General all things James Bond thread

[Captain Comics]

I may have asked this before, but I'd like to ejjimicate myself on the Bond movies. The way I envision doing so is to buy Blu-rays with some extras, so I can watch the movies (in order, naturally) and learn about each one in the process.

As it happens it won't be completely a "let's review" situation, as there are a few Bond movies I haven't seen. I haven't seen most of the Roger Moore vehicles, and none starring Pierce Brosnan. Yeah, those are probably the weakest of the lot, I know. But they're on my bucket list.

So my question is: How can I find what I want? Amazon has a couple of collections on offer, but it doesn't tell me much about them. There's one collection that's all of the Broccoli movies through the first Craig outing, and then a bunch of sets separated by actor. All very nice, but what about extras? 

Also, when I Google some of the DVDs, it turns out they're European and won't work on American players. Maybe you should mention that, Amazon!

If anybody owns any Bond movies, advice would be most welcome. I'd rather not buy each movie individually -- the most expensive way to collect them -- but I'm almost certainly going to have to get Never Say Never Again that way, and also the David Niven Casino Royale if I decide to get it. Maybe On Her Majesty's Secret Service, too, if I go the collection-by-actor route, since George Lazenby just had the one.

But right now I have no idea what to do, so I turn to the Legionaires. Help me, fellow fans, you're my only hope!

(Oh, right, wrong franchise.)

[Captain Comics]

Americans should already know what "Stalnaya Ruka" means, because we already know that "Stalin" is an adopted name that means "steel" in Russian*, and Alex spoke of staying out of "the rukas of the milicents" in Clockwork Orange, which the "Nazdat" glossary in the back explains means "hands of the police." And the Nazdat (teen) glossary was mostly just straight-up Russian.

* Ukrainian and Russian are similar enough that Stalazov means exactly what you think: Steel-Azov. It's a steel plant on the Sea of Azov (in Mariupol). 

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Well, Cap, you've done it now... you've gone and gotten me interested in James Bond all over again. (It was only a matter of time anyway, really; I go through this phase every decade or so.) I've done an inventory of my James Bond books. First, I own all of them in paperback, but not one consistent set/publisher/trade dress. When I first started reading them. I was collecting the Jove editions, which I really liked. That series went only as far as For Your Eyes Only, however, when it stopped. I assumed they lost the license because soon a set began appearing from Berkley. That was a nice set, too, but I wasn't going to duplicate the eight Joves I already had. 

The Berkley editions were nice, too. They each featured a man in sihlouette shown from different angles posing with a gun. That series' trade dress reminded me a bit of Del Rey's Star Trek Log series (the later one, with the Enterprise shown from different angles, not the original ones illustrated with animation cels). By that time, though, I already had random editions of most of the others and needed only Thunderball and The Spy Who Loved Me. In the '90s I was able to acquire hardcover first editions of almost all of the novels, although only two of them have dust jackets, albeit ones in pretty crappy condition. 

In the early 2Ks, some publisher released an oversize paperback collection of the set, which I managed to avoid buying. But now I've realized I don't have On Her Majesty's Secret Service in hardcover, nor can I find my paperback copy at this time (it's probably just misfiled), and I am seriously considering buying those new editions in 2023. Back in the '90s, I determined that my last time reading them all would be my last time, but now I'm starting to reconsider. Also, now that I have finished watching all the Craigs in order over the course of the last five nights, I'm considering re-watching some of the other movies as well.

"I haven't made my mind up on the 1967 Casino Royale..."

You know what would make an interesting night of TV viewing?: A comparison/contrast of the Climax! Mystery Theater episode of Casino Royale, the 1967 parody and the Daniel Craig version. In tone, the 1967 version is very similar to Blake Edwards' The Pink Panther, if that helps you make up your mind. It also has a wonderful, kitschy soundtrack, also like The Pink Panther and like Stanley Kubrick's Lolita as well. 

"I haven't seen most of the Roger Moore vehicles, and none starring Pierce Brosnan. Yeah, those are probably the weakest of the lot, I know."

Don't sell the Pierce Brosnan ones short; those are four of the ones I'm considering re-watching. Also, I have novelizations of the first three which I have never read, so I'll probably make a whole "thing" of it. See what you started? 

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

I just ran across this conversation. I have or had a DVD of the David Niven Casino Royale, and I'm quite certain the Climax! episode is included as an extra.

I'm sure this is the DVD I have/had.

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

Cap,
I just checked, and the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library shows that it has a copy of that DVD.

[Dave Elyea]

I have that one too, but I bought it so long ago, I have no idea if the currently available versions on DVD or Blu-ray still include both pre-Craig versions of Casino Royale.  Personally, I thought they balanced each other out nicely, as one was so over the top and goofy, while the other was stripped down and deadly serious.

PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod said:

I just ran across this conversation. I have or had a DVD of the David Niven Casino Royale, and I'm quite certain the Climax! episode is included as an extra.

I'm sure this is the DVD I have/had.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

"A good James Bond trivia question is 'What is the only movie in which James Bond sings?'"

Another one is "Which actor has appeared in the most James Bond films?" Sean Connery? Roger Moore? Not even close. The record is held by Desmond Llewelyn who played "Q" in 17 of them. Second place is held by Lois Maxwell ("Moneypenny" in 14), and third by Bernard Lee ("M" in 11). Here are a few more thoughts and observations.

DISCLAMER: I am considering only the Eon films; not the Casino Royale spoof or Never Say Never Bgain. Because Never Say Never Again featured its own versions of M and Q and Moneypenny and Felix, feel free to up the totals below by one in each case.

M:

Bernard Lee played M in the first eleven films in a row.

Four actors have played M: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown, Judi Densch and Ralph Fiennes.

It was my impression, after Bernard Lee died, that Robert Brown's M was intended to be the same character played by a different actor, but later films in the series indicated it was a different M (by portraits of each on the walls of MI5 HQ).

Bernard Lee was M to three different Bonds; Robert Brown to two; Judi Densch to two; Ralph Fiennes to one.

Except for Robert Brown's appearance in Roger Moore's last film, Timothy Dalton got his own M and Moneypenny, and Pierce Brosnan got a new M, his own Moneypenny, and (eventually) a replacement Q.

Judi Densch played M to both Pierce Brosnan's and Daniel Craig's Bonds, but because Casino Royale was a reboot of the franchise, they must be considered different characters. 

The role of M transitioned from Judi Densch to Ralph Fiennes in Skyfall.

My favorite M is Judi Densch.

Q:

Three actors have played Q: Desmond Llewelyn, John Cleese and Ben Whishaw.

Desmond Llewelyn was Q for Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan.

The role of Q was included in 19 of the first 20 films.

Desmond Llewelyn played Q 17 of them.

Peter Burton played "Major Boothroyd" in Dr. No.

Q was not featured in Live and  Let Die (or Casino Royale or Quantum of Solace). 

The role of Q transitioned from Desmond Llewelyn to John Cleese in The World is Not Enough.

John Cleese played the role in two films; Ben Whishaw, three.

My favorite Q is Desmond Llewelyn.

Miss Moneypenny:

The role of M's personal secretary has been played by four actresses: Lois Maxwell, Caroline Bliss, Samantha Bond and Naomie Harris.

Lois Maxwell played the role for the first 14 movies in a row.

Lois Maxwell was Moneypenny for Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore.

Caroline Bliss was Moneypenny for Timothy Dalton.

Samantha Bond was Moneypenny for Pierce Brosnan.

Naomie Harris was Moneypenny for Daniel Craig.

My favorite Moneypenny is Naomi Craig.

Felix Leiter:

James Bond's CIA counterpart has been played by seven different actors in ten different films (!).

Jack Lord played the role first.

David Hedison played the role twice: once with Roger Moore, once with Timothy Dalton.

Jeffrey Wright played the role three times, all with Daniel Craig.

My favorite Felix is Jeffrey Wright.

[Captain Comics]

See what you started? 

Exactly as I planned. Moo-hoo-ha-haaaaaa!

I just checked, and the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library shows that it has a copy of that DVD.

Ooh, thanks for the legwork, Tim! That might be the way to go. Although, this would sure look nice on my bookshelf:

I did that groovy '60s art, man!

[Richard Willis]

You didn't answer your first question. The only singing Bond was Sean Connery in Dr No. 

Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) was collecting seashells and singing Underneath the Mango Tree. He was very close by and began singing it also, startling her.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

(I answered it on the previous page.)

[Richard Willis]

Oops! Missed it.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

(I answered it on the previous page.)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

FLEMING-ESQUE NAMES:

Ian Fleming had a penchant for bestowing outlandish names on his female characters, perhaps most infamously, Pussy Galore, a tradition which has continued on into the movies and flourished.

The female protagonist in Fleming's Moonraker was Gala Brand, but for the movie it was changed to Holly Goodhead. I remember an article in TV Guide about Bond's femmes fatale in which Lois Chiles was quoted as explaining to her mother it meant she had "a good head on her shoulders."

Last night I watched Goldeneye and the "bad girl" was Xenia Onatopp, played by Famke Jansson, who also played Marvel Girl in X-Men. I saw that movie but didn't even recognize the sexy Xenia Onatopp as the bland Jean Grey (even her name sounds dull) until I saw her name in the credits. 

In Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's Bond has a little fun with Eva Green's Vesper Lynd when he tells her the cover name chosen for her is Stephanie Broadchest, to which she responds, "It is not! Let me see that!"

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I think I have watched or gone to see a James Bond movie with every girl I have ever dated. I don't remember any of them really liking them. (That should have been my first clue.) Tracy's been a pretty good sport about it. Shortly after we we married, I subjected her to every James Bond movie there was at the time (at least 20, most of which I owned on widescreen VHS). Also, we've seen every James Bond movie released since in the theater (six). We just finished watching ten James Bond movies in as many days, including the nine most recent ones, which, theoretically, should be the most "enlightened."

When I was a kid, the "Bond girls" (as they were called then) were criticized for being mere sex symbols. In order to counter that criticism, Cubby Broccoli and Eon Productions introduced a woman character who was an actual rocket scientist. That character's name? "Holly Goodhead." Score one for feminism. I think Tracy had mostly blocked these movies from her memory because she kept saying, "I don't remember this at all." She finally drew the line, but the experience did teach me a new way of looking at James Bond movies. (A few years ago, ClarkKent_DC taught me a new way of looking at All in the Family and, oddly enough, it was the exact same lesson.) My point is, never take a girl to a James Bond movie on a first date.