Brilliant Posters, Stills and Ephemera of the James Bond Film and Book – Thunderball

“Good living, sex and violent action: a highly polished performance, an ingenious plot and plenty of excitement”

Annex - Connery, Sean (Thunderball)_02

Thunderball, although the fourth film, was actually the ninth James Bond book and the eight full-length novel. It generally went down well with most critics, “Good living, sex and violent action: a highly polished performance, an ingenious plot and plenty of excitement”, wrote the Times Literary Supplement. It was actually a novelisation of an unfilmed James Bond screenplay written by Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, Ivar Bryce and Ernest Cuneo. After the book was released Ian Fleming was taken to court for plagiarism by his initial co-writers but the case was settled out of court.

The film, released in 1965, had Terence Young, the director of the first two Bond movies, back at the helm and it was a massive success. With the movie earning a total of $141.2 million worldwide – exceeding the takings of the the three previous films. Dilys Powell of the Sunday Times, after seeing the movie, said that “the cinema was a duller place before 007”.

SONY DSC

Tom Jones Thunderball record cover

Thunderball lobby card 4

Thunderball behind the scenes 1965

Luciana Paluzzi

Behind the scenes at the beach for THUNDERBALL

 

First Edition cover of Thunderball, published by Jonathan Cape in March 1961.

First Edition cover of Thunderball, published by Jonathan Cape in March 1961.

 

Molly Peters and Sean Connery

Molly Peters and Sean Connery

Claudine Auger, Martine Beswick and Luciana Paluzzi behind the scenes.

Claudine Auger, Martine Beswick and Luciana Paluzzi behind the scenes.

Thunderball (United Artists, 1965) Souvenir Song Book.

Thunderball (United Artists, 1965) Souvenir Song Book.

Thunderball Movie Tie in book, published by Signet in 1965.

A letter from Domino included in the initial Pan paperback tie in novel. It was in reality an ad for Players cigarettes.

A letter from Domino included in the initial Pan paperback tie in novel. It was in reality an ad for Players cigarettes.

Claudine Auger, and Sean Connery during filming of Thunderball.

Claudine Auger, and Sean Connery during filming of Thunderball.

Aston Martin DB5 in Zurich, Switzerland around Feb. 16, 1965.

Aston Martin DB5 in Zurich, Switzerland around Feb. 16, 1965.

Thunderball Ian Fleming 1961

Poster - Thunderball_10

Thunderball lobby card 6

Italian Thunderball poster

Thunderball lobby card 5Thunderball lobby card 2

Japanese Thunderball flexidisc

Japanese Thunderball flexidisc

Japanese Thunderball Tom Jones

Terence Young, Molly Peters and Sean Connery

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