Bond at 50

The start of something big

James Bond's movie incarnation, that cultural phenom, is turning 50 years old this year. The first Bond adventure, Dr.No, hit the theaters in the U.K. 50 October's ago. However, Bond wasn't seen by American audiences until the following May of 1963, movie release patterns not being the same now with a movie opening practically world wide simultaneously, as they were then. Bond was brought to the screen by the partnership of Albert " Cubby " Broccoli and Harry Saltzman two men who had been making films for several years, one American born, the other Canadian, with films like Hell Below Zero, Paratrooper, Safari  and Pickup Alley to his credit Broccoli was not exactly a top of the line moviemaker at this point in his career. Saltzman had a somewhat more refined filmography with titles like Look Back in Anger and The Entertainer. These were modestly budgeted black & white " kitchen sink " drama's featuring up and comers like Albert Finney and Richard Burton though The Entertainer starred Laurence Olivier and got him a Best Actor nom from the Academy in 1960. However successful or not, these two men seemed unlikely choices to bring Bond to the big screen. The film was actually a bit of a tough sell. According to wikipedia the Bond books were deemed "too British, too blatantly sexual" for audiences at the time.

The one and only Sean Connery

With Goldfinger the Bond explosion really took off

Casting of Sean Connery as Bond was, at the time, a bit daring, as Connery had made only a handful of films and didn't leave much of an impression in any of them. Ian Fleming [ you know, the man who wrote the actual books the movies were based on ] is said to have preferred David Niven or Cary Grant as 007. But Connery it was, and for some he is still the only Bond. Directed by Terence Young who would wind up directing a total of 3 Bonds, Dr No made on a low budget of just about $1 million dollars, grossed about $6 million on it's first release and the franchise was off and running. Producers Broccoli & Saltzman had assembled a good team both in front of and behind the camera, people like production designer Ken Adam who would work on 7 Bond epics. Composer John Barry scored a whopping 11 from From Russia With Love to The Living Daylights. Film editors, cameramen [ some of these below the line talent would work on the 007's for years ] writers like Richard Maibaum, who penned an incredible 13 of the first 15 Bond screenplay's. In fact if one wanted to attach an auteur to the 007 films, Maibaum's name would have to be near the top of the list.

The original M, Bernard Lee

                                                            And then there are the peripheral characters who appear in every Bond film but have little to do with the action once the plot takes wing. M, 007's boss originally played by Bernard Lee his last being 1979's Moonraker  and Miss Moneypenny M's secretary, played by Lois Maxwell who departed after A View To A Kill who wishes just once, James would sweep her off her feet and carry her away on one of his many travels.                                         
The Bond movies have other recurring people like Q and Felix Leiter, 007's American counterpart and one of Bond's few allies. The villain is also a major part of the recipe, usually involving some evil genius with thoughts of either world domination or world destruction.The theme song of any Bond film is a coup any performer it is offered to. From lounge type's like Shirley Bassey to rockers' like Paul McCartney, Duran Duran,Madonna and Carly Simon the Bond theme song has had some enduring hits [ Goldfinger, Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me ] to forgettable ditties [ does anyone remember the theme song to the last 5 Bond's ? Me neither ]

Can you choose a favorite?

Then there is the Bond girl, as she is called, the love interest, but also at times the villain [ deadly is the female, so the saying goes ] The beauties that have graced the screen have had some clever names with a heavy dose of double entendre.  Some times the first name was Plenty or Honey or Octopussy. Other times it was the last name that got the message across: Onatopp and Goodhead. Pussy Galore had both a memorable first and last name. And let's us not forget Bambi and Thumper from Diamonds Are Forever. I would venture to guess that the males that take delight in the Bond movies are pretty much interested in the sexy appeal of such actresses as Halle Berry, Eva Green, Denise Richards going all the way back to the first one, Ursula Undress, I mean, Andress. And the gadgets
that Q is always coming up with. These 2 factors are part of what draws us back to the Bond's over and over again.

Iconic images

We all have out favorite Bond movies and the actors who played them. I would venture to guess Sean Connery would still finish in the top 2, while poor Timothy Dalton would end up on bottom. I prefer my Bond early. To me Connery set the bar, and set it high and no one actor has really taken his crown away, however I do like the current Daniel Craig portrayal and I also enjoyed Brosnan's Bond, especially in Goldeneye. As for Roger Moore I know he gets a lot of votes and is the favorite of many but he is just too glib and jokey for my tastes. Having said that, as a teenager in the 70's I went to nearly all the Moore vehicles and at the time, enjoyed them. But upon review, I find most of them lacking in any texture, detail and character. My Moore favorites would be The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only. The Roger Moore era did, whatever I may think of them in overall quality, make a ton of money and saved the Bond franchise from extinction. 

A Bond reunion

So I will get down to what all you readers have been patiently waiting for,  my top Bond movies of all time. I won't list them in order of preference because that could change depending on my mood. Do I feel like early Bond with Sean or Bond dark with Daniel Craig ? Do I want a sexy, hot french Bond villain like Sophie Marceau from The World is Not Enough ? Or do I want Jaws from The Spy Who Loved Me ?  Here we go:

Dr. No 1962
Goldfinger 1964
From Russia with Love 1963
On Her Majesty's Secret Service 1969
The Living Daylights 1987
Goldeneye 1996
The Spy Who Loved Me 1977
Casino Royale 2006 

Wicked legs: Ms. Marceau in The World is Not Enough

So there you have it! Now can't wait to see Skyfall. Advance word is that is excellent. I may have to revise my favorites after I see it on November 9th. On the top right I have added a poll to vote for your favorite Bond of all time. Polls will be open until November 28th. Now it's time for a drink, a vodka martini shaken not stirred.