half of that year. Although Roger Moore had not yet quit the role of James Bond - announcing it later on December 3rd 1985 - it was evident that a new, younger actor was planned to assume the role of the iconic super spy in the next 007 adventure.
Maibaum and Wilson conceptualized the original 15th Bond movie to be a kind of prequel to the series. In it, younger adult James Bond would transfer from his duties as a military attaché in Austria to a agent for the MI6. Not quite the super spy he would come to be known as, he would instead partner up with the present 007 - Bart Trevor (also known as Burton Trevor in earlier drafts) - on a mission to the notorious Golden Triangle, where he would come face to face with a opium warlord known as General Kwang.[1]
Although Maibaum and Wilson thought they had something special, the story idea was vetoed by producer Albert R. Broccoli, who feared that the audience would be turned off by the "wet-behind-the-ears" James Bond. Although unused for the completed 15th Bond film, this concept would later be used for the 2006's Casino Royale, which rebooted the series with Daniel Craig as 007.[2][3]
Story proper[]
A scene was filmed with Bond "flying on a magic carpet", but it was cut from the final film.
The plot for the final movie started to formalize in a draft dated December 3, 1985, with characters of Kara Milovy and Brad Whitaker already present. The SMERSH acronym "Smiert Shpionam" - the "Death to Spies" from Fleming's novel - had served as the basis for the scripts.
The cargo plane sequence was originally planned to be ended with Bond and Kara flying over the ocean and being intercepted by two US Navy F-4 Phantoms. The plane was meant to land on a US aircraft carrier, where an accident occurs when landing the cargo plane, forcing Bond and Kara to escape before it falls into the ocean.
TBA
Casting[]
The new Bond[]
Although there were many applicants for the role, only three actors were taken seriously enough to be considered for the role of James Bond in The Living Daylights; them being Sam Neill, Pierce Brosnan and Timothy Dalton.
Actor Sam Neill in his screen-test for the role of James Bond.
According Sam Neill's statements in 2022, he was essentially hectored by his then-talent agent into doing a screen-test for the film, despite the actor having about zero interest in actually accepting the role. While Dana and Barbara Broccoli, as well as director John Glen were enthused by Neill, the series' chief producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli found him unsuitable for the role. In hindsight, Neill was grateful that EON never tried to re-approach him after the screen-tests.[4]
Pierce Brosnan (accompanied by Cubby Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson) had signed for the role of James Bond, before contract dispute involving Remington Steele forced him to drop out.
Regarding Pierce Brosnan, Cubby Broccoli had set his sights on him early on, with the two having met in 1981 during the filming of For Your Eyes Only, in which Brosnan's then-wife Cassandra Harris played a small role. Prior to the casting process, Brosnan had starred in NBC's crime thriller/romantic comedy television series Remington Steele, which was due to be cancelled after the 1985-86 television season.
Brosnan had signed for the role of James Bond in mid-1986. However, when it became public that Brosnan was the favorite for the next Bond, it inexplicably caused an uptick in interest for Remington Steele. NBC decided to renew Remington Steele, and by appealing to Brosnan's contractual obligations for the role, the network brute-forced him to return for Remington Steele and to withdraw the EON signing. Brosnan would have to wait until Dalton chose to not renew his contract in 1993, which would give his second chance and ultimately be announced as the then-new James Bond actor in June 1994. Brosnan's first James Bond feature GoldenEye would be released in November 1995.
Before being cast as Roger Moore's successor as James Bond, Timothy Dalton had originally been considered for the role of James Bond twice. First time as a replacement for Sean Connery, but had ruled himself out as being too young. He had been considered again when Roger Moore decided to leave the role prior to For Your Eyes Only, and was apparently all but signed to portray the character when Moore changed his mind at the last moment. When asked for third time for this movie, he initially refused, but relented after Pierce Brosnan was forced to withdraw. Finally, on August 6, 1986, it was announced that Timothy Dalton would be the new James Bond.
The other actors[]
Maryam d'Abo, however, earned her Kara Milovy role with her screen test with Brosnan; she was not in the running for a role in the film, but had been hired to act opposite the 007 contenders; impressed, the producers gave her the part.
Lois Maxwell, who had played Miss Moneypenny in fourteen consecutive films from Dr. No to A View to a Kill, left the series along with Roger Moore. She was replaced by British actress Caroline Bliss, who was 25 at the time of filming.
Originally, the KGB general set up by General Koskov was to be General Gogol. However, actor Walter Gotell was seriously ill during that time and was unable to handle a major role. Thus the character of Leonid Pushkin replaced Gogol, with the latter appearing only briefly at the end of the film, having transferred to the Soviet diplomatic service. This is Gogol's final appearance in a James Bond film (Gotell died in 1997). The similarity between Pushkin and Gogol is emphasized by the fact that Pushkin is seen accompanied by a beautiful blonde, much as Gogol was in his early appearances.
This film also marks the final appearance of Geoffrey Keen as British Defense Minister Sir Frederick Gray, who had appeared six times in a row from 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me onward, up until this film
Actors Lee Van Cleef and Jack Palance were considered for the role of Brad Whitaker, with character actor Joe Don Baker ultimately getting the role. Joe Don Baker would later reappear in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, as a different character, Jack Wade, Bond's CIA liaison and replacement for Felix Leiter.
Actors Frederick Warder and Glyn Baker were cast as Agents 004 and 002, who appear in the opening sequence, because of their resemblance to former Bonds Roger Moore and George Lazenby respectively. This trick was intended to keep the audience guessing for the first few minutes of the film as to who the new James Bond would be.
Music[]
The Living Daylights marks the final time with John Barry composing a Bond movie's soundtrack.
The soundtrack for the The Living Daylights was composed by John Barry, and would be the last James Bond film he composed. The title song, "The Living Daylights," was performed by the Norwegian pop group a-ha. The music video for the single was also partially shot at the Pinewood Studios, where many of the grandest sequences in Bond cinema - including interior set for Stromberg's tanker in The Spy Who Loved Me - were made.
The Pet Shop Boys had originally agreed to compose the title song for the movie, but withdrew when they were unallowed to do the entirety of the soundtrack. John Barry also commissioned the band The Pretenders to compose the two tracks "If There Was a Man" (the end credits theme) and "Where Has Everybody Gone?" (the song that constantly plays on Necros' Walkman), which were also included in the soundtrack. There is also the song "Sacred Heart" by Chris Blackwell (De Wolfe library) that shortly plays at the Q-lab during the demonstration of the Ghetto Blaster.
Weapons & Gadgets[]
Gadgets[]
- Main article: List of James Bond gadgets
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Night Vision Goggles - Saunders uses a pair of night vision goggles during the supposed defection of General Koskov. Using them he spots Koskov leaving the Opera House and identifies Kara Milovy - the girl with the cello - as the sniper supposedly sent to kill him. |
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Rake Metal Detector - A metal detector kept outside an MI6 building, disguised as a simple garden rake. |
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Milk Bottle Grenades - Posing as a milkman, Necros carries with him a crate full of explosive milk bottles. He causes a series of large explosions, informing security that they are the result of a gas leak to keep them distracted and away from the house. |
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Ghetto Blaster - A weapon under development by Q Branch for the Americans. It is seen being tested in the Q Branch labs and is never used by Bond. The ghetto blaster is an '80s–style rocket-firing, stereophonic, cassette tapedeck. |
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Revolving Couch - Q is also testing a sofa that swallows whoever sits on it. |
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Philips Key Finder - Contains some clever audio-actuated modifications. Whistling the first bar of "Rule Britannia" causes it to spray stun gas. It also contains an explosive charge which is activated by Bond's personalised signal - a wolf whistle. It also comes with skeleton keys attached which Q claims can "open 90% of the world's locks". |
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Miniature Binoculars - A pair of miniature binoculars contained on normal looking eye-glass frames. When Bond is in Tangiers, he follows Koskov’s car after a conference and uses the glasses to spy on him from a distance. |
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Silent Alarm Watch - A watch designed to alert the user's bodyguard by an audible beeping emitted by his counterpart watch. It is triggered by pressing the crown (or winding switch). A pulsing red light on the watch indicates the alarm has been activated. General Pushkin uses such a watch after being cornered by 007 in his hotel suite. |
Weapons[]
Main articles: List of Firearms and The Living Daylights (film) Weapons
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Walther PPK - James Bond's sidearm. He first is seen with it at the Vienna amusement park. Later he uses it to try make Pushkin talk. And lastly, he uses to try defeat Whitaker and his armor unsuccessfully. |
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Heckler & Koch P9S - used by the impostor 00 during pre-title sequence. Also appears in hands of the "woman in white" that's featured in the film's posters. |
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Smith & Wesson Model 36 - carried by the butler at the Blayden safehouse. Its then taken by Necros to make a guard help him secure Koskov to the Huey medical copter. |
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Tokarev TT-33 - used by Czechoslovakian police during the Aston Martin chase. In the movie, a Spanish-made M1911 clone "Star Model B" is used as a stand-in. |
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CZ 83 - used by Necros when he attempts to shoot Pushkin, before Bond fake kills him first. It is also carried by the police in Tangiers. It is shortly seen in the hands of Colonel Feyador, who attempts to fire at the Hercules plane. |
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Heckler & Koch MP5 - used by SAS troopers at Gibraltar. They are loaded with paintball ammunition as part of the training exercise for the 00 agents. One SAS operative fires at the imposter 00, who reacts by shooting his real P9S pistol at the SAS trainer. |
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Kalashnikov Rifle (various 7.62 models) - various models of the AK appear in the film. The FEG AMMS (Hungarian AKMS) is used by the Czechoslovakian troopers during the Aston Martin chase. Base model AK-47 are seen in the hands of the Mujahideen. Soviet soldiers in Afghanistan use AKMS, with Bond acquiring one to cover for his escape in the Hercules plane. |
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Walther MPK - used by Czechoslovakian police. |
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Beretta Model 12S - submachinegun used by the Tangiers police chasing down Bond after Pushkin's faked assassination. |
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Mini Uzi - used by Whitaker, before he acquires the specialized Colt Commando. |
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Colt Model 733 "M16A2 Commando" - used by Whitaker during his final encounter. |
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Vz. 61 Škorpion - submachinegun used by Pushkin and his escorts when raiding Whitaker's villa. |
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Walther WA2000 - sniper rifle provided to Bond by Saunders to shoot the assassin that is trying to kill Koskov. After Bond finds out the assassin is Kara, the former instead uses it shoot the rifle out of the latter's hand. |
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Winchester Model 70 - the sniper rifle loaded with blanks that Kara tries to use in the faked defection of Koskov. |
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Anschutz LG275 air rifle - used by James Bond at the Vienna carnival to win prizes for Kara. |
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MG3 - machine gun used by Czechoslovakian troops during the Aston Martin chase. |
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KPV Machine gun - machine gun used by the Soviets in Afghanistan. Necros mans one on a LUV to chase the Hercules plane. The KPV in the movie is a mocked-up Browning M2HB |
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RPG-7 - used by the Mujahideen when they attack the Soviet Air Base in Afghanistan. |
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F-1 Hand Grenade - used by the Mujahideen when they attack the Soviet Air Base in Afghanistan. |
Background/low presence firearms[]
- Beretta Cheetah (Pushkin's guard, after Pushkin triggers the silent alarm on his watch)
- Browning BDA (Umarex replica) (female CIA agents at Tangiers)
- MAT-49 (police at Tangiers airport)
- Karabiner 98k (Mujahideen)
- M14 (Mujahideen)
- Lee-Enfield No. 4 Mk I (Mujahideen)
- RPD (Mujahideen)
- RPK (Soviet solider on Panhard AML)
- Nock Gun (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
- Maxim MG08 (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
- Colt 1874 Gatling Gun (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
- Fictional grenade launcher/modified AR-15 pistol (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
- Fictional sub machine gun/modified Heckler & Koch MP5K (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
- Fictional rifle/modified Crosman Ratcatcher Air Rifle (Brad Whitaker's weapon collection)
Vehicles[]
Main articles: List of James Bond vehicles and The Living Daylights (film) Vehicles
Major vehicles[]
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Aston Martin V8 Vantage Volante - a convertible, which was later "winterised" with a hardtop. Came with all the usual refinements including side skis, spiked tires, missiles, hubcap-mounted lasers, rocket propulsion and a self-destruct mechanism. |
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Land Rover 88'' Series III - munitions truck used by the Imposter 00 to try escape Gibraltar. |
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Audi 200 (C3) - Austrian-registered 200 quattro Exclusiv C3 is used as a getaway car after General Koskov's defection at the start of the film. Later at Tangiers, Bond drives a 200 Avant quattro C3. |
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1986 Wales & Edwards Rangemaster - the milk float that is stolen by Necros in order to gain access to Blayden House. |
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Lada 1500 / VAZ-2103 "Zhiguli" - used by the Czechoslovakian troops during the Aston Martin chase. (These cars are actually Lada 1600/VAZ-2106 but with Lada 1500/VAZ-2103 bumpers and grilles) |
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1959 Chevrolet Impala Sport Coupe (Custom-made Convertible) - driven by the two female CIA agents in Tangiers. Bond tries to hitch a ride with them to evade the police, but ends up being taken to Felix Leiter's spy vessel. |
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Tracma 1500 - the ground conveyor that Bond uses in Afghanistan to jump over the fence. |
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Land Rover 90 - used by Kara to race inside the Hercules. Then, after they are forced to abandon the Hercules, Bond and Kara use this to parachute out of the aforementioned cargo plane. After landing, Bond decides to drive to Karachi. |
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Dodge WC 51 - Red Army vehicle that is used by both General Koskov and Necros to try chase down the Hercules. |
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Panhard AML - two of them pursue Mujahadeen fighters across the bridge that ends up being destroyed by the Bomb thrown by Bond out of the Hercules. |
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Bell UH-1 Iroquois - medical helicopter used by Koskov's collaborators to sprit him away from the Blayden House. (The helicopter used in the movie is in-fact a UH-1 that was captured by the British during the Falklands War and then sold to private use.) |
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Hawker Siddeley Harrier - this V/STOL aircraft is used to evacuate Koskov after his defection to the west. |
 
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Lockheed C-130 Hercules - two different C-130 planes appear in the film. One is a RAF plane used by the 00 agents to parachute to Gibraltar. The second one is employed by Koskov/Whitaker's drug operation, which ends up being stolen by during the siege at the Soviet Airbase in Afghanistan. The second plane is doubled by Fairchild C-123 Provider in the scene where Bond and Necros fight each other while dangling on a web. |
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Aero Commander 500 - the aircraft that lands on the Soviet airbase just to crash at the WC 51 that Koskov is driving. |
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Spectral Marine 2:20 - CIA intelligence gathering vessel. Bond meets Felix Leiter aboard it. |
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PIG Pod - used to initially to clean and check the natural gas pipeline from USSR to West Europe. It's converted here specially to smuggle a man out of the Eastern bloc, with Koskov being the first. |
Other notable vehicles[]
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1982 Toyota Carina (A60) - the white car with a family aboard that almost crashes into the Land Rover Series III during Gibraltar sequence. |
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1968 Volkswagen 1200 (Typ 1) - the car which door gets torn off by the Land Rover Series III during Gibraltar sequence. |
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Lada 1200 Combi (VAZ-2102) - Bratislava night sequence |
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1986 Daimler Limousine (DS420) - Blayden House sequence. |
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1981 Daimler Double Six (Series III) - Blayden House sequence. |
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Land Rover Range Rover Series I - appears at the Blayden House. |
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1984 Bedford TK HCB-Angus - Blayden House sequence. |
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1982 Ford Granada Police MkII - Blayden House sequence. |
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1982 GAZ 3102 Volga - car that brings Pushkin to Kara's house in Bratislava. |
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Lada Riva (VAZ-2105) - occupied by the KGB agent that's staking out Kara's home in Bratislava. |
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1974 MAN (F8) - the trailer truck used by Czechoslovakian troops to try stop Bond's Aston Martin Vantage. Bond's Aston Martin blows it up with missiles. |
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1983 Kässbohrer Flexmobil - used by the Czechoslovakian troops during the Aston Martin chase. |
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Ratrac SR - used by the Czechoslovakian troops during the Aston Martin chase. |
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1974 Mercedes-Benz 240 D Lang [W115] - the car that brings Pushkin to Whitaker's villa. |
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1981 Ford Cargo "Feyertag" - Used by Bond and Kara to travel as stowaways from the Czechoslovakian until they reach Vienna. |
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1978 GMC Vandura - Used by Koskov and Necros to smuggle diamonds (and Bond) out of Tangier. |
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1971 Land-Rover 109" Series III (mocked-up to look like a Soviet vehicle) - driven around at the Soviet Air Base in Afghanistan. |
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1978 Renault TRM 9000 - used by the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. One of them gets loaded with raw opium bags, with Bond stowing away to get to the base to destroy the shipment. |
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Case 750 - construction caterpillar used by the Mujahideen to plow through the fences of the Soviet Air Base. |
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Reo M-44 (G742) - used by the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. The fuel truck that gets blown up by the Mujahideen. |
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M8 Greyhound - used by the ČSLA to try prevent James Bond and Kara Milovy from escaping in their Aston Martin. |
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Steyr Pandur 6x6 (Prototype) - used by the ČSLA to try prevent James Bond and Kara Milovy from escaping in their Aston Martin. |
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1979 Saviem VAB 6x6 - used by the Soviet troops in Afghanistan. |
Background vehicles[]
Land vehicles[]
- AEC Routemaster
- AM General M-818
- 1975 Austin FX4
- 1962 Barkas B1000
- 1963 Berliet GLC 6 RM3
- 1977 Berliet GC 190
- Champion 715
- 1983 Dacia 1310
- 1951 Dodge M-37
- 1975 Lada RL [2101]
- 1977 Lada RL [2101]
- 1981 Lincoln Town Car
- 1981 Mazda 323
- Mercedes-Benz Unimog-S 404 [404]
- 1983 Mercedes-Benz 190 [W201]
- 1970 Moskvitch 1500 SCL
- 1982 Moskvitch 1500 SL
- 1974 Opel Kadett [C]
- 1986 Opel Kadett [E]
- 1961 Peugeot 404
- 1971 Renault 6
- 1986 Rover 800
- 1970 Saviem TP 3
- 1978 Saviem SG-2
- 1978 Saviem SG-4
- 1978 Škoda 1203
- 1980 Škoda 105
- 1981 Škoda 105
- 1984 Škoda 105
- 1969 Tatra 603-2
- 1982 Toyota Coaster
- 1977 Trabant 601
- 1973 UAZ-469B
- 1984 Volkswagen Jetta A2 [Typ 19E]
- 1970 Volvo 144
Aircraft[]
- Hawker Siddeley Nimrod MR2 (Gibraltar beach)
- Boeing 727-2B6 (Tangiers/Morocco Airport)
- Boeing 757-2B6 (Tangiers/Morocco Airport)
- Dassault-Dornier Alpha Jet E/H (Soviet Airbase in Afghanistan)
- North American-Rockwell OV-10B Bronco (Soviet Airbase in Afghanistan)
- Fouga CM170 Magister (Soviet Airbase in Afghanistan)
Locations[]
Film locations[]
| Country and region | Location | Real/shooting Location |
|---|---|---|
| Gibraltar | Military Installation/Training Grounds | Douglas Path, Gibraltar Rock Gun Road at Signal Station Road, Gibraltar St. Michael Road, Gibraltar |
| Town | Queen's Gate, Gibraltar. | |
| Harbor | Gibraltar harbor | |
| Czechoslovakia, Bratislava | Bratislava Streets | Vienna, Austria[5] |
| Bratislava Concert Hall | Vienna Volksoper (exterior shots) | |
| Disused building/Bond's sniping point | Wahringer Strasse, Vienna | |
| Trans-Siberian Pipeline Terminal | TBA | |
| Czechoslovakia-Austria Border Checkpoint 1 | Vienna, Steinsporn Bridge | |
| Austria, Vienna (Koskov's extraction) | Vienna Gasometer | Gasometers, Guglgasse 6, Vienna |
| UK, London | MI6 Headquarters/Universal Exports Office | Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board, 57 Trafalgar Square (exterior shot) |
| MI6 Headquarters, Q-Lab | Peter Lamont set | |
| MI6 Headquarters, M's office | TBA | |
| UK, Oxfordshire | Blayden House | Stonor House, Oxfordshire, England |
| Place where Necros attacks the milkman | White Pond Farm Cottages, Stonor, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire | |
| Czechoslovakia, Bratislava (return) | Streets where Kara is detained | Vienna, Antonigasse and Sommarugagasse |
| Tram Depot | Kreuzgasse, Vienna, Austria | |
| Kara's Home | Antonigasse 92, Vienna (exterior) | |
| Czechoslovakia, Mountainous Border Region | Road and tunnel roadblock | Drautalstraße & Festungsbergtunnel, Carinthia, Austria |
| Frozen lake | Weissensee, Carinthia, Austria | |
| Czechoslovakia-Austria Border Checkpoint 2 | Weissensee, Carinthia, Austria | |
| Austria, Vienna | Horse Carriage Tour | TBA |
| Vienna Hotel | Palais Schwarzenberg, Vienna | |
| Vienna Opera House | Schoenbrunn Palace, Vienna | |
| Wiener Prater Funfair | Same | |
| Morocco, Tangier | Brad Whitaker's Villa | Forbes Museum, Palace El Mendoub, Tangier |
| Hotel Ile De France | The Consulate General of France (2, Place de France, Tangier Morocco) | |
| Conference Hall | Elveden Hall, Suffolk, England. | |
| Tangier rooftop and street escape | Place de la Kasbah, Tangier, Morocco | |
| CIA Spy Ship in Tangier | Spectral Marine 2:20 (exterior/ship), docked at Fishing Port and Marina, Tangier, Morocco. | |
| Tangier Hotel | Route de la Plage Merkala (exterior shot) | |
| Tangier Airport | TBA | |
| Afghanistan | Koskov's Lockheed Hercules | Lockheed C-130 Hercules owned by Moroccoan Military; fight between Bond and Necros shot in Arizona, USA. |
| Soviet Airbase | Ouarzazate Airport, Drâa-Tafilalet, Morocco | |
| Soviet Airbase Prison Cell | TBA | |
| Afghanistan roadside | TBA | |
| Mujahideen Hideout | Ait-Ben-Haddou, Morocco | |
| Opium exchange location | TBA | |
| Afghanistan Bridge | Pinewood Studious |
Shooting locations[]
Trivia[]
Teaser poster.
Octopussy connection[]
- The title is taken from the posthumous Ian Fleming-penned collection of short stories Octopussy and the Living Daylights, although it only adapt one of its short stories, "The Living Daylights" into Koskov's pipeline-smuggling defection scene. The title of the original Fleming work is also used for the 13th Bond film, Octopussy, released 4 years prior to The Living Daylights with Roger Moore still playing Bond back then, and the storyline contains elements adapted from 2 of the short stories, "Octopussy" and "The Property of a Lady". Despite both films having the title taken from the short stories collection, Octopussy and The Living Daylights have no relations to each other in matters of plotlines or continuities, though they have notable similarities:
- Both have Afghanistan as pivotal part of the storyline's element. One of Octopussy's main villains, Kamal Khan, is a secluded Afghan nobleman. The Living Daylights features Soviet troops attempting to invade Afghanistan with Western weapons, only to be foiled by James Bond with the aid of Kara Milovy and the local Mujahideen led by Kamran Shah.
- Both feature a 00 agent being killed by an associate of the main enemy. In Octopussy, a 009 is stabbed from distance by knife-throwing criminals Mischka and Grischka. In The Living Daylights, a 004 falls from a great height while he attempts to climb the rocks of Gibraltar, only for a fake 00 to pass the note Smert Shpionam and cut off the rope used for the climbing. Bond later kills these assassins in the following retaliation.
- Both feature General Gogol in separate positions. During Octopussy, Gogol was still a then-incumbent KGB superior. In The Living Daylights, his position was succeeded by General Leonid Pushkin, and Gogol himself was transferred to the Soviet Diplomatic Service who then granted Kara Milovy a visa for international tours and future trips.
- Both films have two main villains working together with heavy weaponries and large-scale invasions as their core motives, with one of them being a rogue Soviet military officer who was eventually cornered by his superior. In Octopussy, Kamal Khan conspires with a renegade Russian Army officer General Orlov to detonate an atomic bomb in U.S. Air Base Feldstadt, West Germany, allowing Soviet troops to seize the entire Western bloc. In The Living Daylights, General Koskov embezzles Soviet funds to purchase large supply of state-of-the-art weaponries from illegal arms dealer Brad Whitaker, where the weapons would be used to ease the ongoing Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
- Both films were directed by John Glen and scored by John Barry, with The Living Daylights being Barry's last work in a Bond film and the only time he cameoed in such film (uncredited, as a Viennese orchestra conductor).
- Both films feature scenes where James Bond checks into a luxurious hotel which was previously a royal palace. (Shiv Niwas in Octopussy and Palais Schwarzenberg in The Living Daylights).
- Both films feature scenes where Q sees Bond's main opponents himself. During the raid at Monsoon Palace towards the ending of Octopussy, Bond and Q sees Kamal Khan abducts Octopussy with Bond following from behind after dropping at Khan's study. The Living Daylights marks the first time Q directly interacts with the main villain, welcoming Koskov and aiding him to board a British aircraft after the latter entering Austria by way of pipeline smuggling during the latter's "defection".
- Both films are succeeded with 2 years-gap followups with the word "kill" in the titles. Octopussy is followed by A View to a Kill, and The Living Daylights is followed by Licence to Kill.
- Both films featured relatively small roles played by Peter Porteous. He played a Russian jewellery forger in league with Orlov in Octopussy and later a Czech pipeline gasworks supervisor whom Bond's ally Rosika Miklos tricks into making love while Koskov's "defection" is being set into motion in The Living Daylights. Porteous has no speaking lines in the latter film.
- In both films, each of the main adversaries are defeated in separate occurrences from Bond's success in preventing execution of their master plans. At the climax of Octopussy, in a day or two after disarming the atomic bomb planted by General Orlov (who has been shot dead by East German border guards and cornered by KGB superior General Gogol before Octopussy's circus arrival at Feldstadt) and Kamal Khan inside Octopussy's circus, Bond follows Octopussy and her cult back to India in pursuit of Khan and his personal aide Gobinda who then abduct Octopussy and attempt to flee the country, only to be stopped mid-air by Bond with Gobinda fell off the plane from extreme heights after a melee with Bond, Octopussy being rescued by Bond after the latter jams Khan's plane engines, and Khan killed in the ensuing crash due to the engine's damage. During The Living Daylights final battle, that might occurred several hours or days after Bond's foiling of opium shipment to Whitaker and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, Bond defeats Whitaker by activating an explosive inside a magnetized keychain attached into a bust of the Duke of Wellington, which then crushed on the weapons dealer, killing him. General Pushkin apprehends Koskov and his remaining accomplices in the same spot soon afterwards, intending to bring him back to Moscow "in a diplomatic bag".
- Both films have blonde Bond Girls: Magda in Octopussy and Kara Milovy in The Living Daylights.
- James Bond defeats the main villains' primary henchmen in both films, with the fight being set mid-air on the plane that would be crashed in a desert right after Bond and his girl escape on time. In Octopussy, while dangling on Kamal Khan's plane to kill Bond with his knife, Gobinda plunges to his death after Bond snapped the plane's antenna into his nose, causing Gobinda to lose balance and slips off the plane, meeting his demise. In The Living Daylights, the fight between Bond and Necros culminates with both dangling on a cargo net that expands outside of the Hercules carrying the opium after the back door is accidentally opened. Necros then slips down but then he firmly grips on Bond's boots to avoid falling down. Eventually, as a token of vengeance to Necros who had killed MI6 Vienna head operative Saunders, Bond cuts off his boot's lace, sending Necros to death.
Other Trivia[]
- The first Bond film to star Timothy Dalton as James Bond and Caroline Bliss as Miss Moneypenny.
- The Living Daylights marks the first time a headbutt is used in a James Bond movie, as well as the first use of a variation of the word "fuck" on-screen (by Timothy Dalton, although he is not audible at the time).
- This is the final James Bond film with a main storyline set during and completely related to the Cold War. In the 17th film, GoldenEye, the Cold War only provided the background of the pre-title sequence, while the remainder of the story is set years after the fall of the Soviet Union.
- Prior to this movie, the plot involving a fake Soviet defector inspired by Vitaly Yurchenko was used in a 1986 Semic Press James Bond comic titled "Death in Florence".
- A-ha's lead vocalist, Morten Harket was offered a small role as a villain's henchman in The Living Daylights, but declined, because of lack of time and the reasoning that they wanted to cast him just because of his popularity, not his acting. Instead, a-ha sang the title song for The Living Daylights.
- In a cameo role, series composer John Barry conducts the orchestra in Vienna at the end of the film. Producer Michael G. Wilson also continues his string of Bond film cameo appearances; he can be seen as a member of the opera house audience.
- The then-Prince and Princess of Wales visited the film's set during several occasions, with one particular moment being the members of the Royal Family tested one of the props, which was a fake glass bottle made out of sugar during a visit to the set of Brad Whitaker's Tangier mansion.
- The use of the Russian phrase "Smert Shpionam" ("Death to Spies") is a reference to SMERSH, the Russian spy agency James Bond combated in the early Ian Fleming novels. It was mentioned in only one previous Bond film, From Russia with Love.
- The Living Daylights is the first Bond film since Moonraker to not have its title announced in the end credits of the previous film, nor has any Bond film since had its title announced in the end credits of the previous film.
- It was the first film in 14 years to feature Felix Leiter who had not been seen since Live and Let Die.
- The actors who portrayed Pushkin and Rubavitch have starred in science fiction television series after the film's release - John Rhys-Davies in Sliders and Virginia Hey in Farscape. Both actors appeared in 1980s-era blockbuster film franchises (Rhys-Davies in the Indiana Jones series and Hey in Mad Max 2).
- This film is noted for Virginia Hey appearing partially nude in a Bond film outside the opening credits (images of nudity have been used in a majority of the Maurice Binder designed title sequences).
- This is the second time we see M in his Royal Navy uniform; the first time was in You Only Live Twice when he wore the Royal Navy whites with the old insignia board.
- This was the last film of the series ever to be rated PG by the MPAA in North America. The following ones beginning with the next movie License to Kill are rated PG-13.
- The Living Daylights is the first Bond film without any actors who appeared in the original James Bond film Dr. No, following Lois Maxwell's departure from the role of Miss Moneypenny.
Gallery[]
Posters[]
.jpg "The Living Daylights (HD Poster).jpg (1.15 MB)")
.jpg "The Living Daylights (Poster).jpg (1.25 MB)")
Video[]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ "Scripting 007: Behind the writing of the James Bond movies" by Clement Feutry (Version 2.2 - Nov 30, 2024) - Chapter 15: "The Living Daylights", pages 958-976.
- ↑ Symposium by Richard Maibaum for the Writer's Guild of America, Beverly Hills, California, October 1987; via "Speaking of Writing" by Sylvia Kamion Maibaum and Richard Maibaum (2019).
- ↑ "Inside The Living Daylights" DVD bonus.
- ↑ Sam Neill on James Bond: ‘I Wouldn’t Have Taken the Role’ by Don Kaye, Den of Geek (June 14, 2022)
- ↑ Vienna as Bratislava in ‘The Living Daylights’ 28, Mar 2021 Posted by Piotr Zając in The Living Daylights, Vienna
| James Bond films |
|---|
| 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 |