Soundtracks

After Eric Serra’s score for Goldeneye met with a less than positive response, the producers of the next instalment of the 007 series, Tomorrow Never Dies, once again had to search for a new composer.  And, thanks to a recommendation from the man whose name will forever be associated with the music for 007, an […]

After a six year absence due to legal issues, it was once again all change for the James Bond series.  The end of the Cold War, a new Bond, a new, female M and the first Bond film not to take any story elements from Ian Fleming’s books, Goldeneye introduced 007 to a new generation. […]

The sixteenth Bond film was to be, in many ways, a watershed in the long running franchise.  Not only did it mark the end of Timothy Dalton’s brief tenure as 007 but it also marked the last contributions of actor Robert Brown (M), title designer Maurice Binder, producer Cubby Broccoli and director John Glen. Licence […]

Having become the first film series to reach its 25th anniversary, the Bond franchise had to yet again reinvent itself after Roger Moore’s decision not to return for the fifteenth 007 adventure.  Whilst Timothy Dalton became the fourth actor to take on the role of James Bond, after the series’ recent success the producers were […]

For Roger Moore’s seventh and final outing as James Bond, he was once again reunited with director John Glen and composer John Barry.  1985’s A View To A Kill was the fourteenth 007 movie and, once again, the series followed a pattern of turning from serious spy movies (For Your Eyes Only and Octopussy) to […]

After the success of James Bond’s twelfth adventure, For Your Eyes Only, Roger Moore and director John Glen were reunited in 1983 for Bond’s new adventure, Octopussy. And, for the first time since 1979’s Moonraker, legendary composer John Barry was able to rejoin the team to provide the score for the thirteenth 007 adventure. Octopussy […]

The Bond series frequently follows the same pattern.  Films get ever more action-packed and begin to feature increasing numbers of gadgets and explosions.  That is, until a director decides to change direction and revert back to a more subdued affair, more faithful to Ian Fleming’s books.  It happened with On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as […]

Due to a high level of taxation in the UK at the time, the production of James Bond XI was primarily moved to France.  In addition to the construction of some of the biggest ever sets that France had seen, the relocation of Moonraker to the continent also meant that John Barry could return to […]

By the time the next instalment of the James Bond series was due to be released, much had changed. Despite the relative success of Live and Let Die and The Man With The Golden Gun, 007 was in danger of being overtaken by new, spectacular summer blockbuster films including cinema’s latest phenomenon: Star Wars. With […]

After the success of Roger Moore’s debut as James Bond in Live and Let Die, the English actor returned in 1974 to film the ninth instalment of the 007 series, The Man With The Golden Gun.  Based on Fleming’s novel – the last written before his death in 1964 – Bond heads to Asia to […]