Blog : Fleming, Bond & Bond Cars-part 4: You Only Live Twice

Nov 14

Fleming, Bond & Bond Cars-part 4: You Only Live Twice

One of Flemings best Bond books for its glimpse into postwar Japan. The Japanese car industry was not as advanced when the book was written as it is today , so it was left to the film to have the 2000 GT which I've uploaded.There were two converted 2000GTs made for the film ( and 337 in total) --one is still supposed to exist at the Toyota HQ in Japan !The 2000GT is rated by many to be along with the Nissan Z to be the turning point for Japanese cars.

This book captures some of the best Bond moments . The conversion of a childrens parlour game ( paper, scissors , stone) into a high stakes evaluation of character; unforgettable characters like Tiger Tanaka and Dikko Henderson and of course the conclusion of the Bond -Blofeld rivalry.

To me this film is a turning point because of the increasing element of the sort of out of space fantasy moments which because de rigeur later. The book is a taut description of friendship and conflict, the film is more of mass entertainment product.Having said that the harbour fight filmed imaginatively from a height is a great screen moment.