Category: Films

2021.10.15

“From Russia with Love” (1963): From Denmark with Love

In this new blog series James Bond•O•Rama.dk will attempt to cover every connection to Denmark seen on-screen in the James Bond 007 film series. If you spot a detail that we have missed, please fill us in!

● When Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal) are reporting to their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Eric Pohlmann) on a SPECTRE boat, he is sitting at a desk created by Danish furniture designer Bodil Kjær (born 1932).
Cabinetmakers E. Pedersen & Søn produced the free-standing working table from Pao Ferro wood on a chromium-plated steel frame. Kjær originally designed the desk in 1959 as part of the "Office Units" collection for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This very fotogenic example of Danish Modern later found its way onto the silver screen in "You Only Live Twice" (EON 1967) and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (EON 1969). Allegedly, both Sean Connery and Michael Caine privately owned Bodil Kjær desks. Today a company called Karakter Copenhagen is still manufacturing the Office Desk albeit in oak or walnut with an aluminum frame.

Bodil Kjær's Office Desk at Karakter Copenhagen (external site)

2021.10.08

“Dr. No” (1962): From Denmark with Love

● In this scene from "Dr. No", the receptionist at the Jamaican hotel where James Bond (Sean Connery) is staying hands him a telegramme and a car key. On the wall behind the receptionist (Malou Pantera) you can clearly see the Danish flag known as the Dannebrog. It's the second flag from the left with a white cross on a red backing.
Time code (Blu-ray): 00:41:22

● A year before Marguerite LeWars appeared as the villainous "freelance" press photographer in "Dr. No", the young actress was crowned Miss Cherry Heering in a Jamaican beauty contest. The title was named after a internationally successful Danish brand of cherry liqueur which at the time was produced in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Christianshavn.

Thanks to flag spotter Rikart Købke.

2021.09.24

“No Time to Die”: Final Danish release poster (2021)

2021.09.10

“The World is Not Enough”: Behind the scenes (1999)

Around the time of the Danish theatrical release of "The World is Not Enough" in December 1999, local cable channel DK4 broadcast this special in which Michael Sandager talks to Ulrich Thomsen and director Michael Apted. The show also includes B-roll footage from the set of "The World is Not Enough" and footage form the Danish gala premiere at the Imperial theatre in Copenhagen.

Please note that only the Michael Apted interview has English audio (with Danish subtitles). The video has been sourced from a VHS recording.

● Watch more rare James Bond 007 videos at Bond•=•Ramas Vimeo page

2021.09.03

“GoldenEye”: PR stunts in Copenhagen (1996)

In 1996 the citizens of Copenhagen, Denmark, were treated to a brief stunt show at the City Hall Square as part of the promotion for the Danish video release of "GoldenEye".

British stunt man and former SAS soldier Terry Forrestal (1948-2000) worked on six James Bond films: "Moonraker", "Octopussy", "Never Say Never Again", "A View to a Kill", "GoldenEye" and "The World is Not Enough". He also contributed to the Danish action thriller "Operation Cobra" in 1995. That film's director, stunt coordinator Lasse Spang Olsen, helped arrange the Copenhagen stunt show where Forrestal jumped from the Palace Hotel balcony and onto an airbag. Nicolas Barbano captured the stunt with his camera:

2021.08.13

“Moonraker” (1979): Danish actor Peter Bonke as Space Sergeant Parish

Did you know that an uncredited Danish actor appeared in "Moonraker" back in 1979 – 18 years before Cecilie Thomsen paved the way for Mads Mikkelsen and Jesper Christensen in EON's James Bond 007 series?

*Danish actor Peter Bonke appears uncredited as Sergeant Parish in "Moonraker" (1979) - framegrab*

Peter Bonke (born 1942) was a promising young star of Danish theatre in the early 1970's. The handsome actor appeared sporadically in Danish film comedies such as "Hussar Honeymoon" (1970) before his disappoinment with the roles offered to him in his homeland caused him to relocate permanently to Paris in 1975.

Three years after his move to France, Peter Bonke got a speaking part in "Moonraker" which EON Productions was shooting in French studios at the time. Bonke plays one of the American space marines entering Drax' space station in the final twenty minutes of the film. Even though Bonke's character has a name - it's "Sergeant Parish" according to the tag on his silver uniform - the actor is uncredited in the end credits as well as on IMDb. To our knowledge, Bonke has yet to be named in any of the numerous James Bond encyclopedias published since "Moonraker" came out in 1979. The resurfacing of a 1978 clipping from the Danish weekly Billed-Bladet which featured a photo of Bonke on the set in Studios de Boulogne outside Paris prompted Bond•O•Rama.dk to reach out to Bonke, a hitherto unknown Danish James Bond 007 connection.

"It was a long time ago and only a brief spell even though I'd say it was a bit more than just a walk-on," 78-year-old Peter Bonke confirmed in an e-mail to Bond•O•Rama.dk. Bonke actually speaks a few lines of dialogue in "Moonraker" although he appears to have been dubbed by an American actor.

"It's hopeless, Sir! The corridor is blocked. They can't get to us now."

These days, Peter Bonke is unable to recall any specific details about his James Bond shoot. "It's a very distant memory, all but lost in the fog of time," he states before adding: "If it had been a Sean Connery Bond movie it would probably have made a greater impression on me!!!"

With thanks to Peter Bonke, Henrik Huus Mikkelsen and Casper Nielsen.

2020.11.20

“The Spy Who Loved Me”: 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 for sale 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.

The tenth cassette in the series was "The Spy Who Loved Me (EON 1977):

Scan courtesy of Jan Mouritzen.