Does the stunt man at the beginning of Moonraker jump without a parachute and get one in mid jump?
Yes, the stuntman at the beginning of Moonraker (1979) really did jump without a parachute and get one mid-air — and it’s one of the most legendary stunts in film history.
Here’s what happened:
In the pre-title sequence, James Bond (played by Roger Moore) is pushed out of a plane without a parachute by the villainous Jaws. Bond then freefalls after another skydiver, wrestles with him mid-air, steals his parachute, and safely escapes while Jaws crashes into a circus tent.
That breathtaking sequence wasn’t done with wires or special effects — it was done for real.
The stunt details:
- Stuntman Rick Sylvester played Bond in the freefall scene.
- He jumped without a visible parachute, wearing a concealed one inside his suit.
- Jake Lombard, another stuntman, played the man with the parachute.
- The two performed multiple high-altitude jumps to get the timing, movement, and camera angles just right.
- The hidden parachute was built into the stuntman’s suit in such a way that it didn’t bulge or reveal itself during the fall, adding to the realism.
- The scene required over 80 skydives to get the footage they needed.
- Filming was done using a helmet-mounted camera, cutting-edge at the time.
This sequence set a new standard for realism in action cinema, and even by today’s standards, it’s jaw-dropping. The level of danger and precision involved makes it arguably one of the greatest practical stunts ever captured on film.
What is ‘the story of O’?
The Story of O (French: Histoire d’O) is a provocative and controversial erotic novel written by Anne Desclos under the pen name Pauline Réage, first published in 1954. It explores themes of submission, dominance, love, identity, and the boundaries of desire, and has stirred debate for decades for both its literary merit and its stark portrayal of sexual submission.
