SYNOPSIS | REVIEW | PRODUCTION NOTES | TRIVIA | PRESS | QUOTES

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1997
Running Times: 119 mins
Format: Eastmancolor     DeLuxe     Rankcolor     Panavision     35mm     70mm (blow-up)
Ratio: 2.35:1
Sound: Dolby Digital     DTS 70mm (on 70mm prints only)     DTS

SELECTED CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: MGM-UA / Eon Productions
Production Executive: David Pope
Producers: Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson

SCRIPT
Screenplay: Bruce Feirstein

DIRECTION
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
2nd Unit Director: Vic Armstrong

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Robert Elswitt

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editors: Dominique Fortin, Michel Arcand

MUSIC
Music: David Arnold
James Bond Theme: Monty Norman
Songs Performed By: Sheryl Crow (Tomorrow Never Dies); k.d. lang (Surrender); David Arnold, Alex Giffords (Back Seat Driver); Simon Greenaway (It Had To Be You)

SOUND
Boom Operator: Colin Wood, Andrew Griffiths
Sound Mix: Chris Munro
Supervising Sound Editor: Martin Evans

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up Supervisor: Norma Webb
Hair Supervisor: Eithne Fennell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects Supervisor: Chris Corbould

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Allan Cameron
Art Directors: Stephen Scott, Giles Master, Tony Reading, Jonathan Lee, Ken Court

STUNTS
Stunt Co-Ordinator: Vic Armstrong
Stunt Supervisor: Dickey Beer

CAST
Pierce Brosnan (James Bond)
Jonathan Pryce (Elliot Carver)
Michelle Yeoh (Wai Lin)
Teri Hatcher (Paris Carver)
Ricky Jay (Henry Gupta)
Gotz Otto (Stamper)
Joe Don Baker (Wade)
Vincent Schiavelli (Dr Kaufman)
Judi Dench (M)
Desmond Llewellyn (Q)
Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny)
Colin Salmon (Robinson)
Geoffrey Palmer (Admiral Roebuck)
Julian Fellowes (Minister of Defence)
Terence Rigby (General Bakharin)
Ceclia Thompsen (Professor Inga Bergstrom (?))
Nina Young (Tamara Steel)

PLOT SUMMARY

James Bond is assigned to find out why the Chinese air force attacked and sank a British frigate in international waters. His investigations lead him to the tele-communications magnate Elliot Carver whose plans for a global satellite TV news network could lead to nuclear war... (Full Synopsis)

CAPSULE REVIEW

Better than many have made it out to be, Tomorrow Never Dies is Brosnan's most energetic Bond thus far - packed to the gills with action, one-liners and not-so-subtle sexual innuendo, the only thing it lacks is a strong villain, thus far the bane of Brosnan's incarnation of 007. (Full Review)

AVAILABILITY

Germany
Theatrical Distributor: United International Pictures

Portugal
Theatrical Distributor: Lusomundo

Spain
Theatrical Distributor: United International Pictures

UK
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists
Video Distributor: MGM
DVD Distributor: DVD

USA
Theatrical Distributor: United Artists

CENSORSHIP HISTORY

Australia
Rating: M

Finland
Rating: K-14

France
Rating: U

Germany
Rating: 16

Netherlands
Rating: 12

Norway
Rating: 15

Portugal
Rating: M / 12

Spain
Rating: 13

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: 12
All versions are slightly trrimmed, losing a brief shot where Michelle uses a shuriken (the kung fu throwing star). For many years, the depiction of certain martial arts weapons were frowned upon by the BBFC, the ruling to automatically excise any such scenes only being overturned in 2000. They also objected to a head-butting scene.

USA
Rating: PG-13

TIMELINE

1997
December

10: UK - premiere
12: Iceland - theatrical release
12: UK - theatrical release
13: Portugal - premiere
16: Spain - theatrical release
17: France, Kuwait, Switzerland (French speaking region) - theatrical release
18: Germany, Hungary, Lebanon, Netherlands, Slovenia - theatrical release
19: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Israel, Norway, Portugal, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland (German speaking region), USA - theatrical release
23: Italy - theatrical release
24: Singapore - theatrical release
26: Australia, Estonia, New Zealand - theatrical release

1998
January

1: Czech Republic, Slovakia - theatrical release
9: Greece - theatrical release
15: Argentina - theatrical release
16: Brazil, Mexico, Poland - theatrical release
22: Hong Kong - theatrical release
24: South Korea - theatrical release
24: Taiwan - theatrical release

March
6: Thailand - theatrical release
14: Japan - theatrical release

November
16: UK - video release

December
15: UK - TV broadcast (Sky Movies)

1999
October

13: UK - TV broadcast (ITV)

POSTER TAGS

Yesterday is a memory, today is history, tomorrow is in the hands of one man: Bond...You know the rest!

An act of violence. The promise of war. Now the world has only one chance for peace, and just one man for the job.

The name's Bond... You know the rest.

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Shatterhand
Shamelady

Bond 18 - early title
Tomorrow Never Lies - early title
Il Domani non muore mai - Italian title
James Bond 007 - Der Morgen stirbt nie - German title
Demain ne muert jamais - French title

LINKS

SEQUEL TO
Dr No (1962)
From Russia with Love (1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Live and Let Die (1973)
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Moonraker (1979)
For Your Eyes Only (1981)
Octopussy (1983)
Never Say Never Again (1983)
A View to a Kill (1985)
The Living Daylights (1987)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Goldeneye (1995)

SEQUELS
The World Is Not Enough (1999)
Die Another Day (2002)

SEE ALSO
The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Free Enterprise (1998)
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Tomorrow Never Dies (1999)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
Highly Classified: The World of 007 (1997)
The James Bond Story (1999)
Premiere Bond: Die Another Day (2002)
The Secrets of 007: The James Bond Files (1997)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

A Capital, Guia TV 17 July 1998
review (by Rui Brazuna)

Cinefantastique April 1998 (v29 n12) p.55
illustrated review, credits

Diário de Notícias 18 December 1997
review (by Nuno Henrique Luz)

Diário de Notícias, Programas 19 December 1997
review (by José De Matos-Cruz)

Empire February 1998 p.36
illustrated review by Andrew Collins, credits

Empire July 1998 p.112
review (by Ian Nathan)

Empire December 1998 p.146

Empire January 1999 p.147
illustrated review

Film Review January 1998 pp.36-41
illustrated interview

Film Review February 1998 p.18
review (by James Cameron-Wilson)

Film Review July 1998 p.72
illustrated review

Film Review Special 22 Yearbook 1997 / 1998 p.96
illustrated review

Neon February 1998 pp.84 - 85
illustrated review

Premiere (France) January 1998 p.32
review (by Éric Libiot)

Radio Times 9 October 1999 p.63
illustrated review

Screen International 23 January 1998 pp.31-34
illustrated article

Screen International 1 May 1998 p.12
illustrated note

Sight and Sound January 1998 p.4
article

Sight and Sound February 1998 pp.52-53
illustrated review by Jose Arroyo, credits, synopsis

Studio January 1998 p.12
review (by Laurent Tirard)

Svenska Dagbladet 19 December 1997
review (Mediemogul ny Bondskurk by Astrid Söderbergh Widding)

Total Film November 1997 p.62

Total Film December 1997 pp.20-21

Total Film January 1998 p.88
review (by Max Kalba)

Vanity Fair November 1999 pp.136-141
illustrated article

KEYWORDS

james bond, media, ships, stealth weapons, satellites, television, underwater, wrecked ships, helicopters, motorcycles

 


Last Updated: 15 October, 2008

 


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