The fifth film in EON Productions' James Bond series and the last of Sean Connery's first stint starring as the suave secret agent, it was announced during filming of You Only Live Twice that Connery would retire from the role, although he later returned in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. With a screenplay by children's author Roal Dahl, You Only Live Twice was the first Bond film to discard most of Ian Fleming's original plot, using only a few characters and locations from the 1964 novel as the basis for an entirely new story. Following the mammoth success of 1965's Thunderball, it was also the first truly epic Bond film - with spaceships, a volcanic lair, SPECTRE, armies of henchmen, ninjas and the threat of nuclear armageddon. When American and Soviet spacecraft mysteriously disappear and each nation blames the other, Bond travels to Tokyo on the tail of the true perpetrators, finally coming face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, as the criminal organisation attempts to provoke a third world war between the superpowers. The film was a smash, grossing over $111 million at the box office.

Legendary Bond poster artists Robert McGinnis and Frank McCarthy designed three key variants for the You Only Live Twice campaign - the style A or 'volcano style' pictured 007 in Blofeld's volcanic lair, the style B or 'Little Nellie style' saw Bond flying his armed gyrocopter, while the style C or 'bathtub style' featured the shirtless secret agent surrounded by a bevy of brunette beauties in an exotic bathhouse. The US window card features the more sought after 'bathtub' artwork by Robert McGinnis. Window card posters were produced to advertise in the windows of local stores, with a top portion left blank for the cinema to add their details.

Provenance

Very good (B+)

Unfolded cardstock, not backed. Minor nicks and creases to corners and edges, with a few light creases throughout. A small light brown spot to upper edge. Some darkening to edges. Original cinema details added in black pencil to upper blank portion, as typical of US window cards. Image and colours otherwise excellent.