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British cinema poster for Octopussy, illustrated by Dan Goozee and Renato Casaro
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| Directed by | John Glen |
| Produced by | Albert R. Broccoli |
| Screenplay by | George MacDonald Fraser Michael G. Wilson Richard Maibaum |
| Based on | James Bond by Ian Fleming |
| Starring | |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume |
| Edited by | Peter Davies Henry Richardson |
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Production
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| Distributed by | MGM/UA Entertainment Co. (US) United International Pictures (International) |
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Release date
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Running time
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131 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $27.5 million |
| Box office | $187.5 million |
Octopussy is a 1983 British spy film, the thirteenth in the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond.
The film’s title is taken from a short story in Ian Fleming‘s 1966 short story collection Octopussy and The Living Daylights, although the film’s plot is original. It does, however, include a scene inspired by the Fleming short story “The Property of a Lady” (included in 1967 and later editions of Octopussy and The Living Daylights), while the events of the short story “Octopussy” form a part of the title character’s background and are recounted by her.
Bond is assigned the task of following a general who is stealing jewels and relics from the Soviet government. This leads him to a wealthy Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his associate, Octopussy, and the discovery of a plot to force disarmament in Western Europe with the use of a nuclear weapon.
Octopussy was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, and was released in the same year as the non-Eon Bond film Never Say Never Again. The film was written by George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson, and was directed by John Glen.
“All Time High” marked the return of regular James Bond theme composer John Barry after his absence from the For Your Eyes Only soundtrack. The lyrics were written by Tim Rice and recording and mixing of the track is credited to Stephen Short. The recording of the soundtrack for Octopussy occurred over five days in early April 1983.
The movie’s peculiar title negated the possibility of its theme song being based on its title (although Rice would later state: “I think it would have been more interesting if we had tried to write a song called ‘Octopussy'”). Instead Barry suggested that Rice submit six potential song titles, and it was from these that “All Time High” was selected. Rice was provided with a copy of the script for Octopussy and also viewed the shooting of some scenes from the movie at Pinewood Studios, Rice visiting Pinewood in mid-December 1982. The completed lyrics for “All Time High” would include the line “We’re two of a kind” which in the movie is spoken by the Octopussy (played by Maud Adams) to James Bond (Roger Moore), and the title evidently refers to the key aerial sequences featured in the movie.
Prior to Rita Coolidge being assigned the Octopussy theme a contender was Mari Wilson, a British singer whose retro-image evoked the mid-’60s when the Bond series originated, but Wilson’s lack of a US-profile led to a negative decision. In January 1983 the producer of Octopussy: Cubby Broccoli, stated that he hoped to have current hitmaker Laura Branigan sing the movie’s theme song, an artist choice which both Barry and Rice have stated would have pleased them. However on March 29, 1983 it was announced that the theme for Octopussy would be performed by Rita Coolidge, a surprising choice in that Coolidge’s career peak had occurred some six years previously.
Coolidge recalls that Barbara Broccoli, daughter of Cubby Broccoli and herself the assistant director of Octopussy, was a fan of Coolidge and made a point of playing Coolidge records around her father until “one day [he said], “Who is that? That’s the voice I want for the movie.’…in the studio [Tim Rice] was still finishing the song. We were waiting for the lyrics as the instrumental track had already been done.” The chorus of “All Time High” features a lyric similar to that of Coolidge’s #2 hit “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher” whose lyric “When you wrap your loving arms around me I can stand up and face the world again” is echoed by the “All Time High” lyric “We’ll take on the world and win”.
“All Time High” was the first theme song from a James Bond movie for which a video was made, the video consisting of footage of Coolidge – shot in soft focus – singing in an apparent Indian palace (in fact the Royal Pavilion at Brighton) intercut with scenes from the movie.
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