8 Fun Facts About James Bond-Vol. 2

8 Fun Facts About James Bond-Vol. 2

July 26, 2013-  Here is our second installment in the 8 Fun Facts About James Bond series.  Enjoy.

1.   Ian Fleming's novel, The Spy Who Loved Me, (1962) has the distinction of being one of the least popular and most critically despised novels in the James Bond series.  This experimental tale is told from the perspective of the lead character, Viv Michele, a Canadian woman.   007 does not even appear in the story until the final third of the novel.  The 1977 Roger Moore film of the same name has no plot or character elements from the novel whatsoever.

2.   Christopher Lee, British film actor who began his career in the 1940's, and has starred as such great film characters as Dracula, Saramun the White, Count Dooku and 100's more, played James Bond villain, Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's The Man With The Golden Gun.  Lee was the first cousin to James Bond novelist, Ian Fleming, who never lived to see Lee play the part.

3.  The voices of the actors playing Bond villains, Auric Goldfinger and Emilio Largo, played by Gert Frobe and Aldolfo Celi, respectively, in the films Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965), were dubbed for the films due to the belief that audiences would find their think accents difficult to understand.

4.  Here is some insight into the universal impact that one movie series can have on the world.  It is estimated that more than one half of the entire world's population has seen, at least, one of the James Bond films.  This statistic may make James Bond the single most recognizable fictional character in the history of the world.

5.   Two universally recognized associations of the James Bond character are that his drink of choice is  a martini, "shaken, not stirred" and that he drives an Aston Martin, yet neither appears in any of the Sir Roger Moore films.  Moore felt distancing himself with certain associations of Sean Connery's version of the character would allow him to carve out his own, distinct persona as Bond.

6.   Sean Connery faces the issuance of an arrest warrant in Spain if he fails to appear to testify, before the end of the year, in a corruption investigation involving the sale of a home in Marbella, Spain to developers several years ago.   The property was later demolished and a scandal over zoning laws, money laundering, and political corruption ensued.   To date, Connery has refused to appear.

7.   George Lazenby, star of 1969's On Her Majesty's Secret Service, was a Used Car salesman prior to being selected to fill Sean Connery's shoes in the role of the world's most famous secret agent.

8.   Skyfall (2012), the 23rd installment in the James Bond film series just surpassed Avatar (2009) as the highest grossing film ever in the history of Great Britain.  

I'd love to hear from you with any Fun Facts, or story ideas....

Book Review: Bond on Bond by Sir Roger Moore

Book Review: Bond on Bond by Sir Roger Moore

July 14, 2013- Bond on Bond: Reflections On 50 Years Of James Bond (Lyons Press, 2012) by Sir Roger Moore is everything you would expect from a 220 page, photo filled, coffee-table book written by the actor that starred as the world's most famous Secret Agent for the longest run of the Big Six.  It is entertaining, informative, and rich with nostalgic photos and artwork from the 50 year legacy of the James Bond movie franchise.

Moore tells the story of the transition of James Bond from the fictional character of the Ian Fleming novels to the central character of the longest running film franchise in movie history.  This is all done through Roger Moore's eyes, and in his unique voice.  Moore provides a chronological perspective and a "behind the scenes" look at the how the Eon Productions' team created the winning James Bond formula, and what it has taken to sustain it through 50 years, 23 films, and 6 Bond Actors. 

Bond on Bond includes chapters on the Gadgets, the Villains, the Bond Girls, and even, one on James Bond's style.  It is light hearted, self effacing and filled with personal narratives, opinion, and touching tributes to many of the individual actors and professionals that have passed on from the long history of Bond film making.  Moore provides a wealth of information and trivia in an easy to read, visually pleasing format.

While it is no secret that Roger Moore is not my favorite Bond, I found his perspectives on the series, the character, and the films riveting.  While Moore could have written a book solely devoted to his tenure as Bond, he chose to take on the entire Bond franchise and he manages to provide a work that gives respectful and insightful treatment to the other 5 actors who played the role; although clearly from his personal perspective.  I applaud Moore's deference to Sean Connery, his praise of Daniel Craig, and his unbiased approach to discussing Lazenby, Dalton and Brosnan, as well as his honesty about the limitations of his own approach to the role.  

The book is filled with a wonderful collection of photos from the films and from "behind the scenes".   It also contains full page, colorful photos of the original movie posters from the entire film series, which makes the book worth the cover price, in and of itself.

Bond on Bond is a fun, fact filled, trip through 50 years of Bond film history. Moore is an excellent tour guide and this book is a must for any Bond Fan.

Bond 24: Devil May Care?

Bond 24: Devil May Care?

July 12, 2013- Rumors are circulating that Eon Productions' James Bond 24, starring Daniel Craig and directed by Sam Mendes, will be based upon the Ian Fleming's Estate authorized 2008 novel Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.   As of the posting of this story the Ian Fleming Estate and the Official James Bond Website have not confirmed this news but it is being widely reported.   Stay tuned for more...

COMING SOON-Book Review: Sir Roger Moore's Bond on Bond

COMING SOON-Book Review: Roger Moore's Bond on Bond

July 12, 2013- In our next installment of the World of Bond we review last year's coffee table selection, Bond on Bond, by Sir Roger Moore.  The actor who played the role of the world's most famous secret agent for the longest period in history recounts 50 years of the longest running film franchise in history.

Stay Tuned...

The World of James Bond Mourns The Passing of Pierce Brosnan's Daughter

The World of James Bond Mourns The Passing of Pierce Brosnan's Daughter

July 2, 2013- It seems like only yesterday when the world was fixated on the loss of a major star's wife to ovarian cancer in a story fit for a romantic tear-jerker.  That star was Pierce Brosnan, whose wife Cassandra died in 1991, at the age of only 43 years young.  Cassandra, incidentally, was one of the driving forces behind Pierce taking the role as the world's most famous secret agent, James Bond 007.  Following her loss, Pierce touched the world with these words,"

"When your partner gets cancer, then life changes. Your timetable and reference for your normal routines and the way you view life, all this changes. Because you're dealing with death. You're dealing with the possibility of death and dying. And it was that way through the chemotherapy, through the first-look operation, the second look, the third look, the fourth look, the fifth look. Cassie was very positive about life. I mean, she had the most amazing energy and outlook on life. It was and is a terrible loss, and I see it reflected, from time to time, in my children."


It is with shock and sadness that the BBC reported that on June 28, Pierce and Cassandra's daughter, Charlotte died at 41 years young, after a 3 year battle with the same dreaded disease.  Pierce released this statement:

"On June 28 at 2 p.m. my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer.  Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl," said the man who had played James Bond four times.  We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon. We thank everyone for their heartfelt condolences." 

Pierce Brosnan is not only James Bond, but an actor and a humanitarian who is beloved around the world.    These losses are hard to understand and our hearts and prayers are with him and his family at this difficult time.

8 Fun Facts About James Bond-Vol.1

8 Fun Facts About James Bond-Vol. 1

Every week as I research article topics for The World of Bond I find myself smiling as I stumble across fun facts that I either didn't know, or had completely forgotten, about the world's most famous secret agent, James Bond.  I decided to compile these facts and share them in a new series called "8 Fun Facts About James Bond".

Here is our first installment:

1.     James Bond was not Ian Fleming's first choice for the character's name.  The original draft of Casino Royale identified the character as James Secretan.  Fleming then opted for a name less coded in double meaning and, subsequently, chose Ornithologist James Bond to model the character after, in name only.

2.     Ian Fleming was unhappy with the selection of Sean Connery for the role in Dr. No.  He actually referred to the choice of Connery as "simply dreadful" after an initial screening of Dr. No.   He later changed his mind.  By the time he died, prior to Goldfinger's release, Fleming began to appreciate the choice.

3.     President John F. Kennedy's praise of Ian Fleming's James Bond series propelled the sales of the Ian Fleming novels, which were previously less than stellar sellers.

4.     George Lazenby was the only Bond actor to publicly criticize the Daniel Craig era films.   While Lazenby praised Craig as an actor, he felt that the Bond character in the Craig era lacks heart.  That characterization makes me wonder if Lazenby actually sat through till the end of Casino Royale.

5.   Roger Moore used a stunt double for scenes where he was running, of all things.   Not that Moore was incapable or unwilling to engage in a good sprint; he simply felt he looked awkward doing it after watching himself run in test footage.

6.   Sean Connery broke his hand training with, none other than martial arts master and fight coordinator, Steven Seagal, on the set of Never Say Never Again (1983).  There is, apparently, still no love loss between the two actors.

7.     In 1986 Pierce Brosnan was the popular favorite to ascend to the Bond throne, succeeding Roger Moore in the film, The Living Daylights.   He was forced to wait another 8 years to fulfill that destiny because the producers' of the television show, Remington Steele (1982), refused to allow Pierce out of his contract.

8.    Daniel Craig's film, Casino Royale (2006), the 23rd installment in the James Bond, Eon Productions film series was, by far, the closest in plot, character development, and dialogue to the original Ian Fleming novel.  It took almost 50 years for Hollywood to acknowledge that Fleming's source work was the best place to re-visit to insure that the James Bond legacy stay alive.   This was a genius move that together with the casting of Daniel Craig, resuscitated a franchise headed for decline.

Stay tuned for more installments.  Please send any Fun Facts you'd like me to include in future installments.

JAMES BOND REMINDER:    Only 4 months until the release of the new James Bond novel, SOLO, by William Boyd.

Your Favorite Bond Theme Song Is...?

Your Favorite Bond Theme Song Is...?

There are few things more signature to James Bond Films than their theme songs.  Introduced as part of the "Bond Formula" after Dr. No, the theme song, built around the film's title has become synonymous with each of the Bond films.   In fact, many of the theme songs have been more popular and well received than the films they support.    In response to our reader poll you have selected a theme song which is associated with the most popular James Bond film in movie history, Skyfall.  

With the critical and financial success of both the film and the theme song it is no surprise that Skyfall would be the winner.  This 2012 hit song was co-written and performed by the world famous, Adele.  The song's release preceded the film's and it instantly became an international musical hit, topping the UK Charts and becoming the eighth ranked all time hit on the Billboard 100 rankings.  

The song's accomplishments were not limited to the music world.  It garnered a Brit Award, a Golden Globe and, even, an Academy Award at the 85th Academy Awards, where Adele performed it live during the 50th Anniversary Tribute to the James Bond Film series.  Adele, an already accomplished singer and songwriter, has established herself as the most iconic Bond musical persona since Shirley Bassey and has been invited to return with the theme for Bond 24.  As a fan we can only hope the song, as well as the film, will come close to the success of Skyfall.