James Bond: Live and Let Die

An original prop used in the production of Live and Let Die, the 1973 James bond picture starring Roger Moore as the suave spy.

This shark fin was created by the special effects team for use in a sequence which formed part of the original Tom Mankiewicz screenplay in which Bond and Quarrel Jr (Roy Stewart) are shark fishing on his boat and he demonstrates the gas pellet gun which is later used in the climactic scenes to kill Kananga (Yaphet Kotto). Much of these scenes are believed to have been filmed on location in The Bahamas but the sequence proved unsatisfactory due to the prop fibreglass shark which was to be destroyed by the pellet looking unrealistic and was cut from the film meaning there was no introduction to the weapon used in the climactic scenes. 

This fin was used by William Grefe who was responsible for the shark photography and states it was supplied by noted effects artist Derek Meddings, constructed from fibreglass with a dark grey paint finish the fin is hollow to the interior allowing it to be rigged for filming. Although the sequence was cut for the movie in its entirety there is one shot which appears on screen where similar fins can be seen as Bond gazes off the back of Quarrel's boat, the fin was retained by Grefe after filming and later used in the 1976 picture Mako: The Jaws of Death which he directed.

The shark fin stands approximately 12" high and measures 19" wide, it remains in good production used condition with a running repair to the fibreglass which exhibits some chipping and minor cracking to the paint finish in areas, otherwise fine.

A rare and displayable artefact from one of the most celebrated franchises in cinematic history.