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James Bond film series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The James Bond film series are spy films inspired by Ian Fleming's novels about the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond (codename 007). EON Productions have produced twenty-one films between 1962 and 2006, and another film is planned for 2008. In addition, there are two independent productions and an American television adaptation of the first novel. Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman co-produced the EON films until 1975, when Broccoli remained the sole producer. Since 1995, Broccoli's daughter Barbara and stepson Michael G. Wilson have co-produced them. Six actors have portrayed 007 so far.
Broccoli's and Saltzman's family company, Danjaq, has held ownership of the James Bond film series through Eon, and maintained co-ownership with United Artists since the mid-1970s. From the release of Dr. No (1962) up to For Your Eyes Only (1981), the films were distributed solely by UA. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought UA in 1981, MGM/UA Entertainment Co. was formed and distributed the films until 1995. MGM solely distributed three films from 1997 to 2002 after UA retired as a mainstream studio. Beginning in 2006 with Casino Royale, MGM and Columbia Pictures co-distribute the franchise, as Columbia's parent company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, bought MGM in 2005. MGM will begin to solely distribute the films once more in 2010.[1]
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Previous attempts to adapt the James Bond novels resulted in a 1954 television episode of Climax!, based on the first novel, Casino Royale. Ian Fleming desired to go one step further and approached Alexander Korda to make a film adaptation of either Live and Let Die or Moonraker, but Korda was not interested. On 1 October 1959, it was announced that Fleming would write an original film script featuring Bond for producer Kevin McClory. Jack Whittingham also worked on the script. However, McClory was unable to secure the financing for the film, and the deal fell through. Fleming used the story for his novel Thunderball (1961).[2]
Around 1956, producer Albert R. Broccoli expressed interest in adapting the Bond novels, but his colleague Irving Allen was unenthusiastic. In 1961, Broccoli, now partnered with Harry Saltzman, earned the film rights to all the Bond novels (except Casino Royale) from Fleming.[2] However, numerous Hollywood film studios did not want to fund the films, finding it "too British" or "too blatantly sexual".[3] The producers wanted $1 million to either adapt Thunderball or Dr. No, and reached a deal with United Artists in July 1961. The two producers set up EON Productions and began production of Dr. No.[2]
| Title | Year | Actor | Director | Total Box Office[4] | Budget[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. No | 1962 | Sean Connery | Terence Young | $59,600,000 | $1,200,000 |
| From Russia with Love | 1963 | $78,900,000 | $2,500,000 | ||
| Goldfinger | 1964 | Guy Hamilton | $124,900,000 | $3,500,000 | |
| Thunderball | 1965 | Terence Young | $141,200,000 | $5,600,000 | |
| You Only Live Twice | 1967 | Lewis Gilbert | $111,600,000 | $9,500,000 | |
| On Her Majesty's Secret Service | 1969 | George Lazenby | Peter Hunt | $87,400,000 | $7,000,000 |
| Diamonds Are Forever | 1971 | Sean Connery | Guy Hamilton | $116,000,000 | $7,200,000 |
| Live and Let Die | 1973 | Roger Moore | $161,800,000 | $7,000,000 | |
| The Man with the Golden Gun | 1974 | $97,600,000 | $7,000,000 | ||
| The Spy Who Loved Me | 1977 | Lewis Gilbert | $185,400,000 | $14,000,000 | |
| Moonraker | 1979 | $210,300,000 | $25,000,000 | ||
| For Your Eyes Only | 1981 | John Glen | $195,300,000 | $28,000,000 | |
| Octopussy | 1983 | $187,500,000 | $35,000,000 | ||
| A View to a Kill | 1985 | $152,400,000 | $30,000,000 | ||
| The Living Daylights | 1987 | Timothy Dalton | $191,200,000 | $40,000,000 | |
| Licence to Kill | 1989 | $156,200,000 | $42,000,000 | ||
| GoldenEye | 1995 | Pierce Brosnan | Martin Campbell | $353,400,000 | $60,000,000 |
| Tomorrow Never Dies | 1997 | Roger Spottiswoode | $346,600,000 | $110,000,000 | |
| The World Is Not Enough | 1999 | Michael Apted | $390,000,000 | $135,000,000 | |
| Die Another Day | 2002 | Lee Tamahori | $456,000,000 | $142,000,000 | |
| Casino Royale | 2006 | Daniel Craig | Martin Campbell | $594,239,066 | $130,000,000 |
| Bond 22 | 2008 | Marc Forster | |||
| Totals | Films 1–22 | $4,355,700,000 | $842,800,000 |
The series has its cinematic traditions which date from the first film, with occasional exceptions. At the start of each film, the gun barrel sequence is shown, accompanied by the opening bars of the James Bond theme. The view is of Bond as seen through the barrel of a gun that is being trained on him by an unknown asssailant. Bond wheels around and shoots directly at the gun/camera, followed by the assassin's blood spilling across the barrel. In Dr. No, this was followed by the main title sequence, but in all but one of the subsequent films, a pre-title sequence follows that is loosely connected to the film's plot, and which is, in turn, followed by the opening credits. These title sequences incorporate visual elements reflecting the film's theme and, often, silhouettes of nude or provocatively clad women. A contemporary artist usually sings during this sequence, and an instrumental version of the main track may also feature as a leitmotif during the film. Besides, Dr. No, the lone film to vary from this combination of sequences, to date, has been Casino Royale (2006). This film is a relaunching of the character and many of the conventions of the series were consciously left out of the movie, or are re-introduced. To this end, the gun barrel sequence is not used to start the film, but is instead more or less re-introduced within the pre-title sequence that depicts Bond's qualifying for "00" status.
So far only two Bond films, Casino Royale and On Her Majesty's Secret Service, do not end with Bond kissing the main Bond girl, making love to her, or implying that he will do so. Sometimes Bond's superiors catch him during his embraces. Every film except Dr. No (1962) and Thunderball (1965) has either the line "James Bond will return..." or "James Bond will be back" at the end of the closing credits. Until Octopussy (1983), the title of the next film to be produced was also be named, although these were sometimes incorrect, as the filmmakers decided to adapt another novel, or in the case of A View To a Kill, the final title of the film was shortened from the original proposed title, "From a View To a Kill".
Bond's famous introduction, "Bond, James Bond", became a catchphrase after it was first uttered by Sean Connery in Dr. No. On June 21, 2005 it was honoured as the 22nd historically-greatest cinema quotation, by the American Film Institute in their 100 Years Series.[5] From Russia with Love, Thunderball, and You Only Live Twice are the only films in which Bond does not give his trademark introduction (although, in Thunderball, the character of Fiona Volpe somewhat mocks him by saying it to him while they're in bed together).
Bond evinces a preference for vodka martinis, and his instruction, "Shaken, not stirred", was honoured by the AFI as the 90th most-memorable cinema quotation. The description is first uttered by Dr. No in the 1962 film. Bond himself first uses the line in 1964's Goldfinger. In You Only Live Twice, Bond is offered a "stirred, not shaken" martini and, when asked if that is right, he politely says "Perfect. Cheers". In Casino Royale the in-joke is James Bond's "Do I look like I give a damn?" reply to a bartender's query of "shaken or stirred?"
The film Casino Royale features a cocktail recipe of Bond's own creation, named "Vesper" after Vesper Lynd, the main Bond girl.
A Bond girl is a character portraying Bond's love interest or sex object. In most films, they are victims rescued by Bond, ally agents, villainesses or henchwomen. Some, such as Honey Ryder, solely seduce the secret agent and have no direct involvement in his mission. Two of them — Gala Brand and Vivienne Michel — appear only in the novels and have been excluded from the films.
Sylvia Trench is the only recurring Bond girl, while Swedish actress Maud Adams has played two different Bond girls in two films, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy. Bond has fallen in love with only Tracy di Vicenzo in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, but both of them die at the end of the respective films.
Universal Exports is used as a cover name for the British Secret Service in the films. It has been featured repeatedly in the films in various ways such as a direction sign in Dr. No, the abbreviation "UnivEx" in From Russia with Love, a brass name plate in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond's helicopter in For Your Eyes Only, a building with a sign in The Living Daylights, an identity card in The World Is Not Enough, and a folder in Casino Royale. Bond has also given his introductions as a Universal Exports employee in You Only Live Twice, Octopussy, Licence to Kill, and Die Another Day.
In most films, Q designs a variety of automobiles that are useful in Bond's missions, with the models of Bentley, Aston Martin, Lotus, BMW and Ford being driven frequently. The most famous car is the Aston Martin DB5, 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. It was originally sold for £5,000 in 1970.[6] Bond also shows his taste for aircraft, like a gyrocopter in You Only Live Twice and an Acrostar Jet in Octopussy, as well as marine vehicles such as a Lotus Esprit that could convert into a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me and other submarines resembling an iceberg (A View to a Kill) or an alligator (Octopussy).
Originally, in the novels, gadgets were relatively unimportant. However, they took on a higher profile in the film version of From Russia with Love, and their use has continued ever since, notable exceptions being For Your Eyes Only and Casino Royale in which Bond was given few gadgets. In each film, Q would present and demonstrate Bond several tools assigned for the mission, and every device would be indispensable to Bond's success.
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Despite the series' enormous success that spans over four decades, it has been awarded only two Academy Awards: for Sound Effects (now Sound Editing) in Goldfinger (1964) and for Visual Effects in Thunderball (1965).[7]
When plans for a James Bond film were scrapped in the late 1950s, a story treatment entitled Thunderball, written by Ian Fleming, Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham, was adapted as Fleming's ninth Bond novel. Initially the book was only credited to Fleming. McClory filed a lawsuit that would eventually award him the film rights to the title in 1963. Afterwards, he made a deal with EON Productions to produce a film adaptation starring Sean Connery in 1965. The deal stipulated that McClory could not produce another adaptation until a set period of time had elapsed, and he did so in 1983 with Never Say Never Again, which featured Sean Connery for a seventh time as 007. Since it was not made by Broccoli's production company, Eon Productions, it is not considered a part of the "official" film series. A second attempt by McClory to remake Thunderball in the 1990s with Sony Pictures was halted by a legal dispute resulting in the studio abandoning its aspirations for a rival James Bond series. Until his death in November 2006 McClory claimed to still own the film rights to Thunderball, though MGM and EON assert they have expired.[citation needed]
| Title | Year | James Bond | Total Box Office | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Casino Royale — Satire | 1967 | David Niven | $44,400,000 | $12,000,000 |
| Never Say Never Again | 1983 | Sean Connery | $160,000,000 | $36,000,000 |
In addition to Bond 22 being scheduled for 7 November 2008, Bond 23 has been tentatively scheduled for a worldwide release in 2010.[8] Daniel Craig is expected to be paid £13 million to star in the next two films, earning £5 million for Bond 22 and £8 million for Bond 23.[9] In October 2007, MGM chief Harry Sloan stated Craig was signed on for Bond 24 and Bond 25.[10] EON Productions signed on Craig after $100,000 worth of worldwide market research, which showed the actor to be a highly popular casting choice. Craig would stand to earn about $100 million for these four films.[11] Craig denied these comments a month later.[12] After Sony distributes Bond 22, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer will distribute the series on their own.[1]
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, and ability to drive a variety of vehicles, much as Bond is shown in the films.
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.[13]
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..."
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.[14][15]
- ^ a b Michael Fleming. "Stallone has 'Death Wish'", Variety, 2007-11-04. Retrieved on 2007-11-05.
- ^ a b c James Chapman (1999). Licence to Thrill. London/New York City: Cinema and Society, 19-64. ISBN 1-86064-387-6.
- ^ Lee Pfeiffer, Dave Worrall (1999). The Essential Bond. Boxtree: Pan Macmillan, 13. ISBN 0-7522-1758-5.
- ^ a b Box Office History for James Bond Movies. The Numbers. Retrieved on 2007-11-08.
- ^ "Bond. James Bond" 22nd greatest line in cinema history. AFI's 100 Years… 100 Movie Quotes. Retrieved on July 13, 2005.
- ^ Aston Martin DB5 auction. James Bond car sold for over £1m. Retrieved on February 8, 2006.
- ^ Academy Awards Database. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Dave McNary. "Hollywood films' dating game: Opening weekends being set for '09, '10"", Variety, 2007-07-13. Retrieved on 2007-07-14.
- ^ "£13m Bond deal makes Craig highest-paid Brit", Guardian Unlimited, 2007-07-24. Retrieved on 2007-07-27.
- ^ Paul Bond. "Sloan sees hope in talks", The Hollywood Reporter, 2007-10-26. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ Bill Zwecker. "Talk About Bonded!", Chicago Sun-Times, 2007-11-02. Retrieved on 2007-11-03.
- ^ "Roundtable: Room One", HisDarkMaterials.org, 2007-11-27. Retrieved on 2007-11-29.
- ^ James Bond Alumni on The Avengers
- ^ Bond Inspiration For Indiana Jones
- ^ Fleurier, Nicolas (2006). James Bond & Indiana Jones. Action figures. Histoire & Collections. ISBN 2-35250-005-2.
- James Bond Official Website
- Pinewood Studios - home of Bond
- Bond Lifestyle
- MI6.co.uk One of the largest unofficial James Bond websites online.
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