Fleming's image of James Bond; commissioned to aid the ''
Daily Express'' comic strip artists.
'James Bond 007' is a
fictional British agent[1] created in
1952 by writer
Ian Fleming, featured in twelve
novels, two
anthologies, and a film series.
[2] After Fleming's death in 1964, subsequent James Bond novels were written by
Kingsley Amis (as
Robert Markham),
John Pearson,
John Gardner and
Raymond Benson. In addition
Charlie Higson has begun to write a series of books detailing the "
Young James Bond". In July 2007, it was announced that
Sebastian Faulks has been commissioned to write a Bond novel for publication in 2008. Moreover,
Christopher Wood novelised two screenplays, while other writers have authored unofficial versions of the secret-agent character.
Initially famed through the best-selling novels, James Bond is best known from the
EON Productions film series, twenty-one of which have been made as of 2007. The
22nd EON-produced Bond adventure is currently in production. In addition there have been two independent feature productions (a 1967
spoof and 1983's ''
Never Say Never Again'') and one Fleming-licenced
American television
adaptation of the first novel, aired in 1954. The EON Productions films are generally described as the "official" films originating with the purchase of the James Bond film rights by eventual producer
Harry Saltzman in the late 1950s when Bond was a popular novel series; this term is used throughout this article.
[3]
Ian Fleming's creation and inspiration
Main articles: James Bond (character),
Inspirations for James Bond
Commander James Bond,
CMG,
RNVR is an agent of the British
Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (more commonly,
MI6). He was created in
January 1952 by British journalist Ian Fleming while on holiday at his
Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. The hero, James Bond, was named after an
American ornithologist, a
Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide book ''
Birds of the West Indies.'' Fleming, a keen
birdwatcher, had a copy of Bond's
field guide at Goldeneye. Of the name, Fleming once said in a
Reader's Digest interview, "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, 'James Bond' was much better than something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers.' Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department."
[4]
Nevertheless, news sources speculated about real
spies or other
covert agents after whom James Bond might have been named. Although they are similar to Bond, Fleming confirmed none as the source figure, nor did
Ian Fleming Publications nor any of Fleming's biographers, such as
John Pearson or Andrew Lycett.
James Bond's parents are Andrew Bond, a
Scotsman, and Monique Delacroix, from Canton de
Vaud, Switzerland. Their nationalities were established in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service.'' Fleming emphasized Bond's Scottish heritage in admiration of Sean Connery's cinematic portrayal, whereas Bond's mother is named after a Swiss fiancée of Fleming's. A planned, but unwritten, novel would have portrayed Bond's mother as a Scot. Ian Fleming was a member of a prominent Scottish banking family.
[5] In his fictional biography of secret agent 007, John Pearson gave Bond's birth date as 11 November (
Armistice Day) 1920; however, there is no evidence of it in Fleming's novels. In the novel ''
On Her Majesty's Secret Service,'' Bond's family motto is found to be "Orbis non sufficit" ("The world is not enough"). The novel also states that the family that used this motto may not necessarily be the same Bond family James Bond came from.
[6]
After completing the manuscript for ''Casino Royale,'' Fleming allowed his friend, later his editor, poet
William Plomer to read it. Plomer liked it and submitted it to
Jonathan Cape, who did not like it as much. Cape finally published it in 1953 on the recommendation of Fleming's older brother
Peter, an established
travel writer.
[7]
Most researchers agree that James Bond is a romanticized version of Ian Fleming, himself a jet-setting
womanizer. Both Fleming and Bond attended the same schools, preferred the same foods (
scrambled eggs,
coffee), maintained the same habits (drinking, smoking, wearing short-sleeve shirts), shared the same notions of the perfect woman in looks and style, and had similar naval career paths (both rising to the rank of naval
Commander). They also shared similar height, hairstyle, and
eye colour. Some suggest that Bond's suave and sophisticated persona is based on that of a young
Hoagy Carmichael. In ''Casino Royale,'' the
anti-heroine Vesper Lynd remarks, "[Bond] reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Likewise, in ''
Moonraker,''
Special Branch Officer
Gala Brand thinks that Bond is "certainly good-looking . . . Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold."
[8]
Fleming did admit to being partly inspired by his service in the
Naval Intelligence Division of the
Admiralty, most notably an incident depicted in ''Casino Royale,'' when Fleming and
Naval Intelligence Director Admiral Godfrey went on a mission to
Lisbon en route to the United States during
World War II. At the
Estoril Casino, which harboured spies of warring regimes due to
Portugal's neutrality, Fleming was 'cleaned out' by a "chief
German agent" in a game of
Chemin de Fer. Admiral Godfrey's account differs in that Fleming played Portuguese businessmen, whom Fleming fantasized as German agents he defeated at cards. Moreover, references to "Red Indians" in Casino Royale (four times; twice in the final page) are to his own
30 Assault Unit.
Books
Main articles: James Bond (novels)
In February 1952, Ian Fleming began writing his first James Bond novel. At the time, Fleming was the foreign manager for Kemsley Newspapers, owners of ''
The Daily Express'' in London. Upon accepting the job, Fleming asked for two months yearly vacation in his contract—time spent writing in Jamaica. Between 1953 and his death in 1964, Fleming published twelve novels and one short-story collection (a second collection was published posthumously). Later, continuation novels were written by
Kingsley Amis (as
Robert Markham),
John Gardner,
Charlie Higson and
Raymond Benson, who was the first American author of James Bond, last published in 2002. The
Young Bond series of novels was begun in 2005, by
Charlie Higson.
[9][10]
Adaptations
Films
Overview
Main articles: James Bond film series
From 1962 through 2006, six actors have portrayed James Bond in "official" films:
★
Sean Connery (1962–1967; 1971)
★
George Lazenby (1969)
★
Roger Moore (1973–1985)
★
Timothy Dalton (1987–1989)
★
Pierce Brosnan (1995–2002)
★
Daniel Craig (2006–present)
While according to ''James Bond: The Secret World of 007'' Bond is 6' 1", only two of the actors who have played him are that height. The others range from 5' 11" (Daniel Craig) to 6' 2 1/2" (George Lazenby).
In the late 1950s,
EON Productions guaranteed the
film adaptation rights for every 007 novel except for ''
Casino Royale'' (those rights were recovered in 1999
[11]) So in 1962, the first adaptation was made in ''
Dr. No'', which starred
Sean Connery as 007. Connery starred in 5 more films, and after his initial portrayal, he was followed by
George Lazenby (for 1 film),
Roger Moore (for 7 films),
Timothy Dalton (for 2 films),
Pierce Brosnan (for 4 films) and
Daniel Craig (currently 1 film). As of 2007, there have been 21 films. The twenty-first official film, ''
Casino Royale'', with
Daniel Craig as James Bond, premiered on
14 November,
2006,
[12] with the film going on general release in
Asia and the
Middle East the following day.
[13]
Notably, it is the first Bond film to be released in China.
[14] The sequel to ''Casino Royale'' is currently in production. ''
Monster's Ball'' and ''
Finding Neverland'' director
Marc Forster is set to start filming in January 2008. The film is scheduled for a November 2008 release.
The twenty-one Bond films have grossed over $4 billion worldwide, making it the second highest grossing film series ever (behind ''
Star Wars'').
The EON films
| Title | Year | James Bond | Total Box Office | Budget | Inflation Adjusted
Total Box Office
★
★ |
|---|
| ''Dr. No'' | 1962 | Sean Connery | $59,600,000 | $1,000,000 | $388,037,628 |
| ''From Russia with Love'' | 1963 | $78,900,000 | $2,500,000 | $508,104,954 |
| ''Goldfinger'' | 1964 | $124,900,000 | $3,500,000 | $794,800,903 |
| ''Thunderball'' | 1965 | $141,200,000 | $11,000,000 | $886,994,986 |
| ''You Only Live Twice'' | 1967 | $111,600,000 | $9,500,000 | $669,906,721 |
| ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' | 1969 | George Lazenby | $87,400,000 | $7,000,000 | $489,303,677 |
| ''Diamonds Are Forever'' | 1971 | Sean Connery | $116,000,000 | $7,200,000 | $581,819,757 |
| ''Live and Let Die'' | 1973 | Roger Moore | $161,800,000 | $7,000,000 | $753,224,370 |
| ''The Man with the Golden Gun'' | 1974 | $97,600,000 | $7,000,000 | $427,829,913 |
| ''The Spy Who Loved Me'' | 1977 | $185,400,000 | $14,000,000 | $634,304,309 |
| ''Moonraker'' | 1979 | $210,300,000 | $34,000,000 | $627,863,628 |
| ''For Your Eyes Only'' | 1981 | $195,300,000 | $28,000,000 | $460,741,749 |
| ''Octopussy'' | 1983 | $187,500,000 | $27,500,000 | $377,621,373 |
| ''A View to a Kill'' | 1985 | $152,400,000 | $30,000,000 | $285,151,891 |
| ''The Living Daylights'' | 1987 | Timothy Dalton | $191,200,000 | $40,000,000 | $338,879,453 |
| ''Licence to Kill'' | 1989 | $156,200,000 | $42,000,000 | $256,701,197 |
| ''GoldenEye'' | 1995 | Pierce Brosnan | $353,400,000 | $60,000,000 | $463,577,113 |
| ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' | 1997 | $346,600,000 | $110,000,000 | $430,648,471 |
| ''The World Is Not Enough'' | 1999 | $390,000,000 | $135,000,000 | $468,969,175 |
| ''Die Another Day'' | 2002 | $456,000,000 | $142,000,000 | $508,229,469 |
''Casino Royale''
★ | 2006 | Daniel Craig | $594,293,106 | $150,000,000 | $594,293,106 |
| ''Bond 22'' | 2008 |
| ''Bond 23'' | 2010 |
| 'Totals' | '''Films 1-21''' | | '$4,397,593,106' | '$848,200,000' | '$10,947,003,843' |
★ ''Figure as of May 6, 2007 (source -
commanderbond.net).''
★
★ ''Figures are inflated to 2006 figures based on the Consumer Price Index.''
★
★
★ ''All figures are in US Dollars''
[15]
Non-EON Films, Radio and Television Programmes
In 1954,
CBS paid Ian Fleming for the rights to adapt ''Casino Royale'' into a one hour
television adventure as part of their ''
Climax!'' series. However, Barry Nelson played a CIA agent named Jimmy Bond, Clarence Lieter was a British agent played by Michael Pate and Peter Lorre was Le Chiffre.
In 1967, ''
Casino Royale'' was made as a Bond film starring
David Niven as Sir James Bond 007. David Niven, had, in fact, been
Ian Fleming's preference for the part of James Bond.
[16].
EON Productions, however, chose
Sean Connery. But in
1967, he starred with
Deborah Kerr and
Barbara Bouchet in the James Bond
satire, ''
Casino Royale''. David Niven is the only James Bond actor who is mentioned by name in the text of one of Fleming's James Bond novels. In ''
On Her Majesty's Secret Service'', Bond visits an exclusive ski resort and is told that David Niven is a frequent visitor.
In 1983, a legal issue led
Kevin McClory to remake ''
Thunderball'', returning
Sean Connery as 007 in ''
Never Say Never Again''.The film is considered an "unofficial" James Bond film because it is not part of the Bond film franchise from
EON Productions and
United Artists, even though it is currently owned by United Artists parent MGM.
Since then, MGM has bought the name "James Bond" so future non-Eon productions are very unlikely.
| Title | Year | James Bond | Total Box Office | Budget | Inflation Adjusted Total Box Office
★
★ |
|---|
| ''Casino Royale'' — TV episode | 1954 | 'Barry Nelson' | not applicable | unknown | not applicable |
| ''Moonraker'' — Radio programme | 1956 | 'Bob Holness' | not applicable | not applicable | not applicable |
| ''Casino Royale'' — Bond Satire | 1967 | 'David Niven' | $44,400,000 | $12,000,000 | $272,980,000 |
| ''Never Say Never Again'' | 1983 | 'Sean Connery' | $160,000,000 | $36,000,000 | $329,880,000 |
| ''James Bond Jr.'' — Television Cartoon Series | 1991 | not applicable | not applicable | not applicable | not applicable |
| 'Totals' | | | '$204,400,000' | '$48,000,000' | '$602,860,000' |
James Bond's influence on movies and television
Main articles: James Bond parodies
.jpg)
James Bond has been parodied in numerous TV shows, including
Red Dwarf, shown above
James Bond has long been a household name and remains a huge influence within the spy genre. The ''
Austin Powers'' series by writer, producer and comedian
Mike Myers, and other parodies such as ''
Johnny English'' (2003), ''
OK Connery'', the "
Flint" series starring
James Coburn as Derek Flint, the "
Matt Helm" movies starring
Dean Martin, and ''Casino Royale'' (1967) are testaments to Bond's prominence in popular culture.
[17]
1960s TV imitations of James Bond such as ''
I Spy'', ''
Get Smart'', and ''
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' went on to become popular successes in their own right, the latter having enjoyed contributions by Fleming towards its creation: the show's lead character, "
Napoleon Solo," was named after a character in Fleming's novel ''Goldfinger''; Fleming also suggested the character name April Dancer, which was later used in the spin-off series ''
The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.''.
[18] A reunion
television movie, ''
The Return of the Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1983), is notable for featuring a cameo by George Lazenby as James Bond in tribute to Fleming (for legal reasons, the character was credited as "JB").
Japanese
manga and
anime super-thief
Arsène Lupin III from the series
Lupin III by
Monkey Punch also has several Bond-inspired traits, including use of a
Walther hand gun, his desire for women, use of gadgets, as well as his cool under fire demeanor. Lupin is also shown to be an excellent driver of nearly any vehicle, much as Bond is shown in several of the films.
The
Nickelodeon animated series ''
Doug'' had a secret agent character named Smash Adams, who was clearly inspired by Bond. The character's theme music even resembled Monty Norman's classic theme for the character. Nickelodeon's sketch comedy series ''
All That'' once did a James Bond parody called Jimmy Bond.
In ''
The Avengers'', some time after the departure of the character ''
Cathy Gale'' (played by actress
Honor Blackman), the character of ''
John Steed'' (played by
Patrick Macnee) receives a Christmas card from her. He comments, "It's from Mrs Gale! I wonder what she's doing in Fort Knox?" – the intended destination for Honor Blackman's ''
Pussy Galore'' in ''Goldfinger''. In further coincidence, this comment is made to ''
Emma Peel'' – played by
Diana Rigg who would later appear as ''
Tracy Bond'' in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service''. Macnee himself, a friend of Roger Moore, would later appear as ''Sir Godfrey Tibbett'' in ''A View to a Kill''. Joanna Lumley (Purdey in the late Avengers series) can also be seen in ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' in a little role with only one or two words.
[19]
Similarly, four episodes of the TV series ''
Arrested Development'' (
For British Eyes Only,
Forget-Me-Now,
Notapusy and
Mr. F) referenced the Bond films. The spoofing of the Bond films is evident in the episode titles, vocal and instrumental music cues, and the gun barrel shot at the end of the episode accompanied by the subtitle "Michael Bluth will return in..." Also, on the British TV show
Red Dwarf, James Bond was parodied in the form of Ace Rimmer, the alternate universe equivalent of one of the main characters.
George Lucas has said on various occasions that Sean Connery's portrayal of Bond was one of the primary inspirations for the
Indiana Jones character, a reason Connery was chosen for the role of Indiana's father in the third film of that series.
[20][21]
An
Amiga computer game, ''
James Pond'' is also clearly a homage to Bond.
[22]
One issue of the
Sonic the Hedgehog Archie comics featured several references to James Bond in a story entitled "The Man from H.E.D.G.E.H.O.G." Among these were: a screen that depicted several of
Dr. Robotnik's failed operations, all of which had been thwarted by
Sonic the Hedgehog, all named after James Bond movie titles: Moonraker, Dr. No, Thunderball, and Goldfinger; the head of a secret intelligence group known by the alias "Who"; a crate labeled "For Your Eyes Only"; and Sonic making use of one of James Bond's humorous quips "Shocking...positively shocking"
Music
The "
James Bond Theme" was written by
Monty Norman and was first orchestrated by the
John Barry Orchestra for 1962's ''Dr. No'', although the actual authorship of the music has been a matter of controversy for many years. In 2001, Norman won £30,000 in libel damages from the British paper ''
The Sunday Times'', which suggested that Barry was entirely responsible for the composition.
[23]
Barry did go on to compose the
scores for eleven Bond films in addition to his uncredited contribution to ''Dr. No'', and is credited with the creation of "
007," used as an alternate Bond theme in several films, as well as the popular orchestrated theme "On Her Majesty's Secret Service." Both the "James Bond Theme" and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" have been
remixed a number of times by popular artists, including
Art of Noise,
Moby,
Paul Oakenfold, and the
Propellerheads. The Beatles used a portion of the "Bond theme" in the introduction of their song "Help" as released on the American version of the "Help" LP. The British/Australian
string quartet also named
bond (purposely in lower case) recorded their own version of the theme, entitled "Bond on Bond."
[24]
Barry's legacy was followed by
David Arnold, in addition to other well-known composers and
record producers such as
George Martin,
Bill Conti,
Michael Kamen,
Marvin Hamlisch and
Éric Serra. Arnold is the series' current composer of choice, and recently completed the score for his fourth consecutive Bond film, ''Casino Royale''.
[25]
The Bond films are known for their theme songs heard during the title credits sung by well-known popular singers (which have included
Tina Turner,
Paul McCartney and Wings and
Tom Jones, among many others).
Shirley Bassey performed three themes in total. ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' is the only Bond film with a solely instrumental theme, though
Louis Armstrong's ballad "
We Have All the Time in the World," which serves as Bond and his wife Tracy's
love song and whose title is Bond's last line in the film, is considered the unofficial theme. Perhaps one of the best known compositions is the title song to ''The Spy Who Loved Me'', which is also known as "Nobody Does It Better". Written by
Marvin Hamlisch with lyrics by
Carole Bayer Sager and sung by
Carly Simon it features both lyric and orchestral arrangements in the credit sequences of the film.
The only singer, to date, to appear within the titles is
Sheena Easton, who sang the theme for ''For Your Eyes Only''. The only singer of a title song to appear within the film itself as a character, to date, is
Madonna, who appeared (uncredited) as a fencing instructor, Verity, as well as contributing the theme for ''Die Another Day''.
Chris Cornell performs "
You Know My Name" in ''Casino Royale''. He is the first male
lead vocalist to perform a 007 song since
a-ha in 1987 for "The Living Daylights." This is also the first Bond theme song since 1983's ''Octopussy'' to use a different title than the film. Although many of the theme songs were successful hits, the only theme song to hit #1 in the U.S. was
Duran Duran's "
A View to a Kill" which hit the top of the
Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1985.
[26]
In
1998, Barry's music from ''You Only Live Twice'' was adapted into the hit song ''
Millennium'' by producer and composer
Guy Chambers for British recording artist
Robbie Williams. The music video features Williams parodying James Bond, and references other Bond films such as ''Thunderball'' and ''From Russia With Love''. It should also be noted that the video was filmed at Pinewood Studios, where most of the Bond films have been made.
In
2004 the
Cavaliers Drum and Bugle Corps won the
Drum Corps International World Championship with 007, the music of James Bond as composed by David Arnold. The Cavaliers performed selections from ''GoldenEye'' ("Hovercraft Theme" and "Welcome to Cuba"), ''Die Another Day'', and "Tomorrow Never Dies".
Video games
Main articles: James Bond (games)
In 1983, the first Bond video game, developed and published by
Parker Brothers, was released for the
Atari 2600, the
Atari 5200, the
Atari 800, the
Commodore 64, and the
Colecovision.
[27] Since then, there have been numerous video games either based on either the films or using original storylines.
Bond video games, however, didn't reach their popular stride until 1997's revolutionary ''
GoldenEye 007'' by
Rare for the
Nintendo 64.
[28] Subsequently, virtually every Bond video game has attempted to copy the accomplishments and features of ''GoldenEye 007'' to varying degrees of success; even going so far as to have a game entitled '' that had little to do with either the video game ''GoldenEye 007'' or the film of the same name. Bond himself plays only a minor role in which he is "killed" in the beginning during a '
virtual reality' mission, which served as the first level of the game.
Since acquiring the licence in 1999,
Electronic Arts has released eight games, five of which have original stories, including the popular ''
Everything or Nothing'', which broke away from the
first-person shooter trend that started with ''GoldenEye 007'' and instead featured a
third-person perspective. It also featured well known actors including
Willem Dafoe,
Heidi Klum,
Judi Dench,
John Cleese and
Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, although several previous games have used Brosnan's likeness as Bond. In 2005, Electronic Arts released another game in the same vein as ''Everything or Nothing'', this time a video game adaptation of ''
From Russia with Love'', which allowed the player to play as Bond with the likeness of
Sean Connery. This was the second game based on a Connery Bond film (the first was a 1980s
text adventure adaptation of ''Goldfinger'') and the first to use the actor's likeness as agent 007. Connery himself recorded new voice-overs for the game, the first time the actor had played Bond in twenty-two years.
In 2006,
Activision secured the licence to make Bond-related games, currently shared with EA. The deal will become exclusive in September 2007.
[29] and release a game to tie in with the 22nd Bond movie, due for release in November 2008.
Comic strips and comic books
Main articles: James Bond comic strips,
James Bond comic books
In 1957 the ''
Daily Express'', a newspaper owned by
Lord Beaverbrook, approached Ian Fleming to adapt his stories into comic strips. After initial reluctance by Fleming who felt the strips would lack the quality of his writing, agreed and the first strip ''
Casino Royale'' was published in 1958. Since then many illustrated adventures of James Bond have been published, including every Ian Fleming novel as well as
Kingsley Amis's ''
Colonel Sun'', and most of Fleming's short stories. Later, the comic strip produced original stories, continuing until 1983.
Titan Books is presently reprinting these comic strips in an
ongoing series of
graphic novel-style collections; by the end of 2005 it had completed reprinting all Fleming-based adaptations as well as ''Colonel Sun'' and had moved on to reprinting original stories.
Several
comic book adaptations of the James Bond films have been published through the years, as well as numerous original stories.
Bond characters
Main articles: List of James Bond allies,
List of James Bond villains,
Bond girl
The James Bond series of novels and films have a plethora of allies and villains. Bond's superiors and other officers of the British Secret Service are generally known by letters, such as
M and
Q. In the novels (but not in the films), Bond has had two secretaries,
Loelia Ponsonby and
Mary Goodnight, who in the films typically have their roles and lines transferred to M's secretary,
Miss Moneypenny. Occasionally Bond is assigned to work a case with his good friend,
Felix Leiter of the
CIA. In the films, Leiter appeared regularly during the Connery era, only once during Moore's tenure, and in both Dalton films; however, he was only played by the same actor twice. Absent from the Brosnan era of films (though replaced by
Jack Wade), Felix returned in Craig's first James Bond film ''Casino Royale'' in 2006.
Bond's women, particularly in the films, often have
double entendre names, leading to coy jokes, for example, "
Pussy Galore" in ''Goldfinger'' (a name invented by Fleming), "
Plenty O'Toole" in ''Diamonds Are Forever'', and "
Xenia Onatopp" (a
villainess sexually excited by
strangling men with her thighs) in ''GoldenEye''.
Throughout both the novels and the films there have only been a handful of
recurring characters. Some of the more memorable ones include
Bill Tanner,
Rene Mathis,
Felix Leiter,
Jack Wade,
Jaws and recently
Charles Robinson.
J.W. Pepper is also a recurring character. .
[30]
Vehicles and gadgets
Main articles: List of James Bond vehicles,
List of James Bond gadgets,
List of James Bond firearms
Exotic espionage equipment and vehicles are very popular elements of James Bond's literary and cinematic missions. These items often prove critically important to Bond in successfully completing his missions.
Fleming's novels and early screen adaptations presented minimal equipment such as ''From Russia with Love's'' booby-trapped
attaché case. In ''Dr. No'', Bond's sole gadgets were a
Geiger counter and a wristwatch with a luminous (and
radioactive) face. The gadgets, however, assumed a higher, spectacular profile in the 1964 film ''Goldfinger''. The film's success encouraged further espionage equipment from Q Branch to be supplied to 007. In the opinion of many critics and fans, some Bond films have included too many outlandish gadgets and vehicles
[31], such as 1979's
science fiction – oriented ''Moonraker'' and 2002's ''Die Another Day'', in which Bond's
Aston Martin could actually become
invisible thanks to a technology Q refers to as
adaptive camouflage. Since ''Moonraker'', subsequent productions struggled with balancing gadget content against the story without depicting a technology-dependent man, to mixed results.
Bond's most famous car is the silver grey
Aston Martin DB5, as seen in ''Goldfinger'', ''Thunderball'', ''GoldenEye'', ''Tomorrow Never Dies'' and ''Casino Royale''. The films have used a number of different Aston Martin DB5s for filming and publicity; one of which was sold in January 2006 at an auction in
Arizona for $2,090,000 to an unnamed European collector. That specific car was originally sold for £5,000 in 1970.
[32]
In Fleming's books, Bond had a penchant for "battleship grey"
Bentleys, while Gardner awarded the agent a modified
Saab 900 Turbo (nicknamed the
Silver Beast) and later a
Bentley Mulsanne Turbo.
In the James Bond film adaptations, Bond has been associated with several well-known watches, usually outfitted with high-tech features not found on production models. Perhaps the most famous of these is the
Rolex Submariner, which appeared during the Sean Connery films. Roger Moore's James Bond was fond of Seiko quartz watches. Pierce Brosnan's and Daniel Craig's James Bonds were both devotees of
Omega. The selection of James Bond's watch has been a matter of both style and finance, as product placement agreements with the watch manufacturers have frequently been arranged.
Bond's weapon of choice in the beginning of ''Dr. No'' is an Italian-made
Beretta in 6.35mm Browning caliber, also called "Lilliput", later replaced by the German-made
Walther PPK in 7.65mm Browning. (However the Beretta appears to be a Model 1934 or Model 1935 which are a higher or the same caliber as the Walther, respectively). The PPK was used in every subsequent film and became his
signature weapon until the ending of ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', when Bond upgraded to the
Walther P99. He has subsequently used the P99 pistol in ''Tomorrow Never Dies'', ''The World Is Not Enough'', ''Die Another Day'', and ''Casino Royale''.
[33]
References
1. In Fleming's first novel, ''Casino Royale'', he refers to Bond as an agent.
2. Understanding 007, retrieved 6 June 2007.
3. The Man Who Saved Britain, , Simon, Winder, Picador, 2006, ISBN 0-330-43954-5
4. James Bond: The Man and His World, , Henry, Chancellor, John Murray, 2005, ISBN 0-7195-6815-3
5. http://salon.com/books/feature/2006/11/25/fleming/
6. Biography of the Literary James Bond
7. Ian Fleming Biography Discussing Early Writings
8. The James Bond Dossier, , Kingsley, Amis, Jonathan Cape, 1965,
9. Charlie Higson interview with CommanderBond.net
10. The James Bond Bedside Companion, , Raymond, Benson, Dodd, Mead, 1984, ISBN 1-4011-0284-0
11. Bond, from the beginning?
12.
Stars out for Bond royal premiere
13. Casino Royale - Worldwide release dates
14. "Bond's late arrival in China" - BBC News. Retrieved 23 April 2007.
15. Bond franchise Box Office numbers, [1], Casino Royale Box Office numbers (1967), Box Office numbers + Inflation
16. Ian Fleming, Author or Spy ?
17. Licence To Thrill: A Cultural History Of The James Bond Films, , James, Chapman, I.B. Tauris, 1999, ISBN 1-86064-387-6
18. James Bond and Man From U.N.C.L.E ties
19. James Bond Alumni on The Avengers
20. Bond Inspiration For Indiana Jones
21. James Bond & Indiana Jones. Action figures, , Nicolas, Fleurier, Histoire & Collections, 2006, ISBN 2-35250-005-2
22. James Pond Info.
23. Monty Norman sues for libel
24. "Bond on Bond", the Redux of The Bond Theme
25. David Arnold Homepage
26. 'A View to a Kill' on 1985 Billboard Hot 100
27. James Bond Games: James Bond 007
28. Goldeneye 007 Ranking on GameFaqs Top 10 Games
29. Action traction: Bond, Superman games on the move
30. James Bond: The Legacy, , John, Cork, Boxtree/Mcmillan, 2002, ISBN 0-8109-3296-2
31. The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader, , Christoph, Lindner, Manchester University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-7190-6541-0
32. Aston Martin DB5 auction
33. Legacy
See also
★
James Bond (character)
★
Inspirations for James Bond
★
James Bond (novels)
★
9007 James Bond (Asteroid named after the character)
★
James Bond Ultimate Edition DVD
★
Pinewood Studios
External links
; Official sites:
★
★
James Bond Official Website
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Ian Fleming Publications Official Website
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Young Bond Official Website
★
Pinewood Studios - home of Bond
★
Pinewood Studios Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage Official Website
; Unofficial sites:
★
Collection of James bond videos, Free to use!
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Bondpedia - the main James Bond encyclopedia. Main wiki-based James Bond fan encyclopedia.
★
007 Magazine For Bond Lovers Only!
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007James - The Site's Bond, James Bond
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Absolutely James Bond
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CommanderBond.net
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MI6.co.uk One of the largest unofficial James Bond sites online.
★
Universal Exports - The Home of James Bond, 007
★
From Sweden with love - A Personal Examination of the James Bond phenomenon
★
The Young Bond Dossier - Website devoted to the literary James Bond.
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