4 replies to this topic

[PrinceKamalKhan]

The end of The Spy Who Loved Me announced that "James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only". Yet, as we all know, Moonraker ended up being filmed instead.

But what if For Your Eyes Only had gone before the cameras in 1978 as the eleventh Bond film after all? Here's my hypothesis:

Here are some elements from 1981's For Your Eyes Only that I don't think would have been included if it were made in late 1978-early 1979:

1. The Russians as villains: it was still not yet fashionable in Hollywood to portray the Soviets as the baddies, especially to do so immediately after the West-Soviet detente of The Spy Who Loved Me. It wasn't until after a change in the world politics of the time period, mainly the West deciding to take a harder position on the U.S.S.R. with the elections of Mrs. Thatcher in the U.K. and Reagan in the U.S., that the Soviets began being portrayed as villains again. Along this topic, the film's gag ending with Maggie and Denis would not have been used since she wasn't elected until after Bond 11 finished filming.

2. The underwater and ski action scenes: Since both of these type of action sequences figured prominently in The Spy Who Loved Me, it would have probably seemed too similar to use them again so quickly. While Bond films may re-use plot elements from film to film, they try to hide the script similarities with different locations.

3. Lynn Holly Johnson: Miss Johnson was busy in 1978 making the film that would make her a star, the ice-skating "chick flick" Ice Castles, so I doubt she would have turned up in a 1979 FYEO.


How I think it would have turned out instead.....

With The Spy Who Loved Me being the most successful non-Connery Bond film yet, EON in 1978 was eager to replicate TSWLM's success by reusing the same formula, i.e. a big, lavish, gagdet and gag laden superproduction with sci-fi/fantasy elements. Whatever its title, Bond 11 was going to be written by Christopher Wood, directed by Lewis Gilbert, production designed by Ken Adam, associate produced by William P. Cartlidge and scored by John Barry. As for Fleming's source material, I figure EON would have treated For Your Eyes Only in 1978 about as faithfully as they did every Fleming 007 book since 1967 and You Only Live Twice with the exception of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In other words, they might have used some character names, some ideas for locations, possibly some story elements and little else. I figure they might have taken some character names from the "For Your Eyes Only" short story since it was the title story and the Paris location from "From A View To A Kill" since Bond 11 was an Anglo-French Co-Production using Paris as its home studio due to 1978 British tax laws. It might have included the A View To A Kill Eiffel Tower sequence since that was initially written for the Moonraker script. I figure "Risico", "Quatum of Solace", and "The Hildebrand Rarity" would have been completely ignored. Hence, the 1979 FYEO script would have probably been a mixture of elements from what became in reality For Your Eyes Only, A View To A Kill and mostly Moonraker. They may have still sent Bond in space with the popularity of Star Wars but even if they didn't, I have a feeling a lot of MR's comical elements(the bondola, the use of famous theme music like The Magnificent Seven, the man looking at his drink, etc.) would have ended up in the 1979 FYEO's script. Also, since it was a French co-production and they had to use a certain number of French actors that it probably would have used much of the same cast as the Bond 11 that was made in reality: i.e., Michael Lonsdale, Corrine Clery, Toshiro Suga, etc.. And with the public clamoring for the return of Jaws, I'm sure Richard Kiel would have been in it along with Blanche Ravelac's Dolly.

What I think might have turned out the same from the 1981 FYEO:

1. French actress Carole Bouquet was considered for the role of Holly Goodhead in Moonraker and she may very well have been cast in a 1979 FYEO since the production required French actors. She might have played a character named Judy Havelock though her character would probably have been written more like Anya Amasova than either the short story's Miss Havelock or the 1981 FYEO Melina.

2. The pre-title sequence: During the script planning stages for TSWLM when it was thought that Blofeld would be that film's main villain, Broccoli suggested the idea of letting Blofeld escape at the end and be eliminated by Bond in the PTS of the next film which he thought would be FYEO.

So how do you think a 1979 FYEO had turned out?

[Qwerty]

Interesting thread Prince Kamal Khan. If they had made For Your Eyes Only instead of Moonraker as the Bond film for 1979, I think it would have been The Spy Who Loved Me: Part 2. There is a difference between the literary Moonraker and For Your Eyes Only. One being a short story with some elements taken into the final film, the other being a novel with very little taken for the final film. I think because of the huge success of The Spy Who Loved Me at bringing the series back to it's feet that they might have overlooked the elements of the short story For Your Eyes Only and instead made it similar in style to The Spy Who Loved Me.

Not having Lynn-Holly Johnson wouldn't be all that bad really. I think such sequences in the present For Your Eyes Only, the ski chase, bobsled inclusion, car chase, etc.. would have stayed. I'm not so sure about the finale though.

[Triton]

Due to the popularity of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me, I believe that it was certain that he would have made an appearance in For Your Eyes Only. I would presume that Jaws would have been one of Kristatos' main henchmen.
Could Jaws have also been the one to murder Melina's parents? Would Jaws have become a "goodie" giving Bond the ATAC transmitter instead of letting Kristatos sell it to the Soviets?

The tone of the film would certainly have been lighter with more comedic and slapstick elements. Would Christopher Wood have returned as screen writer? Would Tom Mankiewicz have been given a chance to re-write some of the dialogue like he had with Moonraker?

The look of the film would also have been different since we can presume that Ken Adam would do the production design before he jumped the Eon Productions ship to become producer for Pennies From Heaven.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Glad things went the way they did....I love FYEO...'81 style!

[Qwerty]

The look of the film would also have been different since we can presume that Ken Adam would do the production design before he jumped the Eon Productions ship to become producer for Pennies From Heaven.

Oh, you bring up a good point there Triton. If For Your Eyes Only had been the eleventh Bond film, supposedly then making Moonraker the next one after that, would Adam have stuck around to do the production design for it then? I personally thought of all his magnificent work, his soared above all else with what he did for Moonraker and I'd miss it if he hadn't done it for that film.

That could then mean For Your Eyes Only getting Ken Adam and Moonraker getting Peter Lamont(?) I wouldn't be all that happy about that. But then I'd never see For Your Eyes Only as anything else than the film we have, and not how it could have been as a Bond film in 1979.