You Only Live Twice 4K 1967 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

After a mysterious missile hijacks space objects piloted from Earth's orbit, the world's superpowers find themselves on the brink of war. Their only hope is James Bond, who rushes to stop the real culprit, Ernst Blofeld, an instigator and provocateur of global proportions. Agent 007 and the Japanese ninjas of the secret service must find and stop him before nuclear war breaks out.

Review 4K Movie

Two superpowers are on the brink of nuclear conflict because they are convinced that satellites are disappearing for a reason. In some ways, they are right, but the British secret service has its own opinion. A large Japanese corporation, Osato, and the SPECTRE organization behind it are clearly involved in the case. And who is MI6's top expert on this terrorist organization? That's right, James Bond. So he has to hobble off to Japan, because no one but him is capable of stopping the catastrophe in a matter of seconds. But Agent 007's enemies are watching him too closely. Somehow, he has to divert their keen gaze...

Live and Let Die is the first example of how the literary original was sacrificed for the sake of effect. Perhaps many people would like to read about how a drunken Bond drearily tries to extract some information about the USSR from Tanaka's Tiger. Then he is forced to disguise himself as a Japanese man and sneak into a castle frequented by suicidal Japanese peasants. By chance, the owner of the castle turns out to be Ernst Stavro Blofeld, whom 007 cannot help but take revenge on for the murder of his wife (for some reason, in the books, he prefers to strangle all villains). Then, horror of horrors, Bond loses his memory... But the movie will be about something else.

They didn't start filming On Her Majesty's Secret Service because they couldn't find any snowy landscapes (they eventually came to an agreement with the Swiss). So the film crew moved to Japan, with its Toyotas, sumo wrestlers, volcanoes, houses with paper walls, bathhouses, ninjas, and so on. They filmed in Kyoto, Tokyo, on land, on water, and in the air. Meanwhile, a giant set was being built in a studio in England—a volcanic crater—which cost more than the entire film Dr. No. No wonder there was little money left for other expenses. That's why the views of Tokyo at night on the other side of the white car are so unnatural, the landing of the SPECTRE ship is so cartoonish, and the volcanic eruption in the finale is so unrealistically terrifying.

On the other hand, the scene with “Little Nellie” successfully defending herself from four attackers was a delight. The final attack on Blofeld's lair was not much worse (although the plan, based on Bond being allowed to smoke a cigarette, seems idiotic). Thanks must go to director Lewis Gilbert, who had made films about war, so he was no novice when it came to shooting, dramatic falls of ‘dead’ people, and explosions. The casting problems took a long time to resolve, with Gilbert, Harry Saltzman, and Albert Broccoli all wringing their hands.

To begin with, Sean Connery again demanded a raise in his fee. He also announced in the press that You Only Live Twice would be his last appearance as Agent 007. When the press made a fuss about the “end of Bond,” the producers assured almost every reporter that 007's song was not yet sung, and in between breaks they looked for Japanese girls who spoke English (there weren't very many of them). Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hamada ended up competing so fiercely for the lead role that no one dared to turn either of them down, so they quickly wrote in a “second Japanese” character. Another female role (the blonde Helga Brandt) went to brunette Karin Dor from Germany. There was a long negotiation about her hair color (they agreed on red).

The Japanese actor Tetsuro Tamba quietly got the role of Tanaka “Tiger,” but then, during filming, there was a commotion about Blofeld. It was finally decided to reveal him to Agent 007 and the whole world, but the actor who had previously been cast in the role was deemed not the most suitable candidate. Under extremely tight deadlines, the director got Donald Pleasence (a name particularly familiar to fans of Carpenter's Halloween). Maybe his voice wasn't that commanding (Blofeld almost squeaks in the movie), but the archvillain's gaze was mesmerizing. Oh, if only the cat had behaved properly (but the parasite ran away at the most crucial moment).

James Bond's most eastern adventure (unless, of course, he is soon sent to Anadyr or Tonga) left a colorful mark on the shelves of movie lovers. The famous spy has truly immersed himself in Japanese culture, and there will be no more such encounters between the mundane and Bondian realities. Makeup artists and a movie camera transformed the Scotsman into a Japanese man, hard-working set designers gave him space to act, a hundred extras came to his aid, a wonderful melody with Japanese national motifs began to play, and the director, recalling his youth, gave the command to the pyrotechnicians. All this turned into You Only Live Twice, the summer hit of 1967.