The most ridiculous movie poster, EVER: You Only Live Twice
I collect movie posters, and I have seen some extremely silly ones in my time, but there is one poster that is the silliest, most ridiculous one ever created to promote a major motion picture – the poster for the James Bond film You Only Live Twice.
Here it is:
So, let’s step through this image, shall we? First off, you have Bond being fired upon by… lets see… eight Bell helicopters. No, wait, it’s only seven, because one is exploding behind Bond (warranty must have expired). Bond is in his yellow mini-copter, prominently featured in the film… and man, what a great device Q invented – you don’t even need to hold the controls to fly it! You can pilot the vehicle through sheer machismo!
Bond, apparently, is not too worried about the attack helicopters, because not only is he POSING FOR THE ARTIST who was painting this poster (an artist who must have been standing on a REALLY high scaffold) but he’s so cool he’s wearing his tuxedo! No flight suit for him, no sir!
Oh, and who is Bond firing those machine guns and missiles at? The guy painting the poster? Or more enemy ‘copters that are “off camera?”
In the movie, Bond is looking for SPECTRE’s secret base using this mini-copter (nicknamed “Little Nellie” – slightly embarrassed that I know that). In the poster, he apparently is not looking TOO hard… because the hollowed-out volcano base is RIGHT BEHIND HIM. “Hey JB! PSSST Stop posing and turn around!”
This was the movie that Sean Connery very famously said would be his last one, because A) he was tired of playing the part and B) the films had become too ridiculous for him (he went on to do two more). I can’t help but think that a factor in his decision to quit was because he saw this poster at the local cinema – a poster that hangs proudly in my home.
