Post by Ace on Oct 2, 2012 19:47:44 GMT -5
www.express.co.uk/posts/view/349685/James-Bond-and-me
JAMES BOND AND ME
By Garth Pearce
Wednesday October 3,2012
On the 50th anniversary of 007's cinematic debut, our writer, who has interviewed all six of them, reveals what they're really like
AS James Bond films celebrate their 50th anniversary, a new hard-hitting documentary film exposes the dark underbelly of spin and secrecy that has kept Bond alive at the cinema.
When 007 made his debut in Dr No on October 5, 1962, with Sean Connery in the famous role, few gave it a chance at the box office. But it has become the world's most successful film franchise, with the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall premiering on October 23, starring Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play the master spy.
The documentary, Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007, reveals the legal battles over rights to the original Ian Fleming books and the cost to those involved.
Even Fleming himself suffered a fatal heart attack at 56 when embroiled in a highly stressful legal battle with maverick producer, the late Kevin McClory, who owned the exclusive film rights to Thunderball.
And the harmony between original producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman ended in feud and retribution.
Cubby's 52-year-old daughter Barbara and stepson Michael G Wilson, 70, continue the tradition of their late father, who died aged 87 in 1996.
I have interviewed all of the Bonds during their careers. So what are they really like? And how have they added to the reputation of James Bond?
SEAN CONNERY
THE MAN: No one messed with Sean. He could be tough and taciturn or talkative and charming, depending on the company and his mood. But there was always a slightly threatening edge.
Ian Fleming was horrified at his selection as Bond regarding the working-class Sean as hopeless casting for his smooth, well-educated spy. And Connery did continue to be happiest with beer at the bar talking golf and football rather than dressing in dinner jackets and sipping cocktails.
AS BOND: Six films. 10 out of 10.
From the scene at the gambling tables in Dr No, as he lit a cigarette and uttered his first words on screen 'Bond, James Bond,' he was the master. And when actress Honor Blackman told him her name was 'Pussy Galore' in Goldfinger, his remark 'I must be dreaming' brought the house down in every cinema across the land.
He had been a labourer and bodybuilder so could deal with the roughhouse scenes.
The fight between himself and the late actor Robert Shaw in the confines of a train in From Russia With Love remains, arguably, the most realistic action from any of the films.
And he had bags of sex appeal.
After his first interview for the role, co-producer Harry Saltzman watched him walk along Wardour Street, London and remarked: 'I can hear his balls clanging together.'
KILLED OFF: He was the all time survivor. He quit after five films and was persuaded to return for one more Diamonds Are Forever with a new, highly paid contract after George Lazenby's one appearance as Bond. He also played Bond a seventh time for a rival film company, in the disappointing Never Say Never Again in 1983.
GEORGE LAZENBY
THE MAN: Cocky and demanding. He even insisted on being driven from the film lot at Pinewood Studios to lunch in the studio restaurant ' a distance of about 300 yards.
He won the role against the odds, by inventing acting jobs he had done in far-flung places that were impossible to check in the days when you had to book a telephone call to many countries.
Years later he admitted that he feared his short hair and smooth appearance as Bond made him look like a policeman. He wanted to be more of a hippy, which was in fashion at the time of the late 1960s.
By the time of the Royal film premiere of his film, On Her Majesty's Service, he had grown long hair and a beard.
The years have mellowed him and he looks back with humour and regret at the way he threw his Bond career away.
AS BOND: One film. 5 out of 10.
Not as bad as critics thought at the time. He was a genuine adventurer from Australia and was fit enough to play the spy with considerable vigour. He could shoot, ride and fight.
One of the Bond performances that has actually improved with age and reflection.
KILLED OFF: Cubby Broccoli swore he would never work with him again, long before filming was over.
ROGER MOORE
THE MAN: A gentleman and a charmer. Great sense of humour and always graceful, chatty and witty.
When we met for lunch one day at Pinewood during his final film A View to a Kill in 1985 he had spent a morning in a love scene with beautiful actress Fiona Fullerton.
'Can you believe I still get paid for this?' he asked. 'There are some scenes I would do for free.'
There were rumours that he was also conducting an eventful love life despite being married to the third of his four wives Luisa - something Moore denies. The late, great unit publicist Geoff Freeman, a close friend, was supposedly the man who covered for him and protected his reputation.
AS BOND: Seven films. 7 out of 10.
He won an Academy Awards poll as Best Bond, with 62 per cent of the vote, as recently as 2008.
All a matter of personal taste but light in touch and big on humour.
He did more to establish laughter in the character - and the use of gadgets - than any other Bond.
KILLED OFF: He was 58 and Cubby Broccoli told him his time was over.
TIMOTHY DALTON
THE MAN: Took himself very seriously. Came from a theatre background, with classic good looks but a careless attitude to clothes. Barbara Broccoli even had to buy him a suit before the publicity launch.
He'd had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave, seven years his senior, and could be just as forthright and spikey as her. He was embarrassed by the idea of 'Bond girls' - something that had never bothered Connery or Moore - and was keen to promote them as equals.
AS BOND: Two films. 6 out of 10.
He researched the role properly, went back to the old descriptions of Bond by Ian Fleming and played him as a cold-eyed killer. But his determination to be serious backfired in his second - and last - film.
The film itself Licence Revoked was given a late change of title.
Researchers had discovered few people in America knew what 'revoked' actually meant.
The new title was Licence To Kill and the killing never seemed to stop. It was the bloodiest Bond yet. It went down badly.
Despite all Dalton's research, energy and acting strength, the rich market of America didn't buy in to him as 007.
KILLED OFF: After being in limbo for six years as Bond producers again fought litigation he was told: 'We need a new man for the relaunch of Bond.'
PIERCE BROSNAN
THE MAN: Decent, straightforward, kind and generous. He hosted the best parties on location, was always kind to film crew members and would recall names and facts about them with an astute memory.
Even when he was injured in a stunt accident during the making of his second film Tomorrow Never Dies he went to great lengths to absolve stuntman Steve Dent of any blame.
It earned him more admiration from stunt co-ordinator Dicky Beer, who told me: 'I've worked with many stars over the years, who are always in to the blame game. Pierce is up there with Harrison Ford as the two least-complaining stars - a world apart from the rest.'
AS BOND: FOUR FILMS. 8 OUT OF 10.
He looked the part and built up his fitness levels so he could act the part, too, with four highly successful films at the box office.
His third The World Is Not Enough was the best but his last - Die Another Day -was hampered with a lousy script and ridiculous gimmicks like invisible cars.
He had been first choice after Roger Moore but was held to a contract clause in his TV show, Remington Steele, so the role went to Dalton. He was determined to make the most of getting a chance, second time around.
KILLED OFF: After the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, producers decided they needed a new man and mood for the 21st Century. He was told the news by telephone by Barbara Broccoli.
DANIEL CRAIG
THE MAN: He can be a bit of a bore. Thinks he should only talk about the acting and his role rather than himself and there's not much humour in his conversation.
We first met on the fi lm set of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, with Angelina Jolie, and he seemed to have perfected an actor's method of selfprotection.
He could talk endlessly about the part while having little apparent interest in life outside acting, scripts, theatre and films. He has also not quite grasped that Bond is an enormous publicity machine that needs to be constantly fed.
AS BOND: THREE FILMS. 9 OUT OF 10.
His third film Skyfall, about to be released, comes after a gap of four years.
His hard-edged acting beat strong contenders Damian Lewis and Clive Owen to the role, despite being nowhere near the physical description of James Bond in the books.
He is well under six feet tall and has blond hair, which was initially given so much hostile publicity under headlines like Blond Bond.
However does anyone care after seeing him in action, particularly with his 2006 debut film Casino Royale?
A brave, but excellent choice.
KILLED OFF: He has been contracted to more films. But, at 44, his time will come.
JAMES BOND AND ME
By Garth Pearce
Wednesday October 3,2012
On the 50th anniversary of 007's cinematic debut, our writer, who has interviewed all six of them, reveals what they're really like
AS James Bond films celebrate their 50th anniversary, a new hard-hitting documentary film exposes the dark underbelly of spin and secrecy that has kept Bond alive at the cinema.
When 007 made his debut in Dr No on October 5, 1962, with Sean Connery in the famous role, few gave it a chance at the box office. But it has become the world's most successful film franchise, with the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall premiering on October 23, starring Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play the master spy.
The documentary, Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007, reveals the legal battles over rights to the original Ian Fleming books and the cost to those involved.
Even Fleming himself suffered a fatal heart attack at 56 when embroiled in a highly stressful legal battle with maverick producer, the late Kevin McClory, who owned the exclusive film rights to Thunderball.
And the harmony between original producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman ended in feud and retribution.
Cubby's 52-year-old daughter Barbara and stepson Michael G Wilson, 70, continue the tradition of their late father, who died aged 87 in 1996.
I have interviewed all of the Bonds during their careers. So what are they really like? And how have they added to the reputation of James Bond?
SEAN CONNERY
THE MAN: No one messed with Sean. He could be tough and taciturn or talkative and charming, depending on the company and his mood. But there was always a slightly threatening edge.
Ian Fleming was horrified at his selection as Bond regarding the working-class Sean as hopeless casting for his smooth, well-educated spy. And Connery did continue to be happiest with beer at the bar talking golf and football rather than dressing in dinner jackets and sipping cocktails.
AS BOND: Six films. 10 out of 10.
From the scene at the gambling tables in Dr No, as he lit a cigarette and uttered his first words on screen 'Bond, James Bond,' he was the master. And when actress Honor Blackman told him her name was 'Pussy Galore' in Goldfinger, his remark 'I must be dreaming' brought the house down in every cinema across the land.
He had been a labourer and bodybuilder so could deal with the roughhouse scenes.
The fight between himself and the late actor Robert Shaw in the confines of a train in From Russia With Love remains, arguably, the most realistic action from any of the films.
And he had bags of sex appeal.
After his first interview for the role, co-producer Harry Saltzman watched him walk along Wardour Street, London and remarked: 'I can hear his balls clanging together.'
KILLED OFF: He was the all time survivor. He quit after five films and was persuaded to return for one more Diamonds Are Forever with a new, highly paid contract after George Lazenby's one appearance as Bond. He also played Bond a seventh time for a rival film company, in the disappointing Never Say Never Again in 1983.
GEORGE LAZENBY
THE MAN: Cocky and demanding. He even insisted on being driven from the film lot at Pinewood Studios to lunch in the studio restaurant ' a distance of about 300 yards.
He won the role against the odds, by inventing acting jobs he had done in far-flung places that were impossible to check in the days when you had to book a telephone call to many countries.
Years later he admitted that he feared his short hair and smooth appearance as Bond made him look like a policeman. He wanted to be more of a hippy, which was in fashion at the time of the late 1960s.
By the time of the Royal film premiere of his film, On Her Majesty's Service, he had grown long hair and a beard.
The years have mellowed him and he looks back with humour and regret at the way he threw his Bond career away.
AS BOND: One film. 5 out of 10.
Not as bad as critics thought at the time. He was a genuine adventurer from Australia and was fit enough to play the spy with considerable vigour. He could shoot, ride and fight.
One of the Bond performances that has actually improved with age and reflection.
KILLED OFF: Cubby Broccoli swore he would never work with him again, long before filming was over.
ROGER MOORE
THE MAN: A gentleman and a charmer. Great sense of humour and always graceful, chatty and witty.
When we met for lunch one day at Pinewood during his final film A View to a Kill in 1985 he had spent a morning in a love scene with beautiful actress Fiona Fullerton.
'Can you believe I still get paid for this?' he asked. 'There are some scenes I would do for free.'
There were rumours that he was also conducting an eventful love life despite being married to the third of his four wives Luisa - something Moore denies. The late, great unit publicist Geoff Freeman, a close friend, was supposedly the man who covered for him and protected his reputation.
AS BOND: Seven films. 7 out of 10.
He won an Academy Awards poll as Best Bond, with 62 per cent of the vote, as recently as 2008.
All a matter of personal taste but light in touch and big on humour.
He did more to establish laughter in the character - and the use of gadgets - than any other Bond.
KILLED OFF: He was 58 and Cubby Broccoli told him his time was over.
TIMOTHY DALTON
THE MAN: Took himself very seriously. Came from a theatre background, with classic good looks but a careless attitude to clothes. Barbara Broccoli even had to buy him a suit before the publicity launch.
He'd had a long relationship with Vanessa Redgrave, seven years his senior, and could be just as forthright and spikey as her. He was embarrassed by the idea of 'Bond girls' - something that had never bothered Connery or Moore - and was keen to promote them as equals.
AS BOND: Two films. 6 out of 10.
He researched the role properly, went back to the old descriptions of Bond by Ian Fleming and played him as a cold-eyed killer. But his determination to be serious backfired in his second - and last - film.
The film itself Licence Revoked was given a late change of title.
Researchers had discovered few people in America knew what 'revoked' actually meant.
The new title was Licence To Kill and the killing never seemed to stop. It was the bloodiest Bond yet. It went down badly.
Despite all Dalton's research, energy and acting strength, the rich market of America didn't buy in to him as 007.
KILLED OFF: After being in limbo for six years as Bond producers again fought litigation he was told: 'We need a new man for the relaunch of Bond.'
PIERCE BROSNAN
THE MAN: Decent, straightforward, kind and generous. He hosted the best parties on location, was always kind to film crew members and would recall names and facts about them with an astute memory.
Even when he was injured in a stunt accident during the making of his second film Tomorrow Never Dies he went to great lengths to absolve stuntman Steve Dent of any blame.
It earned him more admiration from stunt co-ordinator Dicky Beer, who told me: 'I've worked with many stars over the years, who are always in to the blame game. Pierce is up there with Harrison Ford as the two least-complaining stars - a world apart from the rest.'
AS BOND: FOUR FILMS. 8 OUT OF 10.
He looked the part and built up his fitness levels so he could act the part, too, with four highly successful films at the box office.
His third The World Is Not Enough was the best but his last - Die Another Day -was hampered with a lousy script and ridiculous gimmicks like invisible cars.
He had been first choice after Roger Moore but was held to a contract clause in his TV show, Remington Steele, so the role went to Dalton. He was determined to make the most of getting a chance, second time around.
KILLED OFF: After the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers in New York on September 11, 2001, producers decided they needed a new man and mood for the 21st Century. He was told the news by telephone by Barbara Broccoli.
DANIEL CRAIG
THE MAN: He can be a bit of a bore. Thinks he should only talk about the acting and his role rather than himself and there's not much humour in his conversation.
We first met on the fi lm set of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, with Angelina Jolie, and he seemed to have perfected an actor's method of selfprotection.
He could talk endlessly about the part while having little apparent interest in life outside acting, scripts, theatre and films. He has also not quite grasped that Bond is an enormous publicity machine that needs to be constantly fed.
AS BOND: THREE FILMS. 9 OUT OF 10.
His third film Skyfall, about to be released, comes after a gap of four years.
His hard-edged acting beat strong contenders Damian Lewis and Clive Owen to the role, despite being nowhere near the physical description of James Bond in the books.
He is well under six feet tall and has blond hair, which was initially given so much hostile publicity under headlines like Blond Bond.
However does anyone care after seeing him in action, particularly with his 2006 debut film Casino Royale?
A brave, but excellent choice.
KILLED OFF: He has been contracted to more films. But, at 44, his time will come.
