List of James Bond title references
Encyclopedia
The James Bond
series of novels and films feature some of the most memorable titles in entertainment history. They typically include some sort of reference to the title within the adventure, sometimes resorting to clever (and occasionally awkward) lengths to do this. Here are some of the title references:
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
series of novels and films feature some of the most memorable titles in entertainment history. They typically include some sort of reference to the title within the adventure, sometimes resorting to clever (and occasionally awkward) lengths to do this. Here are some of the title references:
Ian Fleming titles
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- Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (novel)Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors....
: Fleming's novel, Casino Royale, as well as its three screen adaptations: the 1954 television episode, the 1967 film spoofCasino Royale (1967 film)Casino Royale is a 1967 comedy spy film originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre, and is loosely based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.The film stars David Niven as the...
, and the 2006 filmCasino Royale (2006 film)Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
, all take place at the "Casino Royale." With the exception of the 2006 film, the casino is located in the fictional town "Royale-les-EauxRoyale-les-EauxRoyale-les-Eaux is a fictional town in Northern France. It features in the James Bond novels of Ian Fleming and others, particularly Casino Royale and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.-Location:...
", which is located in Northern FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The casino in the 2006 film is located in MontenegroMontenegroMontenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
. The first U.S. paperback edition of Casino Royale was retitled You Asked For It; there is no reference in the story to this title.
- Casino Royale
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- Live and Let DieLive and Let Die (novel)Live and Let Die is the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1954, where the initial print run of 7,500 copies quickly sold out. As with Fleming's first novel, Casino Royale, Live and Let Die was broadly well received by the critics...
: In the novel the title is mentioned by Bond when Captain Dexter says their policy on Mr. Big, the villain, is "live and let live". Bond retorts saying that in his business it's "live and let die". At one point Fleming favoured the title "The Undertaker's Wind", which later became the title for the seventeenth chapter. The film doesn't really make any reference to the title, however, during a scene in the film when Bond is at the Fillet Of Soul restaurant, a woman performs the theme song, "Live and Let DieLive and Let Die (song)"Live and Let Die" is the main theme song of the 1973 James Bond film Live and Let Die and was performed by Paul McCartney & Wings for the movie soundtrack and appears on the soundtrack album. The song was one of Wings' most successful singles, and the most successful Bond theme to that point...
", on stage.
- Live and Let Die
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- Moonraker: Moonraker wasn't the first choice by Fleming for this adventure. In fact Fleming first suggested: "The Infernal Machine", and later "The Inhuman Element", or "Wide of the Mark". The publishers, however, favoured "The Moonraker Sense", "The Moonraker Plan", or "Bond & The Moonraker". Other titles that are known to have been suggested include: "Mondays are Hell", "Hell is Here", "The Moonraker", "The Moonraker Plot", "The Moonraker Secret", "Out of the Clear Sky", and "Too Hot to Handle". Ultimately, it was Fleming who settled on "Moonraker". For unknown reasons, Moonrakers title for the first U.S. paperback publication by PermabooksPermabooksPermabooks was a paperback division of Doubleday, established by Doubleday in 1948. Although published by Doubleday's Garden City Publishing Company in Garden City, Long Island, the Permabooks editorial office was located at 14 West 49th Street in Manhattan....
in 1956 was changed to Too Hot to Handle, one of the working titles; there is no reference to this title in the story. In the novel, Moonraker is Hugo DraxHugo DraxSir Hugo Drax is a fictional character created by author Ian Fleming for the James Bond novel Moonraker. Fleming named him after his friend, Sir Reginald Drax. For the later film and its novelization, Drax was largely transformed by screenwriter Christopher Wood. In the film, Drax is portrayed by...
's missile project that is being built to defend Britain against its Cold War enemies. In the film, it is the name of Drax's space shuttleSpace ShuttleThe Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
fleet. Upon the film's release, a novelisation by Christopher WoodChristopher Wood (writer)Christopher Wood is an English screenwriter and novelist best known under the pseudonym 'Timothy Lea' for the Confessions series of novels and films. Under his own name, he adapted two James Bond novels for the screen: The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker .Wood has written many novels...
was released titled James Bond and Moonraker.
- Moonraker: Moonraker wasn't the first choice by Fleming for this adventure. In fact Fleming first suggested: "The Infernal Machine", and later "The Inhuman Element", or "Wide of the Mark". The publishers, however, favoured "The Moonraker Sense", "The Moonraker Plan", or "Bond & The Moonraker". Other titles that are known to have been suggested include: "Mondays are Hell", "Hell is Here", "The Moonraker", "The Moonraker Plot", "The Moonraker Secret", "Out of the Clear Sky", and "Too Hot to Handle". Ultimately, it was Fleming who settled on "Moonraker". For unknown reasons, Moonrakers title for the first U.S. paperback publication by Permabooks
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- Diamonds Are ForeverDiamonds Are Forever (novel)Diamonds Are Forever is the fourth of Ian Fleming's James Bond series of novels. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 26 March 1956 and the first print run of 12,500 copies sold out quickly...
: In the novel, the title are words that are engraved on a gold tablet that is on display in a window of the London branch of the Spangs' "House of Diamonds". The title is actually not used in the film, but the phrase does appear on a magazine Bond reads in Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
.
- Diamonds Are Forever
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- From Russia, with Love: The title is actually not used in the novel, although it does reference Russia's attempt at luring Bond to IstanbulIstanbulIstanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
where they would exact their revenge. The film makes a more blatant reference, first as a song playing over a radio, and later Bond writes the phrase on a photographPhotographA photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
of Tatiana RomanovaTatiana RomanovaTatiana Romanova is a fictional character in the James Bond novel, film, and video game From Russia with Love. She is played by Daniela Bianchi in the movie. According to William F...
for Miss MoneypennyMiss MoneypennyJane Moneypenny, better known as Miss Moneypenny, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M, who is Bond's boss and head of the British Secret Service...
as he is leaving the office. The video game adaption also mentions the title as Bond says "I'll bring it back, from Russia with love."
- From Russia, with Love: The title is actually not used in the novel, although it does reference Russia's attempt at luring Bond to Istanbul
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- Dr. No: For both the novel and the film, Dr. No, the title comes from the villain Dr. Julius No. In the latter, the title is first seen on a file folder and first spoken later by Felix LeiterFelix LeiterFelix Leiter is a fictional CIA agent created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. In both, Leiter works for the CIA and assists Bond in his various adventures as well as being his best friend. In further novels Leiter joins the Pinkerton Detective Agency and in the film...
. In the May 1962 issue of StagStag (magazine)Stag was the name of various American men's magazines published from the 1930s through at least the 1990s.-Publication history:The first, published by Leeds Publishing Corp., beginning with vol...
, the story was serialised as "Nude Girl Of Nightmare Key." According to Henry Chancellor, the original title was "The Wound Man."
- Dr. No: For both the novel and the film, Dr. No, the title comes from the villain Dr. Julius No. In the latter, the title is first seen on a file folder and first spoken later by Felix Leiter
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- Goldfinger: For both the novel and the film, the title comes from the villain Auric GoldfingerAuric GoldfingerAuric Goldfinger is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film and novel Goldfinger. His first name, Auric, is an adjective meaning of gold...
. The character is actually a jab at the architect Ernő GoldfingerErno GoldfingerErnő Goldfinger was a Hungarian-born Jewish architect and designer of furniture, and a key member of the architectural Modern Movement after he had moved to the United Kingdom.-Biography:Goldfinger was born in Budapest...
who had built his home in HampsteadHampsteadHampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
next door to Fleming's; Fleming disliked Goldfinger's style of architecture and "destruction of Victorian terraces" and decided to name a villain after him. The original title for the novel is said to be "The Richest Man in the World", a reference to Goldfinger's ambition of stealing all the gold in Fort KnoxFort KnoxFort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade counties. It currently holds the Army Human Resources Center of Excellence to include the Army Human Resources Command, United States Army Cadet...
which would have made him the richest. In the novel, Goldfinger is the richest man in the UK.
- Goldfinger: For both the novel and the film, the title comes from the villain Auric Goldfinger
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- "From a View to a Kill": The title to Fleming's short story which is found in the For Your Eyes Only collection is taken from a version of the words to a traditional hunting song, "D'ye ken John PeelJohn Peel (farmer)John Peel was a British huntsman who is the subject of the nineteenth century song D'ye ken John Peel - "ken" being a dialectical form of "know" used in Scotland and the north of England.-Peel's life:...
?": "From a find to a check, from a check to a view,/ From a view to a kill in the morning". In the story, it is a reference to Bond hunting down a Russian agent who had killed a dispatch-rider from SHAPESupreme Headquarters Allied Powers EuropeSupreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
. Originally, it is said that it was to be titled "The Rough with the Smooth" (the original title of the collection), and by some accounts there is evidence of this in Fleming's typescript that was eventually deleted for the final published story. The title, "From A View to a Kill" was later used for the 19851985 in film-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
Bond film, A View to a KillA View to a KillA View to a Kill is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the fourth Bond film after The Spy Who Loved...
. Originally, the film was to be titled the same as the short story, but was changed just prior to release. The title is actually stated in the film and is considered one of the most awkward incorporations of a Bond film title to date. From an airship the henchwoman May Day looks down at San Francisco (Silicon ValleySilicon ValleySilicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
) and says: "Wow! What a view!" The villain Max ZorinMax ZorinMax Zorin is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film A View to a Kill. He was portrayed by Academy Award winner Christopher Walken...
follows this up with the line: "To a kill!", a reference to the fact that Silicon Valley is the target in their scheme.
- "From a View to a Kill": The title to Fleming's short story which is found in the For Your Eyes Only collection is taken from a version of the words to a traditional hunting song, "D'ye ken John Peel
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- For Your Eyes Only: For Your Eyes Only is both the title of an Ian Fleming short story and the title for a short story collection. The collection was initially titled "The Rough with the Smooth". Additionally, the collection is subtitled "Five Secret Occasions in the Life of James Bond" in the UK and "Five Secret Exploits of James Bond" in the U.S. The short story itself was originally titled: "Man's Work", and later "Rough Justice" and "Death Leaves an Echo". The first unused title, "Man's Work", is in reference to Bond being asked by MM (James Bond)M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
to voluntarily kill Herr von Hammerstein for killing a JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n couple who were close friends of his. When Bond arrives to do just that, Judy HavelockJudy HavelockJudy Havelock is a fictional character in the James Bond short story "For Your Eyes Only" that is included in the eponymous anthology written by Ian Fleming....
, the couple's daughter is there and eventually kills Hammerstein. In the film, the title is seen on a file folder. It is later said by Melina Havelock before she and Bond go skinny dippingSkinny dippingNude swimming, colloquially called skinny dipping, is a term used to describe swimming naked.-Etymology:The term skinny dip, first recorded in English in the 1950s, includes the somewhat archaic word skinny, known since 1573, meaning "having to do with skin", as it exposed the naked...
.
- For Your Eyes Only: For Your Eyes Only is both the title of an Ian Fleming short story and the title for a short story collection. The collection was initially titled "The Rough with the Smooth". Additionally, the collection is subtitled "Five Secret Occasions in the Life of James Bond" in the UK and "Five Secret Exploits of James Bond" in the U.S. The short story itself was originally titled: "Man's Work", and later "Rough Justice" and "Death Leaves an Echo". The first unused title, "Man's Work", is in reference to Bond being asked by M
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- "Quantum of Solace": Another short story. It is a reference to an anecdote that Bond hears at a dinner party. Basically, it is defined as the last remaining element in a relationship after love has died, before the inevitable split. This is the title of the twenty-second Bond film.
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- "Risico": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film, although the story itself was used in the film For Your Eyes Only. It was originally spelt: "Risiko." It is used in the opening line of the short story by Aristotle KristatosAristotle KristatosAristotle "Aris" Kristatos is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the Ian Fleming short story "Risico" found in the anthology For Your Eyes Only and the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, in which he was referred to as Aris Kristatos...
, who says: "In this pizniss is much risico."
- "Risico": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film, although the story itself was used in the film For Your Eyes Only. It was originally spelt: "Risiko." It is used in the opening line of the short story by Aristotle Kristatos
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- "The Hildebrand Rarity": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film. The title is in reference to a rare fish that Bond attempts to find with Milton Krest, his wife, and Bond's friend Fidele Barbey while on holiday in the SeychellesSeychellesSeychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
Islands.
- "The Hildebrand Rarity": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film. The title is in reference to a rare fish that Bond attempts to find with Milton Krest, his wife, and Bond's friend Fidele Barbey while on holiday in the Seychelles
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- Thunderball: In both the novel and the film, MM (James Bond)M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
dubs the mission to retrieve two stolen atomic bombs "Operation Thunderball".
- Thunderball: In both the novel and the film, M
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- The Spy Who Loved Me: In the novel, which is a first-person narrativeFirst-person narrativeFirst-person point of view is a narrative mode where a story is narrated by one character at a time, speaking for and about themselves. First-person narrative may be singular, plural or multiple as well as being an authoritative, reliable or deceptive "voice" and represents point of view in the...
told from the point of view of the lead female character, Vivienne MichelVivienne MichelVivienne "Viv" Michel is the main fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond novel The Spy Who Loved Me. She has not appeared as a character in a James Bond film, as Danjaq, the copyright holder to the characters, elements, and other material related to James Bond on screen agreed never to use...
, Bond is "the spy" and "me" refers to the Bond girlBond girlA Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
. The title is not used in the film except as a lyric in the theme song, although the theme song itself breaks tradition by being the first since Dr. No used an opening medleyMedley (music)In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
to have a different title to that of the film. This was done again for Octopussy (title song: All Time HighAll Time High"All Time High" is a 1983 single release by Rita Coolidge introduced as the theme song for the James Bond film Octopussy.-Background:"All Time High" marked the return of regular James Bond theme composer John Barry after his absence from the For Your Eyes Only soundtrack...
), Casino RoyaleCasino Royale (2006 film)Casino Royale is the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond...
(You Know My NameYou Know My Name"You Know My Name," performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer...
) and Quantum of Solace (Another Way to DieAnother Way to Die"Another Way to Die" is a song by American rock musician and singer Jack White and American R&B/soul singer Alicia Keys. Written and produced by White as the theme song to the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace, it was released as a single in the United States on September 30, 2008 and in...
). In the film of The Spy Who Loved Me, "the spy" and "me" alternate as references to either Bond or his Russian counterpart, Anya AmasovaAnya AmasovaMajor Anya Amasova is a fictional character and the deuteragonist in the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me, portrayed by Barbara Bach...
– he being the spy in the song lyrics, while the accompanying title sequence is clearly showing it the other way round. Upon the film's release, a novelisation by Christopher WoodChristopher Wood (writer)Christopher Wood is an English screenwriter and novelist best known under the pseudonym 'Timothy Lea' for the Confessions series of novels and films. Under his own name, he adapted two James Bond novels for the screen: The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker .Wood has written many novels...
was released titled James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me.
- The Spy Who Loved Me: In the novel, which is a first-person narrative
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- On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The title is a reference to the secret service, however, the story was at one point to be titled "The Belles Of Hell". In both the novel and the film Bond uses the phrase "her Majesty's secret service" when he is dictating his resignation from the secret service to Miss MoneypennyMiss MoneypennyJane Moneypenny, better known as Miss Moneypenny, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M, who is Bond's boss and head of the British Secret Service...
, and his father-in-law to be, Marc Ange Draco, similarly refers thus to MI6 later on in the film. The title, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, is said to have come from a nineteenth century sailing novel seen by Fleming's friend Nicholas HendersonNicholas HendersonSir John Nicolas Henderson, GCMG, KCVO was a distinguished British career diplomat and writer, who served as British Ambassador to the United States from 1979 to 1982....
on a stall in the Portobello RoadPortobello RoadPortobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
.
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The title is a reference to the secret service, however, the story was at one point to be titled "The Belles Of Hell". In both the novel and the film Bond uses the phrase "her Majesty's secret service" when he is dictating his resignation from the secret service to Miss Moneypenny
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- You Only Live Twice: The title of the novel is often mistaken as being the work of a JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese poet named Matsuo BashōMatsuo Basho, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
, however, the unique title comes from a haikuHaiku' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
that James Bond writes for his friend Tiger Tanaka. In the novel it is mentioned that it isn't a haiku at all, that in actuality it is a failed attempt by Bond after being taught the basics for creating one. In the epigraph (and explained in the novel), the haiku is listed as being "after Basho", meaning written in the poet's style: "You only live twice: / Once when you're born, / And once when you look death in the face." For the film, Ernst Stavro BlofeldErnst Stavro BlofeldErnst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
utters the phrase when he captures Bond. In this context it is a reference to Bond's faked death at the start of the film.
- You Only Live Twice: The title of the novel is often mistaken as being the work of a Japan
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- The Man with the Golden GunThe Man with the Golden Gun (novel)The Man with the Golden Gun is the twelfth novel of Ian Fleming's James Bond series of books. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 1 April 1965, eight months after the author's death. The novel was not as detailed or polished as the others in the series, leading to poor but polite...
: For both the novel and the film, the title derives from the nickname of the villain, Francisco ScaramangaFrancisco ScaramangaFrancisco Scaramanga is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film and novel The Man with the Golden Gun. The film was so named because it described Scaramanga's possession of a golden gun....
, see "Golden Gun" for the description of the gun.
- The Man with the Golden Gun
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- "Octopussy": "Octopussy" is a short story which is combined with another, "The Living Daylights" to form their collection's title: Octopussy and The Living DaylightsOctopussy and The Living DaylightsOctopussy and The Living Daylights is the fourteenth and final James Bond book written by Ian Fleming in the Bond series...
, although there are currently other stories. The title, "Octopussy" is said to have come from a coracle owned by Blance Blackwell that was given to Fleming at his home in Jamaica. In the short story, "Octopussy" is the name of Major Dexter Smythe's pet octopusOctopusThe octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...
. For the film, the Bond girlBond girlA Bond girl is a character or actress portraying a love interest, of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as "Pussy Galore", "Plenty O'Toole", "Xenia Onatopp", or "Holly Goodhead"...
is actually named "Octopussy", saying it was the nickname for her used by her father (Smythe). Magda, a henchwoman of the title character, also refers to her cult-member tattoo of an octopus as, "My little octopussy".
- "Octopussy": "Octopussy" is a short story which is combined with another, "The Living Daylights" to form their collection's title: Octopussy and The Living Daylights
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- "The Living Daylights": For both the short story and the film, "The Living Daylights" is used in a quote by Bond after he shoots a would-be assassin's sniper rifle causing her to miss her mark. Bond says it must have "scared the living daylights out of her". The short story was originally titled "Trigger Finger", a reference to the assassin's nickname that Bond is supposed to kill. "The Living Daylights" has been reprinted at least twice under the title "Berlin Escape". The English idiomIdiomIdiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
"the living daylights" is somewhat archaic and generally not used alone; "daylights" originally was slang for somebody's eyes in the eighteenth century, and the meaning has evolved to mean somebody's consciousness http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/51/messages/600.html.
- "The Living Daylights": For both the short story and the film, "The Living Daylights" is used in a quote by Bond after he shoots a would-be assassin's sniper rifle causing her to miss her mark. Bond says it must have "scared the living daylights out of her". The short story was originally titled "Trigger Finger", a reference to the assassin's nickname that Bond is supposed to kill. "The Living Daylights" has been reprinted at least twice under the title "Berlin Escape". The English idiom
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- "The Property of a Lady": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film, although the story itself was used within the film Octopussy. In both the short story "The Property of a Lady" and the film Octopussy, the property in question is a Fabergé eggFabergé eggA Fabergé egg is any one of the thousands of jeweled eggs made by the House of Fabergé from 1885 to 1917. Most were miniature eggs that were popular gifts at Eastertide...
by Carl FabergéPeter Carl FabergéPeter Karl Fabergé also known as Karl Gustavovich Fabergé in Russia was a Russian jeweller of Baltic German-Danish and French origin, best known for the famous Fabergé eggs, made in the style of genuine Easter eggs, but using precious metals and gemstones rather than more mundane materials.-Early...
that is being auctioned at Sotheby'sSotheby'sSotheby's is the world's fourth oldest auction house in continuous operation.-History:The oldest auction house in operation is the Stockholms Auktionsverk founded in 1674, the second oldest is Göteborgs Auktionsverk founded in 1681 and third oldest being founded in 1731, all Swedish...
– in the film, the title is printed on the catalogue and Bond notes, "There is a lady" as Magda enters. In the short story, the "lady" is instead Maria Freudenstein. The original title of the short story was "The Diamond Egg", and later "The Fabulous Pay-Off". The title was rumoured to have been selected as that of Timothy Dalton'sTimothy DaltonTimothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
planned but never produced third film.
- "The Property of a Lady": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film, although the story itself was used within the film Octopussy. In both the short story "The Property of a Lady" and the film Octopussy, the property in question is a Fabergé egg
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- "007 in New York": Another short story, the title has never been used for a film. Originally titled "Reflections in a Carey Cadillac", it was however first published under the name "Agent 007 in New York" in 1963, a year before being published under the final name.
Original film titles
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- Never Say Never AgainNever Say Never AgainNever Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball...
: Not used per se other than as a lyric in the theme song, but Bond says "Never again" at the end of the film, indicating his intention to retire. The title comes from Sean ConnerySean ConnerySir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
who after filming Diamonds Are Forever claimed he would never play James Bond again. When he accepted the new offer, Connery's wife, Michelin, told him he should "never say never again." She is credited for coming up with the name in the end titles.
- Never Say Never Again
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- Licence to KillLicence to KillLicence to Kill, released in 1989, is the sixteenth entry in the Eon Productions James Bond series and the first one not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. It marks Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role of James Bond...
: M revokes Bond's licence to killLicence to kill (concept)Licence to kill is a literary device used in espionage fiction. It refers to the official sanction by a government or government agency to a particular operative or employee to initiate the use of lethal force in the delivery of their objectives...
. The original title was "Licence Revoked", which was purported to have been changed due to the result of test screenings shown in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where the audience apparently misunderstood the use of the word "revoked" in the vernacular of the film.
- Licence to Kill
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- GoldenEyeGoldenEyeGoldenEye is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist Ian Fleming...
: Codename for a satellite mentioned several times. The name itself was taken from the name of Ian Fleming's estate in JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
where he had authored many of the Bond novels. Beyond that there are a number of theories for what his estate is named after including Fleming's own Operation GoldeneyeOperation GoldeneyeOperation Goldeneye was an Allied plan during World War II, that monitored Spain after the Spanish Civil War. The goal was to ensure that Britain would still be able to communicate with Gibraltar in the event Spain joined the Axis Powers. Additionally, it was a plan for the defence of Gibraltar had...
, a strategic plan never used for World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It is also a reference to Carson McCullersCarson McCullersCarson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South...
' novel Reflections in a Golden EyeReflections in a Golden Eye (novel)Reflections in a Golden Eye is a 1941 novel by American author Carson McCullers.It first appeared in Harper's Bazaar in 1940, serialized in the October–November issues. The book was published by Houghton Mifflin on February 14, 1941, to mostly poor reviews...
, which Fleming is said to have read prior to christening his estate, and a reference to "Orcabessa", the location of the estate which means 'head of gold' or 'golden head'.
- GoldenEye
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- Tomorrow Never DiesTomorrow Never DiesTomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein wrote the screenplay, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering...
: Not used in the film. The original title was to be "Tomorrow Never Lies", which refers to Elliot CarverElliot CarverElliot Carver is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. In the film, he is portrayed by Welsh actor Jonathan Pryce. Screenwriter Bruce Feirstein modelled the character on Robert Maxwell, but many viewers analysed Carver as a satirical take on...
's newspaper "Tomorrow", which essentially creates the news. The title was changed after a typo on a copy of the script was found. The producers liked the title and decided to adopt the mistake.
- Tomorrow Never Dies
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- The World Is Not EnoughThe World Is Not EnoughThe World Is Not Enough is the nineteenth spy film in the James Bond film series, and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Michael Apted, with the original story and screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It...
: The title actually derives from Fleming's On Her Majesty's Secret Service when Bond attempts to search for noble blood in his family line as a cover for his meeting with Ernst Stavro BlofeldErnst Stavro BlofeldErnst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional character and a supervillain from the James Bond series of novels and films, who was created by Ian Fleming and Kevin McClory. An evil genius with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of the British Secret Service agent James Bond and is arguably...
. Often mistaken as Bond's family motto, the actual motto in Latin, Orbis non sufficit, belonged to Sir Thomas BondSir Thomas Bond, 1st BaronetSir Thomas Bond was an English landowner and Baronet, Comptroller of the household of Queen Henrietta Maria.- Life :The son of another Sir Thomas Bond , by his marriage to Catherine, daughter of John Osbaldeston, Bond was born about 1620 at Peckham. The exact dates of his birth, death and marriage...
who was never proven to be of any relation to James Bond. It is assumed that because Bond did like the motto that he adopted it. In the film Bond utters the phrase, explaining that it is indeed his family motto.
- The World Is Not Enough
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- Die Another DayDie Another DayDie Another Day is the 20th spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline with the series being rebooted with Casino Royale...
: Bond says to the main villain Gustav GravesGustav GravesSir Gustav Graves is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film Die Another Day, played by Toby Stephens...
, "So you live to die another day," a reference to the beginning of the film when the villain was thought to have died, also a reference to the poem A Shropshire LadA Shropshire LadA Shropshire Lad is a cycle of sixty-three poems by the English poet Alfred Edward Housman . Some of the better-known poems in the book are "To an Athlete Dying Young", "Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now" and "When I Was One-and-Twenty".The collection was published in 1896...
by A. E. HousmanA. E. HousmanAlfred Edward Housman , usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known to the general public for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900...
that includes the line, "But since the man that runs away/Lives to die another day".
- Die Another Day