JAMES BOND
NEWS

THE SEARCH FOR BOND by Robert Sellers

The exclusive never-before-told story behind the actors who won, and the many who lost, the most coveted role in cinema history!

Part 1 & 2 of a 3-part 007 MAGAZINE OnLine exclusive series.

Only six men can lay claim to wearing the famous Savile Row tuxedo but hundreds more came within an inch of the 007 role. In this new exclusive three-part series, ROBERT SELLERS (author of the controversial book Battle for Bond) tells the extraordinary story of how cinema’s most famous role was cast, featuring ‘exclusive’ contributions from Michael Billington, Michael Craig, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Julian Glover, Michael Jayston, Sam Neill, Ian Ogilvy, Adrian Paul, Peter Snow, Oliver Tobias, Rikki Lee Travolta, Michael York and many others.   FULL STORY

30 July 2016 - The name's Connery... Gary Connery

On Friday 27 July 2012 the eyes of the world were focused on London as the city hosted the opening ceremony for the Games of the XXX Olympiad. For 007 fans, the highlight of artistic director Danny Boyle's near four-hour spectacular 'Isles of Wonder' was James Bond's appearance alongside none other than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in the short film ‘Happy and Glorious’. Soon after the games, Luke G. Williams spoke to parachutist Gary Connery (who ‘doubled’ for the Queen) about his contribution to this amazing event. On the eve of the Rio Olympics, 007 MAGAZINE is proud to present this never before published and exclusive interview with Mr. Connery.

READ INTERVIEW

George Lazenby - who played Ian Fleming's James Bond, 007, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) - is to visit Oslo on September 1st, 2016, exclusively for the event James Bond in Oslo.

Lazenby will fly direct from Los Angeles to attend the Red Carpet Gala of the newly restored Bond classic On Her Majesty's Secret Service, showing in digital 4K.

This historic visit marks Lazenby's first trip to Norway, and also the first time a former 007 has visited Oslo.

"I'm looking forward to visiting Norway for this very special event. I worked with Norwegian actress Julie Ege on the film, and it will be interesting to present this restored version of On Her Majesty's Secret Service to a Norwegian audience," said George Lazenby in a statement. 

READ FULL STORY

1 June 2016 Ken Adam – A Celebration
GRAHAM RYE reports on the private event held in honour of Sir Ken Adam at NFT1, BFI Southbank, London on Wednesday 1st June 2016.

The celebration was presented by writer and broadcaster Sir Christopher Frayling with special guests: Gereon Sievernich, Director of the Martin-Gropius Bau, Berlin; Squadron Leader Jeff Metcalfe, CO of 609 Squadron; Sandy Lieberson, Film Producer; Michael G. Wilson, Film Producer; Peter Lamont, Production Designer; Sir Roger Moore (on film), Actor; Katharina Kubrick (on behalf of The Kubrick Family); Lord Foster (on film), Architect; Sir Nicholas Hytner, Director; Alan Bennett, Writer.

Everyone assembled in NFT1 had come to honour the memory and work of the great man, and Sir Christopher Frayling compèred the event with great style and affection for his friend of three decades, and whom he’d collaborated with on three books, which he remembered on stage punctuated with stills and drawings throughout: “I knew him well for thirty years, as a very close friend, a good-humoured raconteur in the German accent he never lost, as a working production designer as a collaborator on three books...”
FULL STORY

24 May 2016
The much-loved character actor Burt Kwouk has died at the age of 85. Although he will be best-remembered as Cato, the Chinese manservant to Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series, he also had small roles in three James Bond films in the 1960s.

Kwouk played the small but significant role of Mr. Ling in Goldfinger (1964), followed up with the Chinese General in Casino Royale (1967) and as SPECTRE #3 in You Only Live Twice filmed the same year.

Born Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk in Warrington, Lancashire, but raised in Shanghai by his Chinese parents, he became the 'go to' actor when an oriental character was required in dozens of British films and TV series during the 1960s and 1970s. Later in his career he alternated these roles with more significant parts in higher profile films such as Plenty (1985) and Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun (1987).

A familiar face on British television he also appeared in 78 episodes of the long-running BBC comedy series Last of The Summer Wine from 2002 to 2010.

In 1981 Kwouk attended The James Bond British Fan Club International Convention at The Westmoreland Hotel where he amused the audience with stories of working on Goldfinger in 1964.

LEFT: Burt Kwouk happily took part in a photoshoot by 007 MAGAZINE Editor & Publisher Graham Rye at the Westmoreland Hotel on 28 March 1981, along with fellow guests Desmond Llewelyn and Walter Gotell.

Whitstable, Kent  - May 2016
The third WhitLit festival focuses on Ian Fleming and his Kent connections, as well as thrilling contemporary spy stories and tales of real life espionage from Guy Burgess to Bletchley Park.

http://www.whitlit.co.uk/?page_id=1229

A very special Ian Fleming evening on Friday 13 May 2016 will feature his esteemed biographers Andrew Lycett, Matthew Parker and Fleming’s step-daughter Fionn Morgan. The new Young Bond author Steve Cole will be entertaining younger readers and a special Brass Bond evening features music from the James Bond films. The town read is GOLDFINGER, set in Kent.

Ian Fleming's Kent http://www.whitlit.co.uk/?page_id=1868

See also:
From Kent, With Love: Ian Fleming & James Bond - The Kentish Connection

20 April 2016
Four-time James Bond film director Guy Hamilton has died at his home in Majorca aged 93. Hamilton's film career began in the late 1940s when he was assistant director to Carol Reed on such classic films as The Fallen Idol (1948) and The Third Man (1949).

In late 1963 Hamilton took over from Terence Young as the director of Goldfinger, although he had turned down the chance to direct Dr. No in 1962. Goldfinger became the film which defined the series and its formulaic construction was copied several times in subsequent films. Hamilton later directed Sean Connery's comeback in Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Roger Moore's debut in Live And Let Die (1973) followed by The Man With The Golden Gun in 1974. Hamilton's association with 007 producer Harry Saltzman led to him to direct Funeral in Berlin (1966), the second film in the Harry Palmer series starring Michael Caine, and the all-star Battle of Britain in 1969. Hamilton was also the original director assigned to The Spy Who Loved Me but withdrew after being offered Superman:The Movie in 1976. He was ultimately replaced by Richard Donner when the production moved to England. Hamilton was a tax exile at the time and could not return to the UK for more than 30 days. Guy Hamilton would later turn down directing duties on Batman (1989).

A long-time supporter of 007 MAGAZINE, Hamilton attended the 1996 'Gold Themed' Christmas Lunch at Pinewood Studios produced by Graham Rye, when the director was reunited with Christopher Lee, Desmond Llewelyn, Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallet and Goldfinger Oscar-winner Norman Wanstall.

15 April 2016
Ian Fleming's literary agent Peter Janson-Smith has died at the age of 93. Janson-Smith was introduced to Ian Fleming in 1956 by author Eric Ambler, and was largely responsible for the success of the Bond novels outside the UK. At his initial meeting with Fleming he was offered the rights to his books except for the UK and the USA. Janson-Smith immediately contacted Dutch publisher Bruna and signed a lucrative deal, and also handled the comic strip serialisation of the novels in The Daily Express. Janson-Smith's partner Lili was the widow of actor Eric Pohlmann, who provided the voice of Ernst Stavro Blofeld in From Russia With Love (1963) and Thunderball (1965).

John Peter Janson-Smith
September 5, 1922 – April 15, 2016
Peter was a charming and very astute man whose past kindnesses this author will never forget.
The importance of his role in making the James Bond character the huge success he's become should never be under-valued.
Graham Rye (Editor & Publisher – 007 MAGAZINE)

2010 article/interview

10 March 2016
Sir Ken Adam, the Academy Award-winning film designer has died aged 95. Klaus Hugo Adam was born in Berlin and moved with his Jewish family to England in 1934. During World War Two Adam was a pilot in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. He was one of only two Germans to serve in the RAF during the war. He was knighted in 2003 for services to the film industry.

Adam's James Bond career spanned 17 years starting in 1962 with his groundbreaking set designs for Dr. No. Director Stanley Kubrick hired Adam to design sets for his 1963 cold war satire Dr. Strangelove resulting in From Russia With Love being designed by Syd Cain. Adam returned as production designer on Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967) and Diamonds Are Forever (1971). In 1976 he concieved the '007 Stage' at Pinewood Studios built to house the set he had designed for the interior of the Liparus supertanker in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). Adam also created the sets for Moonraker (1979) in Paris - using all the available space at three film studios in the city.

Outside of his work on the James Bond series, Adam also worked on The Ipcress File (1965), for which he won a BAFTA award for 'Best British Art Direction, Colour', and won his first Academy Award for his work on Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon (1975). Producer Albert R. Broccoli used Adam again in 1968 on Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, where he created the fantastical sets and eponymous car itself. Towards the end of his career he won a second Academy Award for The Madness of King George (1994).

A long-time supporter of 007 MAGAZINE, Ken Adam attended the 1998 You Only Live Twice themed Christmas Lunch at Pinewood Studios produced by Graham Rye; the two met one last time in October 2015 at Sir Ken’s London home, when he kindly signed a copy of Rye's GOLDFINGER Portfolio Steelbook.

8 March 2016
Sir George Martin, producer of The Beatles and the man Sir Paul McCartney described as a “second father”, has died aged 90. To Bond fans he will be best remembered as the composer of the score for Roger Moore's debut as 007 in Live And Let Die (1973).

Martin was asked by Paul McCartney to produce the recording of title song written by the former Beatle with his band Wings. With the unavailability of regular composer John Barry (pictured left with Martin) who had scored all the films since 1963, Martin then took over and integrated McCartney's main title theme throughout the film resulting in the best non-Barry score of the entire series in the eyes (and ears) of many fans.

Martin was also credited as the producer of the single version of Shirley Bassey's 'Goldfinger' in 1964, although it was John Barry who oversaw the actual recording session on August 20, 1964 at London's CTS Studios in Wembley. A different take was released on the 45rpm single version to that used on the original soundtrack.

8 March 2016

To mark the second anniversary of Bond in Motion the London Film Museum will be hosting a weekend celebration on March 19th & 20th. Distinguished Bond film crew and contributors will take part in Q&A sessions which will be free for Bond in Motion ticket holders.

FULL STORY

27 February 2016

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the general release of Thunderball, 007 MAGAZINE looks back to a time when the only place to see a James Bond film was on the big screen! 

In a major new and exclusive article, 007 MAGAZINE charts the release schedules of the James Bond films in London's West End from 1962-1984 and unearths some interesting facts about how 007 conquered the box-office before being sold to television.

Royal Premieres, re-releases, double-bills and festivals - its all here in the definitive look at James Bond in the cinema!

LONDON CALLING!