On the 5th October, 1962, sixty years ago today, the film “Dr No” premiered in London, England. At that point in time, none of the film critics suspected that the small budget spy thriller was kick starting one of the most lucrative film franchises in cinematic history, the James Bond series. Sixty years and twenty-seven films later, with over US$12.6 billion in box office receipts, there seems to be no end in sight for the brand. Why, and how, has the Bond series captivated the interests of generations of movie goers?
Most film enthusiasts have probably viewed at least five Bond films, and thus are au fait with the standard opening credit sequence, where, the Bond character strides across the gilded screen to the accompaniment of the instantly recognizable ‘James Bond theme’ –“Dum di-di dum dum” – (the theme from Dr No), pivots and shoots into the lens of the camera. No matter how many times one has seen this routine entrance, regardless of whoever is playing James Bond, the hook always reels you in. Perhaps one’s subconscious automatically dials into this Monty Norman composition, (originally written for a musical version of V S Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas), the simple melody highlighted by the famous guitar riff and the jazzy swing-era brass section. The audience is once again geared for a canvas filled with ground breaking stunts and high speed chases shot in exotic locations, and sprinkled with glamorous characters and ruthless villains bursting with plans of world domination. The movie audience breathlessly awaits the dashing hero, James Bond, Agent 007, who is licensed to kill and is always ready to tangle with the underworld.
One can only speculate as to how many Bond followers have read one of the novels upon which the films are based, or are even aware of the Caribbean connection. The creator of the James Bond character was Ian Fleming, a former British naval intelligence officer in World War II. Fleming visited Jamaica during the war, and was immediately enamoured by the island, where, in 1946, he acquired a private estate, ‘Golden Eye’ On 17th February, 1952, he commenced writing the first Bond novel, Casino Royale, at his Caribbean retreat, during his then annual ritual of a two-month stay. Drawing on his espionage experience from the war, where he had encountered secret agents and commandos, Fleming introduced his readers to a glamorous and sophisticated spy world of high living, mysterious plots and instant death. His lead character, James Bond was a suave gentleman, who is very calm under pressure and extremely resourceful. His exquisite sartorial taste is an equal match for his appetite for fast cars and attractive ladies.
Over the next fourteen years, as the Cold War raged, Fleming produced a Bond novel annually, including two which were released posthumously after his death following a heart attack, at the age of 56, in 1964. Although Fleming’s Bond’s books, which were all written in Jamaica, were good sellers, it wasn’t until 1961 that he sold the film rights to his published and future Bond stories to Harry Saltzman, who formed Eon Productions, with Albert Broccoli. Although ‘Dr. No’ was the sixth book in the series penned by Fleming, the producers opted to start with that title. After an extensive search, they chose Sean Connery for the lead role, a selection, in hindsight, which probably set the tone for the high calibre of the films.
Despite enduring several changes in the lead role – Connery (1962 -71; 73 – [6 films]), George Lazenby (1969-[1]), Roger Moore (1973 – 85 [7]), Timothy Dalton (1987 – 89 [2]), Pierce Brosnan (1995 – 2002 [4]), and Daniel Craig (2006 -2021 [5]) – the 25 Bond films made under the Eon Productions banner continued to expand in popularity with each new film (the two other 007 films not made by Eon Productions). As Eon strove to keep the films current, and in some instances ahead, of trends in technology, often in the form of Bond’s survival gadgetry and his transport options, whether cars, motorbikes, boats or planes, the film production budgets exploded astronomically, with no dime being spared or corners cut. The budgets for the last two films, “Spectre” (2015), and “No Time to Die” (2021), have been estimated to range from US$245-250 million, and US$250-300 million, respectively, as compared to the now seemingly paltry sum of US$7 million for the initial film, and the US$45 million price tag for the tenth film, “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977), (all figures being adjusted to 2005).
Besides, the exotic locations, and technological wizardry, the Bond films bear a distinct hallmark, a remarkably high quality of music. Besides, the original Bond theme, every film is accompanied by an entirely new soundtrack, where the lofty standards of the franchise must exert an incredible demand on the contracted composers, singers and musicians. The names of artistes who have sung the title tracks read like a Hall of Fame short list, and include, Shirley Bassey (“Goldfinger” – 1962, “Diamonds Are Forever” -71, “Moonraker” -79), Tom Jones (“Thunderball” – 65), Louis Armstrong (“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”- 69), Paul McCartney (“Live and Let Die” -73), Rita Coolidge (“Octopussy” – 83), Gladys Knight (“Licence to Kill” – 89), and Tina Turner (“GoldenEye” – 95). The title tracks for last three films, “Skyfall” (2012), “Spectre”, and “No Time to Die”, sung by Adele (co-writer), Sam Smith, and Billie Eilish, respectively, each garnered the Academy Award for the Best Original Song.
Whilst the 60th anniversary of the release of the first Bond film has sparked special events, reruns, documentaries, and commemorative merchandise ranging from a teddy bear, to limited editions of a motorcycle and a set of six bottles of single malt whiskies with individualized packages to represent the six decades, it would be remiss of the James Bond aficionados to overlook the enduring legacy of Fleming. All of the author’s Bond novels and most of his short stories, along with his children’s book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, have been made into films. In fact, only two books penned by Fleming, The Diamond Smugglers, and Thrilling Cities, a nonfiction travelogue, weren’t made into film, which most likely makes him the most adapted writer of the last century.
The cinematic experience provided by the Bond films has ‘shaken and stirred’ several generations, who still argue at length, as to whom was best suited for the lead role. Aside from the comic book characters Superman and Mickey Mouse, Fleming’s Bond is probably the most iconic fictional character of the twentieth and the twenty-first centuries. Even today’s younger generation, as much as it is obsessed with Marvel heroes and Harry Potter, is very much aware of James Bond.
Bond is that rare phenomenon who has amalgamated the dimensions of books, music and film in a dynamic hereto unmatched, giving us three diverse art forms of pleasure/relaxation whilst projecting us into the realms of fantasy. Agent 007’s lasting spell on audiences is that immediately after they have savoured the latest offering, whilst the debates are surging on the film’s rightful place on the franchise’s totem pole, they are pondering how soon will they hear, those magical words again, “The name’s Bond; James Bond.”
