Happy Birthday Mr Bond: Sean Connery Turns 83!

Happy Birthday Mr Bond: Sean Connery Turns 83!

August 25, 2013- While Sean Connery is an accomplished actor and producer, whose diverse body of work is beloved by people all over the world, his most notable film accomplishment, to date, is that his 1962 portrayal of Ian Fleming's Secret Agent in Dr. No transformed film history forever.  While people around the world were familiar with the character of James Bond from the written works, that exposure pales in comparison to the familiarity of people to the character as a result of the 50 year film legacy launched by the compelling performance of this dashing, witty, rugged, Scottish Actor who was, virtually, unknown at the time he took the role.  His James Bond was beloved, and set a high standard for his 5 predecessors to follow.  For many Sean Connery IS James Bond.

Sean Connery's work outside of the World of Bond is memorable, and have earned him an Academy Award, 3 Golden Globes, and 2 BAFTA Awards.  Scores of fans, who never even knew him as James Bond were stunned by his award winning performance in The Untouchables (1987).

Happy Birthday, Mr Bond!  We look forward to what the remainder of your "third act" will bring.

World Of Bond Product Review: 007 Signature Fragrance For Men

World Of Bond Product Review:  

007 Signature Fragrance For Men

August 21, 2013-Part of the fun of exploring the culture and lifestyle of James Bond is the opportunity to explore and review various James Bond/007 products under the guise of "work".  I had read about the international release of the the James Bond 007 Signature Fragrance for Men for sometime; however, I struggled with whether or not to purchase it.  My main reason for delay was that I have established certain personal guidelines for adhering to the culture of The World of James Bond.  One of the questions I always ask in relation to these scenarios is "What would Bond do?".

This leads to the invariable question, "Would James Bond, in any of his various incarnations, wear a men's fragrance that bore his name, or even the fragrance of some other character of iconic status?"  The answer is probably not.  Regardless of this response, I decided to broaden my thought processes in order to justify a purchase of this product.  So the next question I asked myself was "Does this product respect the sensibility of the true James Bond Fan?".   The only way to answer this question, I decided, was to purchase the product and find out.

The product is carried in the United States in Kohl's Department Stores.   The packaging and bottle are sharp and aesthetically pleasing.   The bottle has the 007 License to Kill embossed on the side of the glass bottle with a veiled, disappearing spray guard for the nozzle.  The packaging includes a personal, numerical, code which unlocks some additional video footage about the product on the Fragrance's website. All in all, I think the packaging and thoughtful design are really in line with the James Bond style and masculine character.  I approve.

As for the fragrance itself, I believe this is a very subjective determination; however, I tried to judge the fragrance on the standard of whether or not I would purchase the fragrance, again, if it were not a James Bond collectible, which makes it worth an initial purchase, for certain.  The answer to that question is yes.  The scent is appealing and masculine.  It subtly stays with you and stays aromatic without being overpowering at any point.

So, in conclusion, while I am not sure it is the fragrance James Bond would wear, it does treat the culture of Bond, and its fan base respectfully, and it is my new fragrance of choice.

In Memoriam: Bond Stuntman Mark Sutton

In Memoriam:  Bond Stuntman Mark Sutton

August 17, 2013-    The World of Bond honors the memory of Mark Sutton, 42, stuntman who excited the world with a thrilling skydive, as James Bond, to open the London Olympics in 2012.  Mark died in a stunt accident on August 14, 2013 in Switzerland.  People all over the world have shared memories of this thoughtful, gentle, professional and man.

Book Review: Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks

Book Review:  Devil May Care

August 3, 2013-  The rumor mill has been abuzz, in the last month, over the working title and basis for the Eon Productions' Bond 24 film.  Many sources have reported that the title of the latest installment in the franchise will be Devil May Care and the film may be based upon the 2008 Sebastian Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming" James Bond novel of the same title; however, neither the Ian Fleming Estate nor Eon Productions has confirmed this.  On the possibility that there may be some truth to the rumor I have decided to provide an updated review of the book.

Devil May Care was released for the posthumous 100th birthday celebration of Ian Fleming, and on the heals of the debut of Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006).  Faulks was not previously known for writing in this genre and he was viewed as an unusual choice for the assignment by the Fleming Estate, yet he managed to do justice to the Fleming legacy and the Bond character.  The book is both a good edition to the James Bond novel series, and as a stand alone thriller.  I highly recommend it, especially, as a summer read because it is an easy to read, well written, and engaging thriller.

Faulk weaves a continuation tale which overtly relies on, and references, the prior assignments, villains, and Bond girls of James Bond fame.   The work is a Vietnam War era story of an aging, emotionally and physically battered James Bond, torn between retirement and getting back into the game as a 007, License to Kill. Faulks uses a formula not unfamiliar to Bond film goers and, at times, the novel reads more like a screenplay than a novel. 

The work relies on the appearance of classic Bond characters as well as a new Bond villain in Dr Julius Gorner, who is forged in the image and likeness of Dr. Julius No, Auric Goldfinger, with a touch of Ernst Starvros Blofeld.  He is accompanied by a henchman who is a cross between Red Grant and Odd-Job.   Bond, together with Scarlett Papava, a Bond girl to match all prior Bond Girls, brings us to France, Iran, and Russia as he fleshes out a story of revenge, Cold War espionage, and adventure.  

One of the great strength's of the novel is that the Bond persona in Faulks' novel is deeply rooted in the character, as written by Fleming and as played by Sean Connery and by Daniel Craig.   It is for this reason, although the script would need to be updated to a post Cold War world, that it lends itself to the possibility of being a decent choice for the follow up to Skyfall (2012), the most successful James Bond film in the 50 year franchise.

Regardless of whether the next Bond film borrows anything from the Faulks novel, in name or storyline, it is still a worthwhile read for James Bond fans.   I am sorry it took me 5 years to pick it up.

SOLO's INTERNATIONAL COVERS UNVEILED

SOLO's INTERNATIONAL COVERS UNVEILED

AUGUST 2, 2013-  With September 26, 2013's release date for the United Kingdom's version of the new Ian Fleming authorized, James Bond thriller, SOLO, by William Boyd being only weeks away, Random House has unveiled the cover design of this highly anticipated novel.  Random House designer, Suzanne Dean, is responsible for the bullet-hole laden design for the UK version.

Simultaneously the North American cover version has been unveiled by HarperCollins in anticipation of the October 8, 2013 release of the book in this region.  

The much anticipated written work can be pre-ordered through major booksellers in either region, as well as the highly anticipated audio versions.

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.