BBC Open University’s 3-Hour Exploration into the Making of Bond Epic ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’

This year marks the fortieth anniversary of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). The third film in Roger Moore’s tenure as James Bond is generally voted as the actor’s best, but it was also the Bond film that had the most at stake. Harry Saltzman, the long-time producing partner of Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli, was in financial trouble which threatened the future of the Bond series. Would-be investors were circling and eventually Saltzman sold his share to United Artists, which caused the two producers to fall out.

With Saltzman out of the picture many industry insiders wondered if Broccoli could successfully produce the series without him. And with the lacklustre box office performance of the previous Bond outing, The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), the future of the Bond series was uncertain.

Broccoli’s response was not to be conservative and strip the production budget back to create a leaner Bond film. Instead, he would go big – bigger in scope, action, story, and pushing the boundaries of what was possible in filmmaking back in 1977. Broccoli’s risk would payoff and cement him as one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers at the time.

“The Making of The Spy Who Loved Me” is a three-hour deep dive into the production of this epic Bond flick. If you have time, block out three hours of your day to have a look at this extraordinary documentary featured below.