 = You Only Live Twice ( film ) = 
 
 You Only Live Twice ( 1967 ) is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series , and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond . The film 's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl , and loosely based on Ian Fleming 's 1964 novel of the same name . It is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming 's plot , using only a few characters and locations from the book as the background for an entirely new story . 
 In the film , Bond is dispatched to Japan after American and Soviet manned spacecraft disappear mysteriously in orbit . With each nation blaming the other amidst the Cold War , Bond travels secretly to a remote Japanese island in order to find the perpetrators and comes face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld , the head of SPECTRE . The film reveals the appearance of Blofeld , who was previously a partially unseen character . SPECTRE is extorting the government of an unnamed Asian power , implied to be the People 's Republic of China , in order to provoke war between the superpowers . 
 During the filming in Japan , it was announced that Sean Connery would retire from the role of Bond . But after a hiatus , he returned in 1971 's Diamonds Are Forever and later 1983 's non @-@ Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again . You Only Live Twice is the first Bond film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert , who later directed the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 film Moonraker , both starring Roger Moore . 
 You Only Live Twice was a great success , receiving positive reviews and grossing over $ 111 million in worldwide box office . 
 
 = = Plot = = 
 
 An American NASA spacecraft is hijacked from orbit by an unidentified spacecraft . The U.S. suspect it to be the work of the Soviets , but the British suspect Japanese involvement since the spacecraft landed in the Sea of Japan . To investigate , MI6 operative James Bond is sent to Tokyo after faking his own death in Hong Kong and being buried at sea from the HMS Tenby ( F65 ) . 
 Upon his arrival , Bond is contacted by Aki , assistant to the Japanese secret service leader Tiger Tanaka while watching sumo . Aki introduces Bond to local MI6 operative Dikko Henderson . Henderson claims to have critical evidence about the rogue craft , but is killed before he can elaborate . Bond chases and kills the assailant , taking the assailant 's clothing as a disguise and escapes in the getaway car , which takes him to Osato Chemicals . Once there , Bond subdues the driver and breaks into the office safe of president Mr. Osato . After stealing documents , Bond is pursued by armed security , but is rescued by Aki , who flees to a secluded subway station . Bond chases her , but falls down a trap door leading to Tanaka 's office . The stolen documents are examined and found to include a photograph of the cargo ship Ning @-@ Po with a microdot message saying the tourist who took the photo was killed as a security precaution . 
 Bond goes to Osato Chemicals to meet Mr. Osato himself , masquerading as a potential new buyer . Osato humours Bond but , after their meeting , orders his secretary , Helga Brandt , to have him killed . Outside the building , assassins open fire on Bond before Aki rescues him again . Bond and Aki drive to Kobe , where the Ning @-@ Po is docked . They investigate the company 's dock facilities and discover that the ship was delivering elements for rocket fuel . They are discovered , but Bond eludes the henchmen until Aki gets away ; however , Bond himself is captured and knocked out . He wakes , tied up in SPECTRE operative Helga Brandt 's cabin on the Ning @-@ Po . She interrogates Bond , but he thinks he has managed to bribe his way to freedom . Brandt then flies Bond to Tokyo but , en route , she sets off a flare in the plane and bails out . Bond manages to land the plane . 
 After finding out where the Ning @-@ Po unloaded , Bond flies over the area in a heavily armed autogyro created by Q. Near a volcano , Bond is attacked by helicopters , which he defeats , confirming his suspicions that the enemy 's base is nearby . A Soviet spacecraft is then captured in orbit by another unidentified craft , heightening tensions between Russia and the US . The mysterious spaceship lands in an extensive base hidden inside the volcano . It is revealed that the true mastermind behind this is Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE . Blofeld seems to forgive Brandt for her failure to kill Bond , but as she leaves , he activates a mechanism that drops her into a pool of piranha . Blofeld instructs Osato to kill Bond . 
 Bond trains with Tanaka 's ninjas , during which an attempted assassination kills Aki instead . Bond is disguised as an Oriental in a fake marriage to Tanaka 's student , Kissy Suzuki . Acting on a lead from Suzuki , the pair reconnoiter a cave and the volcano above it . Establishing that the mouth of the volcano is a disguised hatch to the secret rocket base , Bond slips in , while Kissy goes to alert Tanaka . Bond locates and frees the captured astronauts and , with their help , steals a spacesuit in attempt to infiltrate the SPECTRE spacecraft " Bird One " . However , Blofeld spots Bond , and he is detained while Bird One is launched . 
 Bird One closes in on the American space capsule , and US forces prepare to launch a nuclear attack on the USSR . Meanwhile , the Japanese ninjas approach the base 's entrance , but are detected and fired upon . Bond manages to open the hatch , letting in the ninjas . During the ensuing battle , Bond fights his way to the control room and activates Bird One 's self @-@ destruct before it reaches the American craft . The Americans stand down their forces . 
 Blofeld activates the base 's self @-@ destruct system and escapes . Bond , Kissy , Tanaka , and the surviving ninjas leave before the base explodes . 
 
 = = Cast = = 
 
 Sean Connery as James Bond : An MI6 agent . 
 Akiko Wakabayashi as Aki : An agent with the Japanese SIS who assists Bond . 
 Mie Hama as Kissy Suzuki : An Ama diving girl who replaces Aki after her death . 
 Donald Pleasence as Ernst Stavro Blofeld : The megalomaniacal head of the terrorist syndicate known as SPECTRE . He intends to ignite a global nuclear war . 
 Tetsurō Tamba as Tiger Tanaka : Head of Japanese secret service . 
 Teru Shimada as Mr. Osato : A Japanese industrialist secretly affiliated to SPECTRE . 
 Karin Dor as Helga Brandt / No. 11 : Osato 's secretary and a SPECTRE assassin . 
 Bernard Lee as M : The head of MI6 . 
 Charles Gray as Dikko Henderson : British contact living in Japan . 
 Burt Kwouk as Spectre 3 : one of Blofeld 's henchmen . 
 Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny : M 's secretary . 
 Desmond Llewelyn as Q : Head of MI6 technical department . 
 Tsai Chin as Ling : Undercover MI6 agent in Hong Kong . 
 Ronald Rich as Hans : Blofeld 's personal bodyguard . 
 David Toguri as Assassin in Bedroom : one of Osato 's henchmen , who kills Aki . 
 Peter Maivia as Car Driver : one of Osato 's henchmen , who fights Bond . 
 
 = = Production = = 
 
 On Her Majesty 's Secret Service was the intended next film , but the producers decided to adapt You Only Live Twice instead because OHMSS would require searching for high and snowy locations . Lewis Gilbert originally declined the offer to direct , but accepted after producer Albert R. Broccoli called him saying : " You can 't give up this job . It 's the largest audience in the world . " Peter R. Hunt , who edited the first five Bond films , believed that Gilbert had been contracted by the producers for other work but they found they had to use him . 
 Gilbert , producers Broccoli and Harry Saltzman , production designer Ken Adam and director of photography Freddie Young then went to Japan , spending three weeks searching for locations . SPECTRE ’ s shore fortress headquarters was changed to an extinct volcano after the team learned that the Japanese do not build castles by the sea . The group was due to return to the UK on a BOAC Boeing 707 flight ( BOAC Flight 911 ) on 5 March 1966 , but cancelled after being told they had a chance to watch a ninja demonstration . That flight crashed 25 minutes after takeoff , killing all on board . In Tokyo , the crew also found Hunt , who decided to go on holiday after having his request to direct declined . Hunt was invited to direct the second unit for You Only Live Twice and accepted the job . 
 Unlike most James Bond films featuring various locations around the world , almost the entire film is set in one country and several minutes are devoted to an elaborate Japanese wedding . This is in keeping with Fleming 's original novel , which also devoted a number of pages to the discussion of Japanese culture . Toho Studios provided soundstages , personnel , and the female Japanese stars to the producers . 
 
 = = = Writing = = = 
 
 The producers had Harold Jack Bloom come to Japan with them to write a screenplay . Bloom 's work was ultimately rejected , but since several of his ideas were used in the final script , Bloom was given the credit of " Additional Story Material " . Among the elements were the opening with Bond 's fake death and burial at sea , and the ninja attack . As the screenwriter of the previous Bond films Richard Maibaum was unavailable , Roald Dahl , a close friend of Ian Fleming , was chosen to write the adaptation despite having no prior experience writing a screenplay except for the uncompleted The Bells of Hell Go Ting @-@ a @-@ ling @-@ a @-@ ling . 
 Dahl said that the original novel was " Ian Fleming ’ s worst book , with no plot in it which would even make a movie " , and compared it to a travelogue , stating that he had to create a new plot " [ though ] I could retain only four or five of the original story 's ideas . " On creating the plot , Dahl said he " didn 't know what the hell Bond was going to do " despite having to deliver the first draft in six weeks , and decided to do a basic plot similar to Dr. No . Dahl was given a free rein on his script , except for the character of Bond and " the girl formula " , involving three women for Bond to seduce : an ally and a henchwoman who both get killed , and the main Bond girl . While the third involved a character from the book , Kissy Suzuki , Dahl had to create Aki and Helga Brandt to fulfil the rest . 
 Gilbert was mostly collaborative with Dahl 's work , as the writer declared : " He not only helped in script conferences , but had some good ideas and then left you alone , and when you produced the finished thing , he shot it . Other directors have such an ego that they want to rewrite it and put their own dialogue in , and it 's usually disastrous . What I admired so much about Lewis Gilbert was that he just took the screenplay and shot it . That 's the way to direct : You either trust your writer or you don 't . " 
 
 = = = Casting = = = 
 
 When the time came to begin You Only Live Twice , the producers were faced with the problem of a disenchanted star . Sean Connery had stated that he was tired of playing James Bond and all of the associated commitment ( time spent filming and publicising each movie ) , together with finding it difficult to do other work , which would potentially lead to typecasting . Saltzman and Broccoli were able to persuade Connery by increasing his fee for the film , but geared up to look for a replacement . 
 Jan Werich was originally cast by producer Harry Saltzman to play Blofeld . Upon his arrival at the Pinewood set , both producer Albert R. Broccoli and director Lewis Gilbert felt that he was a poor choice , resembling a " poor , benevolent Santa Claus " . Nonetheless , in an attempt to make the casting work , Gilbert continued filming . After several days , both Gilbert and Broccoli determined that Werich was not menacing enough , and recast Blofeld with Donald Pleasence in the role . Pleasence 's ideas for Blofeld 's appearance included a hump , a limp , a beard , and a lame hand , before he settled on the scar . He found it uncomfortable , though , because of the glue that attached it to his eye . 
 Many European models were tested for Helga Brandt including German actress Eva Renzi who passed on the film , with German actress Karin Dor being cast . Dor performed the stunt of diving into a pool to depict Helga 's demise herself , without the use of a double . Strangely , for the German version Dor was dubbed by somebody else . 
 Gilbert had chosen Tetsurō Tamba after working with him in The 7th Dawn . A number of actual martial arts experts were hired as the ninjas . The two Japanese female parts proved difficult to cast , due to most of the actresses tested having limited English . Akiko Wakabayashi and Mie Hama were eventually chosen and started taking English classes in the UK . Hama , initially cast in the role of Tanaka 's assistant , had difficulty with the language , so the producers switched her role with Wakabayashi , who had been cast as Kissy , a part with significantly less dialogue . Wakabayashi only requested that her character name , " Suki " , be changed to " Aki " . 
 
 = = = Filming = = = 
 
 Filming of You Only Live Twice lasted from July 1966 to March 1967 . The film was shot primarily in Japan . Himeji Castle in Hyōgo was depicted as Tanaka 's ninja training camp . His private transportation hub was filmed at the Tokyo Metro 's Nakano @-@ shimbashi Station . As of 2011 , many of the fixtures in the station are unchanged from the time of filming . 
 The Hotel New Otani Tokyo served as the outside for Osato Chemicals and the hotel 's gardens were used for scenes of the ninja training . Bōnotsu in Kagoshima served as the fishing village , the Kobe harbour was used for the dock fight and Mount Shinmoe @-@ dake in Kyūshū was used for the exteriors of SPECTRE 's headquarters . Large crowds were present in Japan to see the shooting . A Japanese fan began following Sean Connery with a camera , and the police were called several times to prevent invasions during shooting . 
 The heavily armed WA @-@ 116 autogyro " Little Nellie " was included after Ken Adam heard a radio interview with its inventor , RAF Wing Commander Ken Wallis . Little Nellie was named after music hall star Nellie Wallace , who has a similar surname to its inventor . Wallis piloted his invention , which was equipped with various mock @-@ up armaments by John Stears ' special effects team , during production . 
 " Nellie 's " battle with helicopters proved to be difficult to film . The scenes were initially shot in Miyazaki , first with takes of the gyrocopter , with more than 85 take @-@ offs , 5 hours of flight and Wallis nearly crashing into the camera several times . A scene filming the helicopters from above created a major downdraft and cameraman John Jordan 's foot was severed by the craft 's rotor . The concluding shots involved explosions , which the Japanese government did not allow in a national park . So , the crew moved to Torremolinos , Spain , which was found to resemble the Japanese landscape . 
 The sets of SPECTRE 's volcano base were constructed at a lot inside Pinewood Studios , with a cost of $ 1 million and including operative heliport and monorail . The 45 m ( 148 ft ) tall set could be seen from 5 kilometres ( 3 miles ) away , and attracted many people from the region . Locations outside Japan included using the Royal Navy frigate HMS Tenby , then in Gibraltar , for the sea burial , Hong Kong for the scene where Bond fakes his death , and Norway for the Soviet radar station . 
 Sean Connery 's then wife Diane Cilento did the swimming scenes for at least five Japanese actresses , including Mie Hama . Martial arts expert Donn F. Draeger provided martial arts training , and also doubled for Connery . Lewis Gilbert 's regular editor , Thelma Connell , was originally hired to edit the film . However , after her initial , almost three @-@ hour cut received a terrible response from test audiences , Peter R. Hunt was asked to re @-@ edit the film . Hunt 's cut proved a much greater success , and he was awarded the director 's chair on the next film as a result . 
 
 = = = Music = = = 
 
 The soundtrack was the fourth of the series to be composed by John Barry . He tried to incorporate the " elegance of the Oriental sound " with Japanese music @-@ inspired tracks . The theme song , " You Only Live Twice " , was composed by Barry and lyricist Leslie Bricusse and sung by Nancy Sinatra after her father Frank Sinatra passed on the opportunity . Nancy Sinatra was reported to be very nervous while recording – first she wanted to leave the studio ; then she claimed to sometimes " sound like Minnie Mouse " . Barry declared that the final song uses 25 different takes . British singer Julie Rogers recorded an alternative song for the titles , but this was not used . 
 There are two versions of the song " You Only Live Twice " , sung by Nancy Sinatra , one directly from the movie soundtrack , and a second one for record release arranged by Billy Strange . The movie soundtrack song is widely recognised for its striking opening bars and oriental flavour , and was far more popular on radio . The record release made No. 44 on the Billboard charts in the USA , No. 11 in UK . Both versions of the title song are available on CD . 
 In 1992 , Acen sampled the title song " You Only Live Twice " for his song " Trip II the Moon Part 2 " . In 1997 , Icelandic singer Björk recorded a cover version . In 1998 , Robbie Williams used the distinctive string figure for his song " Millennium " , ( although it was re @-@ recorded , rather than sampled from the movie for cost reasons ) . Coldplay covered it when they toured in 2001 , and it was covered by Natacha Atlas for her 2005 compilation album The Best of Natacha Atlas . Shirley Bassey , who has three original Bond themes to her credit , has also covered the song . 
 A different title song was originally recorded by Julie Rogers , but eventually discarded . Only two lines from that version were kept in the final lyrics , and the orchestral part was changed to fit Nancy Sinatra 's vocal range . Rogers ' version only appeared in a James Bond 30th Anniversary CD , with no singer credit . In the 1990s , an alternative example of a possible theme song ( also called " You Only Live Twice " and sung by Lorraine Chandler ) was discovered in the vaults of RCA Records . It became a very popular track with followers of the Northern Soul scene ( Chandler was well known for her high @-@ quality soul output on RCA ) and can be found on several RCA soul compilations . 
 
 = = Promotion = = 
 
 To promote the film , Eon Productions produced a one @-@ hour colour television programme entitled Welcome to Japan , Mr. Bond first aired on 2 June 1967 in the United States on NBC . Bond regulars Lois Maxwell and Desmond Llewelyn appeared playing respectively " Miss Moneypenny " and " Q " . Kate O 'Mara appears as Miss Moneypenny 's assistant . The programme shows clips from You Only Live Twice and the then four existing Bond films. and contained a storyline of Moneypenny trying to establish the identity of Bond 's bride . 
 
 = = Release and reception = = 
 
 You Only Live Twice premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London . It was the first premiere of a James Bond film that Queen Elizabeth II attended . The film grossed $ 43 million in the United States and over $ 111 million worldwide . 
 Critical response today is mostly positive , with Rotten Tomatoes giving a 72 % rating . But most reviews pointed out various flaws in the film . James Berardinelli said that the first half was good , but " during the second half , as the plot escalates beyond the bounds of preposterousness , that the film starts to fragment " , criticising Blofeld 's appearance and stating " rockets that swallow up spacecraft are a bit too extravagant . " 
 Roger Ebert criticised the focus on gadgets , declaring that the James Bond formula " fails to work its magic " . John Brosnan in his book James Bond in the Cinema compared the film to an episode of Thunderbirds with a reliance on gadgetry but admitted it had pace and spectacle . Christopher Null considered the film one of James Bond 's most memorable adventures , but the plot " protracting and quite confusing " . 
 Ali Barclay of BBC Films panned Dahl 's script displaying " a whole new world of villainy and technology . " Leo Goldsmith lauded the volcano base as " the most impressive of Ken Adam 's sets for the franchise . " Danny Peary wrote that You Only Live Twice " should have been about twenty minutes shorter " and described it as " not a bad Bond film , but it doesn ’ t compare to its predecessors – the formula had become a little stale . " 
 IGN ranked You Only Live Twice as the fourth best Bond film , and Entertainment Weekly as the second best , considering that it " pushes the series to the outer edge of coolness " . But Norman Wilner of MSN chose it as the fifth worst , criticising the plot , action scenes and little screentime for Blofeld . Literary critic Paul Simpson called the film one of the most colourful of the series and credited the prefecture of Kagoshima for adding " a good flavour " of Japanese influence on the film , but he panned the depiction of Blofeld as a " let @-@ down " , " small , bald and a whooping scar . " Simon Winder said that the film is " perfect " for parodies of the series . 
 
 