Terence Young’s third and final contribution to the Bond franchises culminates in Thunderball. After a slight departure from the darker, more politically driven first two films, the Bond franchise entertained a bit more of a hokey protagonist in Goldfinger. While the styles of Dr. No and Goldfinger could be considered polar opposites, Thunderball does a fine job of marrying the two tones, producing a noir spy thriller.
There are still a fair number of puns, but not as gratuitous as those in Goldfinger. The gadgets are abundant as in its immediate predecessor. The main differences are underwater. Literally. Set in the Bahamas, much of Thunderball is shot in the Atlantic Ocean with both Bond and the villains negotiating currents, spear guns, sharks, and a lack of oxygen.
The premise, like the other Terence Young installments, centers on SPECTRE, specifically Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi). On Largo’s agenda: stealing two nuclear weapons from an airplane that is rigged to crash in the ocean. The quality of subterfuge and espionage gets much better in Thunderball. Before, we were expected to believe that items are procured simply because it is the will of either our hero or his enemies.
However Thunderball doesn’t take its audience for granted. Instead, it functions like a chronicle, relishing in showing how the larceny takes place, from establishing a doppelganger, to crashing the plane, to lifting the warheads, to concealing the evidence. This methodical direction and storytelling accomplishes something more than intriguing the audience – though it does that quite consistently.
It also evolves the character of SPECTRE. While the group’s leader is faceless and its members appear fairly expendable, a moment in the beginning establishes its ironic lauding of loyalty. In a fashion similar to its spoofing in Austin Powers, SPECTRE eliminates all traitors with the push of a button and a smoking chair.
No comedy riddles this moment in Thunderball; yet, we understand that the ranked numbers applied to SPECTRE’s members are more indicative of loyalty and devotion than anything else. SPECTRE is an amalgamated entity conceived through the culmination of other nations’ outliers. However, SPECTRE itself becomes a de facto country, creating its own nationalism despite its nomadic and fluid existence.
In effect, SPECTRE becomes more than a villain. It becomes an allegory for the ultra-nationalistic nation. And, in turn, forces us to wonder whether they can be castigated for nefarious acts that our respective United States and Britain were also a part of during the various arms races in history, but I digress.
Regardless of whether the allegory is acknowledged and read into (possibly more than it needs to be), Thunderball is the most all-around enjoyable of the first four Bonds. Each has its charm and memorable moments, but Thunderball elevates the quality of direction and creation of story. Given our knowledge of the franchise, we know that Bond is in no real danger, but there is a still a palpable tension in each scene. In part, this is aided by Young’s containment of each shot. For the most part, each shot delivers a feeling of isolation. Bond in the car is trapped in the rear window as are pursuing enemies. The pilots in the plane are trapped in the cockpit. And the close ups underwater create an oppressive suffocation. Some deaths underwater are caused by accurate shots with a spear gun. Most come from the slicing of an oxygen tube or forced removal of a mask.
It might be too much of a stretch to link this visual containment with the geopolitical containment practiced by the United States and Soviet Union during the 1960s – though it wouldn’t be an atypical theme. Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where are You Going, Where Have You Been,” published within a year of Thunderball, has been seen as a look at the dangers of containment, as have other films like Dr. Strangelove or Cool Hand Luke.
Whether this is intentional or subconscious, Thunderball is memorable for a number of reasons and continues to be one of the best of the franchise.
