Today is Sean Connery's 76th Birthday!
Here is Sir Sean with several karateka back when he was filming You Only Live Twice. This is a movie of special importance to ninja history in the West. It was one of the first mainstream mentions of the mysterious art of ninjutsu. The plot, which was ridiculous of course, has James Bond traveling to Japan to investigate the disappearance of numerous space capsules. He teams up with Tiger Tanaka, the head of the Japanese Secret Service, and commander of a specially trained band of ninja. Bond undergoes brief ninja training (accelerated by his sheer "Bond-ness" no doubt) and later leads the ninja commandos on a raid of the Spectre hideout deep within a dormant volcano. (Why yes, I'm sure this was a real Bond movie, and not an Austin Powers. Why do you ask?)When the producers went to Japan, they interviewed a number of martial artists to portray the ninja. To their surprise, they were pointed to an actual ninjutsu practitioner, Yoshiaki Hatsumi! They contacted Hatsumi (who hadn't yet changed his given name) for a meeting. Unfortunately, the producers were delayed by other business, and did not make the meeting. They attempted to reschedule the meeting, but Hatsumi declined. If the producers were not going to take ninjutsu seriously, why should he treat them seriously! This may have been the right attitude. The filming of the ninja training took place at Osaka Castle, a historic landmark. Tour guides still point out the marks left in the walls from shuriken, left not by real ninja, but by careless extras in the 1960's!
Hmmm. A Sean Connery mask. Do you think real spies use this to get past suspicious border guards?
Sean in The Rock. Which may be a bad movie, but sure is a lot of fun!
5 comments:
Who?
Bond. James Bond.
I am looking for the lost 8th James Bond movie starring Sean Connery. I understand that it was filmed in late 1972 and the plot involved 007 traveling to San Fransisco where he enlisted the help of a local police detective named "Callahan". 007 and the detective were chasing a group from Spectare who were moving Heroin from China to finance their evil plans. The 2 of them hook up with a local Shaolin MOnk named "Lee" and the 3 heros travel to China where the climax of the movie takes place.
Do you have the title to this movie and can you tell me where to find a copy.
Sorry. The circa 1972 Bond movie was "Diamonds are Forever" in which Bond tangles with bikini clad, gymnastic female fighters named "Bambi" and "Thumper." This fight ends in a hot tub.
Yes, I'm sure this was a Bond movie and not Austin Powers, why do you ask?
I'd totally hit it.
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