The James Bond Bedside Companion

by Benson, Raymond

  The filmmakers have also included an Obligatory Sacrificial Lamb named Nicole—a French agent who briefly aids Bond. Nicole meets her doom at the hands of Fatima Blush. Also worth mentioning is Rowan Atkinson as a bumbling government official in Nassau named Small-Fawcett who tries desperately to get in the swing of the undercover business. Naturally, he fails miserably, much to Bond's and the audience's amusement. Luckily, the comic antics of the character stop short of slapstick.

  The look of the film is impressive. Director of photography Douglas Slocombe brings the same polish to the production that he gave to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Production designers Philip Harrison and Stephen Grimes (also from the Raiders team) have used a Ken Adam–like decor for most of the interiors, except for the final scene in Largo's hidden cave. The cave is supposed to be part of an ancient temple, and here the scenery is reminiscent of scenery in Raiders. Film editor Robert Lawrence keeps the picture moving at breakneck speed, and the fight scenes are especially well cut Stunt coordinators Glenn Randall and Vic Armstrong have done a splendid job on the picture's many action sequences. The fight between Bond and Fatima's super-strong henchman at Shrublands recalls the good old Oddjob days, while the chase involving the new Q Branch motorcycle recalls the Aston Martin chase in Goldfinger. The motorcycle is equipped with jet propulsion, which allows the bike to speed-jump over gaps in the road and even over other vehicles. Other gadgets, always obligatory in a Bond film, include a wristwatch containing a laser beam apparatus, and a fountain pen which fires explosive cartridges.

  The most disappointing feature of the film is the score by Michel Legrand. The title song with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman and performed by Lani Hall is quite unmemorable, and the rest of the score seems to be a mixture of calypso rhythms with lush orchestral passages. Needless to say, it doesn't work.

  Never Say Never Again actually recalls the flavor and style of the very early Eon Bond films, especially Goldfinger. Many of the same formulized ingredients have gone into the film; what distinguishes it is the de-emphasis on external humor and the concentration on character development. Even though the picture is not an official Bond, it certainly ranks with the best of the authorized series, and it is something which Ian Fleming probably would have liked.

  1983, then, marked an important year in the history of Bondmania. Besides being the 30th anniversary of the publication of CASINO ROYALE, the year brought Bond fans double Double-0 Sevens. The film industry may have considered Octopussy and Never Say Never Again as competitors, but to most admirers of the Bond cult they are simply two new versions of the institution created by Ian Fleming over thirty years ago. James Bond will no doubt live on and become as timeless as Sherlock Holmes. Even now, Broccoli and company are in pre-production for the fourteenth film of their series, A View to a Kill. With the added prospect of new titles and stories being generated by John Gardner, it is highly likely that 007 will be with us for a while longer. Perhaps the phenomenon is rooted in a line delivered by Connery in Never Say Never Again. Asked if he is as good a loser as he is a winner, Connery, as Bond, replies with a twinkle in his eye, "I wouldn't know—I've never lost."

  Agent 007 and his Nassau pick-up (Valerie Leon) are relieved that they decided to go to her room instead of his. A bomb had been planted beneath the bed in Bond's hotel suite. James Bond has always had an explosive effect on his bedside companions, but that would have been a bit much. From Never Say Never Again. (Wide World Photo.)

  The James Bond Phenomenon:

  1988 Update

  Since the first edition of this book was published in 1984, the James Bond phenomenon has reached a zenith, especially in the summer of 1987, when the cinematic 007 became twenty-five years old.

  On February 22, 1984, Sean Connery received the Man of the Year Award from Harvard University's Hasty Pudding Theatrical Club. Since 1951, the Club has given a Woman of the Year award. Recipients include Mamie Eisenhower, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Lauren Bacall, and others. The Man of the Year Award was instituted in 1967, probably because only men perform the Harvard Hasty Pudding theatricals. The men play all the roles—male and female. Among the several prizes Connery received were a Roger Moore dart board, a Wonder Woman-style wig, a kiss on the cheek from two of the more masculine "ladies," and of course, his Pudding Pot.

  John Gardner continued his series of 1980s Bond novels with the publication of ROLE OF HONOR in the spring of 1984. It was published first in the U.S. by the Putnam Publishing Group, where it became an immediate best-seller. The English edition (ROLE OF HONOUR), published by Jonathan Cape/Hodder & Stoughton, followed shortly thereafter. The jacket for the British edition was designed and executed by Trevor Scobie, and it pictured a Redcoat toy doll with a pin through his chest The book failed to personally satisfy Gardner, because he had been ill when he wrote it. He needed a break—so he requested and received a year off before submitting novel number five. Nevertheless, many fans consider ROLE OF HONOR one of the author's best.

  Across the Atlantic, the famous 007 soundstage at Pinewood Studios had burned down during the filming of Legend, so it had to be rebuilt before sets could be constructed for the filming of A View to a Kill. The new stage was renamed the "Albert R. Broccoli 007 Stage" by studio head Cyril Howard in appreciation to the producer for the work he had brought to the studio and the British film industry over the past two decades. It is the largest soundstage in the world.

  The fourteenth James Bond film by Eon Productions, A View to a Kill, was released in May 1985 to packed theaters around the world. In fact, it holds the record for the largest opening weekend for any Bond film, supported in America by the four-day Memorial Day weekend. A benefit premiere was held in San Francisco, California, where much of the film was shot. Over $75,000 went to Mayor Diane Feinstein's favorite charity—the Mayor's Youth Fund. During the ceremony outside the Palace of Fine Arts, a man parachuted from a helicopter to hand over the check to the mayor.

  Although it received mixed reactions from critics and audiences alike, the film managed to gross $65,636,000 worldwide. It was Roger Moore's swan song as James Bond, as the actor resigned himself to the fact that he was simply too old to play the part again with any credibility. As usual, Eon supported the film with a media and merchandise blitz, which included poster magazines and comic book adaptations.

  In the spring of 1986, John Gardner's NOBODY LIVES FOREVER was published, first in the U.S. by Putnam, and a month later in the U.K. (as NOBODY LIVES FOR EVER) by Cape/Hodder & Stoughton. The English jacket cover was again designed by Trevor Scobie, and it featured a scorpion clutching a set of Bond's car keys. NOBODY LIVES FOREVER was a triumph for the author, as it stayed on the New York Times best-seller list for four weeks and most Bond fans claimed that it was definitely Gardner's best.

  On June 28, 1986, James Bond's 1964 Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger sold for a quarter of a million dollars at a Sotheby's auction in New York. At a "Collector's Carousel Sale," which included many items from the film and rock 'n' roll worlds, the car was the climactic item in the catalogue. Goldfinger's Rolls-Royce Phantom III, built in 1937 by Parker & Co. Ltd. of London, was also sold, fetching $110,000. Blofeld's "batho-sub" from Diamonds Are Forever was in the catalogue, but the owner withdrew the item from the auction after it failed to gain its estimated worth.

  Throughout 1986, the film community, as well as the public, was eager to learn whom Eon would cast as the new James Bond. Word had it that the producers were looking for a young British actor who could recapture some of the grittiness of Sean Connery's early portrayals. Many names were bandied about in the press, including Pierce Brosnan of TV's Remington Steele, Sam Neill of BBC TV's Reilly—Ace of Spies, Bryan Brown of Breaker Morant and other Australian films, and John James of Dynasty. A premature announcement that Pierce Brosnan was the final choice turned into something of a scandal when NBC and MTM Productions refused to release the actor from his Remington Steele contract, despite the fact that the series had been canceled. It was specu
lated that once Brosnan was chosen to play Bond, NBC executives decided to give the series another shot. Thus, Brosnan's bid to play 007 fell through.

  It was finally announced by the summer that Shakespearean veteran Timothy Dalton had been selected to fill Roger Moore's shoes.

  Forty-one-year-old Timothy Dalton was born in Colwyn Bay, North Wales, the son of a successful advertising executive. From the time he saw Macbeth at the Old Vic when he was sixteen, Dalton knew he wanted to be an actor. He attended school in Manchester and Beliper, and after graduating, joined the community theatre, the Beilper Players. In 1964, he joined the National Youth Theatre, where he made his professional debut in a small role in Shakespeare's Coriolanus at the Queen's Theatre.

  Two years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts followed, and in 1966 he played his first professional lead in the National Youth Theatre's production of Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuchs. After that, he worked with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, having played in such major Shakespearean works as Richard II, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet, and Love's Labour's Lost.

  His television appearances include Mistral's Daughter, Jane Eyre, and Joan Collins' Sins. He made his film debut in 1968 as young King Philip of France in The Lion in Winter, and has played in many motion pictures since then, including Cromwell, Wuthering Heights (as Heathcliff), Mary, Queen of Scots, Agatha, Flash Gordon, Chanel Solitaire, and The Doctor and the Devils.

  After the announcement of Dalton's casting was made, Eon Productions refused to acknowledge the controversy surrounding Pierce Brosnan and his TV series. The publicists stated that Brosnan had "never been officially cast" and that Dalton had always been Eon's first choice. In fact, Dalton had been offered the part in 1968, after Sean Connery first left the series.

  Dalton graciously refused the part on the grounds that he was too young, and that it would most likely be "suicide" to step into Connery's shoes at that point in history. (Considering George Lazenby's reception by the public, Dalton had a bit of foresight.) Apparently, Dalton was offered the role a second time around 1978, when there was a dispute over Roger Moore's contract. But Dalton was unavailable at the time, so the producers worked it out with Moore.

  Once Dalton was secure in the saddle, production began on The Living Daylights, Eon's fifteenth Bond film, appearing twenty-five years after the company's first motion picture, Dr. No. As filming began in Gibraltar in the fall of 1986, a worldwide publicity effort was planned to celebrate James Bond's twenty-five years on screen.

  When 1987 rolled around, it was evident that it would be a significant year in the history of the James Bond phenomenon. First, in the spring, John Gardner's sixth 007 novel was published. Titled NO DEALS, MR. BOND, it appeared in the U.S. from Putnam, and in the U.K. from Cape/Hodder & Stoughton. The jacket for the British edition was once again designed and executed by Trevor Scobie, featuring a set of headphones lying on a European map. The Gardner Bonds showed no signs of waning, for NO DEALS, MR. BOND outperformed the previous effort in terms of sales and appeared on the New York Times best-seller list for seven weeks. As a result, Glidrose Publications signed the author to write three more.

  In May, "Happy Anniversary 007" aired on ABC in America, and on the BBC as "James Bond—License to Thrill." Hosted by Roger Moore, it was an hour-long celebration of James Bond on screen. Besides the many film clips from the entire series, audiences got their first glimpse of Timothy Dalton as Bond in a preview from the upcoming film.

  In June, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City opened an exhibit entitled "25 Years of James Bond—A Gift of Albert R. Broccoli." The Museum, which keeps an extensive film library, acquired prints of the fifteen Eon James Bond films, donated by Broccoli himself. The prints were unique in that they were struck directly from the original negatives of the movies—not from internegatives, like regular release prints. To celebrate the occasion, the museum featured a display of props from the films, production design renderings, theatrical posters, and blown-up stills. In addition, a video monitor ran pre-credits and main title sequences on a continuous basis.

  On June 29, 1987, The Living Daylights premiered in London at the Odeon Leicester Square, attended by the Prince and Princess of Wales. The event raised $400,000 for The Prince's Trust, which aids England's socially and economically deprived youth. The film became an immediate hit in Great Britain (grossing £7,240,762 in nine weeks!), and the box-office reception in Europe was just as enthusiastic. The film opened in America on July 31, and had the biggest opening three-day weekend—a record $11 million—in Eon's history (A View to a Kill has the record for a four-day weekend).

  Critical reaction was surprisingly mixed, especially in America. There was even a diversified reception among hard-core Bond fans. Many critics in America complained that Timothy Dalton and the film were "too serious." But The New York Times defended Dalton, saying, "He has enough presence, the right debonair looks, and the kind of energy that the Bond series has lately been lacking. If he radiates more thoughtfulness than the role requires, maybe that's just gravy."

  One thing is definite—fans of the Ian Fleming books embraced Timothy Dalton as Bond, for his characterization was, in many eyes, the most literal interpretation of the role ever seen on screen.

  Eon actually expected a mixed reaction for their film. It was more serious, tougher, and more in the spirit of Ian Fleming than any of the Roger Moore pictures. Eon's publicity machine knew from previous experience that it always takes one or two pictures for audiences to become accustomed to a new Bond. It was only a matter of time.

  In America, The Living Daylights to date has made a disappointing $26,600,000, but, curiously, it did outstanding business in Europe, England, Australia, and the Far East The film was by no means a failure, for worldwide rentals promise to keep the movie on the same level as the high-grossing Roger Moore blockbusters.

  The literary James Bond arrived at a thirty-fifth anniversary in 1988, and producer Kevin McClory made a surprise announcement in the February 10 issue of Variety. The article stated that McClory had made plans to issue a series of James Bond films based on the original "Film Scripts" which served as the basis for Thunderball and Never Say NeverAgain. An unnamed Dutch company was collaborating with the producer, and no further details were given other than that plans were also underway to mount a series of animated "James Bond vs. SPECTRE" stories for television. No additional details on McClory's projects were available when this 1988 update went to press.

  On April 11, Sean Connery won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Brian De Palma's The Untouchables. At the Academy Awards ceremony, Connery received two standing ovations—a testament to his stature in the eyes of his peers that he truly represents a hero.

  That same month, Eon Productions announced that the name of their sixteenth 007 film would be License Revoked, the first one not based on an existing Fleming title. Production on the film is to begin in July with locations in Mexico and Florida and is set for a summer 1989 release.

  Additionally, John Gardner's seventh 007 novel, SCORPIUS, will be published in May in America by Putnam and by Hodder & Stoughton in the U.K. The British publishers will also manufacture as a publicity gimmick the "Avant Carte" credit card, which figures prominently in the book's plot.

  Even the two fan clubs are thriving. Richard Schenkman's James Bond 007 Fan Club gained many new members as a result of the twenty-fifth film anniversary, and the James Bond British Fan Club has shown a burst of energy under the new leadership of Graham Rye and Andrew Pilkington.

  The James Bond phenomenon will apparently never die.

  You can't keep a good man down.

  THE NOVELS - 1988 UPDATE

  A JOHN GARDNER QUARTET

  John Gardner has continued 007's literary saga with four books, ROLE OF HONOR (1984), NOBODY LIVES FOREVER (1986), NO DEALS, MR. BOND (1987), and SCORPIUS (1988). With the newest set, it is evident that the author is improving. It is a much better qu
artet of yams than the first three. This is mainly due to the increase of Gardner's successful attempts to make the James Bond character more human. In all four novels, Bond's adventures are much more personal. This is the element that made winners out of Ian Fleming's books—no matter how much fantasy there was in the story, a very human, very real James Bond made it all credible.

  In ROLE OF HONOR, Dr. Jay Autem Holy, a noted computer expert, and "Rolling Joe" Zwingli, a fanatical U.S. general, have disappeared in a plane crash over ten years before. Sources have revealed that Holy is alive and well and working undercover at a computer software company in Oxfordshire. Holy's ex-wife, Persephone (Percy) Proud, gives Bond a crash course in computer programming before he infiltrates the company as a potential employee. Bond soon discovers that Holy is in cahoots with Tamil Rahani, the new leader of SPECTRE. Holy and Rahani are concocting a computerized plan to knock out the U.S.'s and the Soviet Union's nuclear capabilities.

  The reigning 007. Timothy Dalton amidst a James Bond milieu: The new Aston Martin Volante (seen in The Living Daylights), the AcroStar jet from Octopussy, the gravestone of Bond's wife Tracy (seen in For Your Eyes Only), and other assorted props from the James Bond films. (Photo by Dave Gamble, copyright © 1987 Time, Inc. Courtesy of Life Picture Service.)

  The new 007 and his new women: Timothy Dalton with leading lady Maryam d'Abo and the new Miss Moneypenny, Caroline Bliss, at a publicity function for The Living Daylights. (Wide World Photo.)