After a ship is sunk off the coast of Albania, the world's superpowers begin a feverish search for its valuable lost cargo: the powerful ATAC system, which will give the bearer unlimited control over Polaris nuclear submarines. As Bond joins the search, he suspects the suave Kristatos (Julian Glover) of seizing the device. The competition between nations grows more deadly by the moment, but Bond finds an ally in the beautiful Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet), who blames Kristatos for the death of her parents. The non-stop action includes automobile chases, thrilling underwater battles, and even a breathtaking tour over razor-sharp coral reefs. But all this is merely a prelude to 007's cliffhanging assault on a magnificent mountaintop fortress.

With unforgettable characters, seductive locales, and go-for-the-jugular suspense, For Your Eyes Only is a mesmerizing action-thriller of the highest order.

Trivia

This was the first Bond film to be based on one of Fleming's short stories, instead of on a novel. Interestingly, there are several scenes in this film lifted from other Fleming tales. The assault on the smugglers' boat and warehouse is lifted intact from a short story entitled 'Risisco'. The sequence featuring Bond and the girl being towed through the coral is actually lifted from the climax from "Live & Let Die."

Sheena Easton becomes the first vocalist to appear during the credits sequence of a James Bond film.

Roger Moore announced that he was reluctant to play 007 again, but was lured back at the last moment for an undisclosed sum. To avoid any continuity problems associated with a new actor playing Bond, the scriptwriters included a scene in which 007 visits the grave of his murdered wife.

Director John Glen had previously edited and was second-unit director on a number of previous Bond films.

The pre-title sequence is a dig at Kevin McClory, who owns the rights to Ernst Stavro Blofeld and SPECTRE. The unnamed man in a wheelchair is obviously mean to be Blofeld, and disposing of him so early was producer Albert R. Broccoli's way of saying
that the success of 007 did not depend on him.

To enter the identigraph booth, Q enters a four digit code. Those four digits were the first four notes to the chorus of "Nobody Does It Better", the theme to a previous Bond film . James Bond responds by entering the final three notes.

Stuntman Paolo Rigon died during the filming of the bobsled chase.

Bernard Lee, who played M for the last eleven 007 films, died while preparing for the role. As a mark of respect, Broccoli refused to recast the role, changing the script to say that M was on leave.

One of the Bond girls was played by Tula Cossey, who was later revealed to be a former male.

Theme

For your eyes only, can see me through the night
For your eyes only, I never need to hide
You can see so much in me, so much in me that's new
I never felt until I looked at you

For your eyes only, only for you
You'll see what noone else can see, and now I'm breaking free
For your eyes only, only for you
The love I know you need in me, the fantasy you've freed in me
Only for you, only for you

For your eyes only, the nights are never cold
You really know me, that's all I need to know
Maybe I'm an open book because I know you're mine
But you won't need to read between the lines

For your eyes only, only for you
You see what no one else can see, and now I'm breaking free
For your eyes only, only for you
The passions that collide in me, the wild abandoned side of me
Only for you, for your eyes only

Return to MI6