CITLALLY MACIEL
<Staff Writer>
Rejoice, my fellow James Bond fans! This year marks the golden anniversary of the first film’s release. May many “shaken, not stirred” martinis be guzzled! Indeed, it was fifty years ago that the first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released. Naturally, any golden anniversary warrants a big celebration, and as far as this anniversary goes, there have been tributes galore.
Firstly, the anniversary is being commemorated with the release of a Blu-ray anniversary box set containing each and every one of the 22 feature films. Yet, celebrations would not be complete without the release of another. Thus, the latest and much anticipated production, Skyfall, has been deliberately programmed for release this fall (November 9, in Canada). As if this were not enough excitement, and because true fans can never get enough of 007, a documentary has also been released. Titled Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of James Bond, the documentary explores the making of the James Bond films from a behind-the-scenes perspective, focusing on the films’ producers, Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and author Ian Fleming. Accordingly, there should be plenty of Bond presence for a while.
Although now written by some of Hollywood’s best screenwriters (including Golden Globe winner John Logan), the stories were initially based on Ian Fleming’s novels. According to his official website, Fleming’s inspiration for the books unquestionably derived from his experiences working as an assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence in the Admiralty in London. Fleming wrote a total of fourteen James Bond titles, the first of which was Casino Royale, published in 1953. Dr. No, the novel on which the first film was based, was first published in 1958. Indeed, his books became so popular that, in 1961, President Kennedy told Life Magazine that From Russia with Love was one of his top ten favorite books. Fleming’s secret for success: “There is only one recipe for a bestseller. You have to get the reader to turn over the page.”
While the books have been greatly praised, it has been the films that have made Fleming’s stories, dare I say, masterpieces. But, why is it that the films have remained so relevant and popular for these many years? Many reasons could be convened. Audiences admire James Bond’s many talents, fantasise over the ever-seductive Bond girls, are amused by the eccentricity and evilness of the villains, and indulge on the lavishness of the exotic locations, the gadgets, and the luxury cars. In addition, the films are blessed with excellent music. Even the legendary flashy opening credits constitute works of art on their own.
Indisputably, there is a universal attraction to all those qualities that James Bond personifies. These qualities include both his astuteness and physical ability to overcome evil, his smooth and sophisticated style that gives him a way with the ladies, and his audacity and fortitude to overcome obstacles. Nonetheless, the breadth of these qualities has been a function of the particular actor playing the role. James Bond has been portrayed by six different actors. Sean Connery was the first, appearing in six of the 23 movies. George Lazenby appeared only once, while Roger Moore has the highest number of appearances, with a total of seven films. Timothy Dalton was next, appearing on two films, followed by Pierce Brosnan, with a total of four movies. In 2006, Brosnan was replaced by Daniel Craig in the remake of Casino Royale; accumulating, so far, three films. Though, in general, Sean Connery is still the favorite of many.
Moreover, the franchise has included a wide selection of stunning women, which has surely pleased a wide range of gents. The first Bond girl, Ursula Andress, played Honey Rider in Dr. No, and become an instant star. Specifically, Andress was made a conspicuous icon thanks to the scene where she surfaces from the sea in a white bikini. In fact, the scene was so notorious that it was loosely replicated by Halle Berry in a later Bond film, Die Another Day. Beauty aside, not all Bond girls are of equal relevance, and while many fall in love with Bond, the feeling is seldom reciprocated. Bond has, in fact, fallen in love, although tragedy always seems to inevitably follow. In On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Bond marries Teresa di Vicenzo, played by Diana Rigg, who is later killed. In Casino Royale, he falls in love with Vesper Lynd, played by Eva Green, but she later betrays him and also dies.
Similarly, the films’ villains come in all sizes and shapes. It may seem like the villains have been slowly evolving from almost monster-like prototypes to just plain human characters. Certainly, the portrayal of physically horrid characters was very popular at the time. Hideousness not only gave the villain more credibility but, in a way, it also gave the films an amusing air. The perfect example is Jaws, played by Richard Kiel, one of the favorite Bond villains, appearing in The Spy who Loved Me and Moonraker. Jaws’ frightening appearance was due in part to his height, standing at seven feet tall, but also, most importantly, his scary steel teeth.
The variety of exotic locations has also made the films exciting and alluring. The first movie was filmed in Kingston, Jamaica; From Russia with Love was filmed in Istanbul, and so was Skyfall. Other great locations include Madrid, San Francisco, Panama City, Bangkok, and Rio de Janeiro. Moreover, another exciting feature of the films has been the incorporation of a number of gadgets, including dagger shoes, passenger ejector seats, revolving license plates, satellite lasers, and multipurpose Rolex watches; and the display of astonishing vehicles, including Aston Martins, Audis, Bentleys, Mercury Cougars, and Jaguars. And if that were not sexy enough, the franchise has always managed to include astounding music, including collaborations with Tina Turner, Madonna, Paul McCartney, and Duran Duran, to say nothing of the much-anticipated participation of Adele in Skyfall.
On November 7, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference call with Skyfall’s director Sam Mendes, arranged by Sony Pictures Publicity, which included a number of different university newspapers from the US and Canada. It has been said that “resurrection” is James Bond’s favorite hobby. Indeed, this was one of Mendes’ goals when filming Skyfall. His ambition was to take the franchise and everything it represented and make it his own, and one way to achieve this was by mixing the classic elements of the franchise with new and modern elements. In addition, Mendes wanted to take into account what adults and children alike would like to see in a James Bond movie. At the same time, however, he did not want to be constrained by what the audience in general expected of the movie, because he wanted to push boundaries and come up with a story that was fresh.
In this article, I have argued that beautiful women, fast cars and gadgets, exotic places, and the music, are fundamental elements of the franchise. I asked Mendes if budget limitations forced him to get rid of one of these elements, which one would it be and why. Mendes stated that he was confronted with this very same question during the production of the movie and even when he did not actually have to make a choice, if he had been in this position, he would have gotten rid of the exotic locations (although he has never been interested in the cars either). Maintaining intact the nature of James Bond and all the other characters was his priority and so a change of location or the exclusion of sports cars would not affect this. Despite a spoiler given by one of the participants of the conference, listening to Mendes’ perspective was certainly refreshing and I cannot wait to see the movie.
Indeed, it is not difficult to see why the franchise continues to be so successful. Good story lines, beautiful women, fast cars, exotic places, unforgettable music and a James Bond that always gets the villain, are elements that keep the fans coming back for more, film after film. About diamonds, Bond once said: “hardest substance found in nature. They cut glass, suggest marriages. I supposed it replaced the dog as the girl’s best friend.” And who knows? One day diamonds may also be Bond’s best friend… in 10 years.