James Bond

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James Bond

Commander James Bond also known as 007 is a fictional British secret service agent created by novelist Ian Fleming for the debut novel Casino Royale in 1953. He is the protagonist in twelve Fleming novels and two short story collections, the last being published in 1966. After Fleming's death in 1964, subsequent James Bond novels were written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), John Pearson, John Gardner and Raymond Benson. In addition Charlie Higson has begun to write a series of books detailing the "Young James Bond". In July 2007, it was announced that Sebastian Faulks has been commissioned to write a Bond novel for publication in 2008. Moreover, Christopher Wood novelized two screenplays, while other writers have authored unofficial versions of the secret-agent character.

Ian Fleming

Initially famed through the best-selling novels, James Bond is best known from the EON Productions film series, twenty-one of which have been made as of 2007. The 22nd EON-produced Bond adventure is currently in production. In addition there have been two independent feature productions (a 1967 spoof and 1983's Never Say Never Again) and one Fleming-licenced American television adaptation of the first novel, aired in 1954. The EON Productions films are generally described as the "official" films originating with the purchase of the James Bond film rights by eventual producer Harry Saltzman in the late 1950s when Bond was a popular novel series; this term is used throughout this article.

Ian Fleming's creation and inspiration

Main articles: James Bond (character) and Inspirations for James Bond

Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is an agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) (more commonly, MI6). He was created in January 1952 by British journalist Ian Fleming while on holiday at his Jamaican estate, Goldeneye. The hero, James Bond, was named after an American ornithologist, a Caribbean bird expert and author of the definitive field guide book Birds of the West Indies. Fleming, a keen birdwatcher, had a copy of Bond's field guide at Goldeneye. Of the name, Fleming once said in a Reader's Digest interview, "I wanted the simplest, dullest, plainest-sounding name I could find, 'James Bond' was much better than something more interesting, like 'Peregrine Carruthers.' Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure—an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department."

Sean Connery as James Bond

George Lazenby as James Bond

Nevertheless, news sources speculated about real spies or other covert agents after whom James Bond might have been modeled or named. Although they are similar to Bond, Fleming confirmed none as the source figure, nor did Ian Fleming Publications nor any of Fleming's biographers, such as John Pearson or Andrew Lycett.

James Bond's parents are Andrew Bond, a Scotsman, and Monique Delacroix, from Canton de Vaud, Switzerland. Their nationalities were established in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Fleming emphasized Bond's Scottish heritage in admiration of Sean Connery's cinematic portrayal, whereas Bond's mother is named after a Swiss fiancée of Fleming's. A planned, but unwritten, novel would have portrayed Bond's mother as a Scot. Ian Fleming was a member of a prominent Scottish banking family. In his fictional biography of secret agent 007, John Pearson gave Bond's birth date as 11 November (Armistice Day) 1920 (The beginning of the film "For Your Eyes Only" his wife's birth date as 1943. This seemingly assumes Bond to be younger than Pearson claimed); however, there is no evidence of it in Fleming's novels. In the novel On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond's family motto is found to be "Orbis non sufficit" ("The world is not enough"). The novel also states that the family that used this motto may not necessarily be the same Bond family James Bond came from.

After completing the manuscript for Casino Royale, Fleming allowed his friend, later his editor, poet William Plomer to read it. Plomer liked it and submitted it to Jonathan Cape, who did not like it as much. Cape finally published it in 1953 on the recommendation of Fleming's older brother Peter, an established travel writer.

Roger Moore as James Bond

Timothy Dalton as James Bond

Most researchers agree that James Bond is a romanticized version of Ian Fleming, himself a jet-setting womanizer. Both Fleming and Bond attended the same schools, preferred the same foods (scrambled eggs, coffee), maintained the same habits (drinking, smoking, wearing short-sleeve shirts), shared the same notions of the perfect woman in looks and style, and had similar naval career paths (both rising to the rank of naval Commander). They also shared similar height, hairstyle, and eye colour. Some suggest that Bond's suave and sophisticated persona is based on that of a young Hoagy Carmichael. In Casino Royale, the anti-heroine Vesper Lynd remarks, "[Bond] reminds me rather of Hoagy Carmichael, but there is something cold and ruthless." Likewise, in Moonraker, Special Branch Officer Gala Brand thinks that Bond is "certainly good-looking . . . Rather like Hoagy Carmichael in a way. That black hair falling down over the right eyebrow. Much the same bones. But there was something a bit cruel in the mouth, and the eyes were cold."

Fleming did admit to being partly inspired by his service in the Naval Intelligence Division of the Admiralty, most notably an incident depicted in Casino Royale, when Fleming and Naval Intelligence Director Admiral Godfrey went on a mission to Lisbon en route to the United States during World War II. At the Estoril Casino, which harboured spies of warring regimes due to Portugal's neutrality, Fleming was 'cleaned out' by a "chief German agent" in a game of Chemin de Fer. Admiral Godfrey's account differs in that Fleming played Portuguese businessmen, whom Fleming fantasized as German agents he defeated at cards. Moreover, references to "Red Indians" in Casino Royale (four times; twice in the final page) are to his own 30 Assault Unit.

Pierce Brosnan as James Bond

Daniel Craig as James Bond

Books

Main article: James Bond (novels)

In February 1952, Ian Fleming began writing his first James Bond novel. At the time, Fleming was the foreign manager for Kemsley Newspapers, owners of The Daily Express in London. Upon accepting the job, Fleming asked for two months yearly vacation in his contract—time spent writing in Jamaica. Between 1953 and his death in 1964, Fleming published twelve novels and one short-story collection (a second collection was published posthumously). Later, continuation novels were written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), John Gardner, Charlie Higson and Raymond Benson, who was the first American author of James Bond, last published in 2002. The Young Bond series of novels was begun in 2005, by Charlie Higson.

Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman's EON Productions started the official cinematic run of Bond in 1962, with the release of Dr. No. Since then the Bond film franchise has become one of the most successful and lucrative franchises in the film industry spanning 21 official films (22nd in the works), 2 unofficial films, and one television episode. Officially, a total of six actors have portrayed agent 007; Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, who stars in the first official adaptation of Fleming's novel Casino Royale released on November 14, 2006.

Official Films

Dr. No | From Russia with Love | Goldfinger | Thunderball | You Only Live Twice | On Her Majesty's Secret Service | Diamonds Are Forever | 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 | The Living Daylights | Licence to Kill | GoldenEye | Tomorrow Never Dies | The World Is Not Enough | Die Another Day | Casino Royale | Bond 22

Unofficial Films

Casino Royale (1954 TV) | Casino Royale (1967 satire) | Never Say Never Again

§ … Casino Royale by Ian Fleming has been adapted 3 times for the screen? The first was a 1954 television episode on Climax!, the second was a 1967 spoof, and the third is the 21st film in the official film series that premiered in London on 14th November 2006.

§ … Ian Fleming liked Sean Connery's portrayal so much that he eventually added background of the character in the novels so that his father was Scottish?

§ … Since Dr. No, every official James Bond film begins with what is known as the "James Bond gun barrel sequence," which introduces agent 007?

§ … Everything or Nothing is the first Bond game to use the voice of the then current James Bond, Pierce Brosnan? It was also his final performance as Bond before stepping aside in 2004.

§ … The Ian Fleming titles "The Property of a Lady," "Quantum of Solace," "Risico," "The Hildebrand Rarity," and "007 in New York" have never been used as a title for a Bond film?

In addition to novels and films, Bond is a prominent character in many computer and video games, comic strips and comic books and has been the subject of many parodies.