James Bond Gadgets - FRWL Gadgets

Communications

A notable communication device in FRWL, and one of the many gadgets ahead of their time, was James Bond's pager. MI6 issued it to their agents so that they could easily be contacted in the field. In 1963, the pager didn't exist, and wouldn't become a common item for over 20 years. You may note that it was only a one-way device, which beeped when Bond was called for.

Although 007 couldn't reply to MI6 using his pager, he had an in-car phone with a direct line to MI6 (possibly an operator). Although in-car phones had been invented prior to the movie, they were generally only used by reporters, and were not main stream items.

Attache Case

Q issued Bond with an Attache Case full of many tools and gadgets including spare ammunition, hidden knives, gold Sovereigns, a folding snipers rifle and an exploding tear gas cartridge. This is a large gadget and has its own page, read more at the Attache Case page.

Garrote Wire Watch

SPECTRE's cold blooded killer Red Grant bore a special watch that contained a hidden garrote wire, used to strangle victims to death. This signature method was first used on a man disguised as James Bond, when Grant followed him through a maze and snook up behind him in the opening scene of the movie.

Grant later attempted to use it to kill Bond on the Orient Express Train. He had almost killed him when Bond turned the tables, stabbing him with a knife, and strangling him with his own gadget. Grant's watch was also briefly featured in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, when Bond was looking through his desk draw, reminiscing about the past.

Poison Tipped Shoe Knife

One of SPECTRE's latest inventions was a poison-tipped knife embedded into the front of an agent's shoe. The venom on the knife could kill a victim within 12 seconds, as shown when Morenzy killed Kronsteen for failing a mission. As Blofeld commented on the slow speed of the venom, it is possible that this gadget was further developed.

When Rosa Klebb was sent to retrieve the Lektor decoding machine from James Bond, she wore the special shoes, and tried to stab Bond with them, eventually getting shot by Tatiana Romanova. The shoe blade later returned in Die Another Day, in a scene which showcased many classic gadgets.

James Bond Mask

In the first scene of the film, Red Grant is seen tailing Bond through a maze. He creeps up behind him and uses his garrote-wire watch to strangle him to death. Floodlights come on, and a mask of James Bond's face is removed from the man, revealing that Grant was infact on a training mission on SPECTRE Island, under the watchful eyes of his superiors.

When the mask was pulled off the man's face in the original shot, it was realized that he looked too much like Sean Connery, so it was reshot, with the actor sporting a mustache. Parts of the scene were filmed in a backlot at Pinewood Studios, including the shots of the mansion when the floodlights were turned on. The use of masks was used in subsequent spy-related movies such as Mission Impossible 2.

Tape-recorder Camera

When Bond met Tatiana Romanova on a ferry to discuss the Lektor decoding machine, he brought a tape-recorder that was disguised as a camera. It used a highly sensitive and clear microphone that recorded onto a standard analogue tape. He sent the tape back to MI6, where M and other officials played it back to listen to the technical specifications of the Lektor.

Using the gadget, one could interrogate or interview someone, making it look like they were a photographer. Bond used this approach to avoid suspicion and detection by the enemy.

Bug Detector

When Bond entered his room at the Kristal Palas Hotel, he searched the room for bugs, finding one behind a painting. He then took a phone bug detector out of a leather case and discovered that his phone was also tapped. He requested a room change, because of the "small bed", and listened for a "pop" to confirm that someone had been listening in on the conversation.

Billboard Trapdoor

When Krilencu launched his attack at the Gypsy camp, Kerim Bey decided to take immediate revenge. He got his sons, dressed as policemen, to ring Krilencu's doorbell, knowing that he would attempt to escape through a trapdoor in a billboard at the back of his house. Kerim was waiting, and shot him dead.

This part of the movie was taken directly from the novel, from the chapter appropriately named The Mouth of Marilyn Monroe, who's face was on the billboard.

Two-way Mirror

When Bond met Tatiana Romanova in the honeymoon suite of his hotel, Rosa Klebb and another agent were filming them from behind a two-way mirror that hung above their bed. SPECTRE planned to use the "honeymoon video" later on to make it look like Bond had killed Tatiana for threatening to take the video to the press, and then killed himself.

Periscope

Kerim had received a periscope as a gift from the British Navy, from one of their old submarines. He had closed down the Russian Consulate in Istanbul to install it, claiming that traffic was shaking the foundations. Kerim used it to spy on many meetings, one of which helped him find out about Krilencu.

The view was actually through a mouse hole, and Kerim's view was occasionally blocked by a mousetrap and bits of cheese. Unfortunately, because of the small size of the mouse hole, they couldn't wire it for sound. In the film, Bond gets his first glance at Tatiana Romanova through the periscope.

Lektor Decoding Machine

The Lektor Decoding Machine, a cryptology device for decoding encrypted messages, was not only a gadget, but an important part of the plot. The main reason Bond was sent to Istanbul was because MI6 wanted to get their hands on the machine. Also, getting he Lektor was a major part of SPECTRE's mission, as they planned to sell it back to the Russians for a gigantic fee.

Notable Differences from the Novel

Gadgets Not in the Movie

• Rosa Klebb had poison-tipped knitting needles as well as the shoe-knife
• Klebb also had a special phone that could shoot a single bullet
• Red Grant had a copy of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace with an embedded gun operated by pressing a button at the base of the spine

Differences

• The Spektor was renamed to the Lektor in the movie to avoid confusion with SPECTRE
• There were several differences with the Attache Case in the novel

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