1960s

An exceedingly rare poster for the original Finnish release of You Only Live Twice, the fifth film in EON Productions' James Bond series and the last of Sean Connery's first stint starring as the suave secret agent. It was announced during filming that Connery would retire from the role, although he later returned in 1971's Diamonds Are Forever. With a screenplay by children's author Roald Dahl, You Only Live Twice was the first Bond film to discard most of Ian Fleming's original plot, using only a few characters and locations from the 1964 novel as the basis for an entirely new story. Following the mammoth success of 1965's Thunderball, it was also the first truly epic Bond film - with spaceships, a volcanic lair, SPECTRE, armies of henchmen, ninjas and the threat of nuclear armageddon. When American and Soviet spacecraft mysteriously disappear and each nation blames the other, Bond travels to Tokyo on the tail of the true perpetrators, finally coming face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE, as the criminal organisation attempts to provoke a third world war between the superpowers. The film was a smash, grossing over $111 million at the box office. This colourful Finnish poster pulls together a few different elements from Robert McGinnis' superb designs for the various British and American campaign posters - the classic full length figure of Bond with his pistol and diving helmet, a glamorous girl from the bathtub artwork of the style C posters, and an inset action scene from the style B posters featuring Bond with his weaponised gyrocopter Little Nellie. We are not aware of any other examples of this poster that have surfaced for sale.

Condition

Very good (B+)

Unfolded, backed on linen in the European style with no restoration whatsoever. Backing has smoothed and diminished nicks and tears to left edge (the largest 1 in.) and a torn staple hole in the 2nd 'N' of 'CONNERY.' Image and colours otherwise excellent.