So Mr Bond We Meet Again
He is the most quintessential of British spies, but few people know that James Bond is actually half-Swiss.
This content was published on Nov 28, 2002 - 14:22And as a expect back at twoscore years of 007 reveals, the "Swiss connection" extends beyond mere family ties.
The latest in a long line of Bail films, "Die Another 24-hour interval", opened on Th in German-speaking Switzerland.
For members of Switzerland'southward James Bond fan guild, the event marks withal another loftier-octane rendezvous with the suave and sophisticated "Swiss" superspy.
In the novels of Ian Fleming, Bond'south father, Andrew Bond, was Scottish, while his mother, Monique Delacroix, came from canton Vaud.
"I don't know if many Bond fans know that James Bond is actually half-Swiss from his mother's side," Andy Schwab, a member of the Swiss James Bond social club, told swissinfo.
"But I recall the strongest link between Switzerland and Bail is the locations, and the top location for many Bail fans is the Piz Gloria in the Bernese Oberland."
Out of the 20 Bond films made to date, Switzerland has been used as a location seven times in three films.
The most famous of all has to be the Schilthorn mountain in the Bernese Oberland, which was used in the sixth Bond film, "On Her Majesty's Clandestine Service", in which 007 was played for the 1 and merely time by the Australian player, George Lazenby.
In 1968, the motion picture-producers chose the location and renamed the summit Piz Gloria - the secret lair of Bond'due south arch-enemy Ernst Blofeld.
The villain's plans to unleash biological warfare on the world are foiled during an exciting concluding sequence when the Piz Gloria - or at to the lowest degree a model of it - is blown up.
Luck
As Beatrice Dolder from the Schilthorn railway explains, the mountain's part in the motion-picture show came about purely by adventure.
"It was planned to construct a revolving eating place and they had just started to build information technology but hadn't finished it nonetheless," explains Dolder.
"Actually the company ran out of money and so information technology was actually lucky that the movie-producers came along.
"The deal was that the company could do all the shooting during the winter, with sectional use of the mountain, and when they finished they had to construct the restaurant."
The Schilthorn has at present turned itself into a kind of "Bond experience", attracting fans from all over the world. There is fifty-fifty a small movie house where clips from the film are shown.
"You get first into the restaurant and then y'all can see the movie. It's the same place where James Bond was sitting and then information technology's very attractive," says Dolder.
"On the menu we accept some James Bond specialities, and nosotros do serve a nice James Bail breakfast with a glass of champagne."
It goes without proverb that 007'due south favourite tipple - vodka martini, shaken not stirred - is on offer in the specially-themed James Bond Bar.
Death-defying jump
In 1995, the Verzasca Dam near Locarno was used for the expiry-defying opening sequence of "GoldenEye", in which Pierce Brosnan's Bond bungee-jumps some 220 metres.
It took two weeks for the stuntman to build up the courage for the tape-breaking leap. Now brave tourists are also offered the chance to repeat the feat.
Aside from locations, Switzerland has other firm ties with the man who is licensed to kill.
Ursula Andress, who caused a sensation when she emerged bikini-clad from the sea during the first Bond film, Dr No, comes from Bern.
Her bikini was later auctioned in London for nearly SFr100,000 ($67,000), making information technology the most expensive piece of swimwear always.
Roger Moore, who replaced Sean Connery every bit Bond in 1972 and went on to make seven films, lives in Crans Montana in county Valais and has a chalet in the tall resort of Gstaad.
swissinfo, Isobel Johnson
In brief
James Bail'due south mother was actually Swiss and Bond went to Geneva University.
Seven Swiss locations have been used in 3 Bail films.
The most famous locations are the Piz Gloria in the Bernese Oberland and the Verzasca Dam virtually Locarno.
A Swiss factory at Stans near Lucerne was featured in "Goldfinger".
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Source: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/so-we-meet-again--mr-bond-/3048466
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