The James Bond Franchise: Thunderball (1965)

For Sean Connery's fourth James Bond adventure, Thunderball, also based on Ian Flemings novel, it now seems that a very credible plot and great production values sometimes do not prevent the first cracks coming into the franchise.

You see, even though the plot works well, is credible and spectacular and leads to visually interesting locales, the story seems to lack drive and freshness. Also Sean Connery, a bit disillusioned with the effect the adventures of James Bond had on his acting career, seems sligthly disinterested.



Adolfo Celi is the mastermind who has an airplane highjacked for the nuclear bombs it is carrying. It is Bond's task to find them and he does, with the right kind of assistance. However, when the US Marines have to come in to save the day, it somehow feels the writers could not come up with a sufficiently original ending themselves.

Also, the pressures of making such a tremendously exciting film now start showing as the editing has a number of flaws that unfortunately could have been prevented. This is a big shame, as the film could have been so much better. But rumours have it the original director's print ran well into three hours and therefor required drastical editing to bring it down to manageable length.

Add to that that Celi does not succeed in bringing a new kind of villain (you know, he reminds you of the other guy) and you have a film that fails slightly to satisfy your needs. Never mind that John Barry did a great score again. Tom Jones does an admirable title song too.


Part of Thunderball's history is the Kevin McClory side of the story. Kevin McClory was one of the persons who were involved with Ian Fleming in trying to make a Bond film in 1958 and 1959. Because they failed to get funding at the time, the project did not come off the ground. Ian Fleming used the story they concocted together for his next Bond novel and then the trouble started.

You see, Kevin McClory wanted his share of the profits once the novel hit the bookshelves. He and Jack Wittingham had done a lot of work in getting the story right with Fleming and now it seemed Fleming was pretending the story was all his. The judge spoke in favour of McClory and McClory won the film rights and various other benefits. But when the judge gave it's judgement, the first Saltzman & Broccoli films were already out, making big bucks.



McClory saw he could not compete with Sean Connery as Bond so he contacted the EON Producers and suggested teaming up. They did and produced Thunderball. Then, the rights would revert to McClory after 10 years again. So in 1975, all the Thunderball rights came back to McClory and there the origins of NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN lay.

Thunderball is not a bad film, but instead of fast, fresh and exciting, it seems to toddle on at its own speed. Which is not the best speed. Still, not bad in all.