For Your Eyes Only (1981): 12th Bond Movie

For Your Eyes Only is the twelfth official Bond film and the fifth in which Roger Moore played the role of agent 007. The title of the film is ambiguous; in English, "for your eyes only" also means "strictly confidential". In the film, the Lotus Esprit returns as Bond's car, but James Bond also drives a Citroën 2CV.

For Your Eyes Only was originally supposed to be the 11th film in the Bond series. It even appeared in the credits of the tenth film, The Spy Who Loved Me, but the creators eventually chose to prioritize the film Moonraker, which responded to the popularity of Star Wars.

Plot

In a typical pre-title scene, James Bond pays tribute to his wife at a cemetery when a helicopter arrives for him, saying he is needed for an important mission. However, upon arrival in London, the pilot is paralyzed, and Bond discovers that the helicopter is being remotely controlled by a person in a wheelchair, reminiscent of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (though he could not be named or depicted in this way in the film due to legal disputes related to the film Thunderball).

"Blofeld" toys with Bond, but at the moment when "Blofeld" bids farewell, Bond notices and disconnects the transmitter wires. Bond gains control of the helicopter, picks up the wheelchair on the helicopter's landing ski, and drops the wheelchair and its occupant into a tall chimney.

In the Ionian Sea, a fishing boat is sunk after a naval mine, which destroys the boat, gets caught in its net. Unfortunately, this is no ordinary boat, but a disguised British spy ship St. Georges, on board of which is the ATAC communication device (Automatic Targeting Attack Communicator).

This device is used by the British navy to coordinate attacks from Polaris submarines carrying ballistic missiles. In the wrong hands, the ATAC could be misused to attack British targets by British submarines. Unfortunately, the waters where the ship sank are not too deep...

Therefore, the British Minister of Defense, Sir Frederick Gray, and the Chief of Staff of MI6, Bill Tanner, summon James Bond, agent 007, to retrieve the ATAC communication device before the Russians do. They have long been coveting the ATAC.

However, to avoid causing a diplomatic rift, the director of the KGB, General Gogol, contacts his man in Greece to do the dirty work for them. MI6 has also secretly tasked a marine archaeologist, Sir Timothy Havelock, with locating the St. Georges.

However, he and his wife are killed by a Cuban hitman Hector Gonzales, who after dropping off their daughter Melina at sea, attacks their boat with a hydroplane and shoots both parents. James Bond travels to Madrid, Spain, to find out who hired Gonzales.

While investigating on Gonzales's villa grounds, Bond is captured by his men but manages to escape during the ensuing chaos after Gonzales is hit by an arrow in the back while jumping into the pool.

Bond discovers that the shooter was Melina Havelock, Sir Havelock's daughter, who is half-Greek and has sworn vengeance for her parents. Eventually, they escape together after a car chase in a Citroën 2CV, popularly known as "the duck", often seen in the gendarme series with Louis de Funès.

MI6 is concerned that Gonzales was killed before Bond could interrogate him. However, Bond finds a glimmer of hope when he spots another suspicious man near Gonzales's pool. With the help of Q and his identigraph, he manages to identify the suspect. He is Emile Leopold Locque, a Belgian criminal with a rich criminal record who likely runs his operations from Italy.

Bond then travels to Cortina, where he meets the local contact Luigi Ferrara and the Greek merchant and informant Aris Kristatos. Bond also meets Kristatos's protege, promising figure skater Bibi Dahl, who asks Bond to accompany her to a biathlon race.

There, three men attack him, including East German biathlete Eric Kriegler. Bond manages to escape, though he is forced to jump on regular skis from a ski jump and ski through a bobsleigh track.

Later, Bond arrives at the stadium to bid farewell to Bibi and is attacked again, this time by three hockey players. He deals with them, but unfortunately finds Ferrara dead in his car with a dove-shaped badge, which is Columbo's symbol. Bond therefore heads to Corfu to meet with Columbo.

Kristatos, who has received a medal of merit from the British government, tells Bond during dinner that Locque works for Milos Columbo, a smuggler and his former partner, sitting at a nearby table with his mistress, Countess Lisl von Schlaf. He also asks Bond if he will have a problem killing him.

However, he does not realize that their conversation is being secretly recorded by Columbo's men. Columbo instructs the countess to find out what she can. Bond takes her home, where she reveals to him that Columbo knows Bond is a secret agent and wants her to find out everything she can about him.

However, their conversation is overheard by Apostis, Kristatos's henchman. The next morning, Bond and the countess are attacked on the beach by Locque and his henchman. Locque runs down Lisl with a beach buggy, and Bond is saved but captured by Columbo's divers.

On Columbo's boat, Bond is told by Columbo that Locque works for Kristatos, who is a long-time double agent working for the KGB to obtain the ATAC communication device. He also admits that all the lies he told him were practically about himself.

Columbo confesses that he smuggles everything except heroin, which Kristatos deals in himself. Columbo offers Bond a drink and proof during the planned excursion to Kristatos's heroin production facility, saying, "Tomorrow, we'll be the best of friends."

Bond is initially suspicious, to which Columbo responds by returning Bond's gun, a Walther PPK, saying he has a good judgment of people. Bond then toasts with him. Kristatos wanted to get rid of Columbo because he knew too much about him.

The next day, Bond and Columbo's men head to Albania, where a shootout at Kristatos's warehouse reveals a naval mine similar to the one that sank the St. Georges, indicating that it may not have been an accident.

During the escape, Locque detonates one of the mines, but Bond pursues him and eventually kicks his car, with Locque balancing on the edge of a cliff, over the edge, and shortly before that, he throws a dove-shaped badge into the window as revenge for Ferrara's death.

Bond then joins forces with Melina and, with a two-person submarine, sets out for the wreck of the St. Georges. Bond successfully deactivates the ATAC and gets rid of Kristatos's diver, who surprises them in the wreck.

However, Kristatos is waiting on the surface and seizes the ATAC, thanking Bond for deactivating it. He lets Bond and Melina be tied together by a rope and dragged behind the ship as shark bait. Fortunately, they manage to hook onto a coral reef underwater and free themselves.

Melina's parrot repeats the phrase that the ATAC is to be delivered to St. Cyril. However, there are many places with the same name, but Columbo advises Bond and accompanies him to an abandoned monastery on a hard-to-reach high mountain.

Bond is attacked by Apostis while climbing the ropes but knocks him down. Similarly, he gets rid of biathlete Kriegler, while Columbo attacks Kristatos.

Bond retrieves the ATAC and prevents Melina from taking revenge on Kristatos - he repeats the Chinese proverb to her that in revenge, one must dig two graves. Kristatos takes advantage of a moment of inattention and attempts to kill Bond with a throwing knife, but he himself is hit by a thrown knife from Columbo.

General Gogol from the KGB arrives to pick up the ATAC, but Bond drops the device, which resembles a typewriter, off a cliff, where it shatters, with the words "Let's release the tension, comrade, neither you nor I have it."

Bond and Melina spend a romantic time on the yacht of her father (during this scene, the phrase For Your Eyes Only is heard...), while Q establishes contact with the Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who ends up chatting with Melina's parrot instead of Bond.

Bond Song

For Your Eyes Only, the enchanting title song of the Bond film of the same name, serves as a captivating centerpiece, performed with elegance and grace by Sheena Easton. The song's ethereal melody and poignant lyrics encapsulate the essence of romance and intrigue that defines the world of James Bond.

Easton's mesmerizing vocals breathe life into the song, infusing it with a sense of mystery and allure that perfectly complements the film's thrilling narrative. With its lush orchestration and haunting refrains, For Your Eyes Only transports listeners to a realm of clandestine rendezvous and clandestine missions, evoking the timeless allure of the Bond universe.

The song's lyrics, penned with poetic finesse, delve into themes of passion, danger, and forbidden desire, echoing the complex dynamics at play in Bond's world. Through its evocative imagery and evocative storytelling, For Your Eyes Only invites listeners on a journey of intrigue and adventure, leaving an indelible impression long after the final notes fade away.

As one of the standout tracks in the Bond canon, For Your Eyes Only has earned its place as a beloved classic, cherished by fans for its beauty, sophistication, and timeless appeal. Easton's exquisite rendition and the song's enduring legacy ensure that it remains an integral part of the Bond mythology, continuing to captivate audiences with its magic and allure for generations to come.

Cast

You Might Be Also Interested

• 11th Bond Movie: Moonraker (1979) ← → 13th Bond Movie: Octopussy (1983);
• Bond Films: Stories of James Bond, Agent 007;
• All Bond Songs: Iconic Title Songs From Bond Films
• Movies With Casino Themes and Betting.

Based on the original Czech article: Jen pro tvé oči (1981) – 12. bondovka.