The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
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Bond must team up with a Soviet agent to stop a megalomaniac from launching a nuclear war and creating a new civilization under the sea.
The story
After two ballistic missile submarines vanish, MI6 agent James Bond (007) is dispatched to investigate. During his journey, Bond is ambushed by Soviet agents in Austria but manages to escape. In Egypt, he encounters KGB agent Major Anya Amasova, who is also pursuing the same missing submarine tracking systems. Despite their conflicting allegiances, the two agents are forced to form an uneasy alliance to track down the plans. They eventually discover that the technology is linked to a mysterious and wealthy Swedish shipping tycoon named Karl Stromberg, who is operating from a remote base in Sardinia.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After two submarines vanish, James Bond and Soviet agent Anya Amasova form an alliance to track the missing technology to a base in Sardinia. They discover the plans belong to Karl Stromberg, who intends to use them to trigger a global nuclear war and establish an underwater civilization in 'Atlantis'. Bond and Amasova travel to Stromberg's base, where they are pursued by his henchman, Jaws. They escape his forces by transforming Bond's Lotus Esprit into a submarine. Upon reaching the underwater base, they find the missing submarines and realize Stromberg's plan to launch missiles at Moscow and New York. Bond manages to trick the submarines into firing at each other, destroying them and the base's infrastructure. In the final confrontation, Bond defeats Jaws and kills Stromberg. He and Amasova escape in a pod as the base is destroyed by torpedoes, and they share a final embrace as they are rescued by the Royal Navy.
- First release year
- 1977
- Runtime (minutes)
- 125
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Lewis Gilbert
- Writers
- Christopher Wood · screenplay; Richard Maibaum · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Roger Moore · James Bond; Barbara Bach · Anya Amasova; Curt Jurgens · Karl Stromberg; Richard Kiel · Jaws; Caroline Munro · Naomi; Geoffrey Keen · Sir Frederick Gray; Edward de Souza · Sheikh Hosein; George Baker · Captain Benson
- Genres
- spy film; action thriller
- Themes
- espionage; nuclear war; cooperation
- Tone and mood
- action; adventure
- Setting
- Various international locations including Austria, Egypt, Sardinia, and an underwater base.
- Premise and plot tags
- spy; submarine; underwater civilization
- Source material / true-story basis
- Ian Fleming's 1962 novel The Spy Who Loved Me
- Franchise connections
- James Bond
- Reception
- The film was well received by critics, who saw it as a return to form for the franchise and praised Moore's performance. It was also noted for its successful soundtrack.
- Awards and nominations
- WGA Award · Best Comedy Adapted to Another Medium · nomination; Saturn Award · Best Supporting Actor · nomination
- Production trivia
- The film's title is from a novel, but it does not contain any elements of the novel's plot.; The Lotus Esprit was purchased at auction by Elon Musk in 2013.; The film's premiere was attended by Princess Anne.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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