The opening of GoldenEye was arguably the most important moment in a James Bond movie up until that point. Not only was it the first time audiences had seen the iconic character in a whopping six years, the longest period between any Bond film, but it was meant to reestablish the character for an entirely different decade. On top of this, the 1995 film was Pierce Brosnan's debut as 007. But there was so much more to it...
The truth about the opening sequences in James Bond films is that they always reflect the time they were made. But director Martin Campbell also wanted to pay certain homages to the Bond films before with a spectacular stunt, breathtaking locations, and a very strange toilet gag...
6 It Felt Like James Bond Was Canceled Before GoldenEye
"I remember that there was a lot of bad press, because there’d been such a long gap since Dalton’s films," GoldenEye director Martin Campbell said during an interview with Empire Online for the film's 20th anniversary. "Plus, they had been considered a low in terms of the Bond franchise. Everyone was feeling that it might be over. There were things in the press about its being past its sell-by date, and finished, and a relic, and not relevant to the 1990s, and all that sort of s***."
Iconic James Bond producer Barbara Brocolli echoed this sentiment, claiming that the world was no longer sure if they even needed a James Bond. The original movies were so focused on the Cold War, but when GoldenEye was released, the Cold War was over.
"The Berlin Wall had come down and the Soviet Union had broken up. Our feeling was that all that made the world even more dangerous! Good and evil became blurred," Barbara said. "The main story of that film was 'What is going to happen now?' Of course, things got pretty bad. So I think Pierce’s Bond reflected the changing world order and the need, more so than ever, for heroic endeavour."
5 The Inspiration For The Dam Jump In GoldenEye
Director Martin Campbell credits one of the most famous scenes in any Bond movie as the inspiration for GoldenEye's opening action sequence that culminates in Bond jumping off a dam.
"Bond is traditionally known for doing action sequences that people haven’t seen before," Martin explained. "I wrote that sequence, and plotted and storyboarded it, although it was actually shot by the second unit. It had to be really something, and dizzying height is always a fantastic element. I always remember the one with the marvelous ski-jump in a single shot [The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977]. That’s probably the most extraordinary stunt in any of the Bond films."
4 Did Pierce Brosnan Jump Off The Dam In GoldenEye?
No, Pierce Brosnan did not do the big jump himself. While someone like Tom Cruise probably would have insisted on filming the moment himself, Pierce was forced to sit this one out. Instead, stunt man Wayne Michaels was the one to jump off the Verzasca Dam in Switzerland
"This dam was awe-inspiring! People would walk along the top in absolute silence and tentatively peer over. Basically, this had never been done before, and because of that there were an untold number of things that could go wrong," Wayne Michaels told Empire Online. "There was a trauma clinic ready and an emergency helicopter to rush me to hospital. The vision that sticks in my mind is standing up there, all the cameras were up to speed and the assistant’s just about to give me 'Action'. I could see out of the corner of my eye this little Italian crane driver, who looked pale with fright at the thought of what I was doing. And just as I was about to go he did the sign of the crucifix!"
3 The Jump In GoldenEye Was Incredibly Dangerous
It should go without saying that the jump in GoldenEye was incredibly dangerous to film, which is one of the reasons they only did it once. The first shot they filmed ended up being the final product in the film. But it was unlikely that they could ever do it twice. Especially since Wayne momentarily passed out when the cord tugged.
"You left the top of the dam and you were just like a twig, a piece of paper," Wayne Michaels explained. "You just got blown all over the place and it was very hard to hold the position. I got to the end of the rope and they could hear me go 'uurgh', which echoed down the valley. The force was so great on me that, physically, it hit me quite badly. Then to actually have to take this gun out and get it in shot in a matter of milliseconds was quite hard work! People ask me what I was thinking of as I took off from that dam, and the vision I had was Martin screaming at me if I hadn’t got this gun out! My mind was made up. I didn’t care: whatever happened, I was going to get this damn gun out!"
2 Introducing James Bond Upside Down In The Bathroom
While Pierce Brosnan's James Bond is scene throughout the opening sequence, you don't actually see his face or hear him speak until he surprises someone sitting on the toilet.
"I thought introducing the new Bond in a very unflattering sort of way – upside down, in a toilet – would be good, because it has a sense of humour about it," Martin said to Empire Online. "I was surprised the producers went along with it!"
1 The Real Thought Behind GoldenEye's Opening
In his interview with Empire Online, Martin Campbell explained the real reason he went for both a big stunt and a strange toilet gag in the opening of GoldenEye.
"I never thought of the super-heroics in terms of undoing the more 'realistic' thing that Licence To Kill [the previous James Bond film] had attempted. We just wanted to keep what’s great about Bond: the stunts and the humour. Bond has been successful for 40 years, so it’s obviously always got something right. It got just about everything right! So why f*** with it?"
