"Grow up, 007!" - James Bond over the Decades

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 3

2. The Early Years

2.1. Novel to Film 4

2.1.1. Fleming’s Novels 4

2.1.2. The Comic Strips 6

2.1.3. The first filmic Bond 7

2.2. The Development of the Series 8

2.2.1. Dr. No (1962) 9

2.2.2. From Russia With Love (1963) 10

2.2.3. Goldfinger (1964) 1 6

3. Formula vs. Innovation 2 4

3.1. The James Bond Formula 24

3.2. Variations to the Bond Formula 30

4. The Characters of the Series over the Decades

4.1. James Bond 007 32

4.1.1. The Character of Bond 32

4.1.2. The Five Actors of Bond 35

4.2. The Bond Girls 52

4.2.1. Bond’s Behaviour towards Women 52

4.2.2. The Bond Girl Formula 53

4.2.3. The Bond Girl Development 59

4.3. Villains and their Henchmen 66

4.3.1. The Formula of the Villain 66

4.3.2. Variations of the Villain 67

4.3.3. Villains that stand out from the crowd 70

4.3.4. The Development of the Henchmen 82

4.4. The MI6 Family and Allies 84

4.4.1. M - Head of MI6 84

4.4.2. Moneypenny 94

4.4.3. Q - Gadget Master 98

4.4.4. MI6 Staff 105

4.4.5. Allies and Friends 108

113 5. Conclusion

6. Appendices 116 Appendix I 116

Filmography Appendix II 117

The Formula of Goldfinger (1964) Appendix III 119

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Teasers: The pre-title Sequences Appendix IV 121

7. Works Cited 138

8. German Summary 1 4 3

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1. Introduction

“The name’s Bond. James Bond.” 007, Dr. No A handsome man in a tuxedo enters a casino and takes a seat opposite a beautiful woman at a card table - nobody watching this scene needs to be told who that man is: ‘Bond. James Bond.’ Everybody, no matter what age, knows the name and the man. It is common knowledge that Bond will win the game, move over to the bar to order a vodka martini ‘shaken, not stirred’ and enter into a tête-à-tête with the woman. The secret agent with the licence to kill has become a cultural icon, the mere figure ‘007’ calls to mind a lot of images around James Bond and his adventures. The film series about the world’s most famous spy has become a phenomenon. Twenty (official Eon Production ¹ ) films in forty years have broken all records, not only those of the film industry. The two producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli have breathed life into Ian Fleming’s popular character: James Bond has become more than just a literary figure. Like Robin Hood or Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes before him, Bond is considered to be real, to be or have been part of the real world. He undoubtedly changed the world of spy movies. Before 007 hit the big screen, there had been various spy films already, but these aimed at de-mythologizing secret agents. Spies were mostly enemies. Very successful and popular were Alfred Hitchcock’s several espionage films such as The Man Who Knew Too Much, The Notorious, The Lady Vanishes, The Secret Agent, to name only a few. ² By 1963, ”Ian Fleming’s secret agent had transformed the entire spy genre, creating the longest-running series in film history and redefining global notions of espionage.” 3

What makes the James Bond films so successful? What ingredients ensured their longevity? Over four decades, five even, if one considers Fleming’s novels, 007 has appealed to the public, ranging from the United States over the whole of Europe all the way to Japan, and, with the latest movie only three years ago and the next already speculated about, it does not seem to be the end of ‘Bond, James Bond’ yet.

¹ The early Casino Royale as well as Oscar-winning Never Say Never Again are not produced by Eon and will not be discussed.

² Cork, 17-25.

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In the following I shall attempt to find out what ensured the success of the James Bond films. I will examine the progress of 007 from Fleming’s novels to the big screen, and thus showing the development of a fixed set of ingredients, the concept behind the films. After ascertaining the James Bond formula, I shall look into the variations of the set formula: How, why and when do the films differ from the fixed concept, and how did they adjust to the times over the last decades.

2. The Early Years 2.1. Novel to Film

”From this angle, things are shaping up nicely!” 007, From Russia With Love ”Bond’s success and longevity remain because the character can be translated from printed page to silver screen to comic strips to popular art, and onwards to toys, music, fashion and technology.” ⁴ While Ian Fleming laid out the ingredients and created the original, it was the interpretation of others that made James Bond a phenomenon. Not only were the novels best-sellers, they were turned into comics, and later into films. From there the merchandising set in, reaching never estimated profits.

2.1.1. Fleming’s Novels

Ian Fleming was a well educated man. He had studied psychology in Munich and Geneva and spoke fluent French and German and a little Russian. Before writing his famous novels, he had worked for four years for the news agency Reuters, had been a stock broker and finally joined the Navy, where he became the personal assistant of the chief of the Naval Intelligence Division. He made it all the way to the rank of Commander, trained special forces ⁵ and planned high-profile missions. ⁶ After the war, Fleming managed the foreign department of the Kemsley Newspaper group, also writing for the Sunday Times. Ian Fleming was a member of three of the most elegant gentlemen’s clubs in London, had a

³ Cork Cork, 27.

⁴ Cork Cork, 28.

⁵ Tesche, 11.

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winter residence in Jamaica called Goldeneye (where he wrote all of his novels), played golf in the Royal St. George’s Club in Kent and was married to the former Lady Rothermere. He had clearly led the life of a well-off gentleman when he died on 12 August 1964 at the age of 56. ⁷ All these were experiences he could draw upon for his James Bond novels. The James Bond character was a purely imagined one, which Fleming brought to life to distract himself from his nervousness concerning his approaching wedding in 1952. There are several stories and varieties as to the originals of Bond and as to why Fleming used the numbers 007. Some of these stories are more likely to be true than others, but since Fleming himself never gave a detailed account of his motives, it seems idle to ponder about it. 8

Still, Fleming clearly used his experiences in the Naval Intelligence Division to conjure up his adventures and characters. ⁹ There are several traits that Fleming himself had in common with his hero, such as a distinct interest in good food and wine, beautiful and exotic locations and women. They were both men of action, Fleming excelled at athletics at Eton, but because of an incident with a girl he left early. ¹⁰ He ”flouted conventions, endured the consequences, and still accomplished the remarkable.” 11

Fleming, being a good journalist and having researched minutely, ¹² writes with an intensive focus on detail, which gives the impression of reality to Bond’s world. ¹³ Those details, such as cars, weapons or locations, were more important to Fleming than the hero or even the plot. ¹⁴ He said once that he would never write about things he had not seen himself. ¹⁵ Fleming wants to move and excite his readers by describing, for instance, an exquisite meal. ¹⁶ ”[He] made his readers feel good about their desires. He wrote in detail

⁶ Pfeiffer, 202f.

⁷ Tesche, 12f.

⁸ Tesche 14ff.

⁹ Tesche, 16.

¹⁰ Pfeiffer, 202.

¹¹ Cork Cork, 11.

¹² Kocian, 11f.

¹³ Tesche, 17.

¹⁴ Kocian, 11.

¹⁵ Tesche, 28.

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about clothes, cars, alcohol, perfume, food and, of course, carnal desires. The Bond novels were fables, with Bond as an icon who represented Fleming’s values, vanquishing villains who represented the evils of the world. They were ceaselessly original storiesenergetic, imaginative and ingenious.” ¹⁷ Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, was published in 1953. By that time the British empire had already began to shrink and the general atmosphere in post-war Britain with its restrictions was bleak. With his 007 adventures Fleming offered a necessary escape. ¹⁸ The Cold War was at its height, the balance of power changing monthly. There was a daily struggle for leadership, the world seemed a dangerous place with war in Korea, the Iron Curtain and the difficulties in Berlin, and the USA testing unimaginably powerful hydrogen bombs and sentencing Russian spies to death. The ”global tension set the stage for Ian Fleming.” ¹⁹ With James Bond ”time stood still and a lone Englishman could be counted on to save the world,” ²⁰ a world full of luxury and joy quite contrary to the restrictions of the post-war years.

After his first literary success, Fleming continued to write for the Sunday Times, but otherwise concentrated on writing a Bond novel a year. Each spring a new 007 adventure hit the market and soon became yet another best-selling novel in Great Britain, while in the rest of Europe and the United States Fleming’s books took off more slowly. 21

2.1.2. The Comic Strips

On 7 July 1958 the Daily Express first published a comic strip version of Fleming’s 007. Daily Express’ editor Edward Pickering had read From Russia With Love and offered Fleming 1.500 pounds per novel and a share of the takings that would follow from the usage of it in other papers. Although the payment was very good, Fleming still had doubts, but Pickering promised to treat the adaptation from novel to comic strip exactly

¹⁶ Tesche, 17.

¹⁷ Cork Cork, 14.

¹⁸ Pfeiffer, 202.

¹⁹ Cork Cork, 12.

²⁰ Pfeiffer, 202.

²¹ Cork Cork, 14f.

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as he would be ‘handling a Rolls Royce’. ²² Anthony Hearne, who was in charge of the literature pages of the paper, and artist John McLusky produced the adaptation of the first story, Casino Royale. Over the years others followed and Bond changed to being younger, harder and more modern. After Fleming’s death, rights were issued by his heirs to create new stories. McLusky orientated himself on the contemporary film stars. The Bond comic strips appeared in 128 papers in 44 countries during the sixties, and the Daily Express continued to publish 007 comic strips till January 1977. Only a week later the Sunday Express began publishing them as three strips until May. Finally James Bond reappeared briefly as a comic strip on 2 February 1981 in the Daily Star, written by Jim Lawrence and created by former Mad artist Harry North. 23

2.1.3. The first filmic Bond

Throughout the 1950s there had been several attempts to get 007 on the screen, either as a film or a TV series. In 1954, Fleming sold the rights to Casino Royale for $1000 ²⁴ to the American television station CBS who launched a television live version of it with Barry Nelson as an “oddly Americanised ‘card-sense’ Jimmy Bond” ²⁵ on 21 October 1954. ²⁶ Later attempts for television series left Fleming with a number of scripts, which he then turned into the novel Dr. No and an edition of short stories under the name For Your Eyes Only. 27

At the end of the decade a partnership was founded between Fleming, his friend Ivar Bryce and the lawyer Ernest Cuneo. Together they wanted to take Bond to the big screen. Kevin McClory was to direct the film and writer Jack Wittingham had already produced two drafts of the film script, but the whole business ended up in a mess: when by late 1960 still nothing had happened concerning a start of production, Fleming considered the whole project as dead and started writing a novel, Thunderball, based on the ideas for McClory’s film. ²⁸ But Kevin McClory sued Fleming for

²² Tesche, 79.

²³ Tesche, 79.

²⁴ Tesche, 84.

²⁵ Cork Cork, 20.

²⁶ Tesche, 86.

²⁷ Kocian, 19.

²⁸ Cork Cork, 20.

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having used material from a script owned by others and won the case, which left McClory in the possession of the film rights to Thunderball. ²⁹ Finally Fleming sold all James Bond film rights to Harry Saltzman and they seemed to be in good hands for the first time. 30

2.2. The Development of the Series

”World domination... The same old dream.” 007, Dr. No As already mentioned above, by 1960 Harry Saltzman purchased the 007 film rights of all existing novels apart from the two already sold, which were Casino Royale owned by CBS, and Thunderball belonging to Kevin McClory. Saltzman had paid a very decent and irresistible price: ”$50,000 for a six-month option, and $100,000 per title if and when any films were made.” ³¹ Since Albert R. Broccoli was also interested in the James Bond film rights and because he had discovered that Saltzman had all the rights but no financial means to put his plans to action, Broccoli offered him a partnership which resulted in Eon Productions, Ltd. On 20 June 1961, after Columbia Pictures rejected the offer, United Artists agreed to a series of six films, the final contracts being signed in April 1962. 32

Both Saltzman and Broccoli had had a turbulent career and both were looking for something new. Saltzman had been making ‘kitchen sink dramas’ with the famous Woodfall Productions in London. Broccoli had founded Warwick Films together with director Irving Allan, producing internationally tremendously successful films. Saltzman had the James Bond rights, but it was Broccoli who brought with him the ”formula for his past successes: exotic locations, high adventure, handsome men and beautiful women.” ³³ He wanted the 007 films to have the same spirit that was captured in Hitchcock’s North By Northwest (”The well-dressed and well-mannered players engaged in espionage, sexual duplicity, murder and daring acts of violence”) and the

²⁹ Kocian, 19.

³⁰ Tesche, 85.

³¹ Cork Cork, 20.

³² Tesche, 87.

³³ Cork, 24.

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World War II sabotage adventure The Guns Of Navarone. ³⁴ Being unable to begin with Fleming’s first novel, they wanted to start the series with Thunderball, but were hindered by McClory. They finally decided on Dr. No, mainly because of the exotic location Jamaica, which had never been seen in film at the time. 35

2.2.1. Dr. No (1962)

Richard Maibaum and Wolf Mankowitz wrote a first draft of the Dr. No film script in 1961, but when Broccoli saw that they had made Dr. No the villain’s pet monkey he ”hit the roof”: ”I’m a great believer in not tampering with an original winner.” ³⁶ After many discussions and temporary drafts, Maibaum finally wrote a script with the help of Joanna Harwood. ³⁷ They adapted the original novel, only increasing the sex quotient by adding the characters Silvia Trench and Miss Taro (both of whom make love to Bond), thus increasing the image of 007 as an irresistible, idealised sexsymbol. They also decided to cut out the topic of Cold War, using SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion), the criminal organisation first appearing in the novel Thunderball, rather than anything similar to current political events. ³⁸ Even before the film script was completed, the two producers decided on Terence Young as their director. Young had worked with Broccoli before, was educated at Cambridge and had a sense of style, that portrayed Bond’s, i.e. Fleming’s sophisticated Englishness: ”Terence Young’s love of adventure and travel, plus his sense of charm, elegance and wit, put a stamp of style on the series that continues to the present day.” ³⁹ The filmmakers had a definite aim but not the final 007 concept yet. 40

From the beginning of their union, Saltzman and Broccoli were looking hard for an actor to play Bond. Newspapers started ‘find Bond contests’ and Fleming himself gave a description of the role: ”He likes

³⁴ Cork, 24f.

³⁵ Tesche, 88.

³⁶ Cork, 29.

³⁷ Tesche, 88f.

³⁸ Cork, 29f.

³⁹ Cork, 30.

⁴⁰ Kocian, 22.

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gambling, golf, and fast motor-cars. He smokes a great deal, but without affectation. All his movements are relaxed and economical.” Soon it was known that Sean Connery would be Bond. ⁴¹ In winter 1961, a team consisting of Saltzman, Broccoli, Young, the production manager L.C. Rudkin and the designers Ken Adam and Sid Cain flew to Jamaica to view settings. The actual shooting there began on 16 January 1962 and finished on 21 February 1962. Only five days later, filming started in London’s Pinewood Studios, and after merely 58 days, on 30 March 1962, the first film was shot. In this first film nearly all the basic elements that make a successful Bond film are introduced: ⁴² The film begins with two ugly murders that seem very realistic. This leaves the audience at a loss as to what direction the film is going to take. Because filming was done at original settings (flying to Jamaica rather than filming in the studios), the viewer gets a sense of authenticity which contrasts the fantastical plot. The audience is taken into an exotic, exciting world that contrasts with everyday life. The mixture of tough reality and obvious unreality was a clever tactic used in the early 007 films. ⁴³ Already in this film, three main characters are introduced that will remain important throughout the series: 007’s superior M played by Bernard Lee, M’s secretary Moneypenny and the armourer (in later films called Q). M shows a strict authority, Q still seems to be a little boring (which will change with Desmond Llewelyn taking over the role in From Russia with Love), while Moneypenny is portrayed by Lois Maxwell with charms and wit. The teasing, everlasting flirt between her and Bond is to become one of the 007 rituals. 44

Ursula Andress’ introductory scene as the first Bond girl Honey Rider, emerging from the sea in a white bikini with a knife attached, has become cinema history and brought the Swiss actress worldwide fame. ⁴⁵ The over-dimensional villain is well portrayed by Joseph Wiseman. He is thought to be one of the best counteracts of 007 in the series. Like many

⁴¹ Cork, 31.

⁴² Scheingraber, 24.

⁴³ Scheingraber, 24f.

⁴⁴ Scheingraber, 24.

⁴⁵ Scheingraber, 25.

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villains after him, Dr. No does the one big mistake that leads to his failure and 007’s success: in his self-conceit he underestimates Bond. Instead of killing him straight away, quickly and efficiently, No locks him up and of course 007 escapes. ⁴⁶ As in every 007 thriller, the lair of the villain finally explodes. 47

Syd Cain, the art director, created Dr. No’s room and started a tradition of importance of detail for the whole series. In Dr. No’s control room the audience gets a first sight of Ken Adam’s art, which, later in the series, earned 007 an Oscar. The design is unique even today, but back in 1962, the size, interior design and course of action was breathtakingly new and exciting. Ken Adam’s over-dimensional design became another vital element of the series. 48

The idea to insert the now typical element of humour, which does not exist in the books at all, developed coincidentally rather than planned during the filming of Dr. No. Editor Peter Hunt recognised its significance and kept the witty lines as a dramaturgical ingredient. ⁴⁹ The music by John Barry and Monty Norman was a huge success, the title tune is known world-wide and has become the official 007 theme. ⁵⁰ Maurice Binder designed an unusual title sequence, which also became a trademark of the series. 51

Already for Dr. No the producers managed to put up a team that would work together on many future Bond films. ⁵² The perfect harmony of shooting, directing and editing in Dr. No was completely new to the audience of the fifties: the editing was very fast, the camera angle changed a lot, and the director did not give the audience a lot of time to reflect. Together with the action and the witty dialogues the film was hugely exciting. ⁵³ Dr. No shows future hallmarks, such as ”the magnificent, hightech sets, unique main title sequences and editing style”, which would go on

⁴⁶ Scheingraber, 27f.

⁴⁷ Scheingraber, 29.

⁴⁸ Scheingraber, 27f.

⁴⁹ Kocian, 23.

⁵⁰ Tesche, 90.

⁵¹ Scheingraber, 24.

⁵² Pfeiffer, 13.

⁵³ Scheingraber, 29.

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to ”influence the entire action-film genre for decades to come”. ⁵⁴ All in all, Dr. No cost between $900,000 and one million dollars, most of which went into Adam’s set designs, especially Dr. No’s commando-room at Pinewood Studios. ⁵⁵ Saltzman and Broccoli had managed to make the film appear far more expensive than it had actually been. ⁵⁶ On 5 October 1962, about 7 months after the start of filming, the film premiered in London’s Pavillion, three days later throughout Britain, and it was soon seen to be a success. In England alone, Dr. No made $460,000 in 38 days, and in the US the takings were six times the costs of the production. ⁵⁷ But as well as From Russia with Love later, Dr. No sold more in its second showing than in the first. ⁵⁸ It ”eventually went on to gross $60 million worldwide.” 59

2.2.2. From Russia With Love (1963)

With Dr. No still running, the Eon team began making the second 007 film, From Russia With Love, which was to be bigger and more impressive. ⁶⁰ Because John F. Kennedy had included the novel From Russia With Love on a list of his 10 favourite books of all time, the producers chose this novel as the second 007 adventure. ⁶¹ Broccoli and Saltzman now had twice the budget than for Bond’s first on screen adventure. ⁶² Most of that money was spent on travelling to the different locations and on the huge settings built at Pinewood Studios, such as the gypsy camp. ⁶³ The amount of these different locations increased with this second film: The crew shot in Venice, Istanbul (which had never been seen in a film before) and Scotland. ⁶⁴ From Russia With Love shows not as many set designs but instead the breathtaking atmosphere of original locations, like underground canals, the Hagia Sophia at Istanbul and the

⁵⁴ Pfeiffer, 13f.

⁵⁵ Tesche, 89.

⁵⁶ Pfeiffer, 13.

⁵⁷ Tesche, 90f.

⁵⁸ Kocian, 23.

⁵⁹ Pfeiffer, 21.

⁶⁰ Kocian, 25.

⁶¹ Pfeiffer, 23.

⁶² Kocian, 25.

⁶³ Tesche, 94.

⁶⁴ Kocian, 28.

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Orient Express. 65

In From Russia With Love the later so typical title sequence with the obligatory near-naked woman dancing was introduced. Famous British designer Robert Brownjohn created a high standard for his followers by using a new ingenious technique that allowed him to project writing on the moving body of a belly-dancer. Also to be seen the first time in this film was the gun-barrel sequence, the future 007 logo: Maurice Binder who would do many of the future title sequences, designed the now typical picture of Bond walking into the aim of a gun, turning around, shooting at the audience, causing ‘blood’ to run down the screen which then bounces in balls into the first scene of the pre-credits sequence. ⁶⁶ John Barry’s Dr. No tune had become a chart hit in the UK, therefore the producers decided on asking him to work on this second film again. His tune was to become a key element of Eon Production Bonds. ⁶⁷ In addition to the cast for Bond, M and Moneypenny, and the same director, editor and team of script writers, the producers began casting renown names like Kurt Weill’s widow Lotte Lenya, Shakespeare-actor and writer Robert Shaw, and the worldwide known Mexican Pedro Armendariz. All the Bond girls, no matter whether for big or small roles, came from Miss contests from all over the world, like Italy, Jamaica, and Israel. ⁶⁸ After Ursula Andress, producers found it difficult to find the right actress for the second film, they interviewed 200 girls before deciding on Italian model Daniela Bianchi. ⁶⁹ Desmond Llewelyn took over the part of Q (Peter Burton being busy with another film) and ”cinematic history was made:” He would be portraying that part till his death in 1999. ⁷⁰ Saltzman came up with the idea of keeping the audience alert by seemingly letting Bond die at the beginning of the film, thus destroying any sense of predictability. ⁷¹ At the same time the opening scene

⁶⁵ Scheingraber, 47.

⁶⁶ Tesche, 95.

⁶⁷ Cork, 54. / Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again have no gun-barrel and do not feature Barry’s James Bond-theme.

⁶⁸ Kocian, 25.

⁶⁹ Cork, 50.

⁷⁰ Lane, 141.

⁷¹ Cork, 54.

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introduces Grant as the new villain. ⁷² This pre-credits sequence became another ingredient to the 007 mixture, although in From Russia With Love it is not yet a mini-movie as shown later in the series. ⁷³ The opening sequence is actually seriously frightening, a feature more prominent in the earlier 007 films. Not only in the pre-title scene, but throughout the film the audience is kept at a worrying suspense: it is frightened of the villains, and frightened for Bond or the girl. ⁷⁴ A new and clever trick to keep up the audience’s attention till the very last moment is the ‘resurrection’ of the villain: just when it seems like everything is over and Bond is about to relax with Tanya, Klebb is trying in a last effort to kill Bond herself. This return of the killer at the end of the adventure is an element later often repeated (for example Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd in Diamonds Are Forever). ⁷⁵ Because there was no villain’s lair or control room, which had given Dr. No a sense of spectacle, the team added spice to the film by using action and gadgets, ”which would become a necessary part of the recipe for Bond’s success.” ⁷⁶ While there were hardly any tricks and gadgets in Dr. No, From Russia With Love now introduced some: an explosive briefcase with a very useful interior, that helped 007 defeat his enemy; and a strangling device hidden in a watch which the enemy had at his disposal. This ingredient to the 007 formula turned out to be extremely popular with the audience and was henceforth one of the most important factors in the making of a successful 007 film. ⁷⁷ Christmas 1964, the most popular present for men was an attaché case like Bond’s. ⁷⁸ Every 007 film shows the improbable but not the impossible. In From Russia With Love the periscope giving view to the conference room of the Soviets is rather unreal but nevertheless theoretically possible. Later in the series the improbable will become closer and closer to the impossible, in this second film of the series the degree of unbelievability is rather moderate still: ⁷⁹ ”Bond remains a down-to-earth detective who faces

⁷² Lane, 139.

⁷³ Cork, 54.

⁷⁴ Scheingraber, 45.

⁷⁵ Scheingraber, 49. / For more on suspense in the 007 films see Appendix IV.

⁷⁶ Cork, 50.

⁷⁷ Kocian, 28.

⁷⁸ Scheingraber, 47.

⁷⁹ Scheingraber, 47.

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admittedly exotic foes in even more exotic locations, but remains in the real world.” 80

Next to many exciting chases by boat, by car and even by helicopter, ⁸¹ From Russia With Love owes a lot of its success to the quick changes of locations and the breathtaking fight scenes, especially the ones in the gypsy camp and on the Orient Express. ⁸² The fight between 007 and Grant on the train is the most exciting feature of the film: they fight by the flickering blue light of the night lights on the train and apart from the train noises only the breathing of the men is heard. Peter Perkins did the choreography for this scene ⁸³ and Peter Hunt the exciting new editing: In just over two minutes Hunt used 66 cuts and fade-overs between different camera angles. 84

Filming took six weeks longer than planned, due to bad weather and a number of accidents. One of the boats sank in the Bosporus, a helicopter crashed bearing director Terence Young, Diana Biancchi had a car crash, but apart from bruises and minor cuts nobody was seriously injured, not counting three stunt men who suffered second grade burns. ⁸⁵ The premiere of the film on 10 October 1963 at the London Odeon was a huge event with all of the lead actors attending. From Russia With Love exceeded the success of Dr. No. During the first week a quarter of a million had seen 007’s second adventure in England alone ⁸⁶ and by the end of this first week the film had broken the house record of London’s largest cinema, ”selling out every seat for every show.” Ticket sales mounted up to $40,678/£14,528 and it is needless to say that it went on like that throughout Britain. ⁸⁷ After Dr. No had been such a surprisingly large success, the expectations now for From Russia With Love were higher, but they were still exceeded by its success: the film grossed a then ”magnificent $78.9 million worldwide”. It was apparent that 007 was becoming a more and more international icon as audiences all over the world ”responded with

⁸⁰ Pfeiffer, 23.

⁸¹ Kocian, 28.

⁸² Lane, 47.

⁸³ Scheingraber, 49.

⁸⁴ For more information on editing see Appendix IV.

⁸⁵ Kocian, 29f.

⁸⁶ Tesche, 96.

⁸⁷ Cork, 59.

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enthusiasm.” ⁸⁸ From Russia With Love is clearly a film showing the development of the perfect recipe for a successful 007 film, which finally is achieved with Goldfinger. 89

”All the cinematic ingredients had been put into place: the right actor, the portrayal of Bond, the sex, the humour, the gadgets, the exotic locations, the lavish sets, the look of the films, the music. [...] The bullet had been fired into the pond of popular culture. The filmmakers, however, busy making the third Bond adventure with a new director, could not have anticipated quite how far and how wide the ripples would spread.” 90

2.2.3. Goldfinger (1964)

The filmmakers chose Goldfinger as the third 007 novel to be turned into film because of its American locations - Miami and Fort Knox, thus concentrating on conquering the US market, where the novels were by now selling well also. The budget for this film was again nearly doubled by United Artists, ⁹¹ the producers had 3.5 million dollars to spend. ⁹² Saltzman and Broccoli made sure that every single dollar of the budget was apparent on screen, making the technicians the stars behind the screen, especially production designer Ken Adam. ⁹³ The filmmakers carefully analysed audiences’ reactions to the previous films and took care to gather all ingredients of their former successes to meet all the desires and tastes with this third 007 thriller. 94

Filming began in Miami on 20 January 1964. ⁹⁵ Most of the film was shot at Pinewood Studios in London, and in Switzerland. Only a few exterior takes were shot in the US: helicopter shots of Fort Knox, its military base and surroundings, and of Miami. ⁹⁶ Again Maibaum wrote the script, this time together with Paul Dehn. They focused a lot on humour and technical details and less on the

⁸⁸ Pfeiffer, 31.

⁸⁹ Scheingraber, 49.

⁹⁰ Cork, 59.

⁹¹ Cork, 63.

⁹² Kocian, 52.

⁹³ Pfeiffer, 33.

⁹⁴ Kocian, 52.

⁹⁵ Cork, 75.

⁹⁶ Kocian, 52. / Tesche, 98f.

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original novel (Maibaum: ”ganze vier Zeilen Dialog aus dem Roman”). ⁹⁷ With Goldfinger, the script writers created a perfect mixture of tension and relaxation, of excitement and humour. ⁹⁸ A couple of things in the original novel concerning the Cold War were changed into less political aspects, for example in the film Goldfinger does not have a Russian boss as is the case in the novel, and neither does he employ Germans. In addition to the political problems there were those of moral understanding. In the book, Tilly Masterson and Pussy Galore are lesbians, in the film only a slight hint is to be detected that Pussy might have a preference for women. ⁹⁹ Former director Terence Young had wanted to become a partner of the Eon team, which the producers refused. Young left and Guy Hamilton was engaged to direct Goldfinger. Unlike Young, Hamilton had never worked with either Broccoli or Saltzman before. ¹⁰⁰ He used to be Sir Carol Reed’s assistant and had directed eleven films by the time he was approached by Saltzman and Broccoli. ¹⁰¹ Hamilton brought a fresh and objective view to the whole enterprise: He had not been part of the team who had created the successful formula, but he recognised its value and knew the importance of the ingredients. Hamilton did not change anything of the existing mixture but merely added or moulded parts of it, such as increasing the sex quotient, Bond’s elegance and the size and wealth of the sets, or using more exciting action and deadlier gadgets. He also focused a lot on the humour of the film, he wanted it to be ”more self-aware and selfevident.” Hamilton had an outsider’s view of a Bond film and thus knew what the fans wanted. 102

After the success of the teaser sequence in From Russia With Love, Hamilton introduced a mini-film, containing in only three scenes every key ingredient of the Bond formula, inserted in between the gun-barrel and the titles: It takes place in Mexico (exciting location) and contains a clever device in form of a seagull to disguise Bond’s snorkel (gadgets); a fist-fight with a guard (action); an opium laboratory inside an oil tank (elaborate set)

⁹⁷ Kocian, 52. / Translation: ”For whole lines of dialogue from the novel”

⁹⁸ Scheingraber, 63.

⁹⁹ Tesche, 98.

¹⁰⁰ Cork, 63.

¹⁰¹ Kocian, 52.

¹⁰² Cork, 63.

17

which eventually explodes (special effects/action); an un-creased white dinner jacket underneath a diving suit (elegance) and a red coronation at hand to fit into 007’s button hole (humour); a beautiful belly dancer (exotic woman) who finds herself in 007’s arms kissing (sex); Bond spotting a villain reflected in her eye (clever filmic technique) resulting in a second fight (action), which 007 wins by electrocuting him in the bath tub (exotic death methods), on which his only comment is ”Shocking!” (humour/one liner) and, looking at the disloyal girl, tops his own remark by adding ”Positively shocking!” (humour/one-liner). ¹⁰³ ”Before the opening credits, Guy Hamilton established that he not only understood James Bond, he had mastered the delicate art of creating a myth.” ¹⁰⁴ The subsequent titles by Brownjohn show bits of Goldfinger and From Russia With Love projected onto a golden, near-naked female, while Shirley Bassey sings her ”Goldfinger” title song composed by John Barry, Leslie Briansse and Anthony Newly. ¹⁰⁵ With Goldfinger, Bond not only becomes more elegant he also increases his knowledge, which now seems limitless - he is a know-it-all. At the dinner with M and Colonel Smithers Bond shows his knowledge and talented tastebuds concerning Brandy and at Goldfinger’s ranch he works out a complicated calculation. ”James Bond had suddenly become the most knowledgeable man on the planet.” ¹⁰⁶ Sean Connery joined the team rather late, having been busy filming Hitchcock’s Marnie. ¹⁰⁷ The actor got $400,000 for his third portrayal of James Bond, ¹⁰⁸ and Goldfinger was the first film that granted him, apart from his wage, a share in the takings. One slight problem with Connery as 007 was his increasing baldness, which was for the first time solved via toupee. ¹⁰⁹ Confronting Goldfinger, Connery found a comfortable style in which to portray 007. 110

After a lot of thought, the filmmakers decided on Gert Fröbe to

¹⁰³ Cork, 63f.

¹⁰⁴ Cork, 64.

¹⁰⁵ Scheingraber, 63.

¹⁰⁶ Cork, 64.

¹⁰⁷ Tesche, 99.

¹⁰⁸ Kocian, 73.

¹⁰⁹ Tesche, 101.

¹¹⁰ Pfeiffer, 33.

18

act the title villain. Apart from his obvious acting skills and the right looks, Fröbe’s popularity in the French and German speaking market was an important factor. In addition to these factors, Broccoli and Saltzman had talked about the German actor as a possible future villain years before, after one of them had seen his performance next to Heinz Rühmann in Es geschah am hellichten Tag (Something Happened On A Bright Day) in 1959. 111

The film gains a lot by the perfect interaction of Connery and Fröbe. The laser-beam scene was the first shot taken for Goldfinger, Fröbe admits to having been very nervous. In this scene Auric Goldfinger makes his one - necessary - mistake by letting 007 live, thus giving Bond the opportunity to defeat him. He even takes Bond to his ranch in America. ¹¹² Connery shows his best 007 performance, and Fröbe brings an earnestness to the role that makes it very believable, giving the 007 series an artistic element. ¹¹³ ”Goldfinger was so magnificently played by German actor Gert Fröbe that many Bond fans don’t realize he was dubbed entirely by actor Michael Collins because he could not speak a word of English.” ¹¹⁴ Up to today many critics still say that Fröbe’s Goldfinger is the best villain in the whole series. ¹¹⁵ He seems authentic in a rather unrealistic world. Goldfinger is both cruel and very cunning. ¹¹⁶ An ingredient that was established with Goldfinger is that of the henchman. There had been under-villains in Dr. No and a whole range of major villains in From Russia With Love, but with Oddjob as Goldfinger’s right hand the institution of a henchman was defined. He is already in Fleming’s novel and the script writers hardly changed anything. Oddjob is invincible, he is a karate expert and uses his metal-trimmed bowler hat as a very precise and deadly weapon. He does not talk but rather grunts, for which the film does not offer an explanation- in contrast to the novel where Oddjob has a cleft palate. He is very dangerous and absolutely loyal to his master. 117

¹¹¹ Kocian, 61f.

¹¹² Scheingraber, 66f.

¹¹³ Scheingraber, 64.

¹¹⁴ Pfeiffer, 37.

¹¹⁵ Kocian, 64.

¹¹⁶ Scheingraber, 64.

¹¹⁷ Cork, 70.

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”His muteness and bizarre appearance separate him from the rest of the characters. He cannot blend into a crowd. He seems to enjoy his own menacing presence. He spends most of the movie waiting to unleash his animal nature, and the audience spends the film both anticipating and dreading the inevitable moment.” ¹¹⁸ Oddjob is not only weird and frightening, but when he performs his decapitating hat-trick and crushes a golf-ball with one hand, he becomes really scary and horrifying to the audience. ¹¹⁹ Oddjob portrayed by Harold Sakata is the prototype of every following henchman. He is the first ”sadistic, mute, killing machine”, the instrument of the villain. This ”brawn villain” in contrast to the ”brain villain” became a key element of the typical 007 adventure. ¹²⁰ Harold Sakata is a good match to Gert Fröbe, he also portrays Oddjob with much skill, making the character seem very realistic. ”In contrast to Goldfinger and Oddjob, Stromberg and Jaws seem exaggerated, closer to comic figures than Fleming’s villains.” 121

Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore ”was one of the first of the liberated screen heroines.” ¹²² Blackman had become famous in the UK as well as in the US with the television series The Avengers. She gave up her role to Diana Rigg only shortly before shooting Goldfinger. ¹²³ Shirley Eaton, like Blackman also English, was solely known in the UK from several comedies (Carry on films), but popularity in Great Britain was very valuable to the 007 team in 1964. The picture of her in her gold paint went around the whole world and Eaton became one of the most often photographed girls of the year. 124

The whole ‘Golden Girl’ scene is remarkable and utterly unforgettable, the audience catches its breath for a second, the whole scene excites a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness. ¹²⁵ The filming of the now famous scene was difficult since the doctors, who never left the set, would

¹¹⁸ Cork, 70.

¹¹⁹ Scheingraber, 64.

¹²⁰ Cork, 70.

¹²¹ Scheingraber, 65.

¹²² Pfeiffer, 34.

¹²³ Kocian, 61.

¹²⁴ Kocian, 61,109.

¹²⁵ Scheingraber, 64.

20

not allow filming to last longer then an hour for fear of skin suffocation. ¹²⁶ Eaton wore little cones over her breasts and tiny pants, but apart from that only a small area on the stomach ¹²⁷ was left unpainted on doctor’s orders. 128

The 007 team foresaw certain difficulties concerning the girls: the painted naked body of Shirley Eaton and Honor Blackman’s character name Pussy Galore would most certainly cause problems with the critics and the censor board. But the filmmakers managed to prevent major trouble by allowing the press to take hundreds of photos of Eaton in her full ‘costume’, making known the sight of the gold body as well as the fact that she is not completely nude. The second difficulty was at first to be solved by changing the name ‘Pussy’ into ‘Kitty’, but the producers wanted the sensationalism of the original name, thus they engaged publicist Tom Carlisle to deal with it. He managed to get a picture of Blackman together with Prince Philip on the front page of the Daily Mail with a headline simply reading ‘Pussy And The Prince’. With royalty not objecting, the critics and the UK censors were powerless. ”With the arrival of Pussy Galore, the name as sex joke began a tradition.” ¹²⁹ In Goldfinger Desmond Llewelyn was first introduced as Bond’s armourer and established as Q (a military abbreviation of Quartermaster), who became an audience’s favourite. He would be 007’s longest-running character portrayed by the same actor. Director Guy Hamilton established the ambivalent relationship between Q and Bond by telling Llewelyn that Q, far from admiring Bond, does not like 007 because he does not treat his gadgets with the necessary respect - let alone returning them! With this piece of directing, Hamilton started a tradition unbroken till the new millennium. ”From this point on, the Bond/Q relationship was cemented based on a conflict of interests. Bond took the role of the irresistible schoolboy know-it-all, destroying Q’s careful work with abandon.” ¹³⁰ Q became the tatty professor, the ”terse technocrat who contemplated imaginative ways to kill with a slightly unsettling, dispassionate glee”, he is

¹²⁶ Tesche, 100.

¹²⁷ Cork, 72.

¹²⁸ Tesche, 100.

¹²⁹ Cork, 70.

¹³⁰ Cork, 64.

21

the one providing the hero with all necessities, he is ”Merlin to Bond’s Arthur”. The Bond-Q relationship changed over the years, but Q was established as popular culture. 131

One reason for the success of the character of Q was the use of gadgets: In Goldfinger the Aston Martin is the most exciting car the world has ever seen (”and is not even afforded one line of description” in the script). ¹³² As with all other aspects of 007’s world, the producers increased the excitement of the car (and other gadgets): ”it was sexier, more violent and new”. 133

Apart from the car, Ken Adam built a model of Fort Knox at Pinewood Studios merely from some exterior pictures, the interior was wholly based on Adam’s imagination. ¹³⁴ Even before Goldfinger hit the cinemas, the 007 phenomenon had started to became enormous. The merchandising machinery had set in, clothes, toys and other articles licensed for James Bond were flooding the marked. Ian Fleming was at the time recovering from a heart attack and died shortly before Goldfinger was completed. He had only had a small glimpse of the size of the phenomenon his creation would become, but enough to notice that the creation would outlive its father by far. All around the world his death was announced on the papers’ front pages. ¹³⁵ ”The impact of Goldfinger was nothing short of amazing. No one had ever seen anything like it, and everyone involved in the British film industry wanted to see a lot more.” ¹³⁶ ”Everyone seemed to understand the level of success, but no one seemed to understand the incredible impact these films were having on pop culture, the film industry and the collective psyche of a generation.” 137

On 17 September 1964, the day of the world premiere of Goldfinger at the Odeon in London, crowds were on Leicester Square in the morning already for the ”show outside the cinema” (rolls of film delivered in

¹³¹ Cork, 63. / For more on Q’s gadgets see Appendix.IV.

¹³² Cork, 64.

¹³³ Cork, 67.

¹³⁴ Tesche, 101. / For more on production design see Appendix IV.

¹³⁵ Cork, 76.

¹³⁶ Cork, 76.

¹³⁷ Cork, 78.

22

golden tins by girls dressed in golden pant suits and Honor Blackman with a golden little finger worth £10,000). The police struggled to keep the thousands of exciting fans in order, one policeman went through the glass front of the cinema being pushed by the crowd and ”all of this before anyone had seen the film”. 138

”The Odeon Leicester Square did £17,327 in business in the opening week, £2800 more than previous record, which was held by From Russia With Love. […] By mid-October, [...Goldfinger had brought] in almost £200,000, shattering every record in UK cinema history.” ¹³⁹ In the USA, Goldfinger was impatiently anticipated, having all newspapers covering the events in London. On 21 December, Goldfinger premiered in Manhattan, breaking all records. ”The next day, Goldfinger began playing at the DeMille and Cornet theatres in Manhattan. Both were prepared for big crowds, but neither could anticipate the masses of humanity prepared to stand in the cold outside their theatres [queuing at three o’clock in the morning already ¹⁴⁰ ]. On the 22 ^nd , both came close to doubling their house opening-day records. [...] On Christmas Eve, the DeMille officially opened for 24 hours straight, and did not close again until after New Year’s Day.” 141

The popcorn was mounting up to five inches high and showings were only interrupted to clear away the mess. ¹⁴² After only five weeks Goldfinger had already grossed $9 million in 1000 cinemas. ”Goldfinger was far and away the most successful standard release film ever made. It was the film that paved the way for studios to believe in the blockbuster mentality.” 143

In Europe, Goldfinger was equally successful: In France for example, it out-grossed both previous 007 films combined in only four weeks. ¹⁴⁴ A year after the film had premiered, Broccoli told Fröbe that the film had grossed a total of 45 million dollars so far and Saltzman sent Fröbe a finger made of pure gold (Fröbe’s comment: ”Schade, dass der Film nicht

¹³⁸ Cork, 61.

¹³⁹ Cork, 78.

¹⁴⁰ Tesche, 102.

¹⁴¹ Cork, 79.

¹⁴² Tesche, 102.

¹⁴³ Cork, 79.

¹⁴⁴ Cork, 79.

23

‘Goldarm’ hieß.”). ¹⁴⁵ ”Goldfinger was the first of the Bond films to be classified as a box-office blockbuster.” ¹⁴⁶ Not only the film was immensely successful, the soundtrack had entered the music charts before the release of the film. John Barry’s music, especially the title song performed by Shirley Bassey, became a huge hit. The soundtrack even ”replaced the Beatles as the Number One selling album” in the USA in 1965. ¹⁴⁷ Goldfinger was the first 007 film that was nominated by the ”Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences” and indeed got the Oscar for best sound effects. ¹⁴⁸ Goldfinger is not the most successful of all the 007 films, commercially speaking, but probably the most famous. Both critics and public praised the film like no other of the series. ¹⁴⁹ It is probably the best entry in the 007 series, a film that does not grow old. Especially the love of detail has made the film the classic of the James Bond films ¹⁵⁰ as time has proven. It is now considered the prototype of a 007 thriller, the model for all other James Bond films. 151

3. Formula vs. Innovation 3.1. The James Bond Formula ”Vodka martini - shaken, not stirred!” 007, Dr. No The James Bond films are not exactly original. They all follow a certain pattern, a concept, a trusted and highly successful formula. In his essay Narrative Structures in Fleming, Umberto Eco analysed Ian Fleming’s novels and established a pattern that all of them follow. According to Eco the foundation of 007’s success lies with Ian Fleming’s decision to ban all psychological aspects or attempts in and of the figures from the novels, he ”excludes neurosis from the narrative possibilities.” ¹⁵² The consequence is that the characters in the novels are rather flat and

¹⁴⁵ Tesche, 102. / Translation: ”Shame that the film wasn’t titled ‘Goldarm’!”

¹⁴⁶ Pfeiffer, 34.

¹⁴⁷ Cork, 79.

¹⁴⁸ Tesche, 105.

¹⁴⁹ Scheingraber, 63.

¹⁵⁰ Scheingraber, 67.

¹⁵¹ Cork, 63.

¹⁵² Eco, 144f.

24

predictable. This archetypical characteristic of the figures ”presumably forms the basis for [the novel’s] success.” As Eco points out, the following phrase from Casino Royale sums up the character of James Bond for every subsequent novel: ”But don’t let me down and become human yourself. We would lose such a wonderful machine.” ¹⁵³ Apart from the characters, Umberto Eco points out that Fleming used all the other basic elements which constitute a formula of success already in his first novel Casino Royale:

”In Casino Royale there are already all the elements for the building of a machine that functions basically on a set of precise units governed by rigorous combinational rules. The presence of those rules explains and determines the success of the ‘007 saga’.” 154

Eco states that the Bond formula of the novels is a system of nine moves which always occur - not necessarily in the same order- thus creating a fixed concept: ”A. M moves and gives a task to Bond

B. Villain moves and appears to Bond (perhaps in vicarious forms); C. Bond moves and gives a first check to Villain or Villain gives first check to Bond;

D. Woman moves and shows herself to Bond; E. Bond takes Woman (possesses her or begins her seduction), F. Villain captures Bond (with or without Woman, or at different moments);

G. Villain tortures Bond (with or without Woman), H. Bond beats Villain (kills him, or kills his representative or helps at their killing);

I. Bond, convalescing, enjoys Woman, whom he then loses.” 155

In addition to the fixed formula for the plot of a James Bond novel, Eco points out, that several, very detailed minor plots enrich the stories without ever altering their formula. ¹⁵⁶ In fact, he calls them the ”muscles of the separate skeletons of narrative” and thus one of the

¹⁵³ Eco, 145.

¹⁵⁴ Eco, 146.

¹⁵⁵ Eco, 156.

¹⁵⁶ Eco, 157.

25

attractions of a 007 thriller. 157

The predictability of the unvarying plot is paradoxically the reason for a certain suspense in the Bond novels. The reader is waiting for something particular to happen. He knows the plot of a 007 book: ¹⁵⁸ ”Bond is sent to a given place to avert a ‘science-fiction’ plan by a monstrous individual of uncertain origin and definitely not English who, making use of his organizational or productive activity, not only earns money, but helps the cause of the enemies of the West. In facing this monstrous being, Bond meets a woman who is dominated by him and frees her from her past, establishing with her an erotic relationship interrupted by capture by the Villain and by torture. But Bond defeats the Villain, who dies horribly, and rests from his great efforts in the arms of the woman, though he is destined to lose her.” ¹⁵⁹ The reader recognises in this familiar plot things he knows and has grown fond of. The enjoyment of reading a Fleming novel lies in partaking in a game where rules and figures, even the outcome, are known already. Fascinating to the participants i.e. readers is the way the aim is reached, the little variations in the known flow of events: ¹⁶⁰ Unlike a ‘who dunnit’ where the outcome is the origin of the suspense, here the little variations in the way a fixed outcome is achieved produce tension, a ‘how’s it dun’.

What Eco established for Ian Fleming’s novels, is also true for the James Bond film series. Each of the 007 films includes certain ingredients, they all follow a set line of action, that never varies in essentials and rather seldom in order:

1. Opening scene with John Barry’s 007 theme: Bond walks from the right to the middle of the screen being followed by a gun-barrel pointed at him. At the middle of the screen he turns suddenly and shoots at the ‘gun-barrel’ which is slowly covered in ‘blood’ from the top of the screen. The gun-barrel icon is then segueing into the pre-credits sequence.

2. Pre-title sequence: It is usually backed by the 007 theme. Bond escapes

¹⁵⁷ Eco, 159.

¹⁵⁸ Eco, 95.

¹⁵⁹ Eco, 160.

¹⁶⁰ Eco, 160.

26

with a fantastic stunt or fight after completing some mission (tenuously linked to the main plot). It is a film before the film, an action sequence comprising everything Bond stands for in a few minutes, usually ending with a joke.

3. Titles: The title sequence first designed by Maurice Binder (and later copied by his followers) is backed by a title song, often of the same name as the film. It shows the silhouettes of naked women and guns and often water or fire. Sometimes motives from the film are inserted like a video clip, showing latest optical refinements. Dreamlike, playful colours setting the mood for the film, thus taking the audience into spheres of the unreal.

4. Set-up for briefing: The villain is causing some disorder, usually disastrous and world-threatening.

5. M’s briefing: Bond flirts with Moneypenny after having been summoned urgently (often out of the arms of a beautiful woman) into the MI6 office or some other location, such as a submarine. Bond receives an assignment. M (often accompanied by the minister of defence or some member of the army or navy) explains the problem and the cause of action which is to be taken by Bond, usually sending him to some exotic location.

6. Q’s briefing: A disinterested and unappreciative Bond is supplied with a variety of fantastic and, as is seen later on in the film, useful and not seldom life-saving gadgets.

7. At an exotic location, Bond meets the villain either alone or with the henchman or a girl. 007 never works in England. From the moment of his arrival, there are attempts to kill Bond. Casino scene (or pool or beach or restaurant/bar) in which Bond wins a large amount of money (often with villain or henchmen or girl present).

8. Bond meets first girl, who is either bad or good, and makes love to her. Most of the times she is killed later either by the villain or Bond with the effect of Bond being angry, which serves as a motivation. Bond meets an ally, often Felix Leiter or some other CIA agent, who gives him either information or additional gadgets from Q.

9. Chase (and/or fight), usually with the villain’s henchmen. Bond always

27

escapes.

10. At a new location, Bond meets final girl, they stay together from now on till the end of the film.

11. The villain’s headquarters are found by Bond (and girl). Bond and girl are captured while trying to sneak into the headquarters, leading to a lot of action and finally to a fight between 007 and the henchman.

12. Villain reveals his plan (which is generally world destruction), showing off in front of Bond (and sometimes even trying to get 007 on his side).

13. Bond is being left to die in a complicated method of death designed by the villain (who usually leaves, taking the girl with him), but put into action by the henchman. Bond escapes just in time using his gadgets, then fights and defeats the henchmen.

14. A massive battle between Bond (sometimes accompanied by allies) and the henchman (with villain’s army) results in the crossing of the villain’s plans (generally at the very last second). Subsequently, the villain’s base or headquarters explodes, but he himself escapes (often with girl). Bond pursues villain (and girl).The final fight with the villain which Bond is (usually narrowly) winning (thus saving the girl).

15. Bond finally ‘gets’ girl, they make love and the film finishes (sometimes after a surprising fight against the ‘resurrected’ henchman) with Bond lying in the girl’s arms delivering a one-liner-joke after having been spotted by M and/or allies.

16. Ending credits backed by the title song and finishing with ‘James Bond will return in...’ 161

Every Bond film follows the same rules. ¹⁶² Already in the very beginning Bond is introduced as an irresistible womaniser, who escapes sure death with ease. Afterwards he gets his assignment from M, the head of the British Secret Service, to deal with a megalomaniac threatening the world. The short interlude with Miss Moneypenny, the weapons demonstration by Q, the armourer and inventor at MI6, the introduction of the bizarre villain, his henchmen and girls, Bond finding out the villain’s plan, his capture and sure death, his subsequent escape with the help of the Bond girl and the action-laden final show down - all of these factors

¹⁶¹ Tesche, 235f. / Spahlinger, 26ff.

28