Sam Smith Tapped for Spectre Theme Song…Day 251 of Bond 365

History is being made today for the Bond franchise because Samuel Frederick “Sam” Smith was tapped for the theme song Spectre, due out in October and November, depending where you reside.

I watched a couple of videos, since like many of my friends, the first question that came out of my lips upon hearing the announcement was “Who is Sam Smith?” Well, he’s 23 and I believe he may be the youngest singer/songwriter to have the honor of a Bond film theme song. He’s a newcomer to the music scene; he popped onto the UK Singles Chart in late 2012 with “Latch” that he followed up with his debut album Lay Me Down in early 2013.

Smith’s song “Stay With Me” was similar enough to Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” that an out-of-court settlement was reached. Petty’s, as well as Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne (singer/songwriter), names were added to the song credit. In spite of the settlement, Smith was not slowing down though. 

At the Grammy Awards earlier this year, Smith garnered four awards: Best New Arts, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Album. At the Brit Awards, he won British Breakthrough Act and Global Success awards.

Adele, Amy Winehouse, Whitney Houston and a number of other divas has Smith cited as influential on his style of singing. I listened to a few of his songs, including “Lay Me Down” because Smith mentioned in an interview that he was inspired to write “Writing’s on the Wall” (the Spectre theme song title) while he was recording the former song. He also said it took him 20 minutes to write the song.

With what I heard – songs and interviews – I am leary as to the soundness of selecting such a young singer with a vocal style that sounds hesitant and a little too breathless that he tends to cut and shorten the pronunciation of words during his songs. This was quite evident in his cover of Houston’s “How Will I Know.” Adele may be a muse, however, Smith may end up a pale comparison and might not find the success that Adele did with Skyfall. 

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Director Sam Mendes Celebrates 50 Years! ….Day 213 of Bond 365

I’m back after a respite from writing, due in part to my freelance writing assignments for San Diego International Comic Con and Anime Expo, which took place in a two-week period in early July. So, let’s get back into the swing of Bond 365 with a birthday celebration for director Sam Mendes who turned 50!

Sam Mendes (Google Images)

Sam Mendes

Born this day in 1965

Director of Skyfall and Spectre

Like many Americans, I was first introduced to Sam Mendes’ direction of American Beauty (1999) that starred Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening and written by Alan Ball (Six Feet Under, True Blood). I remember how powerful a film it was; a statement about the disintegration of the middle class family. Spacey was on fire from his chameleon like performances and as a result, won an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for American Beauty. To this day, when I see a plastic bag floating on a gust of air, I am immediately transported back to this film and not in a bad way.

Since Mendes’ directorial debut with Cabaret (1993), a television movie based on the original film starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York in 1972 (directed by Bob Fosse), he has completed nine films, which I found surprising given his talent for direction. Yet, in a handful of films, Mendes has worked on some impressive projects: American Beauty, Road to Perdition (2002) and Jarhead (2005) for instance. Given that he has worked on films that were character-driven, it’s rather interesting that Mendes’ was selected to direct a Bond film, Skyfall (2012). It was smart choice that resulted in 96 film award nominations and 70 wins. In comparison, Casino Royale (2006) garnered 34 nominations and 26 wins and Quantum of Solace (2008) garnered 27 nominations and 4 wins.

I am anxious to see what Mendes does with Bond in Spectre. Since we have gotten a teaser that we’ll be glimpsing into Bond’s early years, Mendes should have quite a bit of material to work with to flesh out the characters; an aspect of the Bond films that we don’t usually see or expect.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Hollywood Icons Celebrates James Bond....Day 175 of Bond 365

Happy Wednesday evening! It has been a long day of work and then off to a wine and canvas event with a good friend that I haven't seen in some time. We both had a lot of fun, but there's a reason I paint abstracts; I'll never be a master painter. Anyway, I just got settled and have less than two hours to post today and I already I'm beat, so this will be a shorter post.

Let's start with a Bond history lesson. Can you name the United Kingdom theatrical release of a James Bond film that premiered this day some years ago? I'll give you some hints:

• It marked a directorial debut of this person, who had been working with the franchise on a few previous bond films; 
• It combined the plots from two Ian Fleming short stories; 
• Filming locations included Greece, Italy, Spain, and England -- and some underwater footage in the Bahamas; 
• The film generated just shy of $200 Million; 
• Marked the last time the film was solely distributed by this company; 
• One of the stars was married to a person that starred in a later Bond film;
• One of the stars went on to be cast as Ian Fleming in a television project;
• Lewis Collins had been considered for James Bond in this film; 
• It did not feature Bernard Lee's M because he had passed away prior to filming his parts; 
• Apparently, one of the stars resorted to drinking to calm their nerves prior to completing certain scenes that involved heights; 
• One of the sets had been previously used for a war film; and
• The singer of the theme song appeared on screen.

I'll let you mull it over for a few minutes, or at least to the end of this post...

While I was the grocery store this morning, I came across this lovely face: 

It's a special collector's edition from Hollywood Icons and I think it may be the first retrospective magazine to focus on James Bond from Dr. No to Spectre, which will be out later this year. And, kudos to the group for including the "renegade" Bond films that included Barry Nelson's Casino Royale (1954), the parody of Casino Royale (1967) and Never Say Never Again (1983). Besides covering each film in at least a two-page spread, there were sections covering Ian Fleming, James Bond's Walther PPK, gadgets, cars (vroom!) and of course, beautiful women that have been in love with our British agent. Thumbing through the issue, I see a mix of photos familiar and new, so I think, for a collector it's a nod to pick up. The magazine costs $12.99 and weighs in at 115 pages. 

And, if you still cannot think of the movie that premiered, then it was the twelfth Bond film that premiered this day in 1981: For Your Eyes Only! 

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Happy Birthday Luciana Paluzzi & Hugo De Vernier…Day 161 of Bond 365

Luciana Paluzzi

Born this day in 1937

Fiona Volpe in Thunderball

I have had the pleasure of meeting Luciana Paluzzi a couple of times in Los Angeles for Bond Reunions hosted by the Hollywood Collector’s Show. Each time, she has been exceeding friendly, engaging, and an absolute darling of a lady to meet. She is still gorgeous with her firecracker signature hair and mischievous smile.

Paluzzi was born in Rome at a tumultuous time for Italy and for Europe. Her first role was either in 1953 (according to IMDB), or in the 1954 Three Coins in the Fountain (per Wikipedia), which I just re-watched recently and I think I remember seeing her in her “walk on” role. She had a prosperous acting career in Italy and by the 1960s, she was working abroad as well as in her native country.

She auditioned for the role of Domino in Thunderball, who was originally Italian in the story, but was changed to a Frenchwoman to accommodate the casing of Claudine Auger. However, Paluzzi was offered the role of Fiona Volpe, a SPECTRE agent, and she said that the henchwoman was “more fun to play.” Although Paluzzi is best known for the role, sadly she said that after the publicity and fame died down, she felt she wasn’t taken as seriously as an actress, especially after she returned to Italian parts in Italy.

Hugo De Vernier

Born this day in 1912

Hotel Porter in From Russia With Love

Hugo De Vernier worked 30+ years in the industry as an actor. He got his start with a role in the UK television show The Scarlet Pimpernel in 1956, being cast as a prison guard. De Vernier made guest appearances in several television shows, most notably The Avengers, The Saint, and Secret Agent. Besides From Russia With Love, he was cast in Kelly’s Heroes (1970) as the French Mayor and The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) as a doctor. In all, De Vernier had 41 acting credits to his name before his death in 1993.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Love or Hate, Kevin McClory Has a Place in Bond History…Day 159 of Bond 365

Whittingham, Peter O'Toole, Bobo Sigrist, McClory in 1963 (from 007 Magazine)

Kevin McClory

Born this day in 1926

Original Story, Producer and ‘Man Smoking at Nassau Casino’ in Thunderball

Original Story and Producer for Never Say Never Again

Kevin McClory has an interesting, albeit controversial position within the Bond alums. It’s a long and twisted story in which McClory and screenwriter Jack Whittingham worked with Ian Fleming to develop an adaptation for the screen. Fleming, who had been looking to elevate James Bond to the small or big screen was probably initially ecstatic to have a producer and screenwriter taking interest in his dream. I imagine that Fleming may have thought that he and Bond were finally going to make it big. However, on the way to market, perhaps Fleming realized he gave away the farm so to speak and had seller’s remorse. Whatever the case, a legal battle ensued and McClory won the film rights to Thunderball, as per Fleming and McClory’s agreement.

Because of the court case, the franchise was unable to incorporate Spectre into their storylines until recently. The franchise now has the rights to the use of the secret villainous organization and it should be fascinating to see how it is thread back into the Bond story with Spectre later this year.

If you want to read more about the controversy, there is a copyright section of Thunderball here and Robert Sellers wrote about the case in The Battle for Bond (2007, Tomahawk Press Publishers).  I am fascinated by the case and have yet to really study all of the intricacies of the events that unfolded, as well as how they impacted the franchise. While it is impossible to say how events could have turned out otherwise, McClory's and Whittingham do have a place in Bond history as they were part of the creative force for bringing to life Thunderball and Never Say Never Again. 

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Book Review: ‘Spy School’ by Stuart Gibbs…Day 133 of Bond 365

I didn’t have any individuals on my list for Bond 365, however I just finished reading spy story for kids called Spy School by Stuart Gibbs that was released in 2012. I happened across it this past weekend at the local bookstore. There are three books in the series, but I just picked up the first book to try it out. Below are my thoughts.

Spy School

By Stuart Gibbs

(2012, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)

My cards on the baccarat table: Stuart Gibbs' Spy School is a lot of fun. It's a fun read and even though its target audience is children 8 to 12, there's enough there to interest adults.

Spy School is the story of Benjamin Ripley, a 12-year-old boy who has a knack at math. He is visited by a secret agent who invites Ben to join the CIA Academy of Espionage. He excitedly accepts and his parents approve his attending an elite "science school" across the river in Washington DC. From the moment he enters the campus main building, Ben is the target of ninjas, secret agents, double agents, and kids looking for a hacker to dole out good grades. Ben soon learns that he isn't so much spy material as he is bait, to hopefully reveal a mole in the school's community.

Gibbs packs oodles of spy references amongst a colorful band of teenage characters. The main characters are fleshed out well, while the supporting cast fill in the mise-en-scene nicely. The story is set at a brisk pace and keeps the plot concise and focused, without too much in the way of layering subplots. After all, this story is aimed at the pre-teen reader.

I think the one aspect of the story that caught me off guard was the spy references that I felt would be beyond the young reader. For example, at one point, when Ben is labeled a "Fleming" it's meant to refer to his belief in the spy ideal within popular culture - James Bond. Now, I know that James Bond is pervasive in our cultural fabric, even at a teen level, however it is not often that Ian Fleming's name is brought up as being associated with James Bond. It's not like the new film trailers say "James Bond, the Ian Fleming created British Secret Agent" in the movie's tagline.

There are a couple of additional James Bond references in Spy School. For instance, there is a secret evil organization called SPYDER, interestingly similar to SPECTRE. And the other Bond reference: 007 at a pivotal point in the story.

Further into the story, there are mentions of Petersburg Puppeteer, the Cold War, the concept of disinformation campaign, and martial arts techniques (ie Bashful Armadillo, Wily Chipmunk, Spastic Cobra). And, there’s a verbatim quote from Breakfast Club, “You mess with the bull – and you get the horns.” This time, its said by the principal of the school.

I feel led to believe that this and others I found sprinkled throughout the book are more for the enjoyment of the adult reader who may be reading the story to their child. However, I remember at 12, I was reading novels on my own. These popular culture references are not obscure, but they are not necessarily pervasive in the young person’s knowledge either. Even if the reader doesn’t know the reference, it would not hinder the enjoyment of the story.

Gibbs has written two more novels in this series: Spy Camp and Evil Spy School. I think I might just go ahead and pick those up too.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Empire First Look at Spectre…Day 117 of Bond 365

Since I haven’t any Bond in history today, I’m turning to the April issue Empire, which has Daniel Craig on the cover. It is touted as the magazine’s first look at the new movie, Spectre.

The 12-page was written in January when shooting was just beginning at Pinewood Studios and in Austria. Chris Hewitt, along with additional reporting Phil de Semlyen, discuss watching Craig on set as he fights bad guys.

The spread has some side articles that include a spotlight on both Lea Seydoux (Madeleine Swann) and Monica Bellucci (Lucia Sciarra). In addition, there’s a few info graphics in which we can can meet the Spectre team of past Bond films, a dissection of the ultimate henchman, and a flowchart in which you can determine which Bond you are (I got David Niven). I did find it interesting that Bob Holness, from the 1956 South African radio version of Moonraker, was a Bond option. Even James Bond the ornithologist is an option!  

Within the article, we get to hear from David Bautista (Drax of Guardians of the Galaxy), who has been a long time Bond fan. He reveals the two questions he asked Sam Mendes about Mr. Hinx, the role Bautista took for this film.

The writers include a brief summary about Kevin McClory and the disposition of SPECTRE and why we are now seeing it resurface after such a very long time. It remains to be seen if the Quantum organization that Mr. White represented will fold nicely within the Spectre group or not.

Lastly, there is a fluff sidepiece on “Spying by Numbers” that recaps the double-o agents that have been referred to in Bond films prior to Spectre. And of course, there are several large photos throughout the article. 

Is it worth ten-dollar price tag because it is an import to the US? I would say yes, especially if you like following Bond alums: a few pages further in is a juicy interview with Mads Mikkelsen (Le Chiffre from Casino Royale) as he discusses his NBC television series, Hannibal.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Half Dozen of Bond and a Trailer on the Side….Day 86 of Bond 365

Yeah! The teaser trailer for Spectre released earlier this afternoon. I recognized the locales that we have been seeing promotional stills and shots of in the past couple of months. It’s cool to see those items congeal into the semblance of a forthcoming film. The shots inside the church stood out for me as minimalist yet intriguing. So, what do you think?

Thunderball

UK book release in 1961 (Jonathan Cape)

I haven’t read this book yet. Given the history behind it, which I will not go into in this blog (read the Wikipedia entry for more information on that front), I am anxious to read it. I want to read the eight leading up to it and then read through this one and see if there are many style and narrative differences in Thunderball that were not there in the prior books.

The cover of the book is another Richard Chopping illustration. I like his covers quite a bit. Sterile, distant, and aloof, yet textured with layers of meaning and representation. On the Wikipedia page, I liked the pull quote that Fleming wrote to Chopping: “The title of the book will be Thunderball. It is immensely long, immensely dull and only your jacket can save it!”

Richard Marner

Richard Marner

Born this day in 1921

Russian Spacecraft Communicator in You Only Live Twice

It was about a week ago that Richard Marner appeared in Bond 365. Let’s take a look at March 18, commemorating his passing in 2004.

Julian Glover

Julian Glover

Born this day in 1935

Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only

Julian Glover came from a BBC family. His mother was a journalist and his father a radio producer. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and honed his acting skills at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company. He became a regular in many of the television series in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s where Glover often played sophisticated villains. In face, he is the only actor to appear in these popular franchises – Star Wars, Bond and Indiana Jones – and as a villain in all three. And Glover, like a number of other actors I have been featuring on Bond 365, has acted in a Bond film and in the Doctor Who franchise.

According to IMDB, Glover audition for the role of James Bond in the 1960s and then in John Glen’s memoirs, had suggested Pierce Brosnan for the Bond role. Glover is still acting. If you happen to watch a little show called Game of Thrones, he plays Grand Maester Pycelle.

Talisa Soto

Talisa Soto

Born this day in 1967

Lupe Lamora in Licence to Kill

Talisa Soto has been successful as a model where her beautiful face and body have graced such magazines as Glamour, Sports Illustrated, Mademoiselle, and Vogue. She started appearing in films in 1984’s The Pope of Greenwich Village. Her third acting credit was for Lupe Lamora in Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton and Carey Lowell. It seems that for the most part, she was cast in films, however she did guest star on a handful of television series, however Soto’s is probably also remembered for her role as Kitana in Mortal Kombat: Annihilation. Most recently, you might have seen her in Elysium.

Sean Connery and Gerry Duggan

Gerry Duggan

Passed away this day in 1992

Hawker in Goldfinger

Irish actor Gerry Duggan got his start in The Flying Doctor as Fred Winter in 1959. He went on to act in a mixture of television series and films through an acting career that lasted over thirty years.

As a Bond alum, he was cast in Goldfinger as Hawker, James Bond’s caddy as Bond plays a round of golf with Auric Goldfinger. Let’s see Mr. Duggan in action:

Peter Diamond

Peter Diamond

Passed away this day in 2004

Stunts in A View to a Kill

Peter Diamond was a versatile individual. According to his IMDB profile, he was an actor, stuntman, fight coordinator, sword master, and second unit director/assistant director. Diamond started in the business in the 1954 television series The Three Musketeers as M. de Jussac, but he also was a fight arranger for two episodes. He worked on a lot television series as well as movies. In all, he had 74 acting credits and 121 stunt credits in a career that spanned half a century, which is an incredible length of time.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

My oh Mollie Peters and Don Wolz…..Day 74 of Bond 365

Happy Sunday and welcome to Bond 365 where each day I post about Bond related events, typically marking birthdays or passings, of Bond alums. Today, I’ve got two individuals from the early days of Bond films, special effects artist Don Wolz, and model Mollie Peters, who had a brief acting career. In addition, I’ve added some Bond news links at the end, just in case you haven’t been keeping up with Bond this past week.

From the set of Diamonds Are Forever

Don Wolz

Born this day in 1915

Special Effects for Diamonds Are Forever

Originally from Denver, Colorado, Don Wolz worked on less than a dozen films from 1958 through 1977. In all of the films, his work on special effects went uncredited, so perhaps there were other projects he worked on that have not been recorded.

Terence Young, Mollie Peters and Sean Connery

Mollie Peters

Born this day in 1942

Patricia Fearing in Thunderball

Mollie Peters was an English blonde bombshell who was a model and had a fleeting acting career, apparently due to a falling out with her agent. Probably her most memorable role was as Patricia Fearing, a nurse/masseuse at the Shrubland Health Club in Thunderball. She was discovered by Terence Young and has the distinction of being the first Bond Girl to remove her clothing onscreen. She was featured in the November 1965 issue of Playboy as part of “James Bond’s Girls,” a pictorial essay by Richard Maibaum.

And, now some Bond news:

03/15 – The Telegraph has a slide show of photographs from the various Spectre sets.

03/15 – Wales misses opportunity to host James Bond in iconic Welsh building, and the assembly members were apparently not consulted according to BBC News.

03/15 – Apparently, a country’s reputation costs in the neighborhood of $20M. Mexico is offering Eon Productions up to that amount to have Mexico portrayed in a positive light in the upcoming Spectre. They have asked that Mexico’s modern cityscape be featured in the shots, that the villain is not Mexican, and that a Mexican actress be cast as a Bond Girl….

Beauty Stephanie Sigman has been added to Spectre cast

03/10 - ….Mexican actress Stephanie Sigman was added to the Spectre cast as a Bond Girl according to Variety. She is the first Mexican Bond Girl in the film franchise’s history. She may be familiar to you: she has appeared in “The Bridge” and “Narcos.”

Daniel Craig, wild for Comic Relief

03/13 – Daniel Craig and other Bond cast and alums have stepped up to support Comic Relief, a seven-hour show. According to the MI6 article, if you are in the UK, you’ll have access to it on BBC iPlayer, found just a little under two hours into the programming.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

A Woman’s Bond: Craig. Daniel Craig….Day 61 of Bond 365

Daniel Craig's James Bond piqued women's interest

Daniel Craig

Born this day in 1968

James Bond in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre

“Pass the smelling salts: Women around the world rejoiced Daniel had been chosen as Bond when this 2006 photo emerged,” a Daily Mail article caption said. Having sat through a number of James Bond presentations at the annual conference I attend each year, one thing I can say is that there is more feminine interest in James Bond with the blue-eyed Daniel Craig wearing the tux and Speedo than any of the other men of the past films. Where the Bond films have been a more gentlemanly pursuit, from what I have witnessed, times are changing and more women have taken to the recent films, starting with Casino Royale in 2006. How did Craig arrive at this point? Was there a Craig before Bond?

According to IMDB, Craig’s first role was Sgt. Botha in the 1992 movie The Power of One. He must have played a pretty small part because he was not listed with the main group of actors, but rather on the full list of cast and crew. From that role, he moved to the small screen and did a lot of television movies and series, with a big screen movie thrown in every so often. In 1996, he played Geordie Peacock in Our Friends in the North (1996) for eight episodes, which put him higher in the list than Malcolm McDowell who was in five episodes.

Craig in the Bond uniform

In 1997, he had his first break out role as John MacHale, one-third of a love triangle in Obsession. He was front and center on the cover of the DVD and had his name above the title. The following year in Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, he took second billing to Sir Derek Jacobi and was Jacobi’s love interest in this biography about Bacon. Of note, Craig and the new Q Ben Whishaw starred together in The Trench (1999) about World War I (they paired up again in the 2004 for Enduring Love). As I looked at each film, quite a few were love/obsession oriented, Craig usually playing a younger love interest to an older woman (or man).

Although not a critical hit but entertaining, I do think that Craig received quite a bit of notice in Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) when he played fellow competitor adventurer, Alex West. He got to play some action sequences and show off his physique during a shower scene. This was probably a turning point in his career.

He went on to have a role in Road to Perdition (2002), Layer Cake (2004), The Jacket (2005), Steven Spielberg’s Munich (2005), the edgy animated Renaissance (2006), and Infamous (2006), a story about Truman Capote. His third outing in 2006 was of course Casino Royale, where Craig definitely became a bona fide international star as the most recognized British secret agent in the world.

Craig as the English version of Mikael Blomkvist

Since Casino Royale, Craig has become entrenched in the Bond world. He has completed two more Bond films – Quantum of Solace (2008) and Skyfall (2012) – as well as lending his voice and likeness to the video game market. He completed the Quantum of Solace video game in 2008, James Bond 007: Blood Stone (2010), and GoldenEye 007 (2010). However, he only approved his likeness for the train wreck known as 007 Legends (2012).

Naturally, there have been roles outside of Bond. Craig was particularly busy in 2011. He became Jake Lonergan in Cowboys & Aliens, the graphic novel turned into a film, lent his voice in Steven Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, starred in the creepy thriller Dream House with his wife Rachel Weisz, and as journalist Mikael Blomkvist in the English version of Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I do feel that Swedish version starring Michael Nyqvist and Noomi Rapace is a superior interpretation of Larsson’s book, however I thought Craig put in a strong performance. I think part of the weakness of the English version was its deviation from the book, which I cannot fault Craig for – that said, I do actually hope the rumored The Girl Who Played with Fire will come to fruition for Craig in the next couple of years.

Admittedly, Craig does seem to be slowing down on his projects and those that he is working on are Bond related (confirmed anyway). It will be interesting to see what he does after he hangs up his tux, but that may be at least another couple of years out since he is listed for a yet to be named Bond 25.

 

Bond....Gun....Car

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Karin Dor and Weekly Bond News....Day 53 of Bond 365

It’s Sunday afternoon and I’m thinking about the busy week I have ahead of me. No rest for wicked I presume. Regardless, I hope you have a spectacular week!

Karin Dor

Karin Dor

Born this day in 1938

Helga Brandt in You Only Live Twice

Originally from Germany, Karin Dor started her acting career in Europe in 1955. The bulk of her acting credits are European films and television shows, however she did a handful of English-language films that included You Only Live Twice (1967) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Topaz (1969).

As Helga Brandt, she was the first German woman to play a Bond Girl, well a villainous SPECTRE agent (#11) who decided to sleep with Bond and kill him later. Of course Bond did not die in the plane crash that Helga arranged and consequently she failed her directive. When later confronted by Blofeld in his lair, her “boss” tells Blofeld he had given her strict orders to kill Bond. She thought she had killed him anyway. As she walks away from Blofeld’s desk, he triggers the release on the bridge she is walking across, dropping her into a tank of piranha. What an awful way to go!

And, now, what news came up about Bond this past week?

02/17 – Listen up ladies! 007 fragrances has created a perfume for the modern Bond Girl. The beautiful Caterina Murino, Solange in Casino Royale (2006), is the face of the new scent, which combines spicy black pepper and rose milk in a multi-faceted cut black bottle simply titled 007 for Women. For the lucky UK ladies, you can nip around to your local Boots, The Fragrance Shop, The Perfume Shop, Debenhams for this new eau de parfum. The fragrance will eventually be available elsewhere.

02/17 – The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Ford reported that another injury has plagued Spectre. This time it was Terry Madden, second unit assistant director, who was injured when a camera truck crashed into a barn. Madden has been part of the Bond crew for every film since For Your Eyes Only (1981).

02/17 – AutoBlog posted a video of the new Aston Martin DB10 in action on the set of Spectre at the gorgeous Blenheim Palace. While I love the sleek, smooth lines of the DB10 from the side shoots, I am just not sold on the front with a single blocky bummer/grill section nor the blunted rear end, which are too modern for my taste.

The second video shows the Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender. The location is stunning, but give me a sweet sports car any day! Red or silver please!

Bond Girl Monica Bellucci and Daniel Craig at the Forum

02/19 – Daniel Craig and Monica Bellucci were photographed overlooking the ruins of the Forum in Rome this past week.

02/21 – BBC News reported James Bond production designer Anna Pinnock has been given a few days off from Spectre so she can attend the Academy Awards this evening. Pinnock has been nominated twice in the same category for The Grand Budapest Hotel and Into the Woods.

It is not the first time Pinnock has been in this situation. In 2013, her work on Life of Pi and Skyfall were nominated for a BAFTA, however she went home without an award. This is her fourth and fifth nomination in her 30-year career.

© Copyright. Michele Brittany. 2011 - 2015. All rights reserved. All text, graphics, and photos are protected by US and International Copyright Laws, and may not be copied, reprinted, published, translated, hosted, or otherwise distributed by any means without written permission.

Water Sports and Bond in the News.....Day 47 of Bond 365

Dolores Keator in only onscreen role

Dolores Keator

Born this day in 1925

Mary in Dr. No

Dolores Keator’s only onscreen role was as Mary Trueblood, secretary to John Strangeways in Dr. No. According to James Bond 007 Wiki, her back story was that she was a former Chief Officer WRNS and was stationed in Jamaica. Early in the film, she is killed by the Three Blind Mice as she prepares to report into the London headquarters because Strangeways has information regarding Crab Key and Dr. No.

Keator’s Jamaica home was used as Strangeways house in the film. Wiki contradicts itself by stating that Keator’s character is the first Bond girl to appear on the screen in the first official EON Productions Bond film. However, she did not share the screen with Bond nor was she romantically involved with Bond, so I would argue that Keator was not a Bond Girl. I believe that honor still goes to Eunice Gayson’s Sylvia Trench.

Ricou Browning

Ricou Browning

Born this day in 1930

Second Unit Director/Underwater Director: Underwater Sequence in Thunderball; Underwater Sequence Director on Never Say Never Again

Writer. Director. Camera and Electrical Department. Producer. Second Unit Director or Assistant Director. Miscellaneous Crew. Actor. Stunts. Special Effects. This is renaissance man was born in Florida, so perhaps it was not a surprise that Ricou Browning ended up with a career in which water was prominent in his life. Prior to scuba gear, he had learned how to breath through an air hose when he first started diving for local water shows.

Browning worked on the Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) completing all of the underwater sequences. He went on to work on the sequels: Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). He wrote, directed and produced the original Flipper series in the 1960s. He even did some acting in the series as well.

He originally joined the Bond family in 1965’s Thunderball and then worked on Never Say Never Again in 1983 as the Underwater Sequence Director. For Thunderball, Browning specifically was “responsible for the staging of the cave sequence and the battle scenes beneath the Disco Volante and called in his specialist team of divers who posed as those engaged in the onslaught” (Wikipedia: Thunderball).  I think it is interesting that Browning worked on the two Bond films that were tied together via the McClory-Fleming legal dispute that lasted from 1961 – 2006.

And now to highlight Bond news from this past week:

Can I test drive?? Pretty please???

02/10 – Designboom reported that Spectre will feature the sporty Jaguar C-X75 supercar hybrid version (man is it sweet!) as well as a Range Rover Sport SVR. 

02/12 – Geeks of Doom report their first look at Spectre, plus video!

02/14 – Louis Jourdan, who played Kamal Khan in Octopussy passed away at the age of 93 in his Beverly Hills, California home. A lengthly obituary write up from Variety.

02/16 – The Guardian reported that the Arciconfraternita di Carita verso I Trapassati has denied the Spectre crew from filming at the 2,000 year old Verano Cemetery. It is anticipated that Mendes will film at the Museum of Roman Civilisation in Rome instead.

Idris Elba 

02/16 – Pierce Brosnan weighed in on the question of whether Idris Elba would make a good James Bond. Brosnan said the 42-year-old would make a good Bond. Elba’s stance regarding the rumors has fallen to both sides: no validity to the rumors to yes, he would take the role if it was offered to him. With Bond 25 at least a couple of years out, I wonder if Elba would have reached that tipping point of being too old by then?

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