Tomorrow Never Dies

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For the video game see Tomorrow Never Dies (video game)

Tomorrow Never Dies
Tomorrow Never Dies film poster
James Bond	Pierce Brosnan
Directed by	Roger Spottiswoode
Produced by	Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson
Written by	Bruce Feirstein
Screenplay	Bruce Feirstein
Music by	David Arnold
Main theme
Composer	Sheryl Crow Mitchell Froom
Performer	Sheryl Crow
Distributed by	USA Theatrical and Worldwide DVD/Video MGM Distribution Co. Non-USA Theatrical United International Pictures
Released	December 17, 1997
Running time	119 min.
Budget	$110,000,000
Worldwide gross	$346,600,000
Admissions (world)	75.5 million
Preceded by	GoldenEye
Followed by	The World Is Not Enough
IMDb profile

Tomorrow Never Dies is the eighteenth James Bond film made by EON Productions, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as Ian Fleming's secret agent, James Bond. It was released in 1997, by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and was also the first Bond film made after the death of veteran producer Albert R. Broccoli. The film is dedicated to his memory, and beginning with this production and in each subsequent Bond film, the first credit reads: "Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions Ltd. presents..."

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Cast & characters 3 Crew 4 Soundtrack 4.1 Original track listing 4.2 1999 track listing 5 Vehicles & gadgets 6 Locations 6.1 Film locations 6.2 Shooting locations 7 Novelization 8 Trivia 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Plot summary

The film begins at a terrorist arms bazaar "somewhere on the Russian border." MI6 has sent 007 into the field to survey trades and purchases by the terrorists. One man identified, Henry Gupta, has purchased an American GPS encoder. Upon viewing the evidence of these transactions taking place, Admiral Roebuck overrules M's insistence of further examination of the situation and orders a missile strike upon the position. However, it is discovered moments later that the terrorists have two Soviet nuclear torpedos mounted on a plane which threatens a disastrous radioactive contamination of the area. Bond, using diversionary tactics, steals the plane with the torpedo and escapes before the missile hit, as does Gupta with the GPS encoder.

The encoder is later used by evil media mogul Elliot Carver, as tool to start a war between the People's Republic of China and the United Kingdom as an exclusive marketing device to launch his new worldwide television network. The encoder is used to send a British frigate, HMS Devonshire, off course in the South China sea where Carver's own stealth ship, based on a Navy concept ship equipped with stealth technology, the Sea Shadow, sinks it while also shooting down a Chinese fighter plane sent out to investigate the stray warship. When the recovered bodies of the sunken frigate's crew are found to have been killed using Chinese ammunition, a furious Admiral Roebuck orders a task force to be sent to the region and gives MI6 48 hours to find out what happened.

As tensions between the two countries mount, Bond is sent by M to investigate Carver after MI6 identifies a spurious signal sent from one of Carver's communications satellites at the time the warship was sunk. During the investigation, Bond travels to Hamburg, Germany, for Carver's grand gala unveiling his new network, the Carver Media Group. Bond seduces Carver's wife, Paris, whom Bond had previously been involved with romantically. Bond later infiltrates Carver's Hamburg headquarters and steals the GPS encoder. Bond returns to his hotel room to find Paris in bed and murdered. After dispatching Paris' assassin, he travels to the South China Sea to inspect the wreck of the Devonshire. While underwater, he meets Wai Lin and the two begin to work together in order to prevent Elliot Carver from starting the war between the two conflicting nations.

The finale includes the Chinese and British fleets approaching to attack each other with the two agents stealing aboard Carver's stealth ship to plant explosives to make the boat visible to the radar of both fleets. The fleets realise they have been played off against each other in this conflict by Carver and the British fleet move in and attack his stealth ship. Bond kills Carver with the same sea drill Carver used to sink the Devonshire and he and Wai Lin manage to escape the vessel as it is destroyed by the British fleet.

[edit] Cast & characters

• James Bond - Pierce Brosnan
• Miss Moneypenny - Samantha Bond
• M - Judi Dench
• Q - Desmond Llewelyn
• Jack Wade - Joe Don Baker
• Wai Lin - Michelle Yeoh
• Elliot Carver - Jonathan Pryce
• Paris Carver - Teri Hatcher
• Henry Gupta - Ricky Jay
• Dr. Kaufman - Vincent Schiavelli
• Mr. Stamper - Götz Otto
• Admiral Roebuck - Geoffrey Palmer
• Charles Robinson - Colin Salmon
• Dr. Dave Greenwalt - Colin Stanton
• General Bukharin - Terence Rigby
• Minister Of Defence - Julian Fellowes
• Tom Wallace - Michael G. Wilson
• Carver's Thug - Rocky Taylor
• General Chang - Philip Kwok
• Prof. Inga Bergstrom - Cecilie Thomsen

[edit] Crew

• Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
• Produced by: Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli
• Written by: Bruce Feirstein
• Cinematography by: Robert Elswit
• Composed by: David Arnold

[edit] Soundtrack

David Arnold composed the score of Tomorrow Never Dies, his first full Bond soundtrack. Arnold came to the producer's attention due to his successful cover interpretations in Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project — which featured major artists performing classic James Bond title songs.

The theme tune was chosen through a competitive process. There were approximately twelve submissions; including songs from Pulp, Saint Etienne, Marc Almond, Sheryl Crow and David Arnold.^[1] Sheryl Crow's song was chosen for the main titles while David Arnold's song "Surrender" featuring k.d. lang was used for the end titles. "Surrender," written by Arnold with lyrics by Don Black is a bold, classic-style James Bond theme song. Both songs have the phrase "tomorrow never dies", making this the only film with two, legitimate theme songs.

The score itself follows John Barry's classical style in both composition and orchestration, together with modern electronic rhythms present in most cues. In addition, themes from "Surrender" appear in various places throughout the score, mainly in the action cues, but it can also be heard in the dramatic "All In A Day's Work" track.

The DVD version of the film has an "isolated music track" allowing the viewer to watch the film with just the background music.

[edit] Original track listing

1. "Tomorrow Never Dies" — Sheryl Crow
2. "White Knight"
3. "Sinking of the Devonshire"
4. "Company Car"
5. "Station Break"
6. "Paris and Bond"
7. "Last Goodbye"
8. "Hamburg Break In"
9. "Hamburg Break Out"
10. "Doctor Kaufman"
11. "*-3-* Send"
12. "Underwater Discovery"
13. "Backseat Driver" — feat. Propellerheads
14. "Surrender" — k.d. lang
15. "James Bond Theme" — Moby

A 1999 release removed the theme songs, Moby's Bond theme remix and the "Station Break" track, and had additional music, as well as an interview with David Arnold.

[edit] 1999 track listing

1. "White Knight"
2. "Sinking of the Devonshire"
3. "Company Car"
4. "Paris and Bond"
5. "Last Goodbye"
6. "Hamburg Break In"
7. "Hamburg Break Out"
8. "Doctor Kaufman"
9. "*-3-* Send"
10. "Backseat Driver" — feat. Propellerheads
11. "Underwater Discovery"
12. "Helicopter Ride"
13. "Bike Chase"
14. "Bike Shop Fight"
15. "Kowloon Bay"
16. "Boarding the Stealth"
17. "A Tricky Spot for 007"
18. "All in a Day's Work"
19. "Exclusive David Arnold Interview"

[edit] Vehicles & gadgets

Main articles: List of James Bond vehicles and List of James Bond gadgets

• Aero L-39 Albatros
• BMW R1200 motorcycle — Stolen in Saigon, Vietnam, for a chase, ridden by both James Bond and Wai Lin.
• BMW 750i — Used in Germany, the car has a security system allowing access to no-one, without it first being disarmed via the mobile telephone; the glove box security system is fingerprint-controlled. Armament includes sunroof rockets, deployable caltrops (out of rear bumper), re-inflatable tyres, and a wire-cutter hidden under the BMW logo on the hood. The car may be remotely operated via Bond's mobile phone.
• Ericsson JB988 mobile telephone — Has several functions: a stun gun, a fingerprint scanner, an electronic lockpick, and a remote-control for the BMW 750i, with a small LCD screen for seeing the roadway when operating remotely.
• Omega Seamaster diver's wristwatch — Taken from a Chinese safehouse, used to remotely break a glass jar holding a hand grenade.
• Walther P99 — Taken from the same Chinese safehouse, Bond replaces his trademark Walther PPK with the Walther P99. Since Tomorrow Never Dies Bond has used the Walther P99 in every subsequent film.
• Gerber Mark 1 — A boot knife that Bond wears on his upper left chest as a backup. He stabs Mr. Stamper with it shortly before Stamper's foot becomes lodged in the firing chamber of the onboard missile.

In 1997, BMW offered a special promotion where the 750i and the R1200 could be purchased for $149,000 CAD.

[edit] Locations

[edit] Film locations

• somewhere on Russian border
• Oxford, United Kingdom
• London, United Kingdom
• Hamburg, Germany
• Saigon, Vietnam
• South China Sea

[edit] Shooting locations

• Pinewood Studios including Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage
• Frogmore Studios, Hertfordshire
• London, United Kingdom
  • Somerset House - exterior of Ministry of Defence
  • Harmsworth Quays Printers & Westferry Printers - Hamburg printing presses
  • Brent Cross Shopping Centre - car park of Hamburg hotel
• Hamburg, Germany
  • Hamburg Airport - arrival scenes as Bond arrives in Germany
  • Atlantic Hotel Kempinski - exterior of Bond's hotel in Hamburg
  • roof of the Atlantic Hotel Kempinski - roof of Hamburg printing presses
  • Galeria Kaufhof department store in the Mönckebergstrasse - the crash into the Avis car rental shop
  • Mönckebergstrasse (main shopping street) - Bond leaves the building of the Hamburg printing presses and the jump of the car over the street
• Oxford, United Kingdom - university buildings
• HMS Dryad, near Portsmouth - interior filming of Type 23 frigates
• IBM Building, Feltham, Middlesex, UK - exterior of Elliot Carver's media group headquarters
• Stoke Park Golf Club, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, UK - interior of Bond's hotel room in Hamburg
• RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk - "U.S. Airbase in South China Sea" (filmed at the USAF base, hence the LN markings on the F-15s)
• Bangkok, Thailand - Saigon, Vietnam (Vietnamese government had made last minute refusal to allow filming)
• Phuket, Thailand - Halong Bay, Vietnam (previously had been used in "The Man With The Golden Gun")
• Fox Baja Studios, Mexico - stealth ship & UK fleet exteriors (studio was built for the previous movie shot there - "Titanic")

Italics show the locations in the movie portrayed by each shooting location, plus any extra trivia.

[edit] Novelization

Tomorrow Never Dies was the first of three Bond films to be adapted into books by then-current Bond novelist, Raymond Benson. Benson's version of Bruce Feirstein's screenplay is suitably expanded, and includes some nods to past Bond films, including the suggestion that Bond was lying when he said he had taken a course in Oriental languages in the movie You Only Live Twice.

Author:	Publisher:	Hardback:	Paperback:	Alternate titles:
Raymond Benson	Glidrose Publications	(UK) 1997 | (U.S.) None	(UK) 1997 | (U.S.) 1997
Preceded by: Zero Minus Ten
Followed by: The Facts of Death

[edit] Trivia

• This is the first Bond film since The Spy Who Loved Me in which the title is not mentioned directly within the dialog. However, in the Sony Playstation video game adaption, Carver says the title just before he dies.
• The film was originally titled Tomorrow Never Lies, a reference to Elliott Carver's newspaper Tomorrow. However, it was then the subject of a typo and the producers liked the alternate title so much they adopted it.[1]
• This was the final Bond film-to-date to be co-produced directly by United Artists; parent company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer would assume co-production beginning with the next film, The World is Not Enough, although United Artists still remains a copyright holder of the official James Bond films.
• A March 10, 1997 report in the New York Daily News on the production of the as-yet untitled film (then being referred to as Bond 18) indicated that several titles were being considered for the film, including: Shamelady, Avatar, Shatterhand, Zero Windchill and the title considered most likely — Tomorrow Never Dies [2]. The rumoured title Shatterhand is interesting as this is the alias used by Ernst Stavro Blofeld in Ian Fleming's novel You Only Live Twice which, like Tomorrow Never Dies, also has strong East Asian ties.
• The Harpoon launch footage was used again in Die Another Day as a supposed anti-satellite missile launch.
• According to Pierce Brosnan in an interview published in the December 2005 issue of Playboy, Monica Bellucci tested for the role of Paris Carver.[3]
• Since Bangkok was used for Ho Chi Minh City, one can see the Thai flag in some scenes and signs with non-Roman characters in the city while Vietnamese uses the Latin alphabet.
• Tomorrow Never Dies is the first James Bond film since 1967's You Only Live Twice to fall below the running time of 120 minutes.
• This is the first film since The Spy Who Loved Me to show Bond in a naval uniform. Incidentally on his naval uniform is a medal for the OBE, which a highly decorated medal for civilians. An honorary OBE was conferred upon the film's star Pierce Brosnan.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) at the Internet Movie Database
• MGM's official Tomorrow Never Dies website