Writers, directors, co-stars take a backseat as Bond, James Bond, lives on, writes Deepa Gahlot
James Bond was called, by M no less, that is Judi Dench, who broke the macho mould by being the first, and so far only, female head of M16, in the world’s longest-running movie franchise, “a sexist, misogynistic dinosaur, and a relic of the Cold War”; which of course he was, the charismatic character created by Ian Fleming for his best-selling novels—the tuxedo wearing, martini-sipping, Aston Martin-driving, serial seducer of sexy women—the spy, codenamed 007. However, a movie character could not have lasted nearly 60 years and 25 films, if he did not upgrade himself.
You could tell, when Daniel Craig was asked in Casino Royale, his first film as James Bond, if he wanted his vodka martini shaken or stirred (a famous Bond line), and he said, “Do I look like I give a damn?”
In the latest, recently released No Time To Die (2021), the villain (Javier Bardem) feels up Bond and smirks that it must be his first time. Without twitching a facial muscle, Bond asks, “What makes you think it’s the first time?” Ian Fleming must not have imagined a non-binary Bond!
Fleming was a journalist, and British naval intelligence officer, who created the series of spy novels with James Bond as 007 with a licence to kill as the larger-than-life hero in 1952. The success of Casino Royale resulted in 11 novels and two collections of short stories. Fans could not get enough of James Bond, and after the author’s death, other novelists like Sebastian Faulks and Anthony Horowitz wrote Bond novels, and there were innumerable spin-offs—TV shows, spoofs, comics and video games. Not to mention books, and memoirs written by various people associated with the films.
When the first Bond film was produced, Fleming was alive and disapproved of the choice of Sean Connery as the hero and the actor was not terribly keen either. Fleming is reported to have said, “He’s not what I envisioned to be James Bond looks. I’m looking for Commander Bond and not an overgrown stunt-man.” He changed his mind after the success of Dr. No (1962) and even went to give his hero a Scottish background like Connery in a subsequent novel.
Director Terence Young gave an “unrefined” (according to Fleming), a stylish persona—reportedly showing him how to walk, talk and eat, as the first Miss Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell, commented. Connery was an instant sex symbol after playing Bond, and no matter what he did later, after his seven Bond movies– in the mind of moviegoers he remained James Bond.
The next actor to make Bond his calling card was Roger Moore, who even titled his autobiography My Word Is My Bond (2008). Moore played the character as a debonair charmer and said, “My personality is different from previous Bonds. I’m not that cold-blooded-killer type. Which is why I play it mostly for laughs.”
After a couple of films with Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan inherited the role, and fitted the tuxedo, and tossed the one-liner with aplomb. When he had had enough, the hunt commenced for a new Bond and Daniel Craig entered and the backlash was vicious from those who still held the first James Bond, Sean Connery, as the ideal 007. After rejecting stars like George Clooney and Hugh Jackman and apparently 11 others, the producers picked a reluctant Daniel Craig. Not only was he the first blonde Bond, he was “short and ugly” compared to the suave Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan who took over from Connery, according to the haters ranting, before the film even went into production. Craig admitted in the documentary Being James Bond (directed by Baillie Walsh) that he did not have a “cool persona” and had till then done “weird artsy movies.”
Then, a paparazzo who actually buried himself in the sand overnight to get a shot of the bare-chested Craig emerging from the sea in tight swimming trunks, suddenly changed public and media opinion. Casino Royale went on to become the highest grosser in Bond history and Daniel Craig’s popularity went through the roof.
By this time, the essence of James Bond had changed—he was no longer a cartoonish “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” caper guy, but a better-rounded figure. For one, the world had changed too much for the women to be given names like Honey Ryder, Mary Goodnight, Kissy Suzuki and Pussy Galore! Barbara Broccoli observed that Craig brought out an inner emotional life of the character, which was there in the books, but never translated on to screen. The world was even more dangerous after the rise of terrorism and a spy had his work cut out, but Craig brought a brooding intensity to the part, and did not look like he was enjoying the killing and mayhem.
But the iconography of the films was carefully retained—like the Monty Norman-composed James Bond theme, the star singers (like John Barry, Tina Turner, Madonna, Adele) lending their voices to the title song, the logo of 007 in the shape of a gun, the exciting pre-credit sequences, the recurring Bond motif of him walking across and shooting his pistol (his weapon of choice being a Walther 99 semi-automatic), his image captured in the gun barrel aimed at him (created by graphic artist Maurice Binder). There were the brilliant and bizarre gizmos created by Q (Quartermaster), the glamorous locations, the sexy women, the ruthless villains, the nail-biting chases and action sequences.
No matter how many people zipped through Bond’s life, there was always M the boss, the secretary Miss Moneypenny and, of course Q. When a fan went to watch a Bond movie, they expected familiar elements and also novelty.
Now that Craig has definitely refused to do any more Bond movies, the hunt is on for a new Bond, and in the interests of diversity, Idria Alba and even a female Lashana Lynch have been touted to take over the empty 007 slot, but there are no confirmations yet.
The force of the character is such that writers, directors (John Glen directed five!), co-stars take a backseat, while Bond, James Bond lives on.
The Actors Who Played Bond
Sean Connery: The first and arguably the best Bond, till Daniel Craig threatened his throne. He played 007 in Dr No (1962), From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), Diamonds Are Forever (1971). He also appeared in Never Say Never Again (1983), which was not produced by Eon Pictures, and sipped through a loophole in the contracts. The title referred to the fact that Connery had said he would never play Bond again; this was his seventh and final movie in which he played the iconic role.
George Lazenby: He acted in just one film, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969),
Roger Moore: Live And Let Die (1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979), For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View To Kill (1985)
Timothy Dalton: The Living Daylights (1987), Licence To Kill (19989),
Piece Brosnan: Golden Eye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day (2002),
Daniel Craig: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time To Die (2021)
Besides these actors, David Niven played Sir James Bond in a spoof, Casino Royale (1967), Barry Nelson played him in the Casino Royale of the anthology series, Climax (1954).
Five Best Bond Girls
Ursula Andress: She emerged from the water in a white bikini, an unforgettable and much-imitated sequence. She played Honey Ryder in the first Bond film, Dr No, and set the image for the Bond girls to follow. They all had to have bikini-ready bodies, sultry eyes and fiery sex appeal.
Diana Rigg: She was the only woman James Bond married in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. She had to die, because Bond could not possibly be tied down to domesticity.
Honore Blackman played Pussy Galore in Goldfinger, the most memorable Bond girl either because of her ridiculous names. She was reportedly based on Fleming’s real life love Blanchette Blackwell, and was a bad girl to beat all before and after her.
Maud Adams: She was the only actress to play two different Bond girls, Andrea Anders in The Man With The Golden Girl and the eponymous Octopussy (this film was partly shot in India and co-starred Kabir Bedi).
Eva Green: She played Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, the woman Bond fell in love with and was betrayed by. She brought out the emotional side of Craig’s Bond and raised the plot several notches.
Box 3: Five Top Bond Villains:
Joseph Wiseman: He played the first Bond villain in Dr No and played the titular character of a half-German-half-Chinese mad scientist with bone-crushing prosthetic metal hands.
Christopher Lee: played Francisco Scaramanga in and as The Man With The Golden Gun, a skilled assassin known for his signature golden weapon and matching bullets, and a physical oddity—a third nipple
Richard Kiel: played Jaws, not a main villain but memorable all the same, as a killer with deadly steel teeth, played the baddie in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.
Gert Frobe: was Auric Goldfinger in the 1964 film, a gold-obsessed guy who even kills by covering his victims in gold leaf.
Ernst Stavro Blofeld: Anthony Dawson, Donald Pleasance and Christoph Waltz portrayed Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the greatest villain of time, who appeared in seven Bond movies, as the man heading the evil organisation SPECTRE. He has a fondness for white cats.
It is interesting to note that several Bond films have been named after their villains,
Five Best Bond Quotes
Bond, James Bond:
If the character is so distinctive, he cannot introduce himself in an ordinary manner. The iconic intro line goes back to the first scene in the first film. Bond is sitting at a casino table playing Baccarat. The woman he is playing with, Sylvia Trench says she admires his luck and asks him his name, Bond replies, “Bond. James Bond.” This line became like the superspy’s calling card and was repeated in several films and admired, copied and parodied ad nauseam.
Martini Shaken Not Stirred:
Like everything else about Bond, everything has to be just so. The man obviously could not drink beer from the bottle. When asked what he’d like to drink, Bond replies coolly, “A martini. Shaken, not stirred.” The line was first written in Ian Flemming’s book, and included in the first James Bond movie Dr No. It was uttered by the antagonist, Dr. Julius No, when he offered his opponent a dry martini with a lemon peel. The line, and the drink went down in movie history, and was used in many films, with or without Bond.
Why Is It That People Who Can’t Take Advice Always Insist On Giving It?
Daniel Craig has been given some of the coolest and least cheesy lines in his Bond movies and he delivered them with great aplomb. Why is it that people who can’t take advice always insist on giving it? was said by him to Vesper Lynd in his first film, Casino Royale. Like some of the best lines in cinema, it has a lot of significance in today’s world—everybody has an opinion, everybody’s ranting (social media makes that easy and possible) but nobody is listening to all that noise being generated. Craig could deliver it in his laconic style, but also imbue it with meaning.
I Thought Christmas Only Comes Once A Year
This is a Bond quote from before the age of political correctness and spoken by Pierce Brosnan in The World Is Not Enough, not one of the better films, in spite of its terrific title.The main Bond girl in the film was improbably named Dr. Christmas Jones, played by Denise Richards. The scene in which Christmas and Bond are together in bed (there had to be that seduction scene to complete Bond’s checklist in every film) Bond says this funny by also cringe-worthy (by today’s standards) “I thought Christmas only comes once a year.” It never fails to crack up the viewer with its brazen double entendre. Before the Bond played by Craig have the character some gravitas, the other Bonds got away with such ridiculous one-liners.
That’s Just As Bad As Listening To The Beatles Without Earmuffs!
Most Bond films have a singing star belting out the title number—it has become one of the Bond traditions. But at the height of the popularity of the Beatles, they were never invited to sing for any film, because 007 supposedly disliked the Fab Four. He is the kind who won’t fall for trends, whether in music or razors (“Well, I like to do some things the old-fashioned way,” he says in Skyfall when asked why he still shaves with the straight razor). In Goldfinger, he gets up to fetch new bottle of booze for himself and his lady companion (Jill Masterson), and she asks why they need fresh bottle, to which he replies, “My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done; such as drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.” Such a classy putdown!
Oh, I Travel– A Sort Of Licenced Troubleshooter’
Working in the secret service, James Bond cannot always reveal his true identity; when asked about his profession, he cannot very well say that he’ a spy! In Thunderball, Bond is asked by Pat Fearing what exactly he does, which leads to a classic Bond quote. It is clever, because he does travel and he has a licence to kill, so he does not lie outright and gets away with a half-truth.
Five Best Bond Gizmos
It is Q’s job to come up with the most outlandish gadgets for Bond, including exploding clocks and incendiary toothpaste!
In For Your Eyes Only, he made an umbrella that turned into a killer—adding water makes the everyday rain protector stab the victim with a whole lot of metal blades.
In A View to a Kill , Bond gets a really nifty gizmo, a camera ring to covertly keep an eye on his marks. This, or modified versions of it, have actually been manufactured and used for surveillance.
In Licence to Kill, there is a nifty camera that kills the person whom it is aimed at, pressing the flash button, shoots a hole in the prey’s head.
Die Another Day had the best—an invisible car. Cameras and screens reflect the light surrounding the car making it almost transparent.
The ordinary-looking All Purpose Suitcase that was handed to Bond in From Russia With Love, contained a rifle complete with sniping scope, 20 rounds of ammunition and knife, along with some gold coins for emergencies!
