This day in 1987, the fifteenth Eon Productions’ James Bond
film The Living Daylights had its London premiere with a new actor filling the
tuxedo. Welsh stage actor Timothy Dalton became the fourth actor to portray the
British spy, taking over for Roger Moore. The opening follows Ian Fleming’s
“The Living Daylights” story with Bond on a stake out waiting to snipe a
beautiful woman assigned to kill a KGB defector. Bond disobeys orders and
shoots the assassin’s rifle from her hands instead.
The film starred Maryam d’Abo as the assassin with a cello;
Jeroen Krabbe as the defecting officer and Joe Don Baker, the villains; as well
as John Rhys-Davis, Art Malik and Virginia Hey. Desmond Llewelyn was back as Q
and Robert Brown as M. Caroline Bliss took over as Miss Moneypenny, replacing Lois
Maxwell. The film’s budget was $40 Million and box office receipts reached
$191.2 Million.
It has been too long since I watched this Bond film because I do not remember much of it. I definitely need to rectify that.
Michael Brennan was born in London with the birth name of
Bernard O’Leary in 1912. According to IMDB, he began acting with a part as
‘John Kidd, Survivor’ in a television movie titled The Fame of Grace Darling (1939). In 1965, he was Janni, a henchman for Largo
in the James Bond film Thunderball.
Janni is one of the bad guys that presumably gets away after witnessing Volpe
receiving a fatal guy shot wound in the back, which was intended for Bond.
Brennan had a prolific acting career on television and film,
which spanned 40 years and over 160 credits. His last role was in the tv series
Cowboys (1980) as ‘Picket leader’ in the
episode “C.L.O.D.” He passed away at the age of 69 in Chichester, West
Sussex.
Blond beauty Virginia Hey was originally from New South
Wales, Australia. As a lean, tall woman, it is no surprise that she had a
successful modeling career. She made her film debut in the Mel Gibson vehicle Mad
Max 2: Road Warrior in which Hey was cast
as ‘Warrior Woman.’ From there, she went on to work on a number of tv series
and films. She is probably best known for her role on the sci-fi show Farscape in which she was Pa’u Zotoh Zhaar and Dr. Jane
Komenski from 1999 through 2002. In addition, she lent her voice for her
television show character in the video game Farscape: The Game (2002).In 2000, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
nominated Hey in the category of Best Genre TV Supporting Actress for her work
on Farscape.
I met Hey at one of the Hollywood Collector’s Shows back in
2010 or 2011. At that time, Hey talked about her new line of perfumes and
candles that she had designed, from the scent to package. Every bit of her
product line conveyed a sense of exquisite elegance. I bought a bottle and a
candle and they are wonderful, as was Hey.
Teru Shimada
Passed away this day 1998
Mr. Osato in You Only Live Twice
As I was looking up Teru Shimada, I recognized his face
immediately from many popular television shows over the years. Shimada was born
in Mito, Japan and began his acting career in an uncredited role as ‘Japanese
Dignitary’ in The Washington Masquerade
(1932) when the “talkies” were still considered a new cinematic innovation.
Although Shimada had been living in the US since the early
1930s, during World War II he was interned at the Poston War Relocation Center
located on the border of Arizona and California.
Shimada spent his first two decades in film before venturing
into guest appearances on the small screen in 1956 for the show, Cavalcade
of America. Thereafter, he balanced
television and film appearances throughout the rest of his career. His last
role was on The Six Million Dollar Man in which he played Shige Ishikawa in the 1975 episode ‘The Wolf Boy.’
Louis Jourdan
Born this day in 1921
Kamal Khan in Octopussy
It seems just like it was yesterday that we heard of Louis
Jourdan’s passing on February 14 (see entry here) at the age of 93. Jourdan was
born Louis Robert Gendre in Marseille, France. He gained his education in
France, Britain and Turkey, which probably accounts in part for his refined and
cultured demeanor he is often associated with on screen.
Jourdan was cast in his first role in Le corsaire (1939) on the eve of World War II. He practiced his
English on tourists that would stay at the hotels, such as the Cannes Grand
Hotel, that his father managed. However, during the war the Gestapo arrested
his father and resulted in Jourdan and his brothers, director Pierre Jourdan
and assistant director Robert Gendre, to join the French Resistance. To make
matters worse for Jourdan, he refused to act in National Socialist propaganda
films, so he acting career was halted.
From the 1960s through to the early 1990s, Jourdan made
guest appearances in tv shows and continued to star in films. His last role was
in the film Year of the Comet (1992)
alongside Penelope Ann Miller and Tim Daly. I am rather surprised that for the
length of his career, he has only 87 acting credits.
Jourdan has been honored with two Stars on the Walk of Fame back in 1960. The stars honor Jourdan for: Television, located at 6445 Hollywood Blvd and Recording, located at 6153 Hollywood Blvd. I will have to visit his stars one of these
days when I'm up in Los Angeles.
I was out and about today and after enjoying Stuart Gibbs’
Spy School, I had to pick up the second and third books, Spy Camp and Evil Spy
School. Ben Ripley returns for both books. And, I had the good fortune that the
bookstore actually stocked the British version of GQ, which features an in
depth article and cover of Austrian Christoph Waltz. I thought I was going to
have to search eBay for a copy and now I don’t have to – yay! Anyway, reviews
coming soon!
Pierce Brendan Brosnan
Born this day in 1953
James Bond in GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World
Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing (video game)
His likeness for James Bond 007: Nightfire (video game)
It’s birthday wishes to Mr. Pierce Brosnan who donned James
Bond tuxedo for four films that spanned across two decades. If things had
worked out between the producers at Eon Productions and the NBC television show
Remington Steele, Brosnan’s reign as the
suave British secret agent would have started with The Living
Daylights (1987) when Timothy Dalton was
originally not available. It would have been interesting to see what Brosnan
brought to the table and the tone he would have set with those storylines. I
don’t think we would have had the darkness of Dalton, but I believe that
Brosnan would have tempered the over-the-top humor that defined Sir Roger
Moore’s era.
We could speculate all day, but in the end, Brosnan came to
Bond with GoldenEye (1995), which was
his best outing. The actors collected for the film coupled with the story,
worked well, however, I don’t think there was chemistry between Brosnan and his
Bond Girls in the film. I actually turn to Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and his on-screen chemistry with Michelle
Yeoh, as Wai Lin, as the best Bond/Bond Girl relationship of the four films.
Personally, I thought the storyline for Die Another Day derailed the franchise and unfortunately, Brosnan as
Bond.
Looking at the rest of Brosnan’s filmography, I realized that
I had not seen very many of his movies. And, I never watched Remington
Steele. I did see November Man and it was an entertaining film. It was great seeing
Brosnan back in action, however I felt Olga Kurylenko’s ability to do action
was missing, which she was capable of holding her own in Quantum of
Solace (2008). Instead, she was relegated
to portray an inept, damaged woman, who looks hot in a little party dress and
wig. Of the films I haven’t seen, Seraphim Falls (2006) the western starring Brosnan and Liam Neeson
looked intriguing, because I like westerns and I’m fascinated by Civil War
storylines.
Anyway, there are several projects in the hopper for Brosnan
for the rest of year, so there will be many opportunities to see our former
James Bond at our local cinema house in the coming months.
Bond Trivia: Goldfinger
(1964) was the first Bond film that Brosnan saw in the cinema. This film, along
with Lawrence of Arabia (1962),
greatly influenced him and inspired him to pursue acting.
Director of Photography on The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill
Camera Operator in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, The
Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, and Octopussy
Englishman Alec Mills was well established behind the camera
lens by the time he began working with Eon Productions in the late 1960s. In
fact, he had already worked Sir Roger Moore on The Saint for two years, prior to On Her Majesty’s
Secret Service and then worked with Moore
when he became Bond. The last two Bond films he worked on starred Timothy
Dalton and Mills graduated to the position of DP.
He wrote an autobiography of his experiences working on the
Bond films entitled Shooting 007 and Other Celluloid Adventures, published last year. It is available on Amazon.
John McLaren
Passed away this day in 1970
Brigadier in Goldfinger
Originally from Canada, John McLaren got his acting start in
Welcome, Mr. Washington in 1944. The
majority of his credits were for one-off guest parts in television shows fairly
consistently up until his death. Unfortunately, there was little written that I
could find.
John P Austin
Passed away this day in 1997
Set Decoration in Diamonds Are Forever
Oscar nominated American set decorator John P Austin started
working on sets for the 1947 film, A Double Life. He worked on 100+ sets for just over 30 years and was nominated for
an Academy Award for his work on Gambit (1966), which starred Shirley MacLaine and a very young Michael Caine.
I was unfamiliar with most of Austin’s sets with the exception of Touch
of Evil (1958), What’s Up, Doc? (1972) and Westworld (1973). I did like the sets in Diamonds
Are Forever, especially Willard Whyte’s
(played by Jimmy Dean) home where Bond fights Bambi and Thumper.
If you
celebrate, I wish you a wonderful Cinco de Mayo! Today, it just so happens I
have five extraordinary individuals featuring on Day 125 of Bond 365….so many
fives!
Anthony
Squire
Born this
day in 1914
Second Unit
Director for Casino Royale (1967), On
Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Stock Car
Sequence Director in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Son of a poet,
Jack Francis Anthony Squire was born in London just as the world was perched
for the First World War of the modern era. There was little that I could find
on Squire than he was a World War II pilot and worked in the RAF film unit,
gaining experience that he would utilize for his first time as a second unit
director. Having piloting and filming experience, he was a natural choice for
filming the flying sequences in Breaking the Sound Barrier (1952).
Squire did
sit in the director’s seat for a little over a dozen films, however he stated,
“I tended to get stuck with the second-unit label, which I’ve never been able
to shake. I’ve done a few films on my own, but nothing terrific” (IMDB).
Looking over his directorial credits, nothing stood out that I recognized. His
last directing credit was in 1985, which may have been when he retired. He
passed away in 2000 at the age of 86.
John
Rhys-Davies
Born this
day in 1944
General
Puskin in The Living Daylights
I smile
every time I see John Rhys-Davies. I think it is because he has inhabited a
number of roles that were part of the fun film experience of my youth,
specifically with the Indiana Jones films in which he played Sallah and more
recently, as Gimli in the unforgettable Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Born in
Wales and raised in Wales, England and Africa, Rhys-Davies graduated from the
University of East Anglia and attended RADA. His early travels created an
interest in classic literature, actingand writing. He made his first television appearance as Gareth in the
television series 1964 when he was 20. Fifty years and 235 acting credits
later, I am excited that he will be in a new television series, Lantern City,
as Desmond Wilhorn which will also be released in comic book form from BOOM! Studio
in a couple of weeks. Along the way, he has picked up several nominations and
awards (many for Lord of the Rings).
Bond trivia:
Rhys-Davies is the only actor to have played in three hugely successful
franchises: James Bond, Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones.
John
Terry
Born this
day in 1950
Felix Leiter
in The Living Daylights
John Terry
has an unusual path to acting. A native of Florida, he was building log cabins
in North Carolina when he discovered acting. He performed in local theatre
productions and then moved to Alaska where he started a business.
When Terry
turned 30, he moved to New York where he pursued acting full-time. He was
making one-episode appearances in a variety of television series and supporting
roles in films. In 1987, he landed the role of Lt. Lockhart in Stanley
Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, the same
year that he was cast as Felix Leiter in The Living Daylights.
As with
other supporting actors, Terry returned to television and continued in film. In
1994, he was Dr. David ‘Div’ Cvetic’ in the hit hospital drama ER. And in 2002-2003, he was Bob Warner for 12 episodes
for the “real time” crime drama 24.
More recently, he had recurring roles on Trauma, Lost, Brothers &
Sisters, and Charlie’s Angels.
Gary
Dubin
Born this
day in 1959
Boy in Diamonds
Are Forever
He is the
little boy that could. Gary Dubin was born in Edinburgh, Scotland (or according
to Wiki, in Los Angeles) and already 14 acting credits under his belt by the
time he was cast as an uncredited “Boy” in Diamonds Are Forever in 1971. He acted in film, television and lent his
voice for several video games and cartoons. He even has a singing credit for
his voice role on The AristoCats
(1970) performing “Scales and Arpeggios”. His most recent work was in 2013 on RockBarnes:
The Emperor in You.
Adele
Born this
day in 1988
Singer for Skyfall Theme Song
Adele has
had an amazing musical career. She has won many awards and has been in the
Guinness Book of World Records for her numerous achievements. In 2013, she won
the Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Skyfall”. I am dumbfounded that
it was the first time that a James Bond song won and that only five Bond songs
have been nominated of all the fantastic songs that have come from the films.
I am pleased
that she actually co-wrote the song, along with producer Paul Epworth, which
they developed from having read the script. The music, her voice, and the video
capture the haunting dark mood of the film. The process of first draft to
recording with a full orchestra was 18 months, being reviewed by Sam Mendes,
Barbara Broccoli and Daniel Craig – all were apparently moved by Adele’s song.
I think the
franchise made the right choice with Adele who captures an underlining
melancholy sadness that is reflected in the film. Let’s have a look at the
official video:
I don’t know if Sean Bean has ever said (or thought) that,
but as the actor known for dying in many of the role he plays, I would imagine
getting to live is probably a refreshing prospect in a character he plays.
Bean did not start out in acting. From Sheffield, he became
a welder at his father’s welding firm before turning to acting and attending
RADA. He acted in several stage productions in London’s West End and in 1984,
he appeared on the UK television series The Bill as Horace Clark in the episode ‘Long Odds’.
I think my favorite Sean Bean roles include Boromir in The
Lord of the Rings; Partridge in Equilibrium; John Ryder in The Hitcher; Ulrich in Black Death; and Maj. Jack Jones in Age of Heroes (includes a storyline with Ian Fleming during World
War II). I haven’t yet watched him as Ned Stark in the first season of Game
of Thrones (I’ve read all the novels and
his death scene in the book was shocking!) and I would like to see Legends in which he plays Martin Odum.
According to his IMDB profile, Bean auditioned for The
Living Daylights (1987) for the role of
James Bond. I’m sorry he didn’t get an opportunity to play Bond, however, I
think his performance as Alec Trevelyan in GoldenEye (1995) was quite good – he really does well whether
hero or villain. In my opinion though, he didn’t get enough screen time.
Anyway, I hope that he continues to get solid roles – roles in which he gets to
live!
Bill Weston as Blayden Butler in The Living Daylights
Bill Weston
Passed away this day in 2012
Stunts for You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret
Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Never Say Never
Again, and The World Is Not
Enough
Stunt Double: Christopher Walken/Stunt Team on A View to
a Kill
Blayden Butler in The Living Daylights
Bill Weston’s career as a stunt performer spanned
approximately 40 years in almost one hundred projects that ranged from
television to film. Interestingly, he worked on several Eon Productions (and
one non-Eon) Bond films, yet his Wikipedia entry spotlights his work in Saving
Private Ryan, Titanic and Raiders
of the Lost Ark. All three are stunt heavy,
but so are the Bond films!
Special note, Weston even worked on the Alex Rider:
Operation Stormbreaker (2006) movie that
starred a young Alex Pettyfer as Alex Rider, based on the novel by Anthony
Horowitz. I read the book and found it to a fun, young James Bond oriented
book.
It’s Saturday and it’s Timothy Dalton’s birthday today! He
was the fourth actor to portray James Bond, if you don’t count the 1967 comedic
version of Casino Royale. What do you
think of Dalton as James Bond?
Dalton in Jane Eyre
Timothy Dalton
Born this day in 1944 or 1946
James Bond in The Living Daylights and License to Kill
Timothy Dalton is under appreciated as James Bond. There, I
put it out on the table. I think however that the timing was against Dalton in
three ways when he put on the tuxedo.
First, when Dalton was initially
approached to play Bond was when Eon Productions was looking for a replacement
for Sean Connery for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Dalton had been working in theatre and films,
starring opposite Malcolm McDowell, Peter O’Toole, Anthony Hopkins, Marcello
Mastroianni, and Virna Lisi. Eon Productions approached Dalton and he tested
for the role, but he felt he was too young (he would have been around 25 at the
time) so he turned down the role. A 25-year-old Bond does seem young; George Lazenby who did play Bond in OHMSS was just around 30 at the time. However,
I think that his serious portrayal would have fit very well with the OHMSS
storyline.
Secondly, when Dalton did come on board as Bond, it was
right after Roger Moore’s more lighthearted interpretation of the British secret agent. While I think we can all
agree that sometimes things went just a little too light (for example, sound
effect noises that accompanied stunts), asking audiences to move from fun to
deep, dark serious was too much to ask of Bond audiences at that time. Following up after Connery rather than Moore would have been better for Dalton. Obviously audiences like serious Bond –
Craig’s era – which I think was more palpable as a follow up to Pierce Brosnan’s
Bond.
Third, the long wait between License to Kill and Goldeneye (6 years) was unfortunate especially since there has been criticism
regarding the strength of the Bond stories that Dalton starred in. If filming
could have started sooner so that Dalton would have portrayed Bond for the
third of three films he signed up for, I think Goldeneye would have provided audiences the opportunity to nod
and agree that Dalton was made for the tuxedo. It was sad that Dalton made the
decision to walk away, but you have to respect him for deciding to move on.
And, it’s not like Dalton could not find work. He has been one very prolific
and successful actor over the years!
I am glad that he got his shot at James Bond, even if timing
wasn’t on his side. We got to see another side to Bond and Dalton did pave the
way for Brosnan, who blended into a middle-of-the-road Bond (which really would
have eased audiences in a post Moore era), and later Craig, who brought serious
Bond back in a huge way.
Timothy Dalton and Bond Girl alum Eva Green in Penny Dreadful
I don’t know about you, but boy has it been a week! Exciting
news in the world of Bond with the release of the first teaser and official
Daniel Craig photo for Spectre. There’s
been a lot of buzz around the gun he’s holding in the photo, by the way. And,
more generally, the first trailer for The Man from U.N.C.L.E. out and looks like it could be quite a fun movie. We
sure have some great watching coming up in the months ahead!
Joe Don Baker (Google)
Joe Don Baker
Born this day in 1936
Brad Whitaker in The Living Daylights, CIA Agent Jack Wade in GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies
Joe Don Baker is one of the few actors to play an ally and a
villain in the Bond films.He was
a villain when he played Brad Whitaker, but returned as CIA Agent Jack Wade. In
addition, he played opposite two Bonds: Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.
He had several roles in Westerns and in crime films, usually
as a cop. Some of his stand out films included Cool Hand Luke with Paul Newman, Walking Tall as Sheriff Buford Pusser, Mitchell as police detective Mitchell, The Natural with Robert Redford, Cape Fear with Robert De Nire and Nick Nolte, and in 2012, Mud with Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon.
Maud Adams (Google)
Maud Adams
Born this day in 1945
Andrea Anders in The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy as the title character, and in briefly as an extra
in A View to a Kill
She was born Maud Solveig Christina Wilkstrom, but took the
professional name Maud Adams. She originally wanted to be an interpreter (she
is fluent in five languages), but was discovered in 1963 when she accidentally
fell into modeling when a photo of her was submitted to the Miss Sweden contest. She moved to Paris, then New York City and
worked as an internationally recognized model. By the 1970s, she was guest
starring in some of the popular American television shows. However, it was as
Andrea Anders, that her acting career was solidified. Critics reviewed her
performance as “tough but haunted” (Wiki).
Adams was invited back to play Bond Girl Octopussy in the
movie with the same title. In this film, she was a mysterious smuggler who
surrounded herself with an army of women on her exotic island. Two years later,
she appeared briefly in A View to a Kill
as an extra in a crowd shot at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, if my memory
serves me. Roger Moore played James Bond in all three of the Bond films she
appeared in.
She has stayed close with the Bond family over the years. I
had the honor of meeting Ms. Adams twice, both at Bond reunions coordinated by
the Hollywood Collector Shows in the past few years. She is still very
beautiful; a bit reserved which I think maintains that aura of mystery about
her.
Aileen Lewis (Google)
Aileen Lewis
Passed away this day in 2014
Chess Tournament Spectator in From Russia With Love
There was not much that I could find regarding Aileen Lewis.
Her acting career began in 1959 in The Ugly Duckling and concluded in 1977 with Sweeney! for a total of 12 acting credits. Besides From
Russia With Love, Lewis also had supporting
roles in war film The Dirty Dozen,
which starred another Bond alum, Telly Savalas, and Roman Polanski’s Repulsion. In addition, she appeared in an episode of Doctor
Who during John Pertwee’s era. If you have
my book, James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of
the Fictional Superspy, then you have
probably read John Vohlidka’s essay discussing the similarities between Pertwee
and Bond titled “Who, Doctor Who: 007’s Influence on the Pertwee Era of Doctor
Who.”
I turn to
literature for today’s entry for Day 35 of Bond 365.
On this day in 1962, the
short story The Living Daylights first
appeared in The Sunday Times (UK)
and was posthumously published by Jonathan Cape June 23, 1966 (UK). The
Living Daylights was paired with another
short story, Octopussy, for that
release. In more recent editions, two additional short stories have been added:
The Property of a Lady and 007
in New York.
Fleming
originally titled this story Trigger Finger
and is about Bond’s three-night stake out to kill an assassin. When it was
published however, the title was changed to Berlin Escape, which was kept when it was published later that
same year in America. In 1966, it was adapted to a comic strip format by writer
Jim Lawrence and illustrator Yaroslav Horak. Titan Books re-released the comic
strip in their James Bond Omnibus Vol. 2 (2011) and is available from Amazon.
Cover art Richard Chopping (Wikipedia)
It has been
a couple of years since I have read this short story, but I remember enjoying
the story as well as the other ones. The film includes details from the story:
a beautiful cellist with a sniper rifle. In the story, Bond shoots the butt of
her gun; in the film, he saves her. In the book, Bond hopes he is fired for
making the split second decision to prevent her shot rather than kill her. For
the story, Fleming consulted the National Rifle Association for sniper shooting
information. The concept of the noise masking an escape was inspired by the
real life escape of Pat Reid. And, Fleming profiled his half-sister Amaryllis
for the female assassin.
The original
cover was illustrated by Richard Chopping, who was himself an author
(children’s books and natural history) and illustrator. He created the dust
jackets for nine of the James Bond books, starting with From Russia, with
Love (1957, Jonathan Cape). Interestingly,
Chopping’s correspondence with Fleming went up for auction in 2010. The
collection of letters touched on details relating to the dust jacket art. I bet
they would have been interesting to read. The lot sold for $57,600.
Welcome to Friday and can you believe we are 30 days into
2015 and hence 30 days into Bond 365. At lunch today I got to talk Bond with a
Bond aficionado from another team that I don’t usually work with. He mentioned
how much he had liked the underwater scenes from Thunderball and at a drop of a hat, I mentioned
Lamar Boren because he was featured earlier this month. Anyway, always cool
when I get to talk with someone who is passionate about the franchise.
Composer John Barry
John Barry
Passed away this day in 2011
Composer, multiple James Bond films
One cannot go to far into a conversation about the franchise
and not bring up the music, which is a component of filmic Bond’s success over
the decades. Bond is indebted to Monty Norman who created the initial theme in Dr.
No, but for the next 25 years, Barry’s
signature musical style and innovation did lend to Eon Productions' success.
The last Bond film that Barry scored was Timothy Dalton’s The Living
Daylights. He was supposed to score
Dalton’s follow up film, but was recovering from throat surgery and could not
travel. Michael Kamen (Pink Floyd – The Wall, Brazil, Lethal Weapon) filled in.
After the lengthy break between movies that lasted into the 1990s,
Barry recommended composer David Arnold, who had created new versions of Barry’s
scores in Shaken and Stirred: The David Arnold James Bond Project.
I’m linking to Adrian’s Film Music blog where the top two
entries feature Barry. The first is a discussion of Dances with Wolves, a film that Barry composed and won an Academy Award
for Best Original Score in 1990. The second entry is a remembrance and includes
a clip from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. In Eddi Fiegel’s John Barry: A Sixties
Theme: From James Bond to Midnight Cowboy
(2001, Macmillan), Barry stated, “I have to stick my oar in the musical area
double strong to make the audience try and forget they don’t have Sean….to be
Bondian beyond Bondian.” He nailed it in my estimation. His score for OHMSS is one of the best, all-around powerful soundtracks
of all the Bond films that have been released thus far.
Guy Doleman as Count Lippe
Guy Doleman
Passed away this day in 1996
Count Lippe in Thunderball
Born in New Zealand, Guy Doleman was an international actor,
landing roles in his native country as well as American and Britain. He is
probably best remembered as Count Lippe in Thunderball who tangled with Bond at the clinic and who was later
bumped off by fellow SPECTRE agent Fiona Volpe (the gorgeous Luciana Paluzzi).
I really need to revisit Thunderball, which I have not seen since last year when I started to watch each film in order. I'm embarrassed, I did not get far...why can I not get paid to write and watch films??
I’m a fan of
Cinema Retro, edited by eminent film historians Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall,
who may be familiar to readers for their entertaining and educating commentary
on The Quiller Memorandum (1966, dir
Michael Anderson, Cinema Classics Collection). Both have edited together and
separately, books on James Bond as well. Typically, the magazine will include
at least one mention of our suave spy. However, in the latest issue, Bond got
two articles and two short mentions. Let’s take a closer look.
Bond On
The Backlot: GoldFinger (pgs 10 –
13)
Aerial maps
of Pinewood Studios anchor the myriad of behind-the-scene black/white and
colour photographs spread over four pages in a pictorial celebration as Goldfinger (1964, dir Guy Hamilton) turns 50 later this year
(September). Sets for Fort Knox and Goldfinger’s mansion and farm were built on
the studio lot and given authenticity with shots captured by the second unit
that traveled to Kentucky during production. The automobiles sported Kentucky
license plates – of course – and it helped that the English studio had good
weather as well, so audience-goers were fooled.
Gert and Honor on the backlot of Pinewood Studios
Pinewood
Past (pgs 48 – 49)
Pinewood
Studios is most closely identified with the James Bond franchise, however the
studio began decades earlier when Charles Boot bought Heatherden Hall in 1934.
A year later, Boot and J. Arthur Rank spent approximately £1 Million, converting the estate
into a film studio – Pinewood, named in honor of the trees growing around the
mansion and to sound like “Hollywood.” Home to spies, aliens, superheroes on
the big screen to the small screen, there have been many peaks of success that
defined Pinewood’s history, however there were some valleys too. This two-page
article spotlights the year 1987 when the studio had to diversify and become a
“four-wall” facility (the article explains it as renting out sound stages and
the filmmakers would bring in their own crew). The headcount was reduced and
Managing Director Cyril Howard recounts how estate manager, Bill Harrison,
pulled in commercials and props to supplement the feature films that were being
shot at Pinewood. From near financial ruin, in 2009 Pinewood Studios received
the BAFTA award for outstanding contribution to cinema.
The
Living Daylights shoots into Raymond
Benson’s Top Ten Favourites for 1987 (pgs 8 – 9)
Benson cited
the chemistry between Timothy Dalton (his first outing as James Bond #4) and
Maryam d’Abo (Kara Milovy) as elevating The Living Daylights (dir John Glen) in the canon of Eon Productions
films. In addition, he felt that Dalton’s portrayal was an accurate depiction
of Fleming’s literary spy that even Craig has yet to match.
World
News: Lotus Esprit Sells at London Auction (pg 6)
Known as
“Wet Nellie” and the only fully functioning white Lotus Esprit automobile
constructed to double as a submarine in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977, dir Lewis Gilbert) was on RM Auctions block
last September. The iconic car sold for £550,000
($822,000).
Visit your
local bookseller to purchase your copy before they’re gone.
