Thunderball opens with James Bond being called early into work, only to be dispatched to a health clinic because his habits threaten to make him unfit for duty. Meanwhile, the evil organization SPECTRE, run by supervillain Ernst Blofeld, seize two nuclear weapons and hold the world for ransom. On a lucky hunch, Bond goes to investigate in the Bahamas. There he discovers Emilio Largo, SPECTRE’s second-in-command, with the bombs. After seducing Largo’s girlfriend (this is Bond we’re talking about), he convinces her to assist him on his mission. The action-filled climax is bombastic (pun intended), and epic.
Let’s tackle the book first. Thunderball is the ninth novel in the series, published in 1961, and the first of the so-called Blofeld trilogy (with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and You Only Live Twice). It became a best seller and has the distinction of being the last novel released before the world met the now iconic film version of James Bond.
But before writing the book, Bond creator Ian Fleming worked with Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham on a screenplay that shares most of the plot elements. After reading an advance copy, McClory sued Fleming for breach of copyright and asked for publication to be halted. The out-of-court settlement, in a Solomonic-esque way, provided that McClory retained rights for the screenplay and certain characters, while Fleming kept the novel rights. This allowed the Eon-produced film to be made, and released in 1965. The film was the epitome of success and cemented the reputation of the cinematic version of James Bond.
There are movie remakes, and then movie remakes. The 1983 remake of Thunderball, Never Say Never Again is one of the latter. Sean Connery again played the lead role (in his final Bond role), but the film was based more on the original screenplay rather than the book. It was released just as Eon released Octopussy with Roger Moore playing Bond. It was a battle of the Bonds. And the fans went all in for it, making both films box office hits.
One thing that both films changed is the decision to investigate in the Bahamas, using different methods to make Bond suggest the place. The novel shows it is in fact, M who thinks of it and dispatches Bond because of the trust he has in his officer to carry out such a wild goose chase.
On a personal note, Thunderball is the only film in the series that I haven’t enjoyed in a movie theater, and thus the film holds a special place in my list, earmarked with a wish to be fulfilled.
If you are looking for a classic book to compare to the movie version(s), Thunderball is a great starting point.
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