Arguably, that would be 1967’s You Only Live Twice, which featured multiple memorable images.
The masterpiece was this image, which wasn’t even the primary piece of art for the film. Sean Connery’s tuxedo-clad James Bond improbably is using his feet to support himself while Tiger Tanaka’s ninjas raid SPECTRE’s volcano headquarters.
You Only Live Twice art
Depending on the format of the poster, the main poster images featured Connery/Bond in Little Nellie above the SPECTRE base, or Connery/Bond with Japanese women. Some posters managed to combine both.
You don’t get that kind of art these days with movies, which digitally manipulate photographs and don’t utilize lush illustrations. The entertainment website Birth.Movies.Death took to Twitter, reminding its followers about the You Only Live Twice art.
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE was released 49 years ago yesterday. We normally wouldn't post late, but look at this artwork! pic.twitter.com/n8YpNKUMNF
— Birth.Movies.Death. (@bmoviesd) June 13, 2016
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Birth.Movies.Death, Sean Connery, You Only Live Twice, You Only Live Twice poster art |
The Spy Command 
Please give credit where credit is due! The volcano and Little Nellie illustrations were painted by the late Frank McCarthy, who was also responsable for the jet pack and scuba battle art for THUNDERBALL, as well as most of the OHMSS poster. He created equally dynamic posters for THE DIRTY DOZEN, WHERE EAGLES DARE, THE GREEN BERETS, KRAKATOA: EAST OF JAVA, DARK OF THE SUN and many others. Robert McGinnis painted the geisha scene. He also created the scuba-suit Bond with girls art for THUNDERBALL, the Lazenby & Rigg figures in the OHMSS poster and all of the poster art for DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, LIVE AND LET DIE and MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN.