The first James Bond film, Dr. No, was a gamble. In 1962, the 'Swinging
Sixties' were about to begin and the aspirational lifestyle depicted by
the Bond films were very much part of the art, music and fashion
revolution that defined that decade. But no-one could have predicted
that the first Bond film would spawn twenty-four sequels so far,
including the most recent entry - No Time To Die. The remarkable success
of the James Bond franchise can be attributed to many factors - the
strength and imagination of Ian Fleming's original novels; the
consistency of the creative and production teams; the skill and wit of
the screenplays. The basic formula of the Bond film remains,
essentially, the same. But, crucially, the main character - whilst still
the ultimate male fantasy - has evolved, adapted and been re-invented by
the actor of the moment. Connery: lithe, virile, charismatic, cocksure.
Lazenby: physical, charming, handsome. Moore: wry, smart, self-mocking.
Dalton: saturnine, professional, dangerous. Brosnan: smooth, shrewd,
efficient. Craig: taciturn, tough, driven, dark. This book revisits and
analyses all twenty-five official James Bond films, as well as the two
attempts to steal some of that lucrative Bond audience and examines
their place both in their contemporary timeline and how they stand up
today. Every generation remembers going to the cinema to see their first
James Bond film, their first James Bond actor, and the first time they
saw the iconic opening 'gun barrel' sequence. What was yours?
