Thunderball boat flag id

alphaagent

We all know the photo, but does anyone know the flag? Makes me think of the merchant navy flag, but the second photo with green and yellow has thrown me, unless some coloured it in with the wrong colours, any suggestions?

Matt S

The photos are not from Thunderball! They are from Sean Connery's 1964 film Woman of Straw, which he made right before Goldfinger. This part of the film took place in Majorca.

ppw3o6r

Back in the 60's most of the publicity stills/lobby cards were black & white images which were then hand tinted/coloured. Judging by the greens it is possible this image has undergone this tinting process? My apologies to the residents of Majorca if the colouring is correct? -{

Matt S

ppw3o6r wrote:

Back in the 60's most of the publicity stills/lobby cards were black & white images which were then hand tinted/coloured. Judging by the greens it is possible this image has undergone this tinting process? My apologies to the residents of Majorca if the colouring is correct? -{

The top photo looks to be the real colours whilst the bottom photo looks coloured-in. The colours just look so flat in the bottom photo, and Connery's hand is the same colour as the flagpole. Here's a full image that looks like the colours are real due to much greater variation:



I'd say that it is the merchant navy flag and the stripes were added later. I don't recall the flag being seen in the film, but I could be mistaken.

Osiris

This was the picture that Sunspel used for inspiration for their the new swim shorts that they was asked to create by Lindy hemming for a James Bond exhibition.
Even though the picture isn't even from a bond film they still have it on their web site saying its from thunderball! What a monumental cockup' to design shorts for a bond exhibition that are not even from a bond film' that really is terrible reserch on their part' they could of easily obtained hundreds of still from thunderball if the wanted.

Matt S

Osiris wrote:

This was the picture that Sunspel used for inspiration for their the new swim shorts that they was asked to create by Lindy hemming for a James Bond exhibition.
Even though the picture isn't even from a bond film they still have it on their web site saying its from thunderball! What a monumental cockup' to design shorts for a bond exhibition that are not even from a bond film' that really is terrible reserch on their part' they could of easily obtained hundreds of still from thunderball if the wanted.

I don't know if Sunspel or Lindy Hemming made the mistake. They referenced my blog for a number of things in the exhibition, but they obviously didn't look at the shorts on my blog. I didn't remember these shorts from Woman of Straw when I went to the exhibition, but I knew immediately that the shorts were not from Thunderball. However, I like these shorts a lot better than the Jantzen shorts from Thunderball. Woman of Straw shares a strong wardrobe connection with Bond in that almost all of the suits from Goldfinger were originally made for Woman of Straw.

alphaagent

Lovely stuff boys, but which bloody flag is it? lol I am opting for the merchant navy flag.

Matt S

alphaagent wrote:

Lovely stuff boys, but which bloody flag is it? lol I am opting for the merchant navy flag.

I said navy merchant flag! But you do realise it has nothing to do with Bond, right?

Donald Grant

Yes, the flag looks like the Red Ensign which came to be used by the British Merchant Navy. I am a licensed Officer in the U.S. equivalent, the United States Merchant Marine. Although I no longer sail, I do maintain my license. The Merchant Marine and Merchant Navy are responsible for shipping cargo, and are used in war time to ship the "sinews of war", tanks, helicopters, deuce and a halfs etc. The Merchant Marine and Merchant Navy are also responsible for cruise ships and so it would be quite appropriate to have the Red Ensign on a British Flagged yacht.

DG