Ian Fleming's original 1962 novel was a bold experiment that pleased no one, so he specifically stipulated in his will it not be filmed. The producers therefore whipped up a completely unrelated screenplay.
In the hands of old pro Lewis Gilbert (related by marriage to Sydney Tafler, hence his fleeting appearance as the captain of the Liparus) it's agreeably old-fashioned and tongue-in-cheek, hailing from the days when Bernard Lee was still playing 'M', Ken Adam was still designing the sets and it seemed conceivable that the East and the West could bury their differences in the face of a common foe.
In the hands of old pro Lewis Gilbert (related by marriage to Sydney Tafler, hence his fleeting appearance as the captain of the Liparus) it's agreeably old-fashioned and tongue-in-cheek, hailing from the days when Bernard Lee was still playing 'M', Ken Adam was still designing the sets and it seemed conceivable that the East and the West could bury their differences in the face of a common foe.