Did you know that it is James Bond Cinematic birthday today? Back in 1962, Director
Terence Young started shooting the first James Bond film titled Dr No on January 16, 1962. Today in other words.
When I was in London in early December (
you can read about that trip here) I spent a few minutes at
The Cinema Store and added to the collection the
Cinema Retro's magazine Movie Classics dedicating 148 pages to all there is to know about the making of
Dr No.
I am so happy that I bought this magazine becuase by having it in my backpack I had no problem letting the wife go inside any shop she wanted. I just sat down on a chair picked up the magazine and started reading. It is an fantastic collection of articles and photographs that I have never seen before.
I can not stop thing about what went through the minds of people like Sean Connery, Cubby Brobboli, Harry Zaltsman, Terence Young and Ian Fleming. Was Fleming there on the first day of shooting since he stayed at his house GoldenEye at the time. I know he was there later as you can see on the photo to the right. I also must mention how bold I think it was to put "The first James Bond film" on the poster. But if the fim had flopped no one would have remembered it anyway.
As most of you know Thunderball was supposed to be the first James Bond film but due to a court case with Kevin McClory about who actually wrote the story producers decided to go with Dr No instead with a script based on the novel released in 1958 with the same title. If you wish to read more about the court case you can do so
here.
So are you still not sure If you wish to own this amazing Dr No magazine? Well all I can do is to say that I love it and that it contains the following:
- Matthew Field provides exclusive interviews with Ursula Andress, screenwriter Johanna Harwood and animator Trevor Bond
- Sir Christopher Frayling interviews Sir Ken Adam
- Lee Pfeiffer and Mark Cerulli interview designer Joseph Caroff (the man who designed the 007 gun logo)
- Steve Oxenrider interviews Marguerite Le Wars (who played the sexy Jamaican photographer)
- Lee Pfeiffer interviews legendary artist Mitchell Hooks, the man who created the artwork for the film poster
- Adrian Smith interviews Bettine le Beau (who played the secretary to Prof. Dent)
- Steve Oxenrider tracks down and interviews the Jamaican cast members and entertainers seen in the film
- Ajay Chowdhury and Matthew Field provide an exclusive interview with Monty Norman, composer of the James Bond Theme
- Howard Hughes looks at the changes between the Ian Fleming novel and the film version
- Martijn Mulder looks at Jamaican locations then and now
- Gary Giblin provides insightful analysis of the film's production history
- Oscar-winning sound technician Norman Wanstall recalls creating the innovative sound effects for the film
- Directors Joe Dante and Brian Trenchard-Smith provide personal homages to the movie
- The life of Ian Fleming by Michael VanBlaricum
- Production Buyer Ron Quelch recalls the challenge of obtaining props for the film
- Alan Tomkins, the last surviving crew member who worked for Ken Adam in Jamaica, recalls his experiences on the film
- Never before published interview with the late Timothy Moxon ("Strangways")
- Foreword by David V. Picker, the man who sealed the deal to bring James Bond to the silver screen
- The lives and careers of legendary producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
- The Unseen Dr. No: scripted scenes that never appeared in the final film
- Rare production stills
- Steve Oxenrider interviews actress Yvonne Shima ("Sister Lily")
- The Dr. No comic books
- Behind the scenes photos
- Vintage archival comments about the film from Sean Connery
- Dr. No toys and collectibles
- Rare international movie poster art
- Rare production stills
- Behind the scenes photos
- Rare international movie poster art
You can order your copy of the magazine here or on Ebay for as little as £10.
