Factual error: In the balloon scene, it seems like Q can circle around and land on a spot where he flew past previously. A balloon can only fly in the direction of the wind.
Factual error: At the East German/West German checkpoint, there is a level crossing. The warning signs for road traffic are clearly visible and are unique to the UK (where the shot was filmed).
Factual error: Bond tells Q at one point, "I've lost my PPK." However, he has been carrying a Walther P-5 throughout the movie and continues to use it in the later action sequences. A PPK never does make an appearance in the movie. The P-5 was also used that year by Bond in "Never Say Never Again."
Factual error: During one of the chases, when James Bond hops into the water, he is picked up by a group of American tourists on a tour boat. The city of Cincinnati is misspelled as "Cincinatti" on it.
Factual error: Being in Berlin talking about the Octopussy Circus, M says that Karl-Marx-Stadt (now again "Chemnitz") is further to the east, however it is 200 km to the south of Berlin.
Factual error: On the railroad when the knife-thrower is welding the jewel canister onto the circus equipment, there are bright flashes of light. Later however, the knife-thrower attacks Bond with a gas welder. Oxyacetylene torches (gas) merely heat the metal until it melts. They do not produce blinding flashes, unlike arc and MIG welding kits (electric).
Factual error: In some scenes, the Communist soldiers use the wrong armament: the Cubans use American M16s (whereas they should be using AK-47s), and Orlov's bodyguards (in the scene where the jewels are switched for the bomb) have Austrian Steyr AUGs. It would have been rather problematic for socialist countries (during the period of the film) to keep captured Western weapons constantly supplied with spare parts and ammunition.
Factual error: When the German police are chasing Bond into the air base, they are simply waved in at the gate. That wouldn't happen - without authority, local authorities wouldn't be allowed to enter an armed forces installation, especially a foreign one.
Factual error: When riding in the truck with the Cuban soldiers Bond pulls their parachutes. In the next clip they are 5-6 meters up in the air. That is impossible. First, parachutes are not shot out, but merely pulled by the passing air. And the truck does not go fast enough to pull the parachutes. Second, even if the truck went fast enough, the soldiers would be pulled horizontally - and just fall off the truck, not get pulled vertically up in the air.
Factual error: When Bond is being pursued through the jungle, we see what appears to be a crocodile swimming towards him. It is obviously an alligator, which can be identified by its broad snout (crocs have a narrow snout). There are no alligators in Asia. (01:05:00)
Factual error: Bond pulls his mini jet out of the path of the missile racing in from behind, making it narrowly miss his aircraft. Like most such piloting stunts from Hollywood, it wouldn't have worked. Modern anti-aircraft missiles have proximity fuses and fragmentation warheads or continuous-rod warheads. They actually deliberately pass by the aircraft they are trying to destroy and explode next to them, because the cross-section is greater that way. There have even been cases when a missile actually hitting an airplane just disintegrated without exploding, thus saving the target.
Factual error: When Bond is fighting with Glenda on the wagon roof, shortly before passing a tunnel, which is supposed to be already in West Germany, a communist slogan is visible on the tunnel entry, stating 'Our contribution to a positive balance: daily fulfillment of the plan'. Not something that would be on the west side.
Factual error: Bond is given a tag in Spanish, but it shows the word Col., short for Colonel. It should read Coronel.
Factual error: Udaipur where the floating palace is located is 350km from Agra, so Bond wouldn't be passing Taj Mahal upon landing in the helicopter.
Factual error: In the forest, Bond runs into a giant spider web. First, the spider's thread is far too thick and resistant. No cobweb could slow a person down. Second, there are several spiders hanging in the same web. Spiders don't share their nets with others. Third, these spiders are supposed to look like tarantulas, which don't spin webs. (00:59:30)
Factual error: Orlov hands Khan a map "Die Umgebung Berns." Bern is the capital city of Switzerland which has nothing to do with the movie.
Answer: It wasn't meant to be related at all. It was just an action sequence to start off the film as Bond completes a previous assignment before a segue into the familiar 007 opening theme and a new song. I recall there were some other earlier Bond films that also used this formula. After the opening bit, the story starts as Bond meets with "M" for a new mission, then a briefing with "Q" about the latest spy gadgets. There was also the obligatory flirtatious banter between Bond and Miss Moneypenny.
raywest ★
I see what you mean. I'm thinking of those films where the opening scene has some link to the main plot (e.g. The Spy Who Loved Me), but Moonraker is like this one, it starts off (spectacularly) with Bond at the end of a previous assignment.