Just when the James Bond franchise was stuck in a slump, The Spy Who Loved Me came along to get it back on top with a rollicking globe-trotting adventure. It marked a return to form for Roger Moore in the middle of his stint in the role of Bond. The actor considers it to be his favorite Bond movie, as does Christopher Nolan, whose entire filmmaking career has been built around recapturing the sense of awe he got from watching this movie as a kid.
Making a movie that’s as fun as The Spy Who Loved Me isn’t easy. There are a ton of interesting details from behind the scenes of this 007 classic.
Steven Spielberg Was Considered To Direct
At the time The Spy Who Loved Me was in development, lifelong Bond fan Steven Spielberg was working on a little shark movie called Jaws. The 007 producers considered hiring Spielberg to direct The Spy Who Loved Me, but waited to see how Jaws would perform at the box office before making a firm offer.
Ironically, Jaws was so popular – becoming the highest-grossing movie of all time – that Spielberg was inundated with offers and decided to make his original alien movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind instead. Jaws’ success ended up influencing the creation of the Bond villain of the same name for this movie.
The Opening Sequence Was Conceived For Another Bond Film
The opening sequence of The Spy Who Loved Me is one of the best in the franchise, as Bond skis off the edge of a cliff before opening up a Union Jack parachute on the way down.
This was initially conceived for George Lazenby’s Bond to do in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, but the money and technology to pull it off weren’t there yet. Luckily for audiences, the filmmakers just shelved the idea for a bit before finally bringing it to reality in The Spy Who Loved Me.
It Was The Most Expensive Bond Film At The Time
The negative reviews met by The Man with the Golden Gun were expected to either kill the franchise or at least put financial restrictions on its future. But instead, producer Albert R. Broccoli felt confident enough to invest $13.5 million into production of The Spy Who Loved Me, which made it the most expensive Bond movie at the time.
Currently, the record is held by Spectre, which is officially billed as having cost $245 million to produce, but the real figure is reported to be as high as $300 million.
Barbara Bach Was Cast Just 4 Days Before Filming
When she went in to audition for The Spy Who Loved Me, Barbara Bach had no idea that securing the female lead role was even a possibility. In fact, she was just hoping to get a minor acting part.
Much to her surprise, Bach was cast as main Bond Girl and Russian spy Anya Amasova just four days before shooting started. In an interview about her role, though, Bach didn't have nice things to say about Bond, who she described as "a chauvinist pig who uses girls to shield him against bullets.” She’s currently retired and married to former Beatle Ringo Starr.
Jaws’ Metal Teeth Left Richard Kiel In Agony
Whenever 7’2” actor Richard Kiel was shooting his scenes as Jaws, he couldn’t keep the metal teeth in his mouth for more than about 30 seconds because wearing them caused him intense pain. The character required him to put on goofy facial expressions, which were at odds with the pain he was going through.
The teeth were designed by Katharina Kubrick, the stepdaughter of Stanley Kubrick. Kiel’s stunt double just wore orange wedges wrapped in tin foil. The chain that Jaws bites through was made of licorice.
Albert R. Broccoli Fed The Cast & Crew Himself
While they were shooting in Egypt, the cast and crew of The Spy Who Loved Me were unhappy with the local cuisine. So, producer Albert R. Broccoli (above, center) had a bunch of their favorite foods flown in from England. However, someone forgot to switch on the freezer, so the food was spoiled when it arrived.
Broccoli then sprung into action. He drove to the nearest town, bought a bunch of pots and pans, and had pasta flown in from Cairo. Drawing on the culinary wisdom passed on from his Italian parents, Broccoli cooked up a feast for the cast and crew. Needless to say, this last minute action saved the day.
The Supertanker Set Is The Largest Soundstage In Europe
Production designer Ken Adam spent nearly $2 million of The Spy Who Loved Me’s $13.5 budget on construction of what would become the largest soundstage in all of Europe.
The soundstage used for the Liparus supertanker was 336 feet by 139 feet by 44 feet, and has a capacity of a whopping 1.2 million gallons. This stage has since been named the “Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage” and was used once again for the 007 entries You Only Live Twice, A View to Kill and Casino Royale. The soundstage burned down twice but was reconstructed almost immediately after.
Stanley Kubrick Helped With The Lighting In The Supertanker Scene
During production of The Spy Who Loved Me, cinematographer Claude Renoir’s eyesight was slipping. The set for the supertanker scene was so huge that Renoir couldn’t see from one end to the other, so he couldn’t oversee the lighting of the scene.
Production designer turned to friend and collaborator Stanley Kubrick, who did uncredited work on the scene’s lighting. Kubrick suggested using floodlights for the scene, which worked perfectly.
Jaws Was Supposed To Die At The End
In the original script for The Spy Who Loved Me, Jaws died at the end. However, the producers changed it so that he would survive so he could be brought back for future sequels. Two versions of the ending were shot, so Richard Kiel didn’t know if his character survived until the premiere.
This turned out to be a smart move, as Jaws went on to become one of the most popular Bond villains of all time. Kiel reported that, at some screenings, the audience cheered for Jaws’ survival. He would go on to return in Moonraker where he doesn't just become a good guy, but he even gets a love interest.
Carly Simon’s Theme Song Broke Bond Tradition
Going against long-time franchise tradition, Carly Simon’s theme song from The Spy Who Loved Me, “Nobody Does It Better,” was not named after the movie it was featured in. However, the phrase “the spy who loved me” does appear in the lyrics.
Although Simon provided the vocals, she didn’t write the song. Marvin Hamlisch wrote the music, while Carole Bayer Sager wrote the lyrics.