On Golden Bond

Editorial

Other stars confirmed include Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw, Helen McCrory and Albert Finney. Femme fatales (and let’s face it, Bond isn’t Bond without a few beautiful women) are Naomie Harris and French actress Berenice Marlohe. And that’s about all we know. Except it’ll be filming in Istanbul, London, Shanghai and Scotland, and it’s about M’s past coming back to haunt her.

Not set for release until late 2012, it’ll actually be celebrating 50 years since Sean Connery hit the screens as Bond in Dr. No. That’s right. Fifty years! Golden anniversary! And Daniel Craig doesn’t look a day over 43.

Now don’t worry; I’m not about to head into a ramble of the number of actors who have played James Bond, who the best one is, what the best Bond film is, and so on. But I will indulge in some of my own Bond-related memories.

The first Bond film I saw was The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) I remember my mother ringing the cinema and asking if it would be suitable for children; she must have been told it was, because off we went. Burned into my mind is the image of Barbara Bach stumbling around in a wet dress that hardly contained her rather ample breasts. They didn’t really interest me, for a number of reasons. I was more impressed, however, with the sexy white Lotus Esprit sports car Roger Moore drove; probably because it turned into a submarine and shot torpedos out of its boot. I even got a toy model of it.

I also remember the villain’s henchman Jaws, played by Richard Kiel, and he returned in Moore’s next outing, the rather silly and camp Moonraker in 1979, cashing in on the success of Star Wars. That film of course had Q’s notorious double entendre at the film’s conclusion, ‘I think he’s attempting re-entry, sir’.

Duran Duran provided the theme song to Moore’s last film as Bond, A View to a Kill in 1985. I remember nothing of Timothy Dalton as Bond. That’s not a bad thing.

Pierce Brosnan’s first Bond film was Golden Eye, a return to form for the franchise, although Brosnan, I feel, lacked enough charisma and a bit too much smug campness.

That all changed with the 2006 reboot with Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. This was how you did ‘serious’ Bond. And sexy Bond. Exhibity A: Bond walking out of the ocean in those pale blue trunks. A pity then that Quantum of Solace missed the mark. What does that title even mean?

So, will Skyfall deliver? We can only hope so. As long as Bond gets his kit off again, I don’t mind. He’s certainly got more energy and credibility now than he used to. Maybe 50 is the new 40 after all…

Or maybe this is a preview of what's to come:

Tim Hunter, Citysearch