Category: Octopussy

“Octopussy”: First Danish retail VHS (1989)

In 1989 Warner Home Video issued all of the James Bond 007 films (except the Columbia-produced "Casino Royale" from 1967) on retail VHS through local distributor Metronome Video. The Bond films had not previously been available on sell-through video in Denmark.

This initial retail series had specially designed cover art with raster graphics on a metallic grey background which was obviously meant to resemble Maurice Binder's famous gunbarrel design.

Below is the Danish cover art for the first Danish retail VHS of "Octopussy" (EON 1983):

“Octopussy”: Danish teaser poster (1983)

"Octopussy" (1983) was released in Danish cinemas on August 15, 1983. This appears to have been the first time that United International Pictures' distribution office in Denmark produced a Danish teaser poster for an upcoming James Bond 007 film.

The Danish teaser poster for "Octopussy" was based on the American One Sheet Advance Poster (style A) painted by Dan Goozee with multiple Roger Moores marking the 13th of EON Productions' James Bond 007 films. The logline literally says: "Nobody does it better... for the 13th time."

Octopussy DK teaser

“Octopussy” (1983): From Denmark with Love

● In the 1983 James Bond 007 film "Octopussy", Denmark is represented in graphic form on the animated map over Europe which adorns the wall of the Soviet Ministry of Defence. Our small kingdom fills up with red on the screen to illustrate the renegade general Orlov's (Steven Berkoff) dream of Communist supremacy over the continent, Scandinavia included.
Time code (Blu-ray): 00:18:03-00:18:17

Octopussy Berkoff 2

Octopussy Berkoff 4

● The German diesel engine which in the film's climax pulls Octopussy International Circus Train towards the US air base in Berlin is actually a Danish locomotive. DSB Litra S 740 was built by A/S Frichs Maskinfabrik og Kedelsmedje in Aarhus, Jutland, in 1928 commissioned by DSB, the Danish State Railways. The S engine was in service on the branch lines on Sealand until DSB phased out their diesel locomotives during the 1960s. S 740 was subsequently used as an excursion train and eventually was handed off to DBS's railway museum in 1976.

Englishman Mike Bradley bought the discarded tender in the southern Danish town of Gedser in 1979 and had it transported to Wansford near Peterborough, England, where the S 740 was renovated for use on the preserved railway line Nene Valley Railway. This is where S 740 got a starring role in the production of "Octopussy" as all train scenes in the film were shot on this English piece of track in late 1982. The train has been painted with German signage and given the number 62 015. Shortly after the end of production, S 740 was taken out of active service. In the 1990s Northsealand Vintage Trains (Nordsjællandsk Veterantog) bought the locomotive with a view to restoring it. According to the club's web paghe S 740 is currently in Rungsted north of Copenhagen.

Additional trivia: In 2017 the Tikøb Foundry produced a DSB Litra S steam engine as a model train.
Tidskoder (Blu-ray): 01:34:24; 01:35:40

Octopussy DSB 1 (Wansford Station)

Octopussy DSB 2A (Orton Mere)

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