In Sean Connery's fourth outing as suave secret agent James Bond, Thunderball saw the British spy dispatched to the Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by Spectre, culminating in an underwater battle with villain Emilio Largo's henchmen. Look Here! For The Biggest Bond of All! announced the US and UK promotional posters, signalling an even more extravagant and spectacular film experience than its predecessors following the phenomenal success of Goldfinger. With an inflated budget of $5.5 million, the complex production was the first to be shot in Panavision widescreen and included numerous underwater scenes spanning a quarter of the film. A box office smash, Thunderball remained the highest-grossing Bond film until surpassed by Live and Let Die in 1973 and, adjusted for inflation, remains the second-most financially successful Bond film after Skyfall. This explosive montage poster for a 1974 Japanese re-release showed Bond in action on land, in the sea and in the air, highlighting the film's groundbreaking underwater sequences alongside 007's Aston Martin DB5 and jetpack gadget, as featured in the opening scenes. The imposing close-up of Connery with his trademark Walther PPK was also used on the poster for a 1972 Japanese re-release of From Russia With Love.

Provenance

Excellent (A-)

Unfolded, not backed. Wavy undulation to paper due to being softly and lightly tri-folded with a stack of other posters at one time. Nicks and creases to right edge. Image and colours excellent.