I’ve read every James Bond book written by Ian Fleming, in order. I have watched every James Bond movie ever made, multiple times. Well, except I never watched the first Casino Royale with David Niven because that really wasn’t a James Bond movie and the same for On Her Majesty’s Secret Service with George Lazenby because as a young Balls I steadfastly refused to believe that James Bond would or should ever get married.

I mean, really, what’s the point?!? That’s why Derek Jeter will always have my undying respect.

But I digress.

To say my life has been influenced by James Bond is an understatement. I have traveled to cities and countries because I saw them first in a James Bond movie or read about them in the books. In many ways, I behave the way I do because that’s how I figure that James Bond would behave.

I didn’t want to be a secret agent that kills people, but I wanted to be as cool as he was and as sophisticated as he was and as irresistible to women as he was. Well, two out of three ain’t bad.

Just kidding.

In any case, since we are not allowed outside and I don’t have much of a commute anymore, I have found I have more time than before and I’ve decided to spend it re-watching the James Bond films and considering how they’ve aged, how they influenced me, and what remains timeless in them.

I’ve noticed as I was doing the re-watch that these films both reflected and influenced the times they were released in. I’ll delve into that a bit too.

We’ll start with the films of the 1960s. In order, they were

1. Dr. No (1962) – Sean Connery
2. From Russia With Love (1963) – Sean Connery
3. Goldfinger (1964) – Sean Connery
4. Thunderball (1965) – Sean Connery
5. You Only Live Twice (1967) – Sean Connery
6. On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – George Lazenby

It should be noted that the order of the movies is entirely different from the order of the books. Also, while the early movies were pretty closely aligned with the books, later films only used the titles and held very little in common with the original books. We’ll begin at the beginning:

***

Dr. No

Story: After a routine remote spy check-in goes wrong, James Bond is sent to Jamaica to figure out what happened. He uncovers a plot by a Chinese man with metal hands named Dr. No to disrupt US spacecraft launches from his private island. Dr. No works for SPECTRE.

Highlights: The famous James Bond theme is the first thing you hear after the famous gun-barrel shot (see banner image) and it completely sets the stage for everything to come, in the film and in the 60 years since.

The film takes the time to show actual spycraft tricks like taking shoes off when tracking a possible intruder and prepping a room to later determine if anyone broke in looking for stuff.

Lowlights: Jack Lord as Felix Leiter wearing girl shades.

Random Observations: The first girl that Bond hooks up with in this film is named Sylvia Trench. You can clearly see a ring on the ring finger of her left hand, signifying she’s married. James Bond ain’t care. She’s actually the one that approaches him.

I love the girl-wearing-pajama-top-only look:

Influences: When we first meet James Bond, he is playing chemin de fer (similar to baccarat) and the game play is done in French. I decided to learn how to play both chemin de fer and baccarat and to learn French because of this. Unfortunately, you can’t find a game of chemin de fer anywhere in the world now.

On Dr. No’s island, Honey is dressed up in a Chinese dress. A blonde in a Chinese dress? Yes, please! Did I buy one for a blonde lady friend and have some fun times in my adult life? Damn skippy!

The three women in the film that James Bond hooks up with (Sylvia, Miss Taro, and Honey) are, for the most part, aggressive, go after what they want, and can take care of themselves. This is the kind of woman I’m attracted to in real life.

Overview: While Dr. No was the first movie in the franchise, it was actually the sixth novel published. The plot of the movie tracks fairly close to the book. This was actually the case for most of the movies of the 60s.

It’s interesting to note that the book’s Dr. No was a mix of German and Chinese while in the film Leiter says he is Chinese. The films were always different when dealing with race than the books. In some ways, that’s good and in others not. The choice to omit the German heritage in the film is… odd.

The action sequences were captivating and the soundtrack complemented them very well. It’s a great action film that was done on a low budget and produced great financial returns, ensuring more films could be made.

In that vein, it is not a coincidence that Dr. No was chosen to be the first film as that movie features the most cooperation between the US (in Felix Leiter of the CIA) and the UK (in James Bond and the Secret Service). This reflects the political environment at the time as the UK was the US’ biggest ally in the Cold War against the Soviet Union. Appealing to US and UK audiences in this way was a shrewd move.

Come to think of it, that’s probably why the German part of Dr. No was dropped… No one gave a shit about Chinese audiences back then.

***

From Russia With Love

Story: SPECTRE comes up with a plan to eliminate James Bond and acquire a Soviet decoding device. A beautiful Russian blonde Soviet consulate worker in Istanbul is tricked by SPECTRE into helping James steal it. James must then take the device and the girl back to London by train through Yugoslavia. At the same time, he must deal with the assassin sent by SPECTRE to kill him and retrieve the device.

Highlights: Pedro Armendáriz, a famous Mexican actor, plays Kerim Bey, the Section Head for Turkey based out of Istanbul. Since I was born in México, I have a sense of pride that a Mexican actor was able to get such a significant English-language role in such a famous movie at a time when it was rare for Latinos to get any kind of featured roles in major American films.

The scene where he is in his office and the girl wants him to come to her and play is my favourite of the entire film. It’s punctuated by his saying, “Back to the salt mines…” while taking off his clothes.

It’s too bad they’re interrupted by a bomb explosion.

The film also continues the showcasing of spycraft started in Dr. No as Bond checks out his hotel room in Istanbul before switching rooms.

Finally, CATFIGHT!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpNtSuZQPac

Lowlights: The Kerim Bey character was so fun and cool that it sucked he had to die. I wanted him to keep banging horny chicks until his 80s.

Random Observations: Sylvia Trench makes a second appearance as she is with Bond when he gets the call to come to headquarters for a briefing. It’s the same actress playing the same character.

This was the first time the opening titles were displayed on a woman’s body. A genius move that was repeated in future films and became a Bond film tradition for awhile:

This is also the first appearance of Q, the Secret Service’s eQuipment officer, played by the late great Desmond Llewelyn.

Influences: In the train, the assassin commits a faux pas when he orders red wine with fish. Bond calls him on it later. This prompted me to learn about food and wine pairings and proper dining etiquette/protocols. Yes, I know what that third fork is for because of Bond!

Also, Venice has been featured many times in James Bond films, this being the first. The first time I went to Europe, I made sure I went there because of how awesome it looked in the films.

Also this:

Overview: The train fight scene is one of the most famous fight scenes in cinema. Whenever anyone thinks of this film, that’s what they remember.

However, there was much more to this movie than the fight scene. For one, the Soviets, although considered an enemy at the time, were portrayed in a relatively positive manner. The true enemy was SPECTRE and the Soviets and Brits were merely pawns in their game. The development of SPECTRE as a bigger enemy than a rival state foreshadows the non-state terrorist organizations we’re familiar with today.

At the same time, it’s interesting how the film portrays East-West relations in Istanbul, the place where East and West literally meet. It seems like the different spy organizations for each country have come to an understanding as to why they’re there and what they’re doing and pretty much let themselves be. It’s an unsteady peace that reflects what the world was like at the time. There was constant tension, but lines were drawn and rarely crossed.

As to why they weren’t, you could point to respect for the enemy and for their capabilities or to a desire to not fall back into world war or to just plain luck. Who knows?

All we really know is that we made it through those times. Just like James Bond and Tatiana made it to Venice at the end of the movie.

***

Goldfinger

Story: James Bond goes up against Auric Goldfinger, an eccentric businessman that runs a highly successful gold smuggling business and is secretly planning to knock off Fort Knox with the aid of American mobsters.

Highlights: The movie starts with the unforgettable Shirley Bassey belting out the theme song

and then continues with an unforgettable establishing scene that culminates in the diver going underwater and seen by Felix Leiter. A masterful bit of filmmaking.

Also, Pussy Galore is the greatest character name ever.

Lowlights: The onesie/romper/playsuit, whatever you want to call it:

Would I wear the shit out of it after spanking a beautiful blonde?

You bet your ass I would!

Random Observations: The Sneaker Pimps’ standout hit, “6 Underground” took a sample from the scene where Bond sees Jill Masterson covered in gold paint and made it an international hit. See if you can spot it:

Influences: The golf course scene is better in the book, but Bond gambling for gold playing golf made me want to take up the sport. I still play and I still sometimes pretend there’s a gold bar at stake if I make a putt.

This film, through the dinner conversation about gold, started the development of the Bond ideal of a Rennaissance Man that knows a fair amount about a lot of subjects. This was an Al Michaels YUUUGE influence on me as it fed my curiousity and my desire to learn about all kinds of different subjects. Since Goldfinger, knowledge has been very sexy in my eyes.

Also, is it any wonder why I prefer blondes?

Finally, the scene in the Stelvio Pass fueled my desire to take a driving holiday in the European Alps driving a sports car. I was finally able to do that a few years ago when I took European delivery of my M3 and drove it through the Austrian Alps into Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, and back to Germany. That was an amazing trip and it was all thanks to Bond.

Overview: Goldfinger is probably the movie I’ve seen the most and is probably my favourite Bond movie. From the blonde girls to the gadgets to the beautiful European locations, this movie had it all.

The film itself foreshadowed a lot of things. The in-car map showing the car’s location was considered science fiction in the 60s yet it’s ubiquitous today. The introduction of gadgets in Bond cars without a doubt fueled the development of many of the safety features in modern vehicles that we now take for granted.

More importantly, the film’s discussion of gold, its importance, and the various problems that arose with the world monetary system in place at the time (mid 60s) foreshadowed the complete elimination of the gold standard in the late 60s. Yes, the gold standard was on its death knell, but I can’t help but think that the movie pushed the final nail in.

***

Thunderball

Story: SPECTRE successfully steals two nuclear missiles from NATO planes performing an exercise off Britain and demands a healthy ransom for their return. All the Double 0s are called in to find the bombs before the deadline. Only James is successful in locating them near the Bahamas and must race against time to recover them from Largo, SPECTRE’s man in charge of the operation.

Highlights: Almost 20 years before the Opening Ceremonies of the Los Angeles Olympics featured a man wearing a jetpack flying through the Coliseum, James Bond was using it to escape bad guys!

When #1 in SPECTRE kills #9 by electrocution after finding him guilty of embezzlement, Largo doesn’t bat a fucking eyelash. He makes a note on his papers in a bored way and then proceeds to make his presentation. That’s pretty badass.

Speaking of badass:

My favourite scene in the whole movie:

Lowlights: Paula’s death. Like Kerim Bey, she was a likeable character that should have stuck around.

Random Observations: The front organization for SPECTRE in Paris is engaged in providing aid for refugees. That seems like either an odd choice or a political statement.

It’s fun watching this movie again after seeing the Austin Powers movies. You can identify all the references and jokes as they happen.

Influences: The underwater sequences inspired me to try scuba diving when I grew up. Unfortunately, my ears can’t handle the pressure, so I couldn’t do it more than twice. Hey, at least I tried it!

Overview: The things that stand out the most for me in this film are the underwater sequences. They were filmed on a gigantic special stage in England and they were the first of their kind. I imagine that when they were first shown in the 60s, everyone was as amazed as I was when I first saw this movie.

The soundtrack helped greatly to set the underwater mood and contributed greatly to making this one of the most memorable James Bond films ever. The music is so soothing yet at the same time there are some off notes that keep the viewer uneasy and on the edge of their seats. A really great job all around.

As far as the story, it was very timely. We were deep in the Cold War in those days and the thoughts of nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands must have terrified plenty of high-level government officials on both sides. Again, the enemy is SPECTRE, not the Soviet Union.

As in Dr. No, the US and the UK work together to prevent the success of SPECTRE’S plot. It is interesting, though, that the rest of the NATO nations are scarcely mentioned and the pilot that’s killed and replaced by SPECTRE is Italian. There’s a whiff of the British superiority complex in this film that’s a bit at odds with Fleming’s novels. Fleming felt that the British Empire fell because of this sense of superiority that wasn’t backed up by anything concrete. There is ample criticism of it in his novels.

The film shows the Americans saving the day at the end after the Brits had been fighting SPECTRE alone, a possible comparison to World War II. The impression at the end seems to be that the UK is superior to the rest of Europe but needs the US to succeed. I wonder if this is Boris Johnson’s favourite movie?

***

You Only Live Twice

Story: An American spaceship disappears after another unidentified spacecraft swallows it and goes down in the Sea of Japan. The Americans blame the Soviets, the Brits disagree, and Buddy Cole laughs his ass off. James Bond fakes his death so he can investigate with the aid of Japan’s Secret Service.

Highlights: The scene where the helicopter picks up the car by magnet and then drops it into the bay is pretty cool

Speaking of, what about “Little Nellie”?

Lowlights: The girls in the movie are too submissive for my taste. Yes, I know it was a cultural thing then and I know things have changed, but I never really liked that whole “women come second” thing that Tanaka mentions in the bath.

Random Observations: According to Bond, Chinese girls taste different than other girls. They also give “very best duck”. This was the first film to really get into the double entendres, which would become a Bond tradition.

I had seen Diamonds Are Forever before You Only Live Twice. Imagine my surprise when Blofeld showed up as Bond’s contact in Japan! It took me a while to realize it was the same actor, Charles Gray, playing a different role. Donald Pleasence was actually playing Blofeld in this film. Incidentally, this is the first time we see Blofeld’s face in the entire series.

My buddy always had an idea to sample the opening song to this movie and make a pop song.

And then Robbie Williams beat him to it.

He still hates Robbie Williams to this day.

Influences: Most of the film takes place in Japan, starting in Tokyo. Yep, I’ve been to Tokyo as a result of watching this film.

Overview: This is the first movie that completely departs from the books and creates a completely different story. The books, mostly written in the 50s, were usually about the Allies (UK and US) versus the Soviet Union. It was only in the later books, written in the early 60s, that SPECTRE was introduced.

The concept of SPECTRE as the real enemy and not the Soviet Union is what drove the films. Ian Fleming died in 1964. The direction and themes of the films were chosen by the producers. As the films became more successful, the budgets got bigger and the stories began to only be loosely tied to the original stories. This was the first big example of that. It wouldn’t be until Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale that a film was again closely aligned with Fleming’s book.

It’s interesting to note that SPECTRE is said to be working in conjunction with a “great power” in this film, which is supposed to be China. Consider that Dr. No and his minions were Chinese and that not only Goldfinger’s minions were all Chinese but the bomb he planned on using at Fort Knox was provided by a Chinese nuclear scientist.

This is in the 60s, mind you.

While the China of the 60s was not nearly as powerful as the China of today, the filmmakers did paint China as a potential enemy that the US, the UK, and even the Soviet Union should be wary of. Given how things are today, it seems there was something to what they were portraying on screen.

***

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service

Story: He gets married, she gets killed by Blofeld, he vows revenge? I dunno, like I said, I’ve never seen it. Although, something called Pluto TV has a James Bond channel and they’ve been running through a bunch of the older movies and I’ve been putting it in the background while I’m working from home, so I’ve seen some things while the movie is on mute.

Highlights: Really pretty and snowy mountains in Switzerland! It looks like the whole movie is set there.

Lowlights: I still can’t believe I saw this part. Ok, so apparently Bond goes to a mountain-top chalet or lair where there are a bunch of sexy girls dressed in very sexy 60s fashion and they all sit down for a meal. It appears the girls are served according to their background. The Indian girl gets naan. The Asian girl gets rice. And the black girl gets…..

Bananas.

Yeah, I can’t believe that shit either. Holy fuck how was this not an issue back then!?! Yikes!

Influences: None

Overview: I still haven’t seen the whole film with sound and I honestly don’t plan to. Lines have to be drawn somewhere and I’m not afraid to draw them.

***

Conclusions

Sean Connery was the perfect Bond for the time. You can sense it from the books in a more complete way, but Ian Fleming was a conservative person writing during the times in which the conservative 50s changed to the 60s in which the hippies flourished. His writings reflect the 50s and 60s of the Rat Pack, the Mob, and the Cold War as opposed to the 60s of the Flower Children, Free Love, and civil rights.

The Bond films not only reflected what was happening in the world, but they also provided a vision for what the world could be like. In times of change, things can go in many different directions and these films provided an adventurous alternative for people to aspire to.

Connery’s Bond was chauvinistic, macho, unemotional, calculating, and cold. Those were the qualities of Fleming’s book Bond and qualities that were prevalent in the 50s and praised in certain circles during the 60s. The films helped those qualities and values compete with the others that were becoming popular.

As society has moved away from those qualities, many people yearn for the years (decades?) in which this behaviour was not only tolerated, but encouraged.

I firmly believe this is why many people say that Sean Connery is their favourite James Bond of all time. They want to be able to live vicariously through him and have him do the things that they can’t or don’t dare to do anymore.

No matter what you think of the decade or Sean Connery’s portrayal of Bond, it can’t be denied that the James Bond films of the 60s were hugely successful, highly influential, and set the stage for a film franchise that is still going in the 2020s. That’s pretty impressive.

Alas, nothing lasts forever and the cultural changes that took place in the 60s had a great influence on the James Bond films to come. His qualities and behaviour started to change with the times. However, that’s a story for another post. I’ll see you next time in the 1970s.