The Early Films: Notable Elements of You Only Live Twice
The fifth James Bond movie “You Only Live Twice” is a classic James Bond caper movie. It has all the standard elements – seduction, villains, high tech gadgets, women, women, and more women. In fact the only thing missing in this Bond movie are cars. Bond flies a helicopter called “little Nellie”. He travels by boat, by foot, and submarine. He almost goes into outer space, but he doesn’t have a fancy tricked out spy mobile like in other bond films. What makes this film different from other Bond movies is the screenwriter, Roald Dahl.
Roald Dahl was a children’s author who is either loved or hated, depending on who you ask. He puts his unique stamp on this movie with his child like relish for over the top spy antics. Almost all of Dahl’s work was written for children and young adults, and there is a childish glee watching Bond take on 3 helicopters in his minicopter. It sounds like it is powered by a lawn mower engine, and it seems to defy the laws of physics to carry Bond and all his arsenal of weapons.
Bonds nemesis is the bald headed Ernest Stavro Blofeld, later satirized in the Austin Powers movies. He is a cartoonish villain with no real depth who mainly serves as a nemesis for Bond. Roald Dahl was actually accused of simplifying characters as either good or evil in his books. This villain fits in perfectly with that world view.
A small army of ninjas invades the underground volcano lair of Blofeld. Ninjas fighting a European bald headed villain in and underground volcano lair that is a secret launching pad for spaces ship that kidnap other space ships in space: It make you smile just thinking about it.
This Bond film is over the top, but it is easy to forgive its inconsistencies once the ninja’s enter the scene. Roald Dahl didn’t really care much about the women, giving them little dialogue, and no actual thoughts. This movie is all about the gadgets and the villain and ninjas. It conveniently glosses over its source material, forgetting that Bond is supposed to be grieving for his wife and is spiraling into depression.Related Article : “The Landlady” By Roald Dahl (1959)