the living daylights

Universal Exports Logo

MI6’s Universal Exports

007 is often asked who he works for, and the fictional import/export company he says is his employer is called Universal Exports.

Universal Exports Logo

It is mentioned several times throughout various James Bond movies, which I have listed below:

Dr. No (1962)

007 is shown walking into M's office, which has a Universal Exports sign on the outside

007 is shown walking into M’s office, which has a Universal Exports sign on the outside

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James Bond (Timothy Dalton) begrudgingly packs Kara Milovy (Maryam D'Abo)'s cello into his Aston Martin in The Living Daylights (1987)

Why didn’t you learn the violin?

I’ve always loved Bond’s great cello case escape trick from The Living Daylights (1987). Although it would’ve been neat to hear Bond (Timothy Dalton) explain the game plan to Kara Milovy (Maryam d’Abo) in this scene (how did they time it so perfectly with the passing tram?), I overall enjoyed how it was filmed and how we the audience are let in on the ruse.

I particularly enjoy the surveyor’s satisfied face and gentle head nod when he witnesses Bond get into his car, only to have his day ruined when he realizes the “person” in the phone booth is an empty cello case clothed with a hat and coat.

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Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962) and Sean Connery as James Bond and Jill St. John as Tiffany Case in Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

First & Last

The six actors that have portrayed 007 in the official movies have changed since their first and last on-screen appearances. Below, you can see each actor’s first and last appearances as James Bond.

Sean Connery as James Bond at the beginning of Dr. No (1962) and Sean Connery as James Bond and Jill St. John as Tiffany Case at the end of Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

Sean Connery as James Bond at the beginning of Dr. No (1962) and Sean Connery as James Bond and Jill St. John as Tiffany Case at the end of Diamonds Are Forever (1971)

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Jeroen Krabbe as General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights (1987)

TFW your boss wants to see you

Jeroen Krabbe as General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights (1987)

Jeroen Krabbe as General Georgi Koskov in The Living Daylights (1987)

Necros, played by Andreas Wisniewski, and his "milk truck" in The Living Daylights (1987)

Not for the Lactose / Explosive Intolerant

Necros, played by Andreas Wisniewski, and his "milk truck" in The Living Daylights (1987)

Necros, played by Andreas Wisniewski, and his “milk truck” in The Living Daylights (1987)

Necros, played by Andreas Wisniewski, throws his milk bombs in The Living Daylights (1987)

Every James Bond Movie Title Animation

Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

Work or play?

Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

The Living Daylights (1987)

I know a great restaurant in Karachi…

The Living Daylights (1987)…we can just make dinner.

Bond and Kara Milovy plan their next step in Pakistan after escaping in The Living Daylights (1987).

M, Bond and Frederick Gray meeting in M's office in The Living Daylights (1987)

Laughingstock

This scene from The Living Daylights (1987) is how I like my Timothy Dalton James Bond: rough around the edges and disgruntled with superiors – has his own disagreeable opinions and agendas but in the end always wants to get the job done, and does.

This scene takes place in M’s office with M, Bond and Frederick Gray, the Minister of Defense assessing the catastrophic event that just occurred, where a defected Georgi Koskov was re-captured by the KGB and MI6 made a “laughingstock” in the intelligence community as a results, as relayed by Gray.

I like this scene so much because everyone expresses their own frustrations in unique ways. M grumpily cleaning out his pipe, Gray begrudgingly leaving to meet the Prime Minister evoking his disdain, and Bond defiantly bending to M’s orders to take out Pushkin. This is a relatively rare direct “termination order” issued by M to Bond in his office, and although Bond has a license to kill, in this case Bond is skeptical that Pushkin could be behind the plot. M senses his defiance instantly (you can sense this isn’t the first time this has happened between the two) and his “What? Do you think I don’t?” is expertly delivered as a “STFU, obey my orders” declaration to Bond.

M, Bond and Frederick Gray meeting in M's office in The Living Daylights (1987)

M, Bond and Frederick Gray meeting in M’s office in The Living Daylights (1987)

Despite Bond’s pleas, M demurs and tells him to either do the job or leave for a fortnight and 008 will do it – since 008 will follow “orders, not instincts.” I always love when other double-oh agents are mentioned in Bond movies. 🙂 And it happens doubly so here, since 004 was killed in the Gibraltar training exercise at the start of the movie, as a result of the Smernt Spionom (Death to Spies) agenda that has commenced. So even though M attempts to allay Bond’s hesitations, Bond still relents and says he would like to delay the operation to obtain more information. M’s job transfer threat is all Bond needs to hear, and he takes the mission.

Knowing this James Bond, however, we know that his agenda will come before MI6’s, for better or worse.

Maryam D'Abo as Kara Milovy and Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)

Girl with the cello…

Maryam D'Abo as Kara Milovy and Timothy Dalton as James Bond in The Living Daylights (1987)