The James Bond film series is a British series
of spy films based on the fictional character of MI6 agent James Bond (code
designation "007"), who originally appeared in a series of books by
Ian Fleming. Earlier films were based on Fleming's novels and short stories,
followed later by films with original storylines. It is one of the longest
continually-running film series in history, having been in ongoing production
from 1962 to the present (with a six-year hiatus between 1989 and 1995). In
that time Eon Productions has produced 22 films, at an average of about one
every two years, usually produced at Pinewood Studios. The series has grossed
just over US$5 billion to date, making it the second-highest-grossing film
series (behind Harry Potter), and the single most successful adjusted for
inflation. Six actors have portrayed 007 in the Eon series, with the Sean
Connery films largely setting the style and mood of the series, and Roger Moore
starring in the most films.
Independently of
the Eon series, there have been three additional film or television productions
with the character of James Bond – a 1967 satirical film spoof, Casino Royale,
based on the novel of the same name, a 1983 remake of Thunderball entitled
Never Say Never Again starring Sean Connery and a 1954 American television
adaptation, Casino Royale.
A contest was set
up to "find James Bond", and six finalists were chosen and
screen-tested by Broccoli, Saltzman, and Fleming. The winner of the contest was
a 28-year-old model named Peter Anthony, who, according to Broccoli, had a
Gregory Peck quality, but proved unable to cope with the role. The producers
turned to Sean Connery, who ended up playing Bond for five consecutive films
(and more subsequently).
Dr. No - Sean Connery - 1962
Connery was
not Broccoli or Fleming's first choice, but they accepted him after being
rejected by Patrick McGoohan and rejecting Richard Johnson, James Mason, Rex
Harrison, David Niven, Trevor Howard and Broccoli's friend Cary Grant for
various contractual impasses. Cary Grant was the first choice, but would only
sign for one film instead of two; James Mason, the second choice, would only
sign for two instead of three. Broccoli later said, "I wanted a ballsy guy...Put
a bit of veneer over that tough Scottish hide and you've got Fleming's Bond
instead of all the mincing poofs we had applying for the job." Already
balding, Connery wore a toupee in all his Bond films. Connery stated that
"the character is not really me, after all." Ian Fleming, after
seeing the preview screening of the first film, Dr. No, told his research
assistant, "Dreadful. Simply dreadful." Dr. No received mixed
reviews, some quite hostile, and even received a rebuke by the
In the
film, James Bond is sent to Jamaica
From Russia
The second
spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the
fictional MI6 agent James Bond. In the film, James Bond is sent to assist in
the defection of Soviet consulate clerk Tatiana Romanova in Turkey
Goldfinger
- 1964 - Sean Connery
In this the third film in the James Bond series
and also the third to star Sean Connery as Bond.
Bond
investigating gold smuggling by gold magnate Auric Goldfinger and eventually
uncovering Goldfinger's plans to attack the United States Bullion Depository at
Fort Knox. Goldfinger was the first Bond blockbuster, with a budget equal to
that of the two preceding films combined. The film also stars Honor Blackman as
Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title character Auric Goldfinger,
along with Shirley Eaton as famous Bond girl Jill Masterson.
Honor Blackman as
Pussy Galore: Goldfinger's personal pilot and leader of an all-female team of
pilots known as the Flying Circus. The character's name follows in the tradition
of other Bond girls names that are double entendres: concerned about censors,
the producers thought about changing the character's name to "Kitty
Galore", but they and Hamilton decided "if you were a ten-year old
boy and knew what the name meant, you weren't a ten-year old boy, you were a
dirty little bitch."
Thunderball
- 1965 - Sean Connery
The film
follows Bond's mission to find two NATO atomic bombs stolen by SPECTRE, which
holds the world ransom for £100 million in diamonds, in exchange for not
destroying an unspecified major city in either England United States Miami Bahamas Largo Largo
You Only
Live Twice - 1967 - Sean Connery
Is the
fifth film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Sean Connery. The
film's screenplay was written by Roald Dahl. It is the first James Bond film to
discard most of Fleming's plot, using only a few characters and locations from
the book as the background for an entirely new story.
In the
film, Bond is dispatched to Japan
On Her
Majesty’s Secret Service - 1969 - George Lazenby
Is the sixth spy
film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian
Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after
You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model,
George Lazenby to play the part of James Bond. During the making of the film,
Lazenby decided that he would play the role of Bond only once.
In the film, Bond faces Blofeld (Telly
Savalas), who is planning to sterilise the world's food supply through a group
of brainwashed "angels of death" unless his demands for an international
amnesty (from his activities in the previous films, Thunderball and You Only
Live Twice), his title of the Count De Bleuchamp to be recognised and to be
allowed to retire into private life are all met. Along the way, Bond meets,
falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg).
Diamonds
Are Forever - 1971 - Sean Connery
In this seventh film in the James Bond series
by Eon Productions, and the sixth and final Eon film to star Sean Connery, Bond
impersonating a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a smuggling ring, and soon
uncovering a plot by his old nemesis Blofeld to use the diamonds and build a
giant laser. Bond has to battle his nemesis for one last time, in order to stop
the smuggling and stall Blofeld's plan of destroying Washington DC, and
extorting the world of nuclear supremacy.
After George Lazenby
left the franchise, producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli tested
other actors, but studio United Artists wanted Sean Connery back, paying a
then-record $1.25 million salary for him to return. The producers were inspired
by Goldfinger, eventually hiring that film's director, Guy Hamilton. Locations
included Las Vegas, California, Amsterdam and Lufthansa's hangar in Germany.
Diamonds Are Forever was a commercial success, but received criticism for its
humorous camp tone.
Live And
Let Die - 1973 - Roger Moore
Is the eighth film
in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as James Bond.
The film is
adapted from the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. In the film, a Harlem
drug lord known as Mr. Big plans to distribute two tons of heroin free to put
rival drug barons out of business. Mr. Big, however, is revealed to be the
disguised alter ego of Dr. Kananga, a corrupt Caribbean dictator, who rules San
Monique, the fictional island where the heroin poppies are secretly farmed.
Bond is investigating the death of three British agents, leading him to
Kananga, where he is soon trapped in a world of gangsters and voodoo as he
fights to put a stop to the drug baron's scheme.
The Man
With The Golden Gun - 1974 - Roger Moore
The ninth film in
the James Bond series and the second with Roger Moore as James Bond. In the
film Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device that can harness the power of
the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the
Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the
fate of the Solex.
The film was set
in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script—Britain
had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in
December 1974. The film also reflects the then-popular martial arts film craze,
with several kung-fu scenes and a predominantly Asian location, being shot in
Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macao.
The Spy Who
Loved Me - 1977 - Roger Moore
Film number ten in
the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore.
The storyline
involves a reclusive megalomaniac named Stromberg who plans to destroy the
world and create a new civilisation under the sea. Bond teams up with a Russian
agent Anya Amasova to stop Stromberg. Curd Jürgens and Barbara Bach co-star.
It was shot on
location in Egypt and Italy, with underwater scenes filmed at the Bahamas, and
a whole new soundstage being built at Pinewood Studios for a massive set which
depicted the interior of a supertanker. The film was nominated for three
Academy Awards.
Moonraker -
1979 - Roger Moore
Bond film eleven. Bond investigates the theft of a
space shuttle, leading him to Hugo Drax, the owner of the shuttle's
manufacturing firm. Along with space scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, Bond follows
the trail from California to Venice, Rio de Janeiro, and the Amazon rainforest,
and finally into outer space to prevent a plot to wipe out the world population
and to re-create humanity with a master race.
Moonraker was
noted for its high production cost, spending almost twice as much money as
predecessor The Spy Who Loved Me, and it received very mixed reviews. However,
the film's visuals were praised, with Derek Meddings being nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and the film eventually became the
highest grossing film of the series with $210,308,099 worldwide, a record that
stood until 1995's GoldenEye.
For Your
Eyes Only - 1981 - Roger Moore
Is the twelfth film in the series, and the
fifth to star Roger Moore agent James Bond.
In the plot, Bond
attempts to locate a missile command system while becoming tangled in a web of
deception spun by rival Greek businessmen along with Melina Havelock, a woman
seeking to avenge the murder of her parents.
Octopussy -
1983 - Roger Moore
Thirteenth. Bond is assigned the task of
following a general who is stealing jewels and relics from the Russian
government. This leads him to a wealthy Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his
associate, Octopussy. Bond uncovers a plot to force disarmament in Europe with
the use of a nuclear weapon.
A View To A
Kill - 1985 - Roger Moore
A View to a
Kill is the fourteenth film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last
to star Roger Moore as James Bond. It was the third James Bond film to be
directed by John Glen, and the last to feature Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny.
Despite being a commercial success, with the
Duran Duran theme song "A View to a Kill" performing well in the
charts and earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Song, the film received a
mixed reception by critics and was disliked by Roger Moore. For some the worst
James Bond movie ever, but A View to a Kill was rescued by two things: The Duran
Duran song, one of the best James Bond theme songs; and Grace Jones as the
superstrong May Day.
The Living
Daylights - 1987 - Timothy Dalton
Film fifteenth and the first with Timothy
Dalton as Bond. The beginning of the film resembles the short story, in which
Bond acts as a counter-sniper to protect a Soviet defector, Georgi Koskov. He
tells Bond that General Pushkin, head of the KGB, is systematically killing
British and American agents. When Koskov is seemingly snatched back, Bond follows
him across Europe, Morocco and Afghanistan.
License To
Kill - 1989 - Timothy Dalton
Film number sixteenth and the first one not to use the
title of an Ian Fleming story. It also marks Timothy Dalton's second and final
performance in the role of James Bond. The story has elements of two Ian
Fleming short stories and a novel, interwoven with aspects from Japanese Rōnin
tales. The film sees Bond being suspended from MI6 as he pursues drugs lord
Franz Sanchez, who has attacked his CIA friend Felix Leiter and murdered
Felix's wife during their honeymoon.
Budgetary reasons
made Licence to Kill the first Bond not to be shot in the United Kingdom, with
locations in both Florida and Mexico. The film earned over $156 million
worldwide, and enjoyed a generally positive critical reception, with much
praise for the stunts, but some criticism on Dalton's interpretation of Bond
and the fact that the film was significantly darker and more violent than its
predecessors.
After the release
of Licence to Kill, legal wrangling over control of the series and James Bond
character resulted in a six-year long delay in production of the next Bond
film.
Goldeneye -
1995 - Pierce Brosnan
Released after
a six-year hiatus in the series caused by legal disputes, during which Timothy
Dalton resigned from the role of James Bond and was replaced by Pierce Brosnan.
It was the first Bond film made after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which
provided a background for the plot.
GoldenEye is
the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce
Brosnan as James Bond. The film was directed by Martin Campbell and is the
first film in the series not to take story elements from the works of novelist
Ian Fleming. The story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later
collaboration by other writers. In the film, Bond fights to prevent an arms
syndicate from using the GoldenEye satellite weapon against London
The film
accumulated a worldwide gross of US$350.7 million, considerably better than Dalton British Academy
Tomorrow
Never Dies - 1997 - Pierce Brosnan
Film number
eighteenth and the second with Pierce Brosnan. It follows Bond as he tries to
stop a media mogul from engineering world events and starting World War III.
The film
was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and was the first James
Bond film made after the death of producer Albert R. Broccoli, to which the
movie pays tribute in the end credits. Locations included France Thailand Germany United Kingdom Vietnam South China Sea .
The World
Is Not Enough - 1999 - Pierce Brosnan
Nineteenth and the third to star Pierce
Brosnan as agent James Bond. The title is taken from a line in the novel On Her
Majesty's Secret Service.
The film's plot
revolves around the assassination of billionaire Sir Robert King by the
terrorist Renard and Bond's subsequent assignment to protect King's daughter,
Elektra, who had previously been held for ransom by Renard. During his
assignment, Bond unravels a scheme to increase petroleum prices by triggering a
nuclear meltdown in the waters of Istanbul.
The World is Not
Enough was the first film in the Eon Productions Bond series to be officially
released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer instead of United Artists, its original
distributor.
Die Another
Day - 2002 - Pierce Brosnan
The twentieth spy film in the James Bond
series, and the fourth and last film to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional
MI6 agent James Bond; it is also the last Bond film of the original timeline
before the series was rebooted in 2006 with Casino Royale. In the pre-title
sequence, Bond leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is betrayed and,
after seemingly killing a rogue North Korean colonel, he is captured and
imprisoned. More than a year later Bond is released as part of a prisoner
exchange. Surmising that someone within the British government betrayed him, he
tries to earn redemption by finding his betrayer and by killing a North Korean
agent he believes was involved in his torture.
Casino
Royale - 2006 - Daniel Craig
Casino Royale is
the twenty-first film in the James Bond film series and the first to star
Daniel Craig as fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film marks the third screen
adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1953 novel of the same name, which was previously
produced as a 1954 television episode and a 1967 satirical film. Casino Royale
is set at the beginning of Bond's career as Agent 007, just as he is earning
his licence to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami International
Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury employee assigned to provide
the money he needs to bankrupt terrorist financier Le Chiffre by beating him in
a high-stakes poker game. The story arc continues in the following Bond film,
Quantum of Solace (2008).
Casino Royale
reboots the series, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not
meant to precede or succeed any previous Bond film. This allowed the film to
show a less experienced and more vulnerable Bond and for the first time in the
series the character of Miss Moneypenny does not appear. Casting the film
involved a widespread search for a new actor to portray James Bond, and
significant controversy surrounded Craig when he was selected to succeed Pierce
Brosnan in October 2005.
Casino Royale
premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square on 14 November 2006. It received
largely positive critical response, with reviewers highlighting Craig's
performance and the reinvention of the character of Bond. It earned over £372
million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing James Bond film to date.
Quantum of
Solace - 2008 - Daniel Craig
Film twenty-second and is the direct sequel to
the 2006 film Casino Royale. In the film, Bond battles wealthy businessman
Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of the Quantum organisation, posing
as an environmentalist who intends to stage a coup d'état in Bolivia to seize
control of the nation's water supply. Bond seeks revenge for the death of his
lover, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), and is assisted by Camille Montes (Olga
Kurylenko), who is seeking revenge for the murder of her family.
Skyfall -
2012 - Daniel Craig
Skyfall is the
twenty-third spy film in the Eon Productions James Bond series, produced for
MGM, Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Entertainment. It features Daniel
Craig's third performance as James Bond, and Javier Bardem as Raoul Silva, the
film's villain. The film was directed by Sam Mendes and written by John Logan,
Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.
Mendes was
approached to direct the film following the release of Quantum of Solace in
2008. However, production was suspended when MGM encountered financial
troubles, and would not resume until December 2010. During this time, Mendes
remained attached to the project as a "consultant", though original
screenwriter Peter Morgan left the project during the suspension. Once
production resumed, Logan, Purvis and Wade continued writing what would be the
final version of the script, incorporating Morgan's ideas in it. Filming began
in November 2011, and primarily took place in the United Kingdom, China and
Turkey.
Bond's loyalty to
M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007
must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.
SKYFALL will be
in cinemas in the UK from October 26th, 2012 and in US theatres from November
9th.
James Bond 007 - Intro sequence collage
from 1962-2006
A Bond girl is a character or actress
portraying a love interest of James Bond in a film, novel, or video game. They
occasionally have names that are double entendres or puns, such as Pussy
Galore, Plenty O'Toole, Xenia Onatopp, or Holly Goodhead. Bond girls are
considered "ubiquitous symbol[s] of glamour and sophistication."
There is no set rule on who a Bond girl
will be or what role she will play. She may be ally or enemy, pivotal to the
mission or simply eye candy. Despite this broad scope there are female
characters such as Judi Dench's M and Miss Moneypenny who are not Bond girls.
Ursula Andress as "Honey Ryder"
in Dr. No (1962) is often considered the quintessential Bond girl. She was
preceded by Eunice Gayson as "Sylvia Trench" and Zena Marshall as
"Miss Taro" in the same film.
There have been many attempts to break down
the numerous Bond girls into a top 10 list for the entire series; characters
who often appear in these lists include Anya Amasova, Pussy Galore, Countessa
Teresa di Vicenzo and Honey Ryder, who is often at Number 1 on the list.
Entertainment Weekly put "Bond bathing
suits" on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying,
"And you thought spies were supposed to be inconspicuous! Halle Berry
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