He has been portrayed on film by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig, the last interpretation being the only one with an official fictional biography of the character. However, Bond was first portrayed by Barry Nelson in a 1954 American television film based on the novel Casino Royale, and next by Bob Holness in a 1956 South African radio series based on the novel Moonraker. David Niven was Bond in Casino Royale a 1967 satire, which was lightly based on the Bond novel of the same name. Several other actors, including Peter Sellers and Woody Allen, were also designated as James Bond in the satire.
Sean Connery
Dr. No
From Russia with Love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You Only Live Twice
Diamonds Are Forever
George Lazenby
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
Roger Moore
Live and Let Die
The Man with the Golden Gun
The Spy Who Loved Me
Moonraker
For Your Eyes Only
Octopussy
A View to a Kill
Timothy Dalton
The Living Daylights
Licence to Kill
Pierce Brosnan
GoldenEye
Tomorrow Never Dies
The World Is Not Enough
Die Another Day
Daniel Craig
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
James Bond Movies
In the film, Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the death of a British agent. The trail leads him to the island home of reclusive Dr. Julius No. Bond uncovers Dr. No’s plot to disrupt American rocket tests, and scuttles his operation.
Dr. No’s success, as the first major film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, led to a series of films that continues to this day. Dr. No also launched a successful genre of “secret agent” films that flourished in the 1960s. It does not show Bond earning his double-0 status which grants him a licence to kill; instead it presents Bond as a seasoned veteran. Many of the iconic aspects of a typical James Bond film were established in Dr. No, beginning with what is known as the gun barrel sequence, an introduction to the character through the view of a gun barrel, and a highly stylized main title sequence, both created by Maurice Binder. In his work on film, production designer Ken Adam established a unique and expansive visual style that is the hallmark of the Bond film series.
From Russia with Love (1963) is the second spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. In the film, James Bond is sent to Turkey to assist in the defection of Corporal Tatiana Romanova, where SPECTRE plans to avenge the killing of Dr. No.
From Russia with Love is considered one of the best films in the James Bond series by many critics and by Connery himself, and is still highly regarded more than 40 years after its release. Michael G. Wilson, the current co-producer of the series, stated “We always start out trying to make another From Russia with Love and end up with another Thunderball.” In 2004, Total Film magazine named it the ninth-greatest British film of all time.
In 2005, the film was adapted into a video game, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love. Produced by Electronic Arts, the game featured all-new voice work by Sean Connery as well as his likeness and those of several of the film’s supporting cast.
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Goldfinger (1964) is the third spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman and Gert Fröbe. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and was the first of four Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton. The story has Bond following gold smuggler Auric Goldfinger, who plans a nuclear detonation inside the Fort Knox gold depository.
The film was the first official Bond blockbuster and made cinematic history by recouping its production costs in record-setting time, despite a budget equal to that of the two preceding films combined. Goldfinger was also the first Bond film to use a pop star to sing the theme song during the titles, a hallmark that would follow for every Bond film since except On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.
Thunderball (1965) is the fourth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original screenplay by Jack Whittingham. It was directed by Terence Young with screenplay by Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins.
The film follows Bond’s mission to find two NATO nuclear bombs stolen by SPECTRE, who holds the world to ransom for £100 million in gold, in exchange for not destroying an unspecified major city in either England or the United States (later revealed to be Miami). The search leads Bond to the Bahamas, where he encounters Emilio Largo, the card-playing, eye-patch wearing SPECTRE Number Two. Backed by the CIA and Largo’s mistress, Bond’s search culminates into an underwater battle with Largo’s henchmen.
Thunderball was associated with a legal dispute in 1961 when former Ian Fleming collaborators Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham sued him shortly after the 1961 publication of the Thunderball novel, claiming he based it upon the screenplay the trio had earlier written in a failed cinematic translation of James Bond. The lawsuit was settled out of court and Broccoli and Saltzman fearing a rival McClory film allowed him to retain certain screen rights to the novel’s story, plot, and characters. The film had a complex production, with four different units and about a quarter of the film consisting of underwater scenes.
The film was a critical and financial success, earning a total of $141.2 million worldwide, exceeding the earnings of the three previous Bond films and breaking box office records on the first weekend of opening in France and Italy. The film won an Academy Award for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects awarded to John Stears in 1966 and Ken Adam the production designer was also nominated for a BAFTA award.
You Only Live Twice (1967) is the fifth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film’s screenplay was written by Roald Dahl, and based on Ian Fleming’s 1964 novel of the same name. It is the first James Bond film to discard most of Fleming’s plot, using only a few characters and locations from the book in an entirely new plot.
In the film, Bond is dispatched to Japan after American and Russian spacecraft disappear mysteriously in orbit. With each nation blaming the other amidst the Cold War, Bond travels secretly to a remote Japanese island in order to find the perpetrators and comes face to face with Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the head of SPECTRE. The film reveals the appearance of Blofeld who was previously a partially unseen character. SPECTRE is working on behalf of a third-party, a foreign government represented by Asian officals. Although their country is not named it is possible that they come from the People’s Republic of China whose relationship with both the United States and the Soviet Union was at a low point (see Sino-Soviet split).
After its release in 1967, Connery stepped down from the role, leading to the hiring of George Lazenby for 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Connery later returned officially, one last time, in Diamonds Are Forever (1971). You Only Live Twice is the first Bond film to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, who later directed 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me and 1979’s Moonraker, both starring Roger Moore.
The first Bond film to be released in the summertime, the film was a great success, with positive reviews and over $111M in worldwide box office, and has been parodied greatly, most prominently by the Austin Powers series and the scar-faced Nehru suit wearing Dr. Evil but also in music. The backing soundtrack to the film was used by British singer Robbie Williams in his hit “Millennium”.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, and the only one to star George Lazenby as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. In the film, Bond faces Blofeld, who is planning on unleashing a plague through a group of brainwashed “angels of death” unless his demands are met. Along the way, Bond meets, falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo.
This Bond film is the second in what is considered the “Blofeld Trilogy”, coming between You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). This trilogy is of interest not only for the three different Blofeld actors (Donald Pleasence in You Only Live Twice, Telly Savalas in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, and Charles Gray in Diamonds Are Forever) but for its two Bond actors (Sean Connery, then George Lazenby, and back to Connery).
This is the only Bond film to be directed by Peter R. Hunt, who before was a film editor or second unit director on every previous film. While On Her Majesty’s Secret Service didn’t earn quite as much money as the predecessor You Only Live Twice, it was still a box office success, and was met with positive critical reviews.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971) is the seventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film is based on Ian Fleming’s 1956 novel of the same name, and is the second of four James Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton. The story has Bond impersonating a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a smuggling ring, and soon uncovering a plot by his former nemesis Blofeld to use the diamonds and build a giant laser satellite that would be used to hold the world to ransom.
Diamonds Are Forever was a commercial success, but its humorous tone was met with mixed reviews by critics.
Live and Let Die (1973) is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Even though the producers wanted Sean Connery to return after his role in the previous Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, he declined, sparking a search for a new actor to play James Bond. Roger Moore was selected for the lead role.
The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. In the film, a drug lord known as Mr. Big plans to distribute two tons of heroin free so as to put rival drug barons out of business. Bond is investigating the death of three British agents which leads him to Big and is soon trapped in a world of gangsters and voodoo as he fights to put a stop to Mr. Big’s scheme.
Live and Let Die was released during the height of the blaxploitation era, and many blaxploitation archetypes and cliché are depicted such as afro hairstyles, derogatory racial epithets (“honky”), black gangsters, and “pimpmobiles.”[1] It departs from the former plots of the James Bond films about megalomaniac supervillains, and instead focuses on drug trafficking, depicted primarily in blaxploitation films. Moreover, it is set in African American cultural centres such as Harlem, New Orleans, and the Caribbean Islands. It was also the first James Bond film featuring an African American Bond girl to be romantically involved with 007, Rosie Carver who was played by Gloria Hendry. Despite mixed reviews due to the racial overtones, the film was a box office success.
The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) is the ninth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. An adaptation of Ian Fleming’s novel of same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator – a device which can harness the power of the sun. He teams up with agent Mary Goodnight against Francisco Scaramanga – The Man with the Golden Gun. The action culminates in a duel between them.
The Man with the Golden Gun was the fourth and final film in the series to be directed by Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz. The film was set in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script — Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released on December 14, 1974.
Reviewers praised Christopher Lee’s performance as Scaramanga, but criticized the comedic approach.
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) is the tenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum. The film takes its title from the tenth novel in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, though as Ian Fleming requested that only the title of the novel be used, the film does not contain any elements of the novel The Spy Who Loved Me.[1] The storyline involves a reclusive megalomaniac named Stromberg who plans to destroy the world and create a new civilization under the sea. Bond teams up with a Russian agent Anya Amasova to stop Stromberg.
The Spy Who Loved Me film was highly acclaimed by critics.[2] The soundtrack, composed by Marvin Hamlisch also met tremendous success. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards amidst many other nominations and subsequently novelised in 1977 by Christopher Wood as James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me.
Moonraker (1979) is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. In the film, Bond is sent to investigate the mysterious theft of a space shuttle during orbit and leads him to Hugo Drax, a billionaire owner of the shuttle manufacturers, to investigate further. Along with space scientist Holly Goodhead, who later is idenfified as a CIA agent also investigating Drax, Bond follows the trail of clues from California to Venice, Italy, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the Amazon rain forest and finally into outer space in a bid to prevent a genocidal plot to wipe out the world and re-create human existence with a master race.
Moonraker as a film was intended by its creator Ian Fleming to be turned into a film even before he wrote the novel Moonraker in 1954, which was based on a manuscript he had written even earlier than this. The producers of the James Bond film series had originally intended release Moonraker in 1969 with Roger Moore to make his debut as Bond in the film, but the film was put on hold and finally released in 1979 to co-incide with the science fiction genre of film which had become extremely popular during this period with films such as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977).
Derek Meddings, a long contributor to the James Bond series, received an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects nomination for the special effects used in the film and the space scenes.
For Your Eyes Only(1981) is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It is based on two short stories from Ian Fleming’s collection For Your Eyes Only: the title story “For Your Eyes Only” and “Risico”. It also includes elements from the novel Live and Let Die. In the film, Bond and Melina Havelock become tangled in a web of deception spun by Greek businessman Aristotle Kristatos. Bond is after a missile command system known as the ATAC, whilst Melina is out to avenge the death of her parents.
The film was released on both June 24th (in the United Kingdom) and June 26th (in the United States) of 1981 two weeks after the release of Raiders of the Lost Ark and was both a critical and monetary success, generating $195.3 million worldwide.
Octopussy (1983) is the thirteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film’s title is taken from Ian Fleming’s 1966 short story “Octopussy”. However, the film’s story is original and the short story is narrated as a flashback by the main Bond girl Octopussy. In the film, Bond is assigned the task of following a general stealing jewels and relics from the Russian government. This leads him to a wealthy Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his associate, Octopussy. Bond uncovers a plot to force disarmament in Europe with the use of a nuclear weapon.
Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, Octopussy was released in the same year as the non-EON Bond film Never Say Never Again. Written by George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson, the film was directed by John Glen.
A View To A Kill(1985) is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming’s short story “From a View to a Kill”, the film is the third Bond film after The Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy to have an entirely original screenplay. In A View to a Kill, Bond is pitted against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy California’s Silicon Valley.
The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, who also wrote the screenplay with Richard Maibaum. It was the third James Bond film to be directed by John Glen.
Despite being a commercial success, A View To A Kill was poorly received by critics and was also disliked by Roger Moore himself. However, Christopher Walken was praised for portraying a “classic Bond villain.”
The Living Daylights (1987) is the fifteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film’s title is taken from Ian Fleming’s short story “The Living Daylights.”
The beginning of the film following the title sequence resembles the short story, in which Bond has to act as a counter sniper to protect a defecting Soviet. The film begins with Bond investigating the deaths of a number of MI6 agents. The Soviet defector, Georgi Koskov, informs him that General Pushkin, head of the KGB, is systematically killing Western operatives. When Koskov is seemingly snatched back by the Soviets, Bond follows him across Europe, Morocco and Afghanistan.
The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and his daughter Barbara Broccoli. The Living Daylights was well received by critics, and was also a financial success, grossing $191.2 million worldwide.
It was also the last film to be based on a story by Ian Fleming until 2006’s Casino Royale, 19 years later.
Licence to Kill(1989) is the sixteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second and last to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Licence to Kill is the first, original (non-Fleming) title, that adapts the Live and Let Die story with elements from the short story The Hildebrand Rarity, concerning agent 007’s resignation from MI6 to pursue revenge against Franz Sánchez, a Latin American drugs baron. The title refers to Bond’s discretionary licence to kill; originally, the title was Licence Revoked.
Given screenwriter Richard Maibaum had died, and internecine lawsuits over ownership of the film series, this was the last film for six years, the series’ longest interval, and the last film by producer Albert R. Broccoli.
GoldenEye (1995) is the seventeenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Martin Campbell. Unlike previous Bond films, it is unrelated to the works of novelist Ian Fleming, although the name “GoldenEye” was taken from his estate in Jamaica. The story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later collaboration by other writers. In the film, Bond fights to prevent an arms syndicate from using the GoldenEye satellite weapon against London in order to cause a global financial meltdown.
GoldenEye was released in 1995 after legal disputes forced a six-year hiatus in the series, during which Timothy Dalton resigned from the role of James Bond and was replaced by Pierce Brosnan. M was also recast with actress Judi Dench, becoming the first woman to portray the character. GoldenEye was the first Bond film made after the downfall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which provided a background for the plot.
The film was praised by most critics and performed well at the box office, considerably better than Dalton’s films, without taking inflation into account.Some critics viewed the film as a modernisation of the series, and felt Brosnan was a definite improvement over his predecessor. It also received two BAFTA nominations – “Best Achievement in Special Effects” and “Best Sound”.
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein was credited as writing the screenplay, although it received input from several writers, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering world events and starting World War III.
The film was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and was the first James Bond film made after the death of producer Albert R. Broccoli. Tomorrow Never Dies performed well in the box office despite mixed reviews. While its domestic box office surpassed GoldenEye, it was the only Pierce Brosnan Bond film not to open at number one at the box office since it opened the same day as Titanic.
The World Is Not Enough(1999) is the nineteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Michael Apted, with the original story and screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.
The title The World Is Not Enough traces its origins to the English translation of the Latin phrase Orbis non sufficit, revealed in the novel On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and its film adaptation to be the Bond family motto. The film’s plot revolves around the assassination by Renard of Sir Robert King and Bond’s subsequent assignment to protect King’s daughter, Elektra, who had been kidnapped by Renard. During his assignment, Bond unravels a scheme by Renard to permanently disrupt petroleum shipments from the Caspian Sea by causing the meltdown of a nuclear submarine in the waters of Istanbul.
Despite the film’s mixed critical reception, it earned over $361 million worldwide.
Die Another Day (2002) is the twentieth spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth and last to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. In the pre-title sequence, Bond leads a mission to North Korea, during which he is found out and, after killing a rogue North Korean colonel, he is captured and imprisoned. More than a year later, Bond is released as part of a prisoner exchange, and he follows a trail of clues in an effort to earn redemption by finding his betrayer and learning the intentions of billionaire Gustav Graves, who turns out to be the same colonel he supposedly killed. Bond pursues the colonel to stop him from using a satellite to ignite a war between North and South Korea.
Die Another Day, produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori, is the 20th film in the series and marks the franchise’s 40th anniversary (begun in 1962 with Sean Connery starring in Dr. No). It includes references to each of the preceding films and also alludes to several Bond novels.
The film received mixed reviews—some critics praised Lee Tamahori’s work on the film, while others pointed out the damage caused to the plot by the excessive use of CGI. In spite of its flaws, it became the highest grossing James Bond film to that date. It was distributed by MGM themselves in North America, and internationally through 20th Century Fox.
Casino Royale (2006) is the twenty-first film in the James Bond series; it is directed by Martin Campbell and the first to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. Based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by screenwriters Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis.
It is the third screen adaptation of the Casino Royale novel, which was previously produced as a 1954 television episode and a 1967 satirical film. However, the 2006 film is the only EON Productions adaptation of Fleming’s novel. It is a reboot of the Bond franchise, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not meant to precede any previous film. This not only frees the Bond franchise from more than forty years of continuity, but allows the film to show a less experienced and more vulnerable Bond.
The film is set at the beginning of James Bond’s career as Agent 007, just as he is earning his licence to kill. After preventing a terrorist attack at Miami Airport, Bond falls for Vesper Lynd, the treasury agent assigned to provide the money he needs to foil a high-stakes poker tournament organized by Le Chiffre. The 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, will be a direct sequel to Casino Royale and will continue some aspects of the story such as Le Chiffre’s associate, Mr. White.
The casting for the movie involved a widespread search for a new actor to portray James Bond, and significant controversy over Daniel Craig when he was eventually selected. Some Pierce Brosnan fans threatened to boycott the film in protest. Despite this, the film, and Daniel Craig’s performance in particular, earned critical acclaim. Casino Royale was produced by EON Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures, marking the first official Bond film to be co-produced by the latter studio, which had produced and originally distributed the 1967 non-canonical film version.
Quantum of Solace (2008) is the 22nd James Bond film by EON Productions, due for release in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2008 and in North America on 14 November. The sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale, it is directed by Marc Forster, and features Daniel Craig’s second performance as James Bond. In the film, Bond battles Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of the Quantum organisation posing as an environmentalist, who intends to stage a coup d’état in Bolivia to take control of its water supply. Bond seeks revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd, and is assisted by Camille (Olga Kurylenko), who also wants to kill Greene.
Producer Michael G. Wilson created the film’s plot while Casino Royale was shooting. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis and Joshua Zetumer contributed to the script. The title was chosen from a 1960 short story in Ian Fleming’s For Your Eyes Only, though the film is not expected to contain any elements of the original story. Location filming took place in Panama, Chile, Italy and Austria, while the sets were built at Pinewood Studios. Forster aimed to make the film more modern yet classic: antique planes were used for a dogfight sequence, while Dennis Gassner’s set designs are reminiscent of Ken Adam’s work on several early Bond films, yet Forster rejected a grotesque appearance for Greene to comment on the hidden nature of the film’s corporate villains.
Source: Wikipedia