Mr. Bond

My latest project has been to view all of the James Bond films in order and evaluate them both as entertainment and as cultural documents. There are few film franchises that can boast the sheer number of people who have followed the entire series for so many years, and the way the Bond films have permeated our society. Virtually everyone knows what you are talking about when you refer to something as Bond-like. I had only seen several of the movies over the years, but since each one is based on the same dynamic formula, I felt that I had a good grasp of the basic concept to begin with.

Since most of the leads and many of the guest stars in The Avengers television series had appeared in various Bond films, I began by looking up which ones they were in and realized that I could own all 20 films in the new James Bond deluxe DVD set. This includes everything except the latest release, Casino Royale, which I purchased separately, thus acquiring all 21 official Bond films to date. There are a couple unofficial releases that I may get around to eventually, but I wanted to study the main series in its entirety first. Since the new Casino Royale is something of a prequel, being Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel, I decided to start with that and then go back to the beginning of the movie sequence.

I was generally impressed with the new film and agree with most critics that it has revitalized the franchise. For a story originally set in the Cold War of the mid 1950s, it was remarkably updated to include modern computer technology and cell phones. It was perhaps a bit long (the longest yet at 144 minutes), but I would be hard pressed to identify where it could be cut; each scene seems necessary to the plot. It begins before Bond had achieved 00 status and extends to his first case as 007. All in all, it's an excellent entry in the oeuvre, and portends well for the future. Daniel Craig is a fine James Bond, and adds a grittiness that was perhaps lacking in some of the more recent incarnations.

The original screen Bond, of course, was the inimitable Sean Connery. Many believe his performances has never been equalled, and indeed, the first five films starring him are the most consistent in the series. Starting with Dr. No in 1962, the tone was set with thrilling action, breathtaking scenery, exotic locales, outrageous stunts, cutting-edge gadgets, and beautiful women. It was the beginning of the 1960s and there was a new flamboyance that the film benefited from. The first Bond Girl was Ursula Andress and she is still one of the best. Her opening appearance out of the sea is one of the most famous and imitated shots of the series.

The success of the first film allowed the producers to purchase the rights to all the other James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, in turn increasing the popularity of the books themselves. President Kennedy was seen reading From Russia with Love on an airplane, and when asked, said it was one of his favorite novels. This helped catapult sales of all of Ian Fleming's books in the U.S. and launch the phenomenon worldwide. All of a sudden a secret agent craze swept through the entertainment industry that lasted most of the sixties and continues in many ways to this day.

From Russia with Love was soon filmed, and it remains one of the best in the cycle. The Cold War allusions were softened slightly for diplomatic reasons, but the metaphors speak for themselves. The criminal organization SPECTRE is introduced here and remains a force in several more of the films. One of the charms of this film is that Bond still lives by his wits most of the time rather than relying on extravagant gadgets. This would soon change for good or ill. Making his debut is Desmond Llewelyn as Q (Quartermaster), the man responsible for the technical innovations the series became famous for.

The third film, Goldfinger, is an utter classic that set the tone for the rest of the series with its high-end gadgetry and over-the-top stunt work. Q's part was now a regular feature and technology would play a major role from now on. Honor Blackman, having just left The Avengers, stars as Pussy Galore, one the most well-known Bond Girls of all time. She was able to use some of the Judo moves she learned while doing the television show; maybe that's why she was such a perfect choice for the role.

After this is Thunderball, a pull-out-all-the-stops extravaganza that perhaps seems overlong due to the extended underwater sequences. The underwater cinematography was state-of-the-art at the time, though, and it is understandable that it was featured so prominently. By this time, each film was designed to outdo the previous ones in sheer opulence and even length. Starting here, most of the films would extend to at least two hours or longer.

Next is a personal favorite, You Only Live Twice, set in Japan. It features an incredible extinct volcano hide-out for SPECTRE that provides one of the best climaxes in the series so far, and that's no mean feat. Sean Connery announced his retirement from James Bond during production, so maybe that contributed to the sense of extra pizazz at the end.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service followed, with a new Bond, George Lazenby. It also starred Diana Rigg (another Avengers alumnus) as the first realistic Bond Girl. This film remains one of my favorites, though it is an anomaly in the series. Lazenby burned his bridges during production and was not asked to return, though he does a credible job.

Sean Connery was talked into doing one more after the search for a new Bond stalled. He returned in Diamonds Are Forever, and while good, it's perhaps not up to par with the first five classics. Still, in the pantheon of those to come over the next forty years, it holds its own admirably.

Roger Moore was chosen as a more permanent replacement. His first outing, Live and Let Die, is a spectacular tour-de-force that unfortunately appears dated perhaps more than many of the others. The blaxploitation theme is so early seventies, and Moore appears too white-bread in comparison. This hurts his debut slightly, though it's not of extreme consequence; in a way, the datedness adds to the fun of watching it so many years later. There is also a Voodoo subplot that adds to the proceedings and a memorable crocodile sequence. This was the first James Bond film I ever saw, and so it remains a prototype for me. It was fun seeing Jane Seymour as a Bond Girl, in one of her first major roles. I also particularly like the title song by Paul McCartney and the George Martin score.

The Man With The Golden Gun finds Moore becoming more comfortable with the part, and features Christopher Lee as one of the best villains in the series. This film remains a personal favorite of mine from the Moore era, one reason being the energy crisis background and its focus in solar power as the solution. It also stands as the last one with Harry Salzman as co-producer. Since the beginning, Albert R. Broccoli and Salzman had overseen production; now Broccoli remained as sole producer. The Spy Who Loved Me followed, with the idea being introduced that East and West could work together, reflecting current events at the time. This entry was the furthest departure from Ian Fleming's original story in the canon, with essentially only the title being used.

Moonraker continues the finger-on-the-pulse nature of the series with a film about the space race, and was an attempt to compete with the new Star Wars and Star Trek movies that came out around that time. It also marked the final appearance of Bernard Lee, who had been there from the beginning as M, Bond's boss at MI6 (British Secret Service). The next few films featured a Minister of Defense and a Chief of Staff as replacements. For Your Eyes Only is another personal favorite and represents a return to basics. It is perhaps the last consistently great Roger Moore James Bond film.

Octopussy followed, and though it contained some excellent sequences, most notably the scenes filmed in India, it would mark the beginning of the inevitable downward slide that was only hinted at before. At this point, the scripts became more predictable, even cartoonish at times, though never completely losing touch with the original premise. Part of the problem was that they had run out of Ian Fleming novels, and most of the stories from here on in had to be written by someone else. This coincided with Moore slowly becoming too old for the part.

A View To A Kill is the final one for Moore, and is usually considered the worst of the entire series; though with that as the consensus, I found it much better than expected. In fact, the fine extended appearance of The Avengers' Patrick MacNee helps this entry reach into the more than acceptable range. The film also marked the last portrayal by Lois Maxwell of Moneypenny (M's secretary), a recurring character since the first film.

Timothy Dalton accepted the role of Bond for two films, The Living Daylights, and Licence to Kill. Both of these are exceptional and present a character perhaps closer to Fleming's vision than any others. Dalton was originally signed to appear in one more film, but production delays forced him to give up the part. He never really regretted it, but it did keep him from being considered one of the main actors to play Bond. Besides Sean Connery and Roger Moore, this role was filled by his successor, Pierce Brosnan.

The first film with Pierce Brosnan as Bond was Goldeneye, and though good, it was perhaps flat compared to its predecessors. It did introduce Judi Dench as M, a part she is still playing. Also, taking over as producer after many years as production assistant, was Barbara Broccoli, Albert's daughter. She and her step-brother, Michael G. Wilson (also a long-time assistant), would co-produce the series from now on. Brosnan found his footing with Tomorrow Never Dies, a personal favorite. Achieving world domination through media manipulation is a prescient theme that holds up well today. It was nice to see Teri Hatcher as a Bond Girl; also Michelle Yeoh gave a notable performance.

The World Is Not Enough came next, and here the scripts were starting to lose their originality again. Though still entertaining, the series was starting to show its age. Also marked was the final appearance of LLewelyn as Q; he is shown grooming his replacement played by John Cleese. Die Another Day was another valiant effort, but it was clearly time to reassess. Halle Barrie was hot as the new Bond Girl, but she wasn't enough to rescue the film from mediocrity. It wasn't awful by any means and had many fine moments, but the character of James Bond needed freshening for the new century, and it would be four years before returning with a vengeance.

The future for the Bond franchise now appears bright on the strength of Casino Royale and the new one due next year so far known as "Bond 22." Considering the record of the last 40+ years, I'm optimistic that the series can continue almost forever, and look forward to the endless possibilities inherent in the most successful formula of our time. Generations to come will thrill to the timeless adventures that also recorded our culture to an astonishing degree. A thriving James Bond means that there is hope for our own survival as the startling present hurtles toward the unknown.


Links:

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/

http://www.ajb007.co.uk/films/

http://www.jamesbond.com/

http://www.mi6.co.uk/mi6.php3