James Bond 007 Blog

This might be old news to some of you, but with the 100th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s birth coming up at the end of the month, Doubleday is releasing a new James Bond novel, Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks.

What I find interesting about this book is that rather than putting Bond in the present day, as all the post-Fleming Bond novels have been, Devil May Care is set in the cold war, picking up where Fleming left off in 1966 with Octopussy and The Living Daylights.

The author, acclaimed novelist Sebastian Faulks, is best known for his award-winning French trilogy The Girl at the Lion d’Or, Birdsong and Charlotte Gray, was hand-picked by the Fleming estate to pen the novel in Fleming’s voice. The book is meant to read like vintage Fleming: exciting, sexy, action-packed—everything you would expect from the classic James Bond series.

Here are some thoughts from Faulks on being chosen to carry on the 007 legacy:

I was surprised but flattered to be asked by Ian Fleming publications if I would write a one-off Bond book for the Ian Fleming centenary. I told them that I hadn’t read the books since the age of 13, but if when I re-read them, I still enjoyed them, and could see how I might be able to do something in the same vein, then I would be happy to consider it.

On re-reading, I was surprised by how well the books stood up. I put this down to three things: the sense of jeopardy Fleming creates about his solitary hero; a certain playfulness in the narrative details; and a crisp, journalistic style that hasn’t dated.

I developed a prose that is about 80 percent Fleming, I didn’t go the final distance for fear of straying into pastiche, but I strictly observed his rules of chapter and sentence construction. My novel is meant to stand in the line of Fleming’s own books, where the story is everything.

I’m a little nervous about someone trying to expressly write “as” Ian Fleming, but Faulks apparently realizes that this would be impossible and is making sure to go for a balance of Fleming’s style with his own twists.

Hopefully I’ll be getting a copy in a little bit and will share with you the latest Bond adventure. I’m also hoping to get a few copies to be used in a contest giveaway for the site, so stay tuned!

Doubleday Official site of Devil May Care

Penguin Books Official Site of Devil May Care

I recently had a chance to look over a new book by Robert Sellers entitled The Battle for Bond: The Genesis of Cinema’s Greatest Hero.

The book actually came out last summer, but Midpoint Trade Books NYC, Inc graciously sent over a review copy a few weeks ago.

The book is the account of Kevin McClory’s efforts to insert himself into the James Bond franchise. He, Ian Fleming and Ivar Bryce had started a project to bring Fleming’s hero to the big screen, and with the help of screenwriter Jack Whittingham, put together a screenplay for Thunderball. Fleming and Bryce however, were growing less than enamored of McClory and decided to cancel the project.

Fleming then went ahead and published the novel Thunderball using many aspects of the screenplay. It resulted in a much publicized court case, which took a heavy toll on the health of both Fleming and Whittingham, who traded heart attacks during the process. Eventually the court ruled in favor of McClory.

He was unable to make the move himself, and teamed up with Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, who by that time had already produced the first three James Bond movies. Thunderball was a huge hit, and the book contains many stories of the production and all that was involved. Some of this information I had seen and heard before, but much of it was new.

After making the movie, McClory wanted more, but had to wait 10 years to use his rights again. Right on cue in 1975, he announced that he would be making Warhead, and that Sean Connery would be involved in the project. That project eventually resulted in Never Say Never Again - and the book has plenty of information on the production of that movie (which was a total mess).

McClory continued into the 1990’s and even the early parts of this decade, determined to make a third movie based on the Thunderball material. He even claimed that he created the cinematic version of Bond, which was different from Fleming’s character in the novels. He filed suit after suit in this quest, but died a lonely, broken man.

The book was interesting to me because of the letters between the principals involved. You also get to see some of Fleming’s efforts at a screenplay, which to me, was gold, as I was reading new narrative from Fleming on Bond…something I didn’t think I’d ever do again. One can only wish that Fleming’s entire screenplays might see the light of day at some point.

One person who really annoyed me was Never Say Never Again director Irvin Kershner, who apparently only directed the movie for the paycheck. By his own admission, he had only seen two James Bond movies prior to directing NSNA and he even had this to say about Ian Fleming:

Just from having seen a couple of Bond films I knew what the so-called formula was; license to kill, plenty of women, action, that’s about it. There’s nothing else to them. I didn’t think Fleming was a great writer at all. In fact, I thought he was a mediocre writer.

Did Kershner believe that the Bond movies actually represented Fleming’s work? Had he actually read any of the novels? He just comes off as a total buffoon.

The book mostly revolves around McClory, but Jack Whittingham is a large figure as well. Much of the material from the book came from Whittingham’s papers, which his family had kept. Whittingham’s daughter, Sylvan, who contributed much to the telling of the story. (She’s had an interesting life herself.)

The following BBC video looks at the book, and also notes the objections from the Ian Fleming Will Trust, who filed suit to stop the distribution of the book, because of the plagiarism theme and because this is the centennial of Fleming birth and many events are planned for this year.

It seems like if you’re able to grab a copy of this book, you’d better do it while you can…I highly recommend it, as it is a fascinating look into the business side of Bond. I don’t think Ian Fleming comes off too poorly in it either, although he clearly made some unwise decisions along the way.

I was pleased with the announcement this week that the 22nd Bond film will be entitled Quantum of Solace. The name comes from an Ian Fleming short story in the For Your Eyes Only collection.

In this story, Bond is merely present as a story is related to him. He is in between missions, attending a dinner party at the Government House in Nassau. (pictured) Bond is bored by the other guests, though he notes the chatty wife of the other guest. As the party winds down, Bond finds himself with the Governor, merely trying to make conversation to pass the time. He makes an offhand remark about how he always thought it would be nice to marry an air hostess. This sparks a story from the Governor which takes up most of the rest of the narrative.

(The following is from Wikipedia, and from my recollection an accurate account of the tale)

The Governor of The Bahamas tells 007 a sad tale about a relationship between a former civil servant he calls Philip Masters, stationed in Bermuda, and air hostess Rhoda Llewellyn. After meeting aboard a flight to London the two eventually married but after a time Rhoda became unhappy with her life as a housewife. She then began a long open affair with the eldest son of a rich Bermudan family. As a result Masters’ work deteriorated and he suffered a nervous breakdown. After recovering he was given a break from Bermuda by the governor and sent on an assignment to Washington to negotiate fishing rights with the US. At the same time the governor’s wife had a talk with Rhoda just as her affair ended. Masters returned a few months later and decided to end his marriage, although he and Rhoda continued to appear as a happy couple in public. Masters returned alone to the UK, leaving a penniless Rhoda stranded in Bermuda, an act which he’d been incapable of carrying out merely months earlier. But Masters never recovered emotionally, his vital spark never relit. The governor goes on to tell Bond how after a time Rhoda married a rich Canadian and seems to be happy. When Bond remarks that she hardly deserved her good fortune, the governor says that Masters had always been rather weak, and that perhaps Fate chose Rhoda as its instrument to teach him a lesson. Bond deduces that the dinner companions whom he found so boring were Rhoda and her new husband, and he tells the Governor she was much more interesting than he had thought.

It remains to see if any elements from this story, such as character names, or locations find their way into the movie, but since the name comes from an Ian Fleming story, I wholeheartedly endorse the choice. There aren’t many original Fleming names left to use. Risico and The Hildebrand Rarity are the two remaining unused story titles from For Your Eyes Only. From the Octopussy collection, only The Property of a Lady title remains unused. 007 in New York would be the only other Fleming Bond title available after that.

The James Bond Encyclopedia is being released on October 15th. We were fortunate enough to get our hands on an advance copy of the book, and wanted to share our initial thoughts on the book.

The book covers all matters Bond, both in Ian Fleming’s novels, and the EON production movies. There are sections of the book devoted to Ian Fleming, The Bond Style, The Role of Bond, Bond Villains, Bond Women, Supporting Cast, Vehicles, Weapons & Equipment, and The Movies. There is also a comprehensive index from which you’ll be able to quickly find just about anything you’re looking for that is Bond related.

In many cases you get to see how things developed from the novels, and arrive in a sometimes slightly different form in the movies. You read about Fleming’s original take on things, and how he incorporated them into his novels, and then how those elements were brought the movie screens.

The photography in the book is what really stands out, as the coffeetable style book is really built around the pictures of each item that is discussed. No character or weapon from the series is too small, as you’ll be hard pressed to find something that the authors, John Cook and Collin Stutz have missed. The best thing about a book like this is that you can either try and read straight though, or you can just randomly open a page and read an entry and enjoy it just as much.

It seems that you can go into Barnes and Noble and find a number of books that might seem similar to this one. They’re especially common around the release time of each new movie. Those books have nothing on this one. If you’re a Bond fan, this publication comes highly recommended by this blog.

We were saddened to hear of the passing of John Gardner, who picked up the torch from Ian Fleming and wrote Bond novels in the 1980’s and 1990’s.

Gardner’s Bond utilized much of the latest technology of the day, and attempted to modernize the character - a move that worked well sometimes and not so well at others. James Bond drove a Saab (!) in some of Gardner’s novels, and while the car seemed pretty cool, sometimes I could just not get over the idea of 007 tooling around Europe in a Saab. For the most part, I really enjoyed the novels, and they allowed me as a teenager in the 1980’s to feel a sense of anticipation for the next Bond adventure.

While Ian Fleming’s life is often talked about as one long adventure, Gardner was no slouch in his own right. I encourage you to learn more about him from the links below.

Wikipedia

Commander Bond

Here are the latest James Bond headlines from around the world:

(Updated Automatically)

We suck. We know it. We’ve dropped the ball on this blog. We’ll try to do better.

Let us know what you’d like to see in the blog. More novel recaps? Bond related news? Movie items? Trivia?

Leave a comment and let us hear it…

How many elements from the novel can you spot in the trailer?

Moonraker Chapter Seven

I don’t know the first thing about playing Bridge, yet this chapter by Ian Fleming detailing how James Bond sets up and knocks out Sir Hugo Drax at the bridge table at Blades is absolutely riveting.

You’ll recall that we ended the last chapter with Bond appearing to be very drunk and enticing Drax to play at the highest stakes ever seen at Blades. we open chapter seven with Drax’s partner, Meyer expressing his nervousness about being involved in such a high stakes game. However Drax harshly orders him to play his game, and the match is on. We see a marked change in Bond at that moment.

Bond lit a cigarette with hands that had suddenly become quite steady. His mind was clear. He knew exactly what he had to do, and when, and he was glad that the moment of decision had come.

He feels good karma in the crowd around him, he reflects on all the card battles that have gone on in this room for over a hundred years, and then the game gets off to a good start, with Bond getting a strong hand.

Bond allows himself to appear emboldened by the hand, causing Drax to raise the stakes even higher. Then the signal appears.

Across the table, M saw a white handkerchief materialize in Bond’s right hand. M’s eyes narrowed. Bond seemed to wipe his face with it. M saw him glance sharply at Drax and Meyer, then the handkerchief was back in his pocket.

It is Bond’s deal now, and he hands out the cards. Drax can hardly believe the hand before him. Bond has set the trap and enjoys watching his prey come to the bait. He then goes back into his “drunk” act, causing Drax to raise the stakes on the game one final time. In addition to the 15 & 15, there is also a side bet of 400 pounds per trick. Bond knows what is in Drax’s hand.

Bond had dealt them to him - in the Secretary’s room before dinner.

Basildon has come back to observe the game, and is startled at the stakes and also by the hands that he sees. This is what he observes as he walks around the table:

BOND
Diamonds - Queen, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Clubs - Ace, queen, 10, 8, 4

DRAX
Spades - Ace, king, queen, knave
Hearts - Ace, king, queen, knave
Diamonds - Ace, king
Clubs - King, knave, 9

M
Spades - 10, 9, 8, 7
Hearts - 6, 5, 4, 3
Clubs - 7, 6, 5, 3, 2

MEYER
Spades - 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Hearts - 10, 9, 8, 7, 2
Diamonds - Knave, 10, 9

Basildon sees that Bond has arranged a lay down Grand Slam against any defense. His thought:

It was sheer murder.

Drax still has no clue and impatiently orders Meyer to put something down and get started. Basildon reflects that in 10 minutes Drax will wish that Meyer had died in his chair before he could put anything down. Piece by piece the game goes down just as Bond had planned out. Then a great section of the book follows.

Morphy, the great chess player, had a terrible habit. He would never raise his eyes from the game until he knew his opponent could not escape defeat. Then he would slowly lift his great head and gaze curiously at the man across the board. His opponent would feel the gaze and would slowly, humbly raise his eyes to meet Morphy’s. At that moment he would know it was no good continuing the game. The eyes of Morphy said so. There was nothing left but surrender.

Now, like Morphy, Bond lifted his head and looked straight into Drax’s eyes. Then he slowly drew out the queen of diamonds and placed it on the table. Without waiting for Meyer to play he followed it, deliberately, with the 8, 7, 6, 5, 4 and the two winning clubs.

Then he spoke. ‘That’s all, Drax,’ he said quietly, and sat back slowly in his chair.

The rage wells up in Drax, as he starts to accuse Bond of cheating. Basildon stops him and orders him to settle up. He owes Bond over 15,000 pounds. Bond notes a look of “contemptuous triumph” in Drax’s good eye, which he finds curiously disturbing.

Before Drax departs, he advises Bond to spend the money quickly.

This is the end of Part I of Moonraker. Just a couple side notes from the reading:

Mahomet Ali Club = The Mohammed Ali club in Cairo.

“Morphy, the great chess player” = Paul Morphy.

Moonraker Chapter Six

It’s been six months since I’ve updated you on James’ adventure with Sir Hugo Drax and the Moonraker. A lot has happened here which has kept me from properly updating this page. To start with, I got married in May, and the preparation for that event and the adjustments afterwards ate up a lot of my free time. I hope to get back on a regular post schedule here soon.

Bond and M are set to start their Bridge match with Sir Hugo Drax and his playing partner Meyer at Blades. The stakes are set right off the bat as Drax asks M if Bond knows what he is in for, and then suggests stakes of One and One. Bond, feeling the effects of the Benzedrine reacts by suggesting Five and Five - Drax’s known limit, and an amount that could double Bond’s yearly income in just four rubbers.

The Moonraker was quickly forgotten as the game became a private affair between Bond and Drax. Bond settles in with his cheroot and strong black coffee, after which he has a fat measure of pale brandy. He smiles at the taste of it. M takes note of the smile.

‘Hope you like it,’ he said. ‘Comes from one of the Rothschild estates at Cognac. About a hundred years ago one of the family bequeathed us a barrel of it every year in perpetuity. During the war they hid a barrel for us every year and then sent us over the whole lot in 1945. Ever since then we’ve been drinking doubles. And,’ he gathered up his cards, ‘now we shall have to concentrate.’

Bond and M take the first rubber, Bond notes that Drax suggests that they don’t cut, but instead go straight on, meaning that he gets to deal again. Drax manages this time to pull off an improbable pair of finesses, which have his partner, Meyer asking in wonderment how he does it. Bond decides to start the needle. “Memory” he chimes in. It prickles Drax, until Bond placates him by adding “and card sense”. Still, Bond has planted a seed in Drax’s head.

M orders Bond another bottle of champagne, and Bond starts to play the role of the careless drunk, taking on Drax’s bet of an additional hundred on this hand. Bond suggests the do the same for the next as well. Bond loses the hand, takes another glass of champagne and bets another hundred on the next two hands, which he loses. He’s nearly 1500 pounds in the hole at this point, and acting very shaky. Bond and M make a little comeback, and then Bond announces that the next rubber will have to be his last.

Drax examines Bond:

He looked up from his score-sheet at Bond. He noticed the signs of intoxication. The moist forehead, the black comma of hair that hung untidily over the right eyebrow, the sheen of alcohol in the grey-blue eyes.

Drax figures that he can take advantage of Bond’s state and suggests they treble the stakes on the final rubber, making this one fifteen and fifteen. Bond may appear out of control, but we know better.

Bond looked up at him. He paused before answering. He wanted Drax to remember every detail of this last rubber, every word that had been spoken, every gesture.

He accepts Drax’s terms and we move onto the next chapter.

Some notes and additional research on things mentioned in the chapter:

Rothschild Estates - Family land of Philippe de Rothschild. Though I couldn’t find anything on Cognac or Brandy being produced there, this section of the entry corresponds with Fleming’s note about the effect the war had on the estate:

The outbreak of World War II had serious consequences for the entire Rothschild family, who were Jewish. Following the German occupation of France, Philippe de Rothschild’s parents fled to the safety of Lausanne, Switzerland and the Paris mansion where they lived became the headquarters for the German Naval Command.

Although he was called up to serve in the French Air Force, the quick fall of France resulted in Philippe being arrested by the Vichy government and the vineyard property seized. Escaping, Philippe de Rothschild made his way to England where he joined the Free French Forces of General Charles de Gaulle, earning a Croix de Guerre medal.

Philippe’s wife Lili never believed any harm would come to her because she was from an old French family. On his return to France following the Allies liberation, Philippe de Rothschild learned that although his daughter was safe, the Gestapo had deported his estranged wife to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where on 23 March 1945, she was executed.

Devastated, Rothschild had to deal with problems at his vineyard as well. The departing German army had done considerable damage to Chateau Mouton Rothschild and the property was in need of considerable repair. Together with dedicated employees, he put his energy into restoring the vineyard and by the early 1950s was once again producing excellent wines.

“Dutch Courage” = “liquid courage”

More on Rubber Bridge

Battersea snuff-boxes (Meyer is a collector): Type of painted enamelware considered the finest of its kind to be produced in England during the mid-18th century. It is especially noted for the high quality of its transfer printing. Battersea ware was made at York House in Battersea, a district in London, by Stephen Theodore Janssen between 1753 and 1756.