Moonraker (1979)

Director:

Lewis Gilbert

Writer:

Christopher Wood (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 June 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Moonraker Is Out Of This World

Plot:

James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide.

Plot Keywords:

Space | Space Shuttle | James Bond | Jaws | Brazil

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Roger Moore	...	James Bond
Lois Chiles	...	Dr. Holly Goodhead
Michael Lonsdale	...	Hugo Drax
Richard Kiel	...	Jaws
Corinne Clery	...	Corinne Dufour
Bernard Lee	...	'M'
Geoffrey Keen	...	Sir Frederick Gray
Desmond Llewelyn	...	'Q'
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Toshirô Suga	...	Chang (as Toshiro Suga)
Emily Bolton	...	Manuela
Blanche Ravalec	...	Dolly - Jaws' Girlfriend
Irka Bochenko	...	Blonde Beauty
Mike Marshall	...	Col. Scott (as Michael Marshall)
Leila Shenna	...	Hostess Private Jet

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's Moonraker (UK) (complete title)
Moonraker (France)

Runtime:

126 min

Country:

UK | France

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Ireland:PG | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Germany:12 (re-rating) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1979) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

"The Canals", Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

Ian Fleming based the villain Drax on the Jules Verne's character Robur from the "Clipper Of The Clouds", "Master of the World" and "Robur, The Conqueror" stories. In addition, the filmmakers based Drax also on Adolf Hitler and there is a similarity between the look of Hitler and that of actor Michael Lonsdale. Drax's plan for a master race evokes Hitler's plans for the same. The "Drax" name was allegedly derived from two possible sources by James Bond creator Ian Fleming. Drax was the surname of a boy at Eton who would become Admiral Sir Reginald Plunkett Ernle Erle Drax. Drax Hall Estate was a Great House in Northern Jamaica in which Fleming visited during one of his early trips to Oracabessa. Fleming apparently saw the name on the blue notice board there. The name of Drax's butler in the movie was Cavendish.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When the Drax space station is being destroyed, most of the particles fall downwards, revealing gravity.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Captain: How are we doing, Richard?
RAF Officer: We should pass over the English coast 15 minutes ahead of time, sir.
Captain: Wow! With this load on our back, that's good going.
RAF Officer: Just trust the RAF, sir.

Movie Connections:

References Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

Soundtrack:

Romeo And Juliet Overture-Fantasy

This highly underrated Bond film ... works extremely well for several reasons.

This highly underrated Bond film, the eleventh in the series and fourth with Roger Moore, has Bond investigating the disappearance of a U.S. Space Shuttle. This film works extremely well for several reasons: first, because Bond keeps his cool and escapes from so many deadly situations; second, because it is the most humorous of all Bond films, especially because of "Jaws" falling in love and its containing the best of Bond's one-liners; and third, because of the special effects the creators gave the film riding on the coat-tail of "Star Wars", released two years earlier. All eight Bond films released since this one (up to "Tomorrow Never Dies" did not gross nearly as much earnings at the box office (when figures are adjusted for inflation).