You Only Live Twice

19671967
PGPG
1h 57min

You Only Live Twice (1967)

On this IMDbrief, presented by Progressive, let's look at the evolution of the women who loved the spy, and hear from four who co-star with Daniel Craig in Bond 25.

These Bond Women Are Changing the Spy Game

Action Adventure Thriller

Secret Agent James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.Secret Agent James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.Secret Agent James Bond and the Japanese Secret Service must find and stop the true culprit of a series of space hijackings, before war is provoked between Russia and the United States.

Director
- Lewis Gilbert
Writers
- Harold Jack Bloom(additional story material by)
- Roald Dahl(screenplay by)
- Ian Fleming(novel)
Stars

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 2 wins & 3 nominations total

Videos2

These Bond Women Are Changing the Spy Game

These Bond Women Are Changing the Spy Game

Bond 25 Returns to 007's Origins

Bond 25 Returns to 007's Origins

Sean Connery and Mie Hama in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Akiko Wakabayashi in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery and Karin Dor in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Tsai Chin in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Akiko Wakabayashi in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery and Desmond Llewelyn in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Mie Hama and Tetsurô Tanba in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery, Mie Hama, and Tetsurô Tanba in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery and Mie Hama in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Sean Connery in You Only Live Twice (1967)

Director
- Lewis Gilbert
Writers
- Harold Jack Bloom(additional story material by)
- Roald Dahl(screenplay by)
- Ian Fleming(novel) (uncredited)
All cast & crew
See more cast details at IMDbPro

Thunderball

7.0

Diamonds Are Forever

6.6

Diamonds Are Forever

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

6.7

On Her Majesty's Secret Service

From Russia with Love

7.4

From Russia with Love

Goldfinger

7.7

Live and Let Die

6.8

Live and Let Die

The Man with the Golden Gun

6.7

The Man with the Golden Gun

Dr. No

7.2

The Spy Who Loved Me

7.1

The Spy Who Loved Me

For Your Eyes Only

6.7

For Your Eyes Only

Moonraker

6.3

Octopussy

6.5

During the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union lose one spacecraft each after they are both seemingly swallowed whole by a second unidentified spacecraft. The two superpowers are quick to blame one another for the disappearances, causing tensions to skyrocket. The United Kingdom has an alternate theory regarding the disappearances however, a theory involving Japan, and sends their number one spy, James Bond, to investigate there. With the help of the Japanese Secret Service, he uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have ever imagined. —goddangwatir

faked death secret headquarters japan ninja secret organization 392 more

Trivia
While scouting locations in Japan, the chief production team narrowly escaped death. On March 5, 1966, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, director Lewis Gilbert, cinematographer Freddie Young, and production designer Ken Adam were booked to leave Japan on BOAC flight 911 departing Tokyo for Hong Kong and London. Two hours before their Boeing 707 flight departed, the team was invited to an unexpected ninja demonstration, and so missed their plane. Their flight took off as scheduled, and twenty-five minutes after take-off, the plane disintegrated over Mt. Fuji, killing all aboard.

Goofs
After a 4 hour hike to the top of the crater with no backpack, Bond pulls out a full suction cup apparatus set up. How did he ever know to bring this, not knowing there was anything inside the crater?

Quotes
Blofeld: James Bond. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ernst Stavro Blofeld. They told me you were assassinated in Hong Kong.
James Bond: Yes, this is my second life.
Blofeld: You only live twice, Mr. Bond.

Crazy credits
THE END of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE but James Bond will be back ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

Alternate versions
The Ultimate Edition reinserts some additional brief scenes that were omitted from early video versions and English broadcasts. Missing brief scenes were:
1) Tiger shows Bond the rocket guns.
2) A ninja cuts the arms off the 'hay man'.
3) A ninja throws shooting stars.
4) An assassin attempts to kill Bond by a spike out of the pole.
5) Tiger's throw of the stars at Blofeld's arm is longer.

Connections
Edited into The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)

Soundtracks
You Only Live Twice
Music by John Barry
Lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
Performed by Nancy Sinatra

Top review

Bond #5: Made in Japan

Easy to say which two things I remember best about "You Only Live Twice": the volcano base Ken Adam designed and the little helicopter Bond uses for his exploration of the volcano area. Roald Dahl's script brought better story development and less cheesy dialogs than in "Thunderball". Donald Pleasance played Blofeld extremely eccentric, almost sickening. Between Claudine Auger in the previous Bond and Diana Rigg in the next, "You Only Live Twice" does not really have just one leading lady, there are a few sweet Japanese girls around including Mie Hama and Akiko Wakabayashi, and among the baddies, Karin Dor appears as a redhead threatening to torture Bond when he is captured. The location of Japan had a lot to offer, from the modern skyscrapers to the traditional island villages, and let's not forget those sumo wrestlers ;-). With the 5th Bond, the hype had meanwhile become so huge that Connery was annoyed and said "never again" - for the first time...

helpful•13

4

unbrokenmetal
Jun 29, 2008

Release date
- June 13, 1967 (United States)
Countries of origin
- United Kingdom
- Japan
Official site
- MGM (United States)
Languages
Also known as
- Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice
Filming locations
- Mount Shinmu-dake, Kirishima-Yaku National Park, Kagoshima, Japan
Production company
- Eon Productions
See more company credits at IMDbPro

Budget
- $9,500,000 (estimated)
Gross US & Canada
- $43,084,787
Gross worldwide
- $43,086,122

See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

Runtime
- 1h 57min
Color
- Color
Sound mix
- 4-Track Stereo
Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1

Can No Time to Die Break the Final James Bond Movie Curse?

Can No Time to Die Break the Final James Bond Movie Curse?

Sep 18Den of Geek

On ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Drake Seeks Love Everywhere But Within

On ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Drake Seeks Love Everywhere But Within

Sep 7Rollingstone.com

You Only Live Twice (1967)

Top Gap

What is the Hindi language plot outline for You Only Live Twice (1967)?

More to explore

View image

Hollywood Romances: Our Favorite Couples

See the entire gallery

Image caption not available

What to Watch in October

Watch the video

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.