Happy birthday, cinematic Bond

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.

From Norway comes a new book with love for all things 007

During the fall Norway was grazed with a James Bond book called "The great big book about James Bond". It is an unofficial compilation by Morten Cruys Magnus Sagen and Morten Andreas Steingrimsen.
The book is big and has 360 pages. It is not common for smaller countries like Norway to have this kind of books written in their native tongue. But it is nice to hear that the book has been a huge success in Norway and sold really well.

On the back of this book its says The ultimate book for all James Bond fans. An let me just say that I do not speak Norwegian but this book is actually worth having for the pictures alone. This book contains some pictures I have never seen during my 25 years of collecting. See pictures below for some rare pictures.
The book also has a lot of Ian Fleming pictures and covers for the James Bond books in Norway. These books are hard to find on their own so it was nice to see these rare beauties.

The book contains a foreword by Martine Beswick who appears in both From Russia with Love and Thunderball. Then the chapters that are richly documented with pictures are as follows.

1. The Bond phenomenon.
2. Ian Fleming
3. The books about James Bond
4. From book to film
5. The name is Bond... (bios of the James Bond actors).
6. Shaken but not stirred bios on each James Bond film including SPECTRE.
7. James Bond audition (interview with Norwegian actress Synnove Macody Lund)
8. From Norway with love - Bond in Norway
9. The mistakes of the Bond films
10. The James Bond lifestyle
11. The James Bond cars
12. The Bond destinations
13. Dress like Bond
14. Pinewood Studios
15. Illustrated James Bond
16. They almost became Bond.
17. Interviews.

I need to be clear that this book is not in English but in Norwegian. But I still will enjoy this book thanks to all the great pictures and I do believe  you will do the same.

The cheapest way to order this book would be to go to the Adlibris webpage were the book cost £22. 
Or you might be able to contact Morten Andreas Steingrimsen on facebook to buy a copy direct from one of the writers.

It's easy to make a James Bond film!

Today saw the premiere of the new James Bond film SPECTRE in Sweden. And since we celebrate Halloween this weekend in Sweden we only had to work half day so I could take Mrs Bäckman to Stockholms biggest cinema screen to attend the premiere of SPECTRE.

Now this blog is aiming to be as spoiler free as possible and I know that countries like France and the USA have not yet had its premiere so there will be no spoilers here. I decided early on to not see more then the teaser trailer for SPECTRE and read no articles. That worked out fine and I believe that made me enjoy the film more when all the surprise were still there. But I wonder how many of the fans noticed that for SPECTRE Daniel Craig was a co-producer and I feel certain that this was a classic Hollywood way to make him come back to play James Bond by not giving him a to high salary. But instead, to give him two salaries, one as an actor and one as a producer with a % of box office as well. This is also why you will see him again in BOND 25. No actor says no to such a great offer. 

But to upset a few I will have to put my chin out and say that it is truly easy to make a James Bond film. All you have to do is to follow the one true formula that Producer Albert R Broccoli talks about in his biography WHEN THE SNOW MELTS. In this book he explains the success of the franchise in one sentence: "Make sure that every penny is up there on the screen" and that is exactly how SPECTRE has been made. It may also help to shift actors according to were they are born so that they can promote the film in their native countries. And for the bigger part of the film use actors from countries with allot of inhabitants like France, Germany, Italy and others. Just like the continuation novels have a tendency to always start in London and during the mission always visit the US in some way to please the US publisher and readers.   

When the Snow melts - Cubby Broccoli

Now if you have already seen SPECTRE or have not I do hope you have not missed the BBC James Bond special program on TIMESHIFT called LOOKING FOR MR. BOND: 007 AT THE BBC. This is a 60 minute documentary with only material from the BBC archive. Since I live in Sweden I must say that the bigger part of this documentary was material I had never seen. Its a truly MUST SEE if you are a fan of the James Bond films. Click here to get to the program.

I have recived 8 pagages with James Bond related books this week. I will try and share them with you as quickly as possible.  

You can find used copies of Cubby Broccolis book WHEN THE SNOW MELTS by clicking here.

Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films

 

Here is the first picture of the highly anticipated book SOME KIND OF HERO
written by Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury and published by The History Press.
The book that has a massive 700 pages looks much larger and more interesting in
reality than I dared to hope for.

I am really looking forward to reading this brick of a book. The book is released
any day now because according to Amazon.co.uk the book will be released on
October 5th but it is still marked as "Not yet released".

Keep an eye on this blog when the book is released.

It is very impressive that one can buy a book of 700 pages for only £17.

For over 50 years, Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions has navigated the ups
and downs of the volatile British film industry, enduring both critical wrath and
acclaim in equal measure for its now legendary James Bond series. Latterly, this
family run business has been crowned with box office gold and recognised by
motion picture academies around the world. However, it has not always been plain
sailing. Changing financial regimes forced 007 to relocate to France and Mexico;
changing fashions and politics led to box office disappointments; and changing
studio regimes and business disputes all but killed the franchise. And the rise of
competing action heroes has constantly questioned Bond’s place in popular culture.
But against all odds the filmmakers continue to wring new life from the series, and
2012’s Skyfall saw both huge critical and commercial success, crowning 007 as
the undisputed king of the action genre. Some Kind of Hero recounts this
remarkable story, from its origins in the early ‘60s right through to the present day,
and draws on hundreds of unpublished interviews with the cast and crew of this
iconic series.

The photo above is borrowed from Matthew Fields facebook page.

You can buy the book on Amazon UK by clicking the cover below:

Blood, Sweat and Bond: Behind the Scenes of SPECTRE

On October 27, 2015 DK publishing releases the new book: Blood,
Sweat and Bond:Behind the Scenes of SPECTRE. The hardcover book
contain 200 pages.
According to publishers own sales text, the book will also
contain interviews and behind the scenes stories from the making
of the new Bond film SPECTRE.
In the run-up to the latest James Bond film, Spectre, renowned
photographer Rankin takes us from script to screen in Blood,
Sweat and Bond: Behind the Scenes of Spectre,curating an ensemble
of exclusive photography and cast and crew interviews. Also
features contributions from celebrity photographers including
Mary McCartney, Graciela Iturbide, Anderson & Low and Brigitte
Lacombe.
This is the first published book to preview the latest Bond film's
cast, crew and locations. Directed by Academy Award-winner Sam
Mendes, Spectre features the return of Daniel Craig as legendary
British secret agent James Bond.

You can buy the book on AMAZON UK for only £17.