2008 Woodie Awards
The 007 legacy at a glance
The well-known, plus a few lesser known, facts about Ian Fleming's 007 series
Joel Leonard
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Arts & Entertainment
The character of James Bond is deeply rooted in American Culture. Lines such as "Shaken, not stirred" are so common that people who have never seen the source material are able to identify where the quote came from. Including Quantum of Solace, which was released last Friday, the film series has 22 installments making it the second largest series in the world second only to the Japanese Godzilla (with 28 installments) Yet with such a long history, it is understandable that at times parts of the series might be confusing. So, with a new Bond film in the theaters, it may benefit you to read about the ins and outs of the series before watching the latest adventure.
Characters:
James Bond first appeared in the book Casino Royale, written by Ian Fleming and published in 1953. Fleming would go on to write a total of twelve Bond novels and two collections of short stories that would inspire the film franchise. The first film of the series, Dr. No, was based on the sixth book published, and stared Sean Connery as James Bond. To date a total of six actors have played the iconic spy. Sean Connery in six movies, George Lazenby in one, Roger Moore in seven, Timothy Dalton in two, Pierce Brosnan in four and Daniel Craig, who is the current actor to play James Bond has so far starred in two.
One of the common themes of the James Bond series is that each movie has its own love, or rather sexual, interest, often referred to as the Bond girl of the movie. The Bond girls throughout the series vary in importance, some being agents themselves, while some merely stumble into Bond's path while he is on a mission. One thing that almost all of the Bond girls have in common besides their incredible beauty is the suggestive nature of their names. The double entendres of the names of the Bond girls can range from the subtle Honey Rider; to the much more blunt Pussy Galore.
While other characters such as Felix Leiter have appeared in multiple 007 movies, only a few characters have appeared in the majority of the series. The Character of M has appeared in every James Bond movie but one, as Bond's superior. While initially a male character played by Bernard Lee and Robert Brown, Judi Dench took over the role in 1995 and has played it ever since. Although it is never revealed in the movies, the novels claim that M's real name is Miles Messervy. Q (which stands for Quartermaster) also appears in most of the series as the character that usually supplies Bond with gadgets for his missions. While John Cleese currently plays Q, the character has not made an appearance in the series since Die Another Day in 2002. Miss. Moneypenny is another character that is in most of the Bond films as M's secretary who is often shown harboring a crush on James Bond. Like Q, Miss Moneypenny has been absent from the series since 2002 although in 2006's Casino Royale, M is seen as having a male secretary named Villiers.
Characters:
James Bond first appeared in the book Casino Royale, written by Ian Fleming and published in 1953. Fleming would go on to write a total of twelve Bond novels and two collections of short stories that would inspire the film franchise. The first film of the series, Dr. No, was based on the sixth book published, and stared Sean Connery as James Bond. To date a total of six actors have played the iconic spy. Sean Connery in six movies, George Lazenby in one, Roger Moore in seven, Timothy Dalton in two, Pierce Brosnan in four and Daniel Craig, who is the current actor to play James Bond has so far starred in two.
One of the common themes of the James Bond series is that each movie has its own love, or rather sexual, interest, often referred to as the Bond girl of the movie. The Bond girls throughout the series vary in importance, some being agents themselves, while some merely stumble into Bond's path while he is on a mission. One thing that almost all of the Bond girls have in common besides their incredible beauty is the suggestive nature of their names. The double entendres of the names of the Bond girls can range from the subtle Honey Rider; to the much more blunt Pussy Galore.
While other characters such as Felix Leiter have appeared in multiple 007 movies, only a few characters have appeared in the majority of the series. The Character of M has appeared in every James Bond movie but one, as Bond's superior. While initially a male character played by Bernard Lee and Robert Brown, Judi Dench took over the role in 1995 and has played it ever since. Although it is never revealed in the movies, the novels claim that M's real name is Miles Messervy. Q (which stands for Quartermaster) also appears in most of the series as the character that usually supplies Bond with gadgets for his missions. While John Cleese currently plays Q, the character has not made an appearance in the series since Die Another Day in 2002. Miss. Moneypenny is another character that is in most of the Bond films as M's secretary who is often shown harboring a crush on James Bond. Like Q, Miss Moneypenny has been absent from the series since 2002 although in 2006's Casino Royale, M is seen as having a male secretary named Villiers.
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