This is not one of the better James Bond films—not even by Roger Moore standards. And yet, for audacious stunts, it’s forever in the history books.
007 put the pedal to the metal over a broken Thai bridge, spinning his vehicle 270 degrees like a tossed football, landing safely on the other side. The stunt used the first ever use of computer modeling for a motion picture stunt. The Calspan Corporation, which under its previous name, the Cornell Aeronautical Laboratory, had invented the crash test dummy and the modern seat belt, aided in bringing this moment from dream to reality.
It’s an amazing and elegant shot, and it was caught on the first take. Director Guy Hamilton went and screwed it up by adding a clownish slide whistle in post-production for a cheap laugh, but that’s showbiz.
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