January 31st, 2011
by David Leigh
The sad news of John Barry’s death from a heart attack has been announced this morning on the BBC website. The short article notes: His arrangement of Monty Norman’s James Bond theme led to him composing scores for 11 films in the series, among them Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice. Read Composer John Barry […]
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January 28th, 2011
by David Leigh
Although she has been lauded by some as a liberated woman and true feminist archetype, the Bond Girl has virtually escaped critical study—until now. Released through Xlibris, Robert A. Caplen’s Shaken & Stirred: The Feminism of James Bond analyzes the cinematic Bond Girl and argues that the character initially served as a different archetype: one […]
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January 27th, 2011
by David Leigh
Dame Judi Dench, who has played M since Goldeneye in 1995, has revealed that will reprise the role in Bond 23, according to a report by the BBC. Actress Dame Judi Dench has revealed she will return to play head of MI6, M, in the new James Bond film, which will also see Daniel Craig […]
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January 27th, 2011
by David Leigh
This book is a must have for anyone who is serious about the James Bond novels. I loved the first edition, but was unhappy with the translations. John Griswold read the review and contacted me, suggesting that I help him with the translations for this edition. Of course I jumped at the chance and so […]
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January 26th, 2011
by Q-branch staff
When Pierce Brosnan made his James Bond debut in Goldeneye (1995) it was with an extraordinary stunt; a 220-metre bungee jump from the top of a dam that allowed 007 to infiltrate an illicit Soviet chemical weapons facility. The jump, which was voted the best movie stunt of all time by Sky Movies in 2002, […]
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January 24th, 2011
by David Leigh
The Book of Bond was written by Kingsley Amis under the pseudonym of Lt-Col-William (“Bill”) Tanner, the name of the Chief of Staff in the British Secret Service and one of James Bond’s best friends. Firmly tongue-in-cheek it claims to be manual to become a 007, hence the subtitle “Every Man His Own 007” and is […]
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January 24th, 2011
by David Leigh
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was written by Ian Fleming, author of the James Bond books, for his son Caspar. Inspired by a series of racing cars built by Count Louis Zborowski in the 1920s powered by aero engines, the story features an inventor – Commander Caractacus Pott – who renovates an old car, which starts […]
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January 24th, 2011
by David Leigh
Thrilling Cities comprises of a series of articles written by Ian Fleming on two trips in 1959 and 1960 for the Sunday Times and published in book form in 1963. The articles were written with the aim of helping the reader find the type of excitement absent from more traditional travel writing, written from the […]
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January 24th, 2011
by David Leigh
The Diamond Smugglers is an investigation by Ian Fleming of diamond smuggling operations out of South Africa. Originally written as a series of articles in the Sunday Times, the book expanded upon the original material and was first published in 1957.
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January 24th, 2011
by David Leigh
All Ian Fleming’s short stories are collected on one volume, entitled Quantum of Solace. For the first time the stories from For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy & The Living Daylights are found within the covers of a single volume. You can order it from the outlets below: Amazon UK Amazon US
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