James Bond Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
- For the ornithologist see James Bond (ornithologist).
Fleming named the character after the American ornithologist James Bond and would later write to the birder's wife that her husband's "brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon, and yet very masculine name was just what I needed." Bond has the code name of 007, pronounced "double-oh seven". The 'double-oh' prefix indicates a 'licence to kill'; that is, permission to use deadly force at his discretion in the course of his duty. There is a highly successful and durable series of films made by EON Productions, the majority of which were produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Later Broccoli's daughter and stepson, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson would also produce. The films were mostly released by either United Artists or MGM. There are also many notable video games based on the films and some with original scripts with the character.
"James Bond" has entered popular culture and language, with people using the phrase to describe something stealthy and/or futuristic: "right out of James Bond", "James Bond style security", and so on.
The various James Bond novels and movies have, over the years, varied wildly from realistic spy dramas to outright science fiction.
Personal information
The central character of all the James Bond fiction is the son of a Scottish father, Andrew Bond, and a Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix, both of whom are dead from a climbing accident by the time of the books and movies. He went to school briefly at Eton College. In cinematic versions of the character, Bond has a degree in Oriental Languages from Cambridge University, although this contradicts the information in the novels and the scene in Tomorrow Never Dies where Bond is unable to use a computer with a Chinese keyboard. Bond can also speak fluent Russian, which he claims to have studied at Oxford in The World is Not Enough, and can be seen communicating in any number of other languages in the various films. He served in the Royal Navy before joining the Secret Service and holds the rank of Commander. During his tenure writing Bond books, John Gardner promoted the literary Bond to Captain, but he was subsequently demoted without explanation. In both the book and movie versions of On Her Majesty's Secret Service Bond marries, but his wife is killed on their wedding day by his greatest enemy, Ernst Stavro Blofeld.
In the novels, one of the only constants in Bond's life is his elderly, Scottish housekeeper, May, who not only appeared in numerous Fleming novels, but proved herself to be as ageless as Bond himself by also appearing in several of John Gardner's novels. May is one of small number of recurring characters from the literary canon who has yet to appear in the movie series.
Fleming's Bond was born in 1924, lied about his age to enter the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve in 1941, and had gained the rank of Commander by the end of the war.
The Bond family motto is Orbis non sufficit (Latin for "The world is not enough").
Overview
Bond movies are known for their villains, women (most of whom end up in bed with Bond), gadgetry manufactured by Q-branch, and stunts. Most had little to do with the real activities of intelligence agencies, involving Bond in violent acts of derring-do to save the world from various apocalyptic madmen. The madmen invariably attempt to kill Bond using elaborate methods, from which Bond escapes after the gloating villain gives him the critical information necessary to thwart his plot. Despite the films' description as "thrillers", Bond's character is rarely troubled, regardless of the odds facing him. Many of the original books have a much darker tone however, with fewer fantasy elements and gadgetry.
Bond is employed by the British Secret Intelligence Service, or MI-6, which also has a non-fictional counterpart. His superiors are known by single letters such as M and Q This echoes the custom of Sir Mansfield Smith-Cumming who, dropping the "Smith", used his initial "C" as a codename, a practice used by subsequent directors of the United Kingdom's real MI6.
Bond's female companions are often given names that are double entendres, leading to a succession of jokes. Examples include "Pussy Galore" in Goldfinger, "Plenty O'Toole" in Diamonds Are Forever, and "Xenia Onatopp" (a villain who gets sexually excited by strangling men between her shapely thighs) in GoldenEye. Despite Bond's attitudes towards women, most of these leading ladies end up, if not in love with him, at least subdued by him.
Bond films began to look increasingly outdated throughout the 1980s, with the main character's sexism and the fixation with glamorous locations looking anachronistic, and his unruffled exterior increasingly incongruous when compared to movies such as Die Hard. After a relatively unsuccessful attempt to turn Bond in a harder-edged direction with Timothy Dalton as the main character, the 1990s revival with Pierce Brosnan in the lead role has been successful.
At least a little of the Bond character was based on the life of its creator, who was noted for his glamorous lifestyle (including a fair number of female companions). The character is also believed to have been inspired by several of Fleming's contemporaries in British Intelligence during World War Two. The famous Estoril Casino in Estoril, Portugal, is credited as the birthplace of Bond. The Casino was a home away from home for many spies operating during World War II, with Portugal operating as a neutral ground during the conflict. Fleming was inspired by the atmosphere at the Casino, where much of Europe's royalty mingled openly with many of the world's covert agencies.
The first actor to play Bond was American Barry Nelson, in a 1954 CBS TV production of Casino Royale. In 1956, Bob Holness played the spy in a South African radio dramatisation of Moonraker.
James Bond is a moderate to heavy drinker, having consumed 100 alcoholic beverages in his films up to 2002, and more than 250 in Ian Fleming's novels. In the films, he has champagne 32 times, and drinks 20 vodka martinis.
James Bond is a household name (arguably the most successful fictional character ever) and has had a definitive impact on the spy genre, including some parodies like Casino Royale (1967), the Austin Powers movies, and Johnny English (2003). In the 1960s, the success of the 007 films inspired numerous television imitators, including The Man From U.N.C.L.E (to which Ian Fleming contributed, and the name "Napoleon Solo" was originally the name of a crime boss in Fleming's Goldfinger), I Spy, Get Smart, and The Wild Wild West.
Video games have been released based on all the movies from A View to a Kill (1985) onwards. There have also been a number of James Bond video games not based on an existing story. A comic strip in Britain ran from 1958 to 1983, along the way adapting nearly all of Fleming's novels as well as producing many original stories on its own.
Bond characters
Reoccurring or relevant characters from the James Bond movies:
Allies
For a more detailed list see: List of James Bond allies
- M - Head of MI6
- Miss Moneypenny - M's secretary.
- Q - MI6's quartermaster
- Felix Leiter - Bond's CIA liaison; later joined the DEA and was half-fed to sharks (in the book Live and Let Die, but in the movie Licence to Kill)
- Rene Mathis - Bond's French counterpart in Station F
- Jack Wade - After Licence to Kill, Bond was paired with a new CIA liaison. He appeared in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies.
- Charles Robinson - MI6 operative
- Bill Tanner - MI6 Chief of Staff
- Bond Girls - Female companions or sometimes enemies of Bond, invariably beautiful and rarely appearing in more than one movie.
Enemies
For a more detailed list see: List of James Bond villains- Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Appeared in four Bond films.
- SMERSH - "Death to Spies". Bond's original nemesis and mostly used in the books.
- Jaws - A popular henchmen appearing in two films, The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker.
00-agents
- Agent 002: Bill Fairbanks - Assassinated by Francisco Scaramanga in Beirut 1969.
- Agent 003: Unknown - Found dead in Siberia in the film A View To A Kill. Another (presumably unrelated) MI6 operative referred to as 003 or "Jack" is killed by Diavolo, the main villain, in the Everything or Nothing Bond video game (2004).
- Agent 004: Frederick Warder - In the film The Living Daylights he participated in a training exercise in Gibraltar with Bond. He was murdered by a KGB agent who left a tag on the body that read "Death to Spies" in Russian.
- Agent 006: Alec Trevelyan - One of Bond's best friends, he betrayed MI6 and Her Majesty's Government by faking his death and aiding in the theft of the secret satellite, GoldenEye. His only motive for doing so was the fact that his parents were Cossacks betrayed by the British government. The part of 006 was played by actor Sean Bean in Goldeneye.
- Agent 008: Unknown - Agent 008 is only mentioned briefly when M threatens to replace Bond in the films, Goldfinger and The Living Daylights.
- Agent 009: Unknown - Assassinated by Mischka and Grischka in the film, Octopussy. Another was sent by M in The World is Not Enough to assassinate Renard. He put a bullet in his head, but Renard lived.
Bond bits
- Bond introduces himself with the words: "My name is Bond. James Bond." This introduction is so well known that it has entered Western popular culture.
- In the films he prefers his Vodka Martinis "shaken, not stirred", although in the books it was first specified the other way around.
- Bond drives numerous cars but the most commonly associated with 007 is the Aston Martin DB5.
- Bond originally used a Walther PPK handgun, even after the weapon fell out of favor with the British in the 1970s. In Tomorrow Never Dies he used a Walther P99. In John Gardner's novels, Bond's weapon of choice was the ASP 9mm.
- Every official United Artists/MGM James Bond film with the exception of Dr. No ends with the line "James Bond will return" somewhere in the credits (usually at the end of them, with the exception of Die Another Day, in which it precedes them). Until A View to a Kill, it included the name of the next film, usually rendered "James Bond will return in (title)". This was occasionally later superceded: for example, the end of The Spy Who Loved Me stated that James Bond would return in For Your Eyes Only, but it was later decided that the post-Star Wars space craze had to be cashed in on, and the novel Moonraker was duly adapted into a space plot (which was then followed by For Your Eyes Only). Early prints of Thunderball announced the next film would be On Her Majesty's Secret Service but the producers changed their minds and decided to make You Only Live Twice instead (and Thunderball's credits were adjusted accordingy).
- All official Bond films start with the famous "gun barrel" scene, which starting with From Russia with Love is followed by a pre-title film introduction or "teaser". The significance of the "gun barrel" scene is looking down a gun barrel at a walking Bond from an assassin's point-of-view. Bond then quickly turns, fires at the camera, the scene goes red, the barrel turns to a white circle and the intro movie starts. Stuntman Bob Simmons played Bond in the original version of the opening as first seen in Dr. No, which was created by Maurice Binder using a pin hole camera shooting through an actual gun barrel. This footage was reused for the second and third Bond films. Sean Connery first did the "walk and shoot" for Thunderball. Only Connery and Lazenby wore hats in the opening (virtually the only time their characters were seen wearing them). In the later Roger Moore films, it was evident that Bond's gun does not actually fire (in most other cases, a puff of smoke is visible). Beginning with GoldenEye, the gunbarrel was produced with CGI. Die Another Day introduced a new element - for the first time, audiences actually saw a bullet come out of Bond's gun.
Vehicles & gadgets
Another popular element of James Bond is the exotic equipment and vehicles he is assigned on his missions, which often prove to be critically useful.The original books and early adaptations had only relatively minimal pieces like the modified attache case in From Russia with Love. However, the gadgets took on a more spectacular profile in the film version of Goldfinger and its tremendous success encouraged the following films to have Bond supplied still more equipment. For instance, it became an expected scene in each film where Q would present and demonstrate Bond's assigned tools for the mission and it was a near guarentee that each and every piece would be invaluable to Bond in the field.
Fans eventually complained that the use of gadgets became excessive in the Roger Moore films, particularly in Moonraker and subsequent productions struggled to find a balance in which gadgets could have a place without giving the impression that the character unduly depended on them.
See also:
Books
by Ian Fleming
Fleming himself wrote twelve Bond novels. In order of publication, they are:- Casino Royale (1953) – first American publication title: You Asked for It
- Live and Let Die (1954)
- Moonraker (1955) – first American publication title: Too Hot to Handle
- Diamonds are Forever (1956)
- From Russia with Love (1957)
- Dr. No (1958)
- Goldfinger (1959)
- Thunderball (1961) – with Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham. Because of controversy surrounding Thunderball's conception, this led to film-rights wranglings and prevented it from becoming the basis for the first James Bond movie
- The Spy Who Loved Me (1962) – Told from the point of view of a woman who meets James Bond. Fleming disliked this novel and a British paperback edition did not appear until 1967
- On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963)
- You Only Live Twice (1964)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1965) – Fleming died before a final draft was completed. It is believed that Kingsley Amis and possibly others finished the manuscript
- For Your Eyes Only. Five Secret Occasions in the Life of James Bond (1960)
- including 5 stories "For Your Eyes Only", "From a View to a Kill", "Quantum of Solace", "Risico", and "The Hildebrand Rarity".
- Octopussy and The Living Daylights (1966)
- originally published with only the two short stories "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights." A third story, "The Property of a Lady," was added for the 1967 paperback edition. Most editions of this collection use the short title Octopussy.
by Kingsley Amis (as "Robert Markham")
After Fleming's death, the publishers of the Bond novels planned a series of books credited to "Robert Markham" that would in fact be written by a rotating series of authors. The first was Colonel Sun by Kingsley Amis. Only one other Markham novel was completed, Per Fine Ounce by Geoffrey Jenkins, but it was rejected for publication and the Markham series was cancelled.by John Pearson
John Pearson's "authorized" biography of Bond was well-received by fans. The book suggests that Fleming based the adventures of 007 on the real-life exploits of James Bond, much like Arthur Conan Doyle supposedly based his stories on a real-life Sherlock Holmes. Glidrose Publications considered having Pearson continue writing a new series of Bond novels based upon this concept (with Pearson "inheriting" the job from Fleming), but nothing came of it. The canonicity of this novel is a matter of some debate by Bond fans, with some considering it apocryphal, but it was published as an official Bond novel by at least one publisher.
- (1973) – contains references to virtually every Bond novel and short story by both Fleming and Amis.
by John Gardner
In 1981, the series was revived, with new novels being written by John Gardner. Between 1981 and 1996, Gardner wrote fourteen James Bond novels and two novelizations.
- License Renewed (1981) – it has been suggested that the 1985 Bond film, A View to a Kill may have borrowed some plot elements from this book
- For Special Services (1982)
- Icebreaker (1983)
- Role of Honour (1984)
- Nobody Lives Forever (1986)
- No Deals, Mr. Bond (1987)
- Scorpius (1988)
- Win, Lose or Die (1989)
- Brokenclaw (1990)
- The Man From Barbarossa (1991)
- Death is Forever (1992)
- Never Send Flowers (1993)
- SeaFire (1994)
- COLD (1996) (retitled Cold Fall for American publication)
by Raymond Benson
In 1996, John Gardner retired from writing Bond books. Raymond Benson was quickly chosen to replace him. He is the first American to write James Bond novels, a fact that was initially controversial. Benson's novels were also controvesial for ignoring much of the continuity established by Gardner.
- Zero Minus Ten (1997)
- The Facts of Death (1998)
- High Time to Kill (1999)
- Doubleshot (2000)
- Never Dream of Dying (2001)
- The Man with the Red Tattoo (2002)
After his 2002 novelization of Die Another Day, Raymond Benson abruptly retired from writing Bond books. The series will be continued, but focusing on Bond's adolescence (see below). It is unknown whether the literary Bond's life will be continued in print from where Benson left off.
The early 1990s TV series James Bond Jr. spawned a series of six episode novelizations by John Peel writing as John Vincent.
Note: The sequence numbers, where given, are those used by the makers of the "mainstream/official" Bond films.
This is an Article on James Bond. Page Contains Information, Facts Details or Explanation Guide About James Bond Unofficial novel
by Jim Hatfield
This was a bootleg Bond novel, privately published by Jim Hatfield who later wrote a controversial biography of George W. Bush. Although the fine print of the book claims that it is a Glidrose publication, no such book was ever published by that company. Hatfield claimed to have been given the rights to publish a Bond novel by Glidrose, which seems unlikely since John Gardner was the current Bond novelist at the time, and such a novel would have been published by the Bond publisher of the day had it been legitimate. The book is extremely rare as only a very few copies were produced, and it is considered a Holy Grail by Bond fans because of its shocking ending - James Bond is murdered. The text of the book is available on the Internet.Screenplays to books
In addition to the above novels, there were seven "novelizations" which were books based on the screenplays of Bond films. These books are generally not considered official canon, despite most being written by the current Bond novelist of the time. Gardner, in particular, tries to incorporate his novelizations into both his own continuity and that of Ian Fleming, despite Licence to Kill containing major elements and events from several Fleming works.Young James Bond
In April 2004, Ian Fleming Publications announced a new series of James Bond books was on its way. Instead of picking up where Ray Benson left off, however, this new series of books would be about a 13 year old Bond, aiming at the "Harry Potter audience". The new novels will be written by Charlie Higson (The Fast Show). Higler has stated his intention of keeping his novels in line with Bond's backstory as established by Ian Fleming, though it has yet to be determined if these novels will actually be accepted as part of the Bond canon by fans (particularly those who consider John Pearson's biography of Bond to be canonical).by Charlie Higson
James Bond Jr
In 1967, Glidrose authorized the publication of 003½: The Adventures of James Bond Jr. by Arthur Calder Marshall writing as R.D. Mascott. This book was aimed at young adult readers and chronicled the adventures of 007's nephew (despite the inaccuracy of the title). This book is not considered part of the official Bond canon.Official films
Fans of Bond films tend to have their own favorite actor who has played the part. Sean Connery played him as the tough guy, always ready with the clenched fist beneath the polished exterior. George Lazenby, though only appearing for one film, is one of the most controversial Bond actors, being simultaneously loved and despised by Bond fans. Roger Moore's Bond was much older, smoother and more sophisticated, rarely getting a hair out of place while saving the world. The films of Timothy Dalton attempted to take Bond back to the darker roots of the books, making him a more complex and troubled character. Pierce Brosnan, the current Bond actor, is widely regarded as portraying Bond with a mix of Connnery's raw masculinity and Moore's suavity.starring Sean Connery
starring George Lazenby
starring Roger Moore
starring Timothy Dalton
starring Pierce Brosnan
Unofficial films
starring Barry Nelson
starring David Niven
starring Sean Connery
Recently, MGM has managed to acquire the distribution rights to the Casino Royale spoof and Never Say Never Again (due to a legal settlement with Kevin McClory, who formerly held the story rights to Thunderball and was responsible for making Never Say Never Again). MGM now owns nearly all the rights to the 'Bond Films'. It has been suggested that this purchase has made it possible for a serious adaptation of Casino Royale to be considered.other films pertaining to James Bond
Video games
Note: The following games listed below are some of the more recent Bond games.Parody
Parodies of novels
There were several parodies of the Bond novels in the 1960s. Parodies of movies
The James Bond movies have also been repeatedly parodied:Miscellaneous Bond trivia
See also
External links