James Bond got you! Pause at 1 hour 42 minutes and 23 seconds in the first film to find out how

Have you ever watched a movie and been amazed at how the lead actor does his own stunts? Well, if it’s not Tom Cruise or Jackie Chan, chances are it’s stuntmen who stepped in for them without you knowing. And if sometimes the deception is obvious, other times it is very convincing…

In almost all films, especially action films, all kinds of tricks are used so that the stuntmen can do their job and intervene during complicated or downright dangerous scenes. If nowadays, with new technologies, it becomes easier and easier, in 1962 you had to be a little more ingenious and James Bond 007 against Dr. No, the first in the series of James Bond films from EON Productions was and used a “Texas Switch” to bring in its stuntmen in place of Sean Connery and Ursula Andress in a scene that has become cult.

The “Texas Switch”

But what is a “Texas Switch”? This is the technique used when a character performs an elaborate stunt that transitions invisibly from the lead actor to the stuntman through clever staging and camera movements.

Executing a “Texas Switch” requires careful blocking and camera movement. The goal is to make sure that scenes have moments where the camera can get ahead of the actor so the change can be made, or scenes where he runs behind something so the change can happen at that location. This requires careful collaboration and planning between the director, cinematographer and stuntman.

The result makes action films more real and the technique keeps the viewer invested in the story so that it preserves its authenticity.

And so this is what happens at 1 hour 42 minutes and 23 seconds James Bond 007 vs. Dr. No. As you can see in the video below, it’s all first Sean Connery And Ursula Andress who runs on the docks before being replaced by their doubles as they pass behind the wall formed by the oil barrels judiciously placed on the pier.

These kinds of practical stunts therefore end up making the films larger than life.

Another example of Texas Switch?

On the set of Aquaman (2018), for example, during a chase scene on rooftops, Amber Heard’s character has to run on the tiles while avoiding shots. Although the film was shot against a blue background, director James Wan wanted to maintain the integrity of the story and visuals and therefore resorted to the “Texas Switch” (when she passes behind the pillars) as we can see it in the post below:

Discover the director’s explanations in the video below:

But James Bond was already doing it in 1962 and to perfection. We can only applaud the ingenuity.

James Bond 007 vs. Dr. No can be seen again on VOD.