The first James Bond film, Dr. No, was a gamble. In 1962, the 'Swinging Sixties' were about to begin and the aspirational lifestyle depicted by the Bond films were very much part of the art, music and fashion revolution that defined that decade. But no-one could have predicted that the first Bond film would spawn twenty-four sequels so far, including the most recent entry - No Time To Die.
The remarkable success of the James Bond franchise can be attributed to many factors - the strength and imagination of Ian Fleming's original novels; the consistency of the creative and production teams; the skill and wit of the screenplays. The basic formula of the Bond film remains, essentially, the same. But, crucially, the main character - whilst still the ultimate male fantasy - has evolved, adapted and been re-invented by the actor of the moment. Connery: lithe, virile, charismatic, cocksure. Lazenby: physical, charming, handsome. Moore: wry, smart, self-mocking. Dalton: saturnine, professional, dangerous. Brosnan: smooth, shrewd, efficient. Craig: taciturn, tough, driven, dark.
This book revisits and analyses all twenty-five official James Bond films, as well as the two attempts to steal some of that lucrative Bond audience and examines their place both in their contemporary timeline and how they stand up today. Every generation remembers going to the cinema to see their first James Bond film, their first James Bond actor, and the first time they saw the iconic opening 'gun barrel' sequence. What was yours?