The official trailer for Diamonds Are Forever arrived in 1971, marketing Sean Connery's return to the role after George Lazenby's single outing in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The Las Vegas setting gave the film a distinctly American glamour, and the trailer signals a production that leaned into spectacle and wit over the grittier register of its immediate predecessor.
First Impressions
The trailer is immediately more playful than On Her Majesty's Secret Service, reflecting a production that prioritised entertainment and star power over emotional depth. Connery's comeback is the primary selling point, and his presence signals a reassuring step back to the familiar Bond formula after Lazenby's more serious interpretation.
What the Trailer Reveals
The trailer establishes Blofeld's diamond smuggling operation, Bond's Nevada mission, and the film's set-pieces including the moon buggy chase and the Whyte House climax. Jill St. John's Tiffany Case is introduced as a resourceful and glamorous Bond girl, and the film's lighter tone comes through in a series of witty exchanges and kinetic action sequences.
Music and Sound
Shirley Bassey returns to deliver another powerhouse Bond theme, her second title song for the franchise and one that captures the film's diamond-studded allure and excess with considerable flair. John Barry's score is characteristically sharp, and the Nevada setting gives the sound design an appropriately brash quality.
Most Memorable Moment
The Las Vegas car chase is the trailer's most entertaining sequence: a pursuit through the casino city's neon-lit streets that sells the film's commitment to action entertainment with real energy. It is the moment the trailer most effectively makes its case.
Trailer Verdict
Diamonds Are Forever is not the series at its most searching, and the trailer doesn't pretend otherwise. What it offers is Connery back in the role, Las Vegas as a backdrop, and Shirley Bassey on the soundtrack. For 1971 audiences, that was more than enough, and the film delivered on every one of those promises.