Synopsis

James Bond is sent to the Bahamas after SPECTRE steals two nuclear warheads and threatens to destroy a major city unless a ransom is paid. Working with CIA agent Felix Leiter and Domino Derval, Bond traces the weapons to Emilio Largo's yacht and estate. His investigation leads to a dangerous underwater confrontation involving enemy divers, military frogmen, and a final battle aboard the Disco Volante.

Factoids & Trivia

• About one-quarter of the film takes place underwater, making its aquatic action unusually ambitious for 1965. A separate underwater unit used 45 divers for the climactic battle.

• The production employed four different units and filmed in the Bahamas, Miami, France, London, Pinewood Studios, and at Silverstone racetrack.

• Bond's rocket pack was a real Bell-Textron device originally developed for military use. Only two men were qualified to operate it, and both were brought in for the escape sequence.

• The underwater scenes used specialized equipment supplied by Voit, including Aqua-Lung gear. The film helped turn scuba technology and underwater propulsion devices into recognizable Bond imagery.

• Ken Adam designed the Disco Volante as a yacht that could split apart and reveal a faster hydrofoil. The production combined an existing hydrofoil with a catamaran structure to create the unusual vessel.

• Sean Connery was filmed near live sharks in Largo's pool. A Perspex barrier was built into the set, but one shark managed to pass through it, making Connery's reaction genuinely alarmed.

• The film originated from a disputed screenplay developed by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and Ian Fleming. A legal settlement eventually gave McClory producer credit and later enabled him to make the unofficial Bond remake Never Say Never Again.

• John Stears won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the film. The award recognized the production's large-scale practical effects, including the underwater work, vehicles, explosions, and rocket pack.

• The title song was written by John Barry and Don Black and performed by Tom Jones. Jones later recalled that recording the final note left him dizzy.

• Corgi's toy version of Bond's Aston Martin DB5 became the best-selling toy in the United Kingdom in 1965.

• Thunderball was the first Bond film released in Panavision and the first in the series to run longer than two hours.

• With a reported budget of $9 million, the film became a major commercial success and remained the highest-grossing Bond movie until Live and Let Die in 1973.