This Week In Bond (July 19th, 2022)
Dance into the fire
As the UK endures a record heat wave, we popped up a Twitter poll that voted ‘Quantum of Solace’ the hottest and sweatiest of all the James Bond films. It was trailed by ‘Licence To Kill’ and ‘Dr. No,’ with an honourable mention going to ‘Octopussy.’ Given Ian Fleming’s penchant for the Caribbean, it’s a wonder that we haven’t seen Bond battle in the heat more often. In fact, you could argue that the cinematic incarnation is equally at home in cold conditions.
When the film series kicked off, Bond was an escapist form of entertainment that could transport viewers to exotic corners of the globe they were unlikely to ever go - too out of reach for the average working person. Whether that was the sun-kissed beaches of the Bahamas or the exotic landscapes of Japan. It all changed with the advent of low-cost long-haul flights and package holidays, so audiences have become increasingly familiar with 007’s popular jaunts.
In recent years, filmmakers have instead had to lean into areas of the planet that are inaccessible for political rather than economic reasons: why else would Bond have to slink off to Cuba so many times? This trend really started with 2002’s ‘Die Another Day’ using North Korea and Cuba and continued through the Daniel Craig era using locations such as an observatory in the Bolivian desert, an abandoned Japanese island, a crater in Africa, and of course, Cuba (again).
The new era of Bond, whenever that happens, will face the challenge of finding new locations that look fresh to audiences. Or, should producers lean into the classic Bond locales and just do them better than others? Given the choice, where would you take 007? The Australian outback? The north pole? The moon?
News
Kim Sherwood’s first entry in her ‘Double O’ trilogy, titled ‘Double Or Nothing,’ will be hitting bookstores in September. Young Bond author Charlie Higson will be joining her for the book launch at the British Library on Thursday 1st September. If you are in or around London, you can join them in person, or alternatively, watch the live stream. Tickets are available from the British Library event website.
Listen
The Roger Moore era comes to a close this week as the weekly 60th-anniversary big screen re-releases in the UK hits ‘A View To A Kill.’ Phil Nobile Jr, Natalie Bochenski, and Ben Williams form the James Bond & Friends panel this week to discuss the peak ‘80s adventure that featured the juxtaposition of energetic youth versus the oldest portrayal of Bond to date. If the Bond series was to have a film with the status ‘cult classic’ - this is it.
Watch
‘No Time To Die’ had more production problems than half the series combined, and some of them were put in a can and kicked down the road with the label “fix it in post.” Here we see a summary of just some of the solutions that were found with digital effects and CGI. Did you notice the motorcycles disappearing from the trailer?
MI6 Archives
‘A View To A Kill’ had one of the most striking poster campaigns and multiple artists worked on concepts. Whilst the final designs were by Daniel Goozee (Golden Gate Bridge, Eiffel Tower) and Brian Bysouth / Vic Fair (white tuxedo), British designer Eric Pulford had some interesting ideas that sadly were not taken past the concept stage.
Exit Through The Gift Shop
Issue #65 of MI6 Confidential magazine shipped to subscribers last week. If you haven’t yet signed up or renewed for our 2022 season - you can do so here. Alternatively, this single issue is now available for individual purchase and will ship worldwide!
More Bond
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As for the locations, the point isn't exactly "where" but "how".
What matters in 007 movies is how Bond visits the locations. Does he do it in a exclusive way? That is the question. Will he interact with people and places in a way that no travel agency could ever sell to their costumers?
For example, Bond has come to Italy, my country, a number of times, so why would I bother to see him in Siena or Lake Garda (QoS), Venice ( FRWL, Moonraker and CR), Lake Como (CR again), Cortina d'Ampezzo (FYEO), Sardinia (TSWLM), Rome (Spectre), Matera (NTDD), places that I know and love? Because in 007 films I see these places beautifully shot, as I've never seen them before, and because Bond goes to places (exclusive hotels, palaces and houses) that most of us, unfortunately, cannot afford, and also because once there he does things that no tourist could ever dream to do.
That's why I want to see Bond in Italy (and of course in other beautiful places around the world) again, and honestly I couldn't care less if he went to so-so places I've never been to. The best Bonds are crowded and with architectural masterpieces, when he's alone (or almost alone) in a desert or a suburban road, I always find myself wondering why I decided to watch that movie.
Amazon shows "Double or Nothing" as being released next April (2023!). Ouch, that's a long wait! And the pre-order price is sky high!
As to where to take Bond? The world is full of terrific locations. From the photography world, I'd say Iceland has some amazing landscape that you simply don't see anywhere else on Earth. However any great castle tucked away in Europe would be a great location too. The Mayan Ruins of Mexico / Central America certainly have potential too.