This is definitely one of the most iconic scenes in movie history. As Alan Partridge said, "he goes over a cliff and he's falling and you think, oh God, James Bond's going to die! He's going to die! But then at the last minute..." he pulls a ripcord and a parachute with a Union Jack pops out, and British hearts swell and burst with pride. A brilliant scene, brilliantly executed. Except, if you watch the scene you'll notice just after the stuntman's parachute opens, one of the skis comes close to grazing the parachute and the stuntman himself. According to Rick Sylvester, who was paid the princely sum of $30,000 for the stunt (and a bonus for, you know, not dying) the ski was millimeters away from ripping open his parachute, which would've sent him spiraling to his death. And then (you don't see this bit on film) Sylvester also bashed into some of the jagged rocks, causing lacerations to his suit and legs, before he managed to pull of a relatively safe landing. The kicker? Of the 10 cameras filming the stunt, only one actually caught it on film. So if it hadn't been for the operating skills of the cameraman, Sylvester would've had to risk his life again.
