20 Things You Somehow Missed In Never Say Never Again
8. The Connection To Raiders Of The Lost Ark
Purely for the technical expertise expended on it, Never Say Never Again should have been a much better film.
This is because several key personnel from the 1981 hit, Raiders of the Lost Ark worked on it. These included first assistant director, David Tomblin (who practically ended up producing the unofficial Bond film alongside Connery and Kershner); cinematographer, Douglas Slocombe, who lensed the original Indiana Jones trilogy; second unit director, Mickey Moore, and production designers, Philip Harrison and Stephen Grimes.
Their involvement perhaps becomes clear during the North African scenes, particularly at Largo's Palmyra fortress (which was actually Fort Carré in the Antibes) and the highly-detailed cavern containing "The Tears of Allah", which was constructed at Elstree Studios near London. It's a shame that the rest of the film was not as atmospheric.