Octopussy (1983) · Bond Atlas

Plot

After sabotaging a military base, James Bond escapes in a tiny Acrostar jet. In East Berlin, Agent 009, disguised as a clown, is pursued and fatally wounded by the knife-throwing twins Mischka and Grischka. He reaches the British embassy carrying a counterfeit Fabergé egg. When the genuine egg appears at Sotheby's, Bond swaps it for a copy fitted with a transmitter. Exiled Afghan prince Kamal Khan unknowingly buys the fake.

Bond follows him to Udaipur, where he discovers Kamal's connection to Octopussy, a smuggler whose circus travels between East and West. Kamal has Bond imprisoned, but he escapes and wins Octopussy's confidence. Their contraband consists of genuine Soviet art treasures that General Orlov has replaced with forgeries. Bond overhears Orlov's plan: a Soviet atomic bomb hidden in a circus cannon will be taken to a US air base in West Germany. The explosion should appear to be an American accident, strengthen Europe's disarmament movement and clear the way for Orlov's invasion.

Bond pursues the circus train through Karl-Marx-Stadt and across the inner German border. Orlov is shot while crossing; Bond reaches Feldstadt at the last moment, warns Octopussy and defuses the bomb. Realising Kamal's betrayal, Octopussy returns to India with her women and assaults his palace. Kamal abducts her aboard a Beechcraft. Bond clings to the aircraft, forces a crash landing and rescues Octopussy; Kamal and Gobinda are killed.

Facts

James Bond: Roger Moore
Director: John Glen
Screenplay: George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson
Producers: Albert R. Broccoli
Music: John Barry
Title song: „All Time High“Rita Coolidge
Based on: Ian Fleming: „Octopussy and The Living Daylights“1966
Running time: 131 minutes
Budget: $28 millionEstimate from The Numbers. AFI cites a contemporary production report of $25 million, so the budget should not be treated as definitive.
Box office: $188 millionworldwide theatrical gross according to The Numbers; $67.9 million came from North America
Release: UK: 6 June 1983US: 10 June 1983Germany: 5 August 1983

Travel route and filming locations

Gold numbers trace Bond's journey through the story, light markers show the real filming locations. Each layer can be hidden separately.

Bond's route · 7 stops

Total distance (great-circle)≈ 19,214 km

In the pre-title sequence Bond sabotages a fictional base and escapes in the Acrostar Mini Jet. The map point is placed at the real filming location RAF Northolt because the film does not name the country.
Unnamed military base in Latin America → London · ≈ 19 km
At Sotheby's Bond watches the genuine egg being auctioned, swaps it for Q's prepared copy and follows the buyer Kamal Khan to India.
London → Udaipur, India · ≈ 6,796 km
Bond encounters Kamal, Magda and Octopussy, escapes Kamal's palace and discovers the exchange of genuine Soviet artworks for counterfeits.
Udaipur, India → Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin · ≈ 5,875 km
On the trail of the circus Bond reaches the Checkpoint Charlie crossing and continues into East Germany.
Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin → Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany · ≈ 189 km
Inside Octopussy's circus Bond finds that Orlov has swapped the treasure for a nuclear warhead, timed to go off while the circus performs at the American base. He takes Orlov's car along the railway line, gets aboard the train and fights Kamal's men.
Karl-Marx-Stadt, East Germany → Feldstadt US air base, West Germany · ≈ 231 km
At the fictional base Bond defuses the bomb during Octopussy's circus performance. The map point is representative of former West Germany; filming took place at RAF Upper Heyford.
Feldstadt US air base, West Germany → Kamal's palace near Udaipur · ≈ 6,105 km
Octopussy and her women assault Kamal's palace. Bond rescues Octopussy after Kamal's escape by air; the point is placed at Monsoon Palace, which portrays the palace.

Filming locations · 14

doubles for unnamed Latin American base
Military airfield and hangar used for the pre-title Acrostar escape
doubles for Latin American landscape
Aerial photography for the Acrostar pursuit
East-West Berlin crossing used in 009's escape and Bond's later pursuit
Berlin exteriors along the inner-city border
Exterior filming in divided Berlin
Berlin exteriors for the East German section of the story
Road footage for the Alfa Romeo drive to the air base
Parts of Octopussy's floating palace and Udaipur panoramas
Exterior views of Octopussy's island palace
Exterior views of Kamal Khan's palace
Bond's hotel and portions of the tuk-tuk chase
doubles for railway in East Germany (Germany)
Circus train, marshalling yard and railway pursuit
doubles for Feldstadt US air base, West Germany (Germany)
Circus performance and defusing of the atomic bomb
Studio interiors, special effects and model work

Characters and cast

Bond

James BondRoger MooreMoore's sixth outing as 007

Bond girls

Villains

Henchmen

Allies

MI6

Others

Vehicles & Gadgets

Vehicles

A BD-5J of the type used as the pre-title Acrostar Mini Jet; not a screen-used aircraftPhoto: Matthias Kabel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bede / Acrostar BD-5J Acrostar Mini Jet
Aircraft
Demountable single-seater hidden in a horse trailer; pre-title escape aircraft
Bond uses the tiny jet after sabotaging a military base, flies through a hangar and lands beside a road after running out of fuel. The screen aircraft was owned and flown by Corkey Fornof; AFI reported that only two Acrostar jets existed at the time. The freely licensed photograph shows the same aircraft type, not the documented screen-used example.
Driven by
James Bond
Specs
Microturbo TRS-18 turbojet, 200 lbf thrust, maximum speed 320 mph (515 km/h), according to the Pima Air & Space Museum
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · Octopussy – AFI Catalog · Bede BD-5J – Pima Air & Space Museum
Civilian Bajaj tuk-tuk as a type reference; the screen taxi was purpose-builtPhoto: Bernard Gagnon · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Bajaj Auto / Eon Productions Tuk-Tuk Company Taxi
Other1982
Purpose-built chase vehicle with reinforced suspension and Honda ATC components
Vijay collects Bond in Udaipur in the tuk-tuk disguised as a company taxi. Bond briefly takes the controls during the pursuit by Kamal's men. According to 007.com, Bajaj Auto built the vehicles around Honda ATC three-wheeler components and the hero vehicle received reinforced suspension. The photograph shows a civilian Bajaj tuk-tuk, not a screen-used vehicle.
Driven by
Vijay; briefly James Bond
Specs
Film conversion according to 007.com: 10 bhp; John Glen recalled about 60 mph (97 km/h)
Sources: Tuk-Tuk – 007.com · Octopussy vehicles – IMCDb
An open Range Rover resembling Bianca's conversion; not a documented screen-used vehiclePhoto: Kieran White · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Land Rover Range Rover Series I Convertible
Car1980
Convertible conversion towing the horse trailer that conceals the Acrostar Mini Jet
In the pre-title sequence Bianca drives Bond to the airfield in an open Range Rover; its horse trailer contains the dismantled Mini Jet. 007.com names the vehicle and IMCDb identifies it as a 1980 model. The individual screen conversion's engine and output are not reliably documented. The photograph shows a 1981 open Range Rover, but not a documented screen-used car.
Driven by
Bianca
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · Octopussy vehicles – IMCDb · Range Rover history – Range Rover
A standard W108 280 S as a reference for Orlov's staff carPhoto: nakhon100 · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mercedes-Benz 280 S (W108)
Car1968
Orlov's staff car; Bond drives it along the rails in pursuit of the circus train
Bond steals Orlov's Mercedes to catch the circus train. After its tyres are torn away, the car continues along the railway on its rims until an oncoming train knocks it into the river. IMCDb identifies the screen car as a 1968 W108 280 S. The photograph shows a standard reference example of the same type.
Driven by
General Orlov; later James Bond
Specs
2.8 L inline-six, 140 PS, up to 185 km/h (115 mph) with manual transmission
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · 1968 Mercedes-Benz 280 S in Octopussy – IMCDb · Mercedes-Benz 280 S (W108) – Mercedes-Benz Clubs
Production GTV6 as a type reference; Bond's screen car is redPhoto: Huhu Uet · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Alfa Romeo GTV6 2.5
Car1981
Stolen red sports coupé used to reach the US air base
After leaving the circus train, Bond steals a red GTV6 and races to the fictional US base at Feldstadt. The freely licensed photograph shows a yellow 1981 production car, not the red screen vehicle. The model identification comes from IMCDb and the specifications from Alfa Romeo's official archive.
Driven by
James Bond
Specs
2.5 L V6, 158 PS, maximum speed 205 km/h (127 mph)
Sources: Octopussy vehicles – IMCDb · 40 Jahre Alfa Romeo Alfetta GT – Stellantis Media
Reference photograph of a hot-air balloon; Q's Union Jack screen balloon is not shownPhoto: Angshuman Chatterjee · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Q Branch Q's hot-air balloon
Aircraft
Union Jack balloon used by Q to reach Octopussy's island
Q flies a Union Jack-themed hot-air balloon to Octopussy's floating palace and assists her women in the counter-attack. The freely licensed image is a generic hot-air-balloon reference and shows neither the screen design nor a film prop; reliable technical specifications for the prop have not been published.
Driven by
Q
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
The surviving screen prop for the crocodile-disguised submersiblePhoto: Karen Roe · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Q Branch / Eon Productions Crocodile submarine
Boat
One-man submersible disguised as a crocodile
Bond approaches Octopussy's island underwater inside an artificial crocodile. The freely licensed photograph shows the surviving screen prop at the National Motor Museum in Beaulieu. Reliable performance specifications have not been published.
Driven by
James Bond
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
A C-45H as a type reference for Kamal's escape aircraft; not the example used in the filmPhoto: Tomás Del Coro · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Beechcraft C-45H Expeditor
Aircraft1951
Kamal's escape aircraft in the finale; screen registration VN75WB, actual aircraft N75WB
Kamal and Gobinda abduct Octopussy in a twin-engined Beechcraft. Bond clings to the exterior, disables an engine and forces Kamal into a crash landing. IMPDb identifies the aircraft used as C-45H N75WB, serial AF-222, built in 1951; its registration was altered to VN75WB for the film. The photograph shows a different C-45H example.
Driven by
Kamal Khan's pilot; James Bond clinging to the exterior
Specs
two Pratt & Whitney R-985 engines rated at 450 hp each; maximum speed 219 mph (352 km/h), according to the National Museum of the US Air Force
Sources: Octopussy aircraft – IMPDb · Beech C-45H Expeditor – National Museum of the US Air Force · N75WB aircraft record – Airport-Data.com

Gadgets

Seiko G757 Sports 100
Q equips Bond's digital watch with a homing receiver. Its direction indicator leads Bond to the transmitter in the Fabergé egg and later to the bomb aboard the circus train.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · Seiko G757-5020 Sports 100 – James Bond Lifestyle
Seiko TV Watch
In Q's laboratory Bond receives a television picture on a wristwatch and uses it again in the finale. The screen prop was a prototype and differs from the later production model.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · Seiko TV Watch – James Bond Lifestyle
Fabergé egg with tracking transmitter
Q replaces the egg auctioned at Sotheby's with a copy containing a transmitter and microphone, allowing Bond to follow Kamal's dealings with Orlov.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Montblanc fountain pen
The Meisterstück fountain pen contains concentrated acid and a receiver for the transmitter in the egg. Bond uses it to dissolve the bars of his room in Kamal's palace.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com · Montblanc Meisterstück fountain pen – James Bond Lifestyle
Loaded dice
Kamal wins at backgammon with loaded dice. Bond switches to Kamal's own dice and defeats him with his cheating device.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Yo-yo buzz saw
An assassin wields a spinning circular saw on a cord like a yo-yo; Vijay is killed with it at the lakeside.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Explosive briefcase
Agent 009 carries a briefcase with a concealed explosive charge in East Berlin. After his death its contents reveal the counterfeit Fabergé treasure.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Five-bladed throwing knife
Gobinda uses a star-shaped throwing knife with five extending blades against Bond.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Atomic bomb
Orlov conceals a Soviet nuclear device inside a circus-train cannon. Its detonation is meant to look like an American accident and trigger unilateral European disarmament.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Reversible jacket
While escaping at the German border crossing, Bond reverses his jacket and briefly passes as a civilian.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com
Walther PPK 7.65 mm
Bond once again carries his compact Walther PPK service pistol in 7.65 mm calibre.
Sources: Octopussy – 007.com

Production and trivia

The screenplay uses elements from Ian Fleming's short stories 'Octopussy' and 'The Property of a Lady'. The central bomb plot was created for the film.
George MacDonald Fraser proposed India as the setting after Japan had been considered; he wrote the screenplay with Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson.
According to AFI, production began on 16 August 1982. Location filming in India started at Udaipur on 12 September.
The first unit filmed in India for about three weeks and a second unit remained for roughly another month. Monsoon Palace portrayed Kamal's palace, while Jag Mandir and Lake Palace supplied parts of Octopussy's home.
Roger Moore hesitated before his sixth Bond film. James Brolin and Michael Billington were considered as possible replacements; Moore finally agreed in July 1982.
After The Man with the Golden Gun, Maud Adams became the first performer to play a major female lead in two Bond films.
Producer Albert R. Broccoli met tennis player Vijay Amritraj at Wimbledon and subsequently cast him as Bond's Indian contact Vijay.
The Acrostar sequence had already been considered for Moonraker. Owner and pilot Corkey Fornof flew the jet; AFI reported that only two examples existed at the time.
The tuk-tuk chase began filming at Udaipur on 22 September 1982. Rémy Julienne coordinated the vehicle stunts; a cyclist who unexpectedly swerves out of the convoy's path remained in the finished scene.
Berlin locations included Checkpoint Charlie, Brandenburg Gate, Potsdamer Platz and Spandau. England's Nene Valley Railway portrayed parts of the East German railway.
RAF Upper Heyford doubled for the fictional US air base at Feldstadt in West Germany; RAF Northolt portrayed the military airfield in the pre-title sequence.
John Barry composed the score and, with lyricist Tim Rice, the title song 'All Time High', performed by Rita Coolidge.
The film opened in the same year as the competing non-Eon Bond production Never Say Never Again, starring Sean Connery.
AFI and The Numbers list a 131-minute running time, while the BFI gives 130 minutes. The Numbers estimates a $27.5 million budget, whereas AFI cites a contemporary $25 million figure.
The German version was produced by cine-adaption in Munich-Gauting. Michael Brennicke wrote the dialogue script and John Pauls-Harding directed the dubbing.