Portal:James Bond/Selected article

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

The Selected article box on the portal chooses one of the following at random when displaying the page. Follow the instructions below for adding or nominating a new article to the list.

Usage

James Bond related Featured and Good articles can be added directly to this list without nomination. All other articles should be nominated first to ensure that we only display our best work on the portal. The procedure for nomination is at the bottom of this page.

Template

{{Portal:James Bond/Selected article/Layout
  |image=
  |size=
  |caption=
  |text=
  |link=
}}<noinclude>
[[Category:James Bond portal selected articles|{{SUBPAGENAME}}]]
</noinclude>

Note that the prefix Image: is not required when using this template, also - the template will auto-wikilink the article entered in the link= field. Further information on this template can be found at Portal:James Bond/Selected article/Layout.

To add a new article

  1. Click on the next successive empty entry or red link from this page.
  2. Paste the above layout template if it isn't already there.
  3. Write three or four paragraphs in the text field using information from the selected notable FA article, you may find it useful to examine the existing entries for an idea of the length required.
  4. Ensure the main title of the article is in bold and add this same article to the link field.
  5. Add a free image and caption.
  6. Preview the page, check that the image size is correct. If the image is too big, add 100px to the size field.
  7. Save the page.
  8. Go to the main Portal:James Bond page.
  9. Click on edit page.
  10. Update "max=" to its new total for the {{Random portal component}} on the main page. The line which is edited is this one: {{Random portal component|max=4|header=Selected article|subpage=Selected article}} Make sure that "max=" is the same numerical value as the article entry added above (i.e. if you added article 43, then max=43)

Selected articles list

articles 1 - 20

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/1

Daniel Craig on a yacht in Venice during a break in filming Casino Royale

Casino Royale (2006) is the twenty-first film in the James Bond series and the first to star Daniel Craig as MI6 agent James Bond. Based on the 1953 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis and directed by Martin Campbell.

It is the third screen adaptation of the novel but the only EON Productions adaptation. It is a reboot of the film series, establishing a new timeline and narrative framework not meant to precede any previous film. This freed the series from continuity and allowed the film to show a less experienced and more vulnerable Bond. The film is set at the beginning of James Bond's career as Agent 007. The 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, will be a sequel to Casino Royale and continue its plot.

The casting involved a widespread search for a new actor to portray James Bond, and significant controversy over Craig when he was eventually selected. Some Pierce Brosnan fans threatened to boycott the film in protest. Despite this, Craig's performance earned critical acclaim. Casino Royale was produced by EON Productions for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Columbia Pictures. It is the highest grossing James Bond film to date and the 38th highest-grossing film of all time.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/2

Garbage performing in Copenhagen, Denmark

"The World Is Not Enough", performed by Garbage, is the theme single of the nineteenth James Bond film of the same name. It was released in compilation with the soundtrack album of the film by Radioactive Records and MCA during the final months of Garbage's world tour in support of their platinum certified album Version 2.0.

"The World Is Not Enough" was written by Tony, Grammy and Academy award winning James Bond themes lyricist Don Black, and by Grammy, Ivor Novello and BMI Film Music award winning composer David Arnold. Mixed into five versions, the single was written in the traditional style of James Bond title themes with conflicting bloodthirsty and sexual lyrics. The line "There's no point in living if you can't feel the life", an important plot point in the film, is included in the track as it appears on other media.

"The World Is Not Enough" was lauded by most critics, though Garbage was initially uncredited. It reached the top 10s in Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway and Finland, as well as the top 40 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the U.K. IGN listed it as the ninth best James Bond theme of all time.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/3

Grace Jones, who played May Day

A View To A Kill, released in 1985, is the fourteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the seventh and last to star Roger Moore as the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond. Although the title is adapted from Ian Fleming's short story "From a View to a Kill", the film is the second Bond film after The Spy Who Loved Me to have an entirely original screenplay. In A View to a Kill, Bond is pitted against Max Zorin, who plans to destroy California's Silicon Valley.

The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson who also wrote the screenplay with Richard Maibaum. It was the third James Bond film to be directed by John Glen.

Despite being a commercial success, A View To A Kill was received poorly by critics and also disliked by Roger Moore himself. However, Academy Award winning actor Christopher Walken was praised for portraying a "classic Bond villain."

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/4

Orson Welles, who played Le Chiffre

Casino Royale is a 1967 epic surrealistic satire originally produced by Columbia Pictures starring an ensemble cast of directors and actors. It is set as a satire of the James Bond film series and the spy genre and is lightly based on Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel.

The film stars David Niven as the original Bond, Sir James Bond 007. Forced out of retirement to investigate the deaths and disappearances of international spies, he soon battles the mysterious Dr. Noah and SMERSH.

The film's famous slogan : "Casino Royale is too much ... for one James Bond!" refers to Bond's ruse to mislead SMERSH in which six other agents are designated as "James Bond", namely, Baccarat master Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers), millionaire spy Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress), his secretary Miss Moneypenny (Barbara Bouchet), Bond's daughter with Mata Hari, Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet) and British agents "Coop" (Terence Cooper) and "The Detainer" (Daliah Lavi).

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/5

A tank similar to the one Bond drives in GoldenEye

GoldenEye (1995) is the seventeenth spy film of the British James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Unlike previous James Bond films, it was not related to the works of novelist Ian Fleming, although the name "GoldenEye" was taken from his estate in Jamaica. The original story was conceived and written by Michael France, with later collaboration by several other writers, and was directed by Martin Campbell. In the film, Bond fights to prevent an arms syndicate from using the GoldenEye satellite weapon against London in order to cause a global financial meltdown.

GoldenEye was released in 1995 after legal disputes forced a six-year hiatus in the series, during which Timothy Dalton resigned from the role of James Bond and was replaced by Pierce Brosnan. M was also recast (last played by Robert Brown in Licence to Kill) with actress Judi Dench, becoming the first female to portray the character. GoldenEye was the first Bond film made after the downfall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, which provided a background for the plot.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/6

The Monsoon Palace pictured in the film

Octopussy, released in 1983, is the 13th film in the James Bond series, and the sixth to star Roger Moore as MI6 super agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's 1966 short story "Octopussy" and it also adapts the 1963 short story "The Property of a Lady". However, the film's overall story is original and the titular short story is narrated as a flashback by the main Bond girl Octopussy. In the film, Bond is assigned the task of following a general stealing jewels and relics from the Russian government. This leads him to a wealthy Afghan prince, Kamal Khan, and his associate, Octopussy. Following captivity and attempts on his life, Bond uncovers a plot to force disarmament in Europe with the use of a nuclear weapon.

Produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, Octopussy was released in the same year as the non-EON James Bond film Never Say Never Again. Written by George MacDonald Fraser, Richard Maibaum, and Michael G. Wilson, the film was directed by John Glen.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/7

Sean Connery

Diamonds are Forever (1971) is the seventh spy film of the James Bond series and the sixth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film is loosely based on Ian Fleming's 1956 novel of the same name, and is the second of four James Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton. The story has Bond impersonating a diamond smuggler to infiltrate a smuggling ring, and soon uncovering a plot by his former nemesis Blofeld to use the diamonds and build a giant laser satellite that would be used to hold the world to ransom.

Diamonds Are Forever was a commercial success, but was met with mixed reviews by critics due to the more humorous approach.

In the prologue, James Bond is pursuing Ernst Stavro Blofeld who was responsible for the death of his wife. After interrogating several of Blofeld's associates worldwide, Bond traces him to a facility where he is surgically creating look-alikes. Bond kills a test subject who is lying in a mud bath. Bond manages to drown the man, but is captured by Blofeld. After a fight, Bond kills Blofeld by throwing him into a pool of superheated mud.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/8

Halle Berry

Die Another Day, released in 2002, is the twentieth film in the James Bond series and the fourth and final to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. In the film, Bond is betrayed after killing a rogue North Korean Colonel and captured. Once released in a prisoner exchange, he must follow a trail of clues in an effort to reveal the MI6 leak and soon learns that the villain he is pursuing is the same North Korean Colonel he supposedly killed. James then must prevent a satellite from igniting a war between North and South Korea.

Die Another Day was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and directed by Lee Tamahori. Being the twentieth James Bond film and also being released in the year of the film franchise's fortieth Anniversary, it includes references to each of the preceding films and additionally alludes to several Bond novels.

The film received mixed reviews, with some critics praising Lee Tamahori's work and others pointing out the damage caused by excessive CGI effects to the plot. It nevertheless became the highest grossing James Bond film of all time before being surpassed by Casino Royale in 2006.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/9

Ursula Andress played Honey Ryder

Dr. No is a 1962 spy film. It is the first film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent James Bond. Based on the 1958 novel Dr. No by Ian Fleming, it was adapted by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, and Berkeley Mather. The film was directed by Terence Young, and produced by Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli, a partnership that would continue until 1975.

In the film, Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the death of a British agent. The trail leads him to the island home of reclusive Dr. Julius No. Bond uncovers Dr. No's plot to disrupt American rocket tests, and scuttles his operation.

Dr. No's success, as the first major film adaptation of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, led to a series of films that continues to this day. Dr. No also launched a successful genre of "secret agent" films that flourished in the 1960s. It does not show Bond earning his double-0 status which grants him a licence to kill; instead it presents Bond as a seasoned veteran.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/10

Nintendo 64 console for GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 is a 1997 first-person shooter video game developed by Rare for the Nintendo 64 video game console, and based on the 1995 James Bond film GoldenEye.

The game has received exceptionally positive reviews and sold over eight million copies. It is considered an important title in the development of first person shooters, and has become particularly well-known for the quality of its multiplayer deathmatch mode, as well as its incorporation of stealth and varied objectives into its single-player missions.

GoldenEye 007 was originally announced for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System before being stepped up to the Nintendo 64. The intention for the first few months of development was for the game to be an on-rails shooter similar to Virtua Cop; it only became a first-person shooter later in development.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/11

Most of the film is set in the Orient Express

From Russia with Love, released in 1963, is the second film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Sean Connery as MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. In the film, James Bond is sent to Turkey to assist in the defection of Corporal Tatiana Romanova, where SPECTRE plans to avenge the killing of Dr. No.

From Russia with Love is considered the best film in the James Bond series by many critics and by Connery himself, and is still highly regarded more than 40 years after its release. Michael G. Wilson, the current co-producer of the series, stated "We always start out trying to make another From Russia with Love and end up with another Thunderball." In 2004, Total Film magazine named it the ninth-greatest British film of all time.

In 2005, the film was adapted into a video game, James Bond 007: From Russia with Love. Produced by Electronic Arts, the game featured all-new voice work by Sean Connery as well as his likeness and those of several of the film's supporting cast.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/12

Honor Blackman

Goldfinger, released in 1964, is the third James Bond film, as well as the third to star Sean Connery as MI6 agent James Bond. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman and Gert Fröbe. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and was the first of four Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton. The story has Bond following gold smuggler Auric Goldfinger, who plans a nuclear detonation inside the Fort Knox gold depository.

The film is generally regarded as the first official Bond blockbuster as well as the template for all future Bond films; it is usually credited with triggering what is known as the "James Bond craze". The film made cinematic history when it recaptured its production costs in record-setting time, despite a budget equal to that of the two preceding films combined. Goldfinger was also the first Bond film to use a pop star to sing the theme song during the titles, which would follow for every Bond film since except On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/13

DB5

James Bond is a fictional character created in 1952 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in 12 novels and two anthologies. The character has also been used in the longest runningand 2nd most successful film franchise to date, starting in 1962 with Dr. No. There have been 21 films in the EON Productions series to date, with the 22nd, Quantum of Solace', due for release in November 2008. In addition there have been two independent feature productions (a 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale starring David Niven in the title role, and 1983's Never Say Never Again) and one Fleming-licensed American television adaptation of the first novel, aired in 1954. In 1956, Moonraker was also adapted into a South African radio play starring Bob Holness as Bond. By the year 1990 You Only Live Twice was adapted into a 90 minute radio play for BBC Radio 4 with Michael Jayston playing James Bond

After Fleming's death in 1964, subsequent James Bond novels were written by Kingsley Amis (as Robert Markham), John Pearson, John Gardner and Raymond Benson. In addition Charlie Higson has begun to write a series of books detailing the "Young James Bond". In July 2007, it was announced that Sebastian Faulks has been commissioned to write a Bond novel for publication in 2008. Moreover, Christopher Wood novelised two screenplays, while other writers have authored unofficial versions of the character.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/14

Places Bond has been in his films

The James Bond film series is a series of spy films inspired by Ian Fleming's novels about the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond (codename 007). EON Productions have produced twenty-one films between 1962 and 2006, and another film is planned for 2008. In addition, there are two independent productions and an American television adaptation of the first novel. Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman co-produced the EON films until 1975, when Broccoli remained the sole producer. Since 1995, Broccoli's daughter Barbara and stepson Michael G. Wilson have co-produced them. Six actors have portrayed 007 so far.

Broccoli's and Saltzman's family company, Danjaq, has held ownership of the James Bond film series through Eon, and maintained co-ownership with United Artists since the mid-1970s. From the release of Dr. No (1962) up to For Your Eyes Only (1981), the films were distributed solely by UA. When Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought UA in 1981, MGM/UA Entertainment Co. was formed and distributed the films until 1995. MGM solely distributed three films from 1997 to 2002 after UA retired as a mainstream studio. Beginning in 2006 with Casino Royale, MGM and Columbia Pictures co-distribute the franchise, as Columbia's parent company, Sony Pictures Entertainment, bought MGM in 2005. MGM will begin to solely distribute the films once more in 2010. The twenty-one Bond films have grossed over $4 billion dollars in the worldwide box office, being the second most profitable film series ever after Harry Potter.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/15

Live and Let Die is considered one of Fleming's most controversial novels due to its depiction of voodoo.

Live and Let Die is the second novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. First published by Jonathan Cape on April 5, 1954, it is considered one of Fleming's most controversial novels due to its depiction of Afro-Caribbean people and voodoo.

The novel was adapted in 1973 as the eighth official film in the EON Productions Bond franchise and the first to star Roger Moore as James Bond. Besides the film of the same name, major plot elements from this novel appeared in two other Bond films: For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Licence to Kill (1989).

In the novel, James Bond is sent to New York City to investigate "Mr. Big", an underworld voodoo leader who is suspected by M of selling 17th century gold coins to finance Soviet spy operations in America. These gold coins have been turning up in Harlem and Florida and are suspected of being part of a treasure that was buried in Jamaica by the Welsh pirate Sir Henry Morgan. Although Bond is at first reluctant to take on the mission, his attitude quickly changes upon learning that Mr. Big is an agent of SMERSH and that this mission offers him a chance of retaliation for previously being tortured by SMERSH operative Le Chiffre and branded on his hand by a SMERSH assassin in Casino Royale.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/16

The film features opium traffic in Afghanistan.

The Living Daylights, released in 1987, is the fifteenth spy film of the James Bond series, and the first to star Timothy Dalton as the fictional British secret agent James Bond. The film's title is taken from Ian Fleming's short story "The Living Daylights."

The beginning of the film following the title sequence resembles the short story where Bond has to act as a counter sniper to protect a defecting Soviet. The film begins with Bond investigating the deaths of a number of MI6 agents. A Soviet defector, Georgi Koskov, informs him that General Pushkin, head of the KGB, is systematically killing Western operatives. When Koskov is seemingly snatched back by the Soviets, Bond follows him across Europe, Afghanistan and Morocco.

The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli, his stepson Michael G. Wilson, and his daughter Barbara Broccoli. Although elements from his books continued to be used in future Bond films, this was the last film to make use of an actual Ian Fleming story title until 2006's Casino Royale.

The Living Daylights grossed $191.2 million worldwide. In the United States it earned $51,185,000. Its opening weekend collections were $11,051,284. In the film, villains repeatedly use vehicles and drug packets marked with the Red Cross. This action angered a number of Red Cross Societies, which sent letters of protest. However, no legal action was taken. As a result, a disclaimer was added at the start of the film and some DVD releases.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/17

The novel explores sugar industry

The Man with the Golden Gun is the thirteenth and final novel written by Ian Fleming, featuring the fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond. It was published posthumously in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape, in 1965. Despite being stylistically different from and less detailed than Fleming's other works, it was a bestseller for four months.

The novel was adapted in 1966 as a comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper, and in 1974 as the ninth film in the EON Productions James Bond series with Roger Moore playing Bond.

The book starts a year since James Bond disappeared during a mission in Japan, and he is presumed dead. Then, a man claiming to be Bond appears in London and demands to meet M. After much scrutinising and interrogation, the man's identity is confirmed, but during his debriefing interview with M, Bond tries to kill him with a cyanide pistol; the attempt fails.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/18

A Lotus Esprit capable of turning into a submarine is featured in the film

The Spy Who Loved Me, released in 1977, is the 10th film in the James Bond series and the third to star Roger Moore as MI6 agent James Bond. It was directed by Lewis Gilbert and the screenplay was written by Christopher Wood and Richard Maibaum. The film takes its title from the tenth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series. Following a request by Ian Fleming when he sold the rights to the series that only the title of the novel be used, it is the first Bond film to be written with a wholly original plot line in its screenplay. The storyline involves a reclusive megalomaniac named Stromberg who plans to destroy the world and create a new civilization under the sea. Bond teams up with a Russian agent Anya Amasova to stop Stromberg.

The Spy Who Loved Me film was highly acclaimed by critics. The soundtrack, composed by Marvin Hamlisch also met tremendous success. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards amidst many other nominations and subsequently novelised in 1977 by Christopher Wood as James Bond, The Spy Who Loved Me.

The final credits of this film declared that "James Bond will return in For Your Eyes Only," but instead was followed by Moonraker due to the overwhelming success of Star Wars.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/19

NATO, a common theme of the film

Thunderball, released in 1965, is the fourth spy film of the British James Bond series, and the fourth to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond. It is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. It was directed by Terence Young with screenplay by Richard Maibaum and John Hopkins.

The film follows Bond's mission to find two NATO nuclear bombs stolen by SPECTRE, who holds the world to ransom for £100 million in diamonds, in exchange for not destroying an unspecified major city in either England or the United States of America (later revealed to be Miami). The search leads Bond to the Bahamas, where he encounters Emilio Largo, the card-playing, eye-patch wearing SPECTRE Number Two. Backed by the CIA and Largo's mistress, Bond's search culminates into an underwater battle with Largo's henchmen.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/20

Teri Hatcher, who played Paris Carver

Tomorrow Never Dies, released in 1997, is the eighteenth spy film in the James Bond series, and the second to star Pierce Brosnan as MI6 agent James Bond. Bruce Feirstein is credited as writing the screenplay, although it received input from several writers, and it was directed by Roger Spottiswoode. It follows Bond as he tries to stop a media mogul from engineering world events and starting World War III.

The film was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, and was the first James Bond film made after the death of veteran producer Albert R. Broccoli. Tomorrow Never Dies performed well in the box office and received many positive reviews. It did not achieve the same level of success as GoldenEye since it opened the same day as Titanic.

...More selections

articles 21 - 40

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/21

New Orleans

Live and Let Die (1973) is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman. Although the producers wanted Sean Connery to return after his role in the previous Bond film Diamonds Are Forever, he declined, sparking a search for a new actor to play James Bond. Roger Moore was selected for the lead role.

The film is adapted from the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. In the film, a drug lord known as Mr. Big plans to distribute two tons of heroin free so as to put rival drug barons out of business. Bond is investigating the death of three British agents which leads him to Big and is soon trapped in a world of gangsters and voodoo as he fights to put a stop to Mr. Big's scheme. Live and Let Die was released during the height of the blaxploitation era, and many blaxploitation archetypes and cliché are depicted such as afro hairstyles, derogatory racial epithets ("honky"), black gangsters, and "pimpmobiles." It departs from the former plots of the James Bond films about megalomaniac super-villains, and instead focuses on drug trafficking, depicted primarily in blaxploitation films. Moreover, it is set in African American cultural centres such as Harlem, New Orleans, and the Caribbean Islands.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/22

A climactic fight occurs on the cablecar of Rio de Janeiro's Sugarloaf

Moonraker (1979) is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film, directed by Lewis Gilbert, co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel. In the film, Bond is sent to investigate the mysterious theft of a space shuttle, leading him to Hugo Drax, the billionaire owner of the shuttle-manufacturing firm. Along with the space scientist Dr. Holly Goodhead, who later is identified as also being a Central Intelligence Agency agent investigating Mr. Drax, Bond follows the trail of clues from California to Venice, Italy, Rio de Janeiro, and the Amazon rain forest, and finally into outer space in a bid to prevent a genocidal plot to wipe out the world population and to re-create humanity with a master race.

Moonraker was intended by its creator Ian Fleming to be turned into a film even before he completed the novel in 1954, since he based the novel on a manuscript he had written even earlier than this. The producers of the James Bond film series had originally intended to do Moonraker in 1973 with Roger Moore making his debut as Bond, but the making of this movie was put on hold and finally released in 1979, coinciding with the science fiction genre which had become extremely popular during this period with films such as Star Wars (1977).

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/23

The cinema poster of the movie next to an Aston Martin featured in the production.

Quantum of Solace (2008) is the 22nd James Bond film by EON Productions and is the direct sequel to the 2006 film Casino Royale. Directed by Marc Forster, it features Daniel Craig's second performance as James Bond. In the film, Bond battles Dominic Greene (Mathieu Amalric), a member of the Quantum organisation posing as an environmentalist who intends to stage a coup d'état in Bolivia to take control of its water supply. Bond seeks revenge for the death of his lover, Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), and is assisted by Camille Montes (Olga Kurylenko), who is also seeking revenge.

Producer Michael G. Wilson developed the film's plot while Casino Royale was being shot. Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, Paul Haggis, and Joshua Zetumer contributed to the script. The title was chosen from a 1960 short story in Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only, though the film does not contain any elements of the original story. Location filming took place in Panama, Chile, Italy, and Austria while interior sets were built and filmed at Pinewood Studios. Forster aimed to make a modern film that also featured classic cinema motifs: a vintage aeroplane was used for a dogfight sequence, and Dennis Gassner's set designs are reminiscent of Ken Adam's work on several early Bond films. Taking a course away from the usual Bond villains, Forster rejected any grotesque appearance for the character Dominic Greene to emphasise the hidden and secret nature of the film's contemporary villains.

The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square on 29 October 2008, gathering mixed reviews which mainly praised Craig's gritty performance and the film's action sequences while feeling that Quantum of Solace was not as impressive as the predecessor Casino Royale. It was, however, the second most commercially successful Bond film, earning GBP£50 million in product placement, and grossing USD$586,090,727 at the box office as of 9 March 2009: notably close to its predecessor's record.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/24

Chris Cornell performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival

"You Know My Name" performed by Chris Cornell, is the theme song to the 2006 James Bond film, Casino Royale. Cornell wrote it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer. The film producers went after Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer. Cornell and Arnold tried to make the song a replacement theme for the character instead of the James Bond theme reflecting the agent's inexperience in Casino Royale, as well as an introduction to Daniel Craig's grittier and more emotional portrayal of Bond.

The track was leaked onto the Internet on September 20, 2006, and released as a single on November 13, 2006, charting in many countries. Reviews for "You Know My Name" were positive, and the song won the Satellite Award and the World Soundtrack Award, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. While not included in the Casino Royale soundtrack, "You Know My Name" appeared on Cornell's second solo album, Carry On.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/25

Yacht used in the boat chase scene that opens the movie.

The World Is Not Enough (1999) is the nineteenth spy film in the James Bond film series, and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was directed by Michael Apted, with the original story and screenplay written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Bruce Feirstein. It was produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

The film's plot revolves around the assassination of billionaire Sir Robert King by the terrorist Renard and Bond's subsequent assignment to protect King's daughter, Elektra, who had previously been held for ransom by Renard. During his assignment, Bond unravels a scheme to increase petroleum prices by triggering a nuclear meltdown in the waters of Istanbul.

Locations for The World Is Not Enough included Spain, France, Turkey and the United Kingdom, with interiors shot at Pinewood Studios. Despite the film's mixed critical reception, it earned $361,832,400 worldwide.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/26

Piz Gloria in Switzerland was used as Blofeld's base

On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) is the sixth spy film in the James Bond series, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. Following the decision of Sean Connery to retire from the role after You Only Live Twice, Eon Productions selected an unknown actor and model, George Lazenby to play the part of James Bond. During the making of the film Lazenby decided that he would play the role of Bond only once.

In the film, Bond faces Blofeld (Telly Savalas), who is planning to sterilize the world's food supply through a group of brainwashed "angels of death" (which included early appearances by Joanna Lumley and Catherina von Schell) unless his demands for an international amnesty (from his activities in the previous films, Thunderball and You Only Live Twice), his title of the Count De Bleuchamp is recognised and is allowed to retire into private life are all met. Along the way, Bond meets, falls in love with, and eventually marries Contessa Teresa di Vicenzo (Diana Rigg).

This is the only Bond film to be directed by Peter R. Hunt, who had served as a film editor and second unit director on previous films in the series. Hunt, along with producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman decided to produce a more realistic film that would follow the novel closely. It was shot in Switzerland, England and Portugal from October 1968 to May 1969. Although its cinema release was not as lucrative as its predecessor You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service was still one of the top performing films of the year. Critical reviews upon release were mixed, but the film's reputation improved over time, although Lazenby's performance is still widely criticised.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/27

The island of Ko Tapu, known as "James Bond island" since its usage as a location.

The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) is the ninth spy film in the James Bond series and the second to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. A loose adaptation of Ian Fleming's novel of same name, the film has Bond sent after the Solex Agitator, a device which can harness the power of the sun, while facing the assassin Francisco Scaramanga, the "Man with the Golden Gun". The action culminates in a duel between them that settles the fate of the Solex.

The Man with the Golden Gun was the fourth and final film in the series to be directed by Guy Hamilton. The script was written by Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz. The film was set in the face of the 1973 energy crisis, a dominant theme in the script—Britain had still not yet fully overcome the crisis when the film was released in December 1974. The film also reflects the then popular martial arts film craze, with several kung-fu scenes and a predominantly Asian location, being shot in Thailand, Hong Kong and Macao.

The film saw mixed reviews, with Christopher Lee's performance as Scaramanga, intended to be a villain of similar skill and ability to Bond, being praised; but reviewers criticized the film as a whole, particularly the comedic approach. Although the film was profitable, it is the fourth lowest-grossing Bond film in the series and has been described as the lowest point in the canon. It was also the final film to be co-produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, with Saltzman selling his 50% stake in Eon Productions's parent company, Danjaq, LLC after the release of the film.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/28

A Citroen 2CV is used in a chase scene.

For Your Eyes Only (1981) is the twelfth spy film in the James Bond series and the fifth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. It marked the directorial debut of John Glen, who had worked as editor and second unit director in three other Bond films. The screenplay by Richard Maibaum and Michael G. Wilson takes its characters and combines the plots from two short stories from Ian Fleming's For Your Eyes Only collection: the title story and "Risico". In the plot, Bond attempts to locate a missile command system while becoming tangled in a web of deception spun by rival Greek businessmen along with Melina Havelock, a woman seeking to avenge the murder of her parents. Some writing elements were inspired by the novels Live and Let Die, Goldfinger and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

After the over-the-top, science fiction-focused Moonraker, the producers wanted a conscious return to the style of the early Bond films and the works of 007 creator Fleming. For Your Eyes Only followed a more gritty, realistic approach, and an unusually strong narrative theme of revenge and its consequences. Filming locations included Greece, Italy and England, with underwater footage being shot in The Bahamas.

For Your Eyes Only was released on 24 June 1981 to a mixed critical reception; the film was a financial success, generating $195.3 million worldwide. For Your Eyes Only was the last Bond film to be distributed solely by United Artists; the studio merged with MGM soon after this movie’s release.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/29

Kim Basinger played Domino Petachi.

Never Say Never Again is a 1983 spy film based on the James Bond novel Thunderball, which was previously filmed in 1965 as Thunderball. Unlike the majority of Bond films, Never Say Never Again was not produced by Eon Productions, but by an independent production company, one of whose members was Kevin McClory, one of the original writers of the Thunderball storyline with Ian Fleming and Jack Whittingham, who retained the filming rights of the novel following a long legal battle.

The film was directed by Irvin Kershner, and marked the return of Sean Connery as British Secret Service agent James Bond (007), 12 years after Diamonds Are Forever. The film's title references how Connery said to the press in 1971 that he would "never again" play James Bond. As Connery was 52 at the time of filming, the storyline features an aging Bond, which is brought back into action to investigate the theft of two nuclear weapons by SPECTRE.

Never Say Never Again was released by Warner Bros. in the autumn of 1983, to positive critic reviews and commercial success, although its gross was less overall than the official Bond released in June of the same year, Octopussy.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/30

The game of baccarat is played in the novel.

Casino Royale is Ian Fleming's first James Bond novel. It paved the way for a further eleven novels by Fleming himself, in addition to two short story collections, followed by many "continuation" Bond novels by other authors.

The story entails James Bond, Special Agent 007 of the "Secret Service", travelling to the casino at Royale-Les-Eaux in order to bankrupt a fifth-columnist, Le Chiffre, the treasurer of a French union and a member of the Russian secret service. Bond is supported in his endeavours by Vesper Lynd, a member of his own service, as well as Felix Leiter of the CIA and René Mathis of the French Deuxième Bureau.

Since it was first published on 13 April 1953, Casino Royale has been adapted for the screen three times. The first was a 1954 episode of the CBS television series Climax! with Barry Nelson as CIA agent "Jimmy Bond". The first Casino Royale film was a 1967 spoof with David Niven playing "Sir James Bond", with the second being the twenty-first official film in the Eon Productions film series with Daniel Craig as James Bond, released on 17 November 2006. Casino Royale has also been published in comic strip format in a British national newspaper, The Daily Express.

Casino Royale was written by Ian Fleming in Jamaica over a period of around two months, largely from his own experiences and imagination; he also devised the artwork for the cover. The book was given broadly good reviews by the critics at the time and sold out in less than a month in the UK, although US sales a year later were much slower.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/31

A climactic chase involves Kenworth tanker trucks.

Licence to Kill, released in 1989, is the sixteenth entry in the Eon Productions James Bond series and the first one not to use the title of an Ian Fleming novel. It marks Timothy Dalton's second and final performance in his brief tenure in the lead role of James Bond. The story has elements of two Ian Fleming short stories and a novel, interwoven with aspects from Japanese rōnin tales. The film sees Bond being suspended from MI6 as he goes after drugs lord Franz Sanchez, who has attacked Bond's CIA friend Felix Leiter during Leiter's honeymoon. Originally titled Licence Revoked in line with the plot, the name was changed during post-production.

Budgetary reasons made Licence to Kill the first Bond not to be shot in the United Kingdom, with locations in both Florida and Mexico. The film earned over $156 million worldwide, and enjoyed a generally positive critical reception, with much praise to the stunts but some criticism on Dalton's interpretation of Bond and the fact that the production was significantly darker and more violent than its predecessors.

After the release of Licence to Kill, legal wrangling over control of the series and James Bond character resulted in a six-year long delay in production of the next Bond film which resulted in Dalton deciding to not return. It is also the final Bond film for actors Robert Brown (as M) and Caroline Bliss (as Moneypenny), screenwriter Richard Maibaum, title designer Maurice Binder, cinematographer Alec Mills, director John Glen and producer Albert R. Broccoli, although he would later act as a consulting producer for GoldenEye before his death.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/32

Peter Lorre played Le Chiffre.

Casino Royale is a 1954 television adaptation of the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The show is the first screen adaptation of a James Bond novel and stars Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre. Though this marks the first onscreen appearance of the character of James Bond, Nelson's character is credited as Jimmy Bond, an American agent with "Combined Intelligence".

The show was forgotten about after its initial showing until most of it was located in the 1980s by film historian Jim Schoenberger, with the ending (including credits) found afterwards. The rights to the programme were acquired by MGM at the same time as the rights for the 1967 film version of Casino Royale, clearing the legal pathway and enabling them to make the 2006 film of the same name.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/33

V2 rocket.

Moonraker is the third novel by British author Ian Fleming featuring the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. The book was first published by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1955, bearing a cover based on Fleming's own concept. Set completely in England, the story has two halves: the first concerns a battle over a game of bridge in London's clubland between Bond and industrialist Sir Hugo Drax, while the second follows Bond's mission to stop Drax from destroying London with a nuclear weapon. The book played on a number of fears of the 1950s, including the V-2 rocket, the re-emergence of Nazism, the menace of Soviet communism and the 'threat from within'.

There have been a number of adaptations of Moonraker, including a broadcast on South African radio in 1956 starring Bob Holness and a comic strip that appeared in the Daily Express in 1958. The novel's name was also used in 1979 for the eleventh official film in the Eon Productions Bond franchise and the fourth to star Roger Moore as James Bond. However, the story for the film was significantly changed from the novel so as to include excursions into space.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/34

Diamond smuggling is a central theme of the novel.

Diamonds Are Forever is the fourth of Ian Fleming's James Bond series of novels. It was first published by Jonathan Cape in the UK on 26 March 1956 and the first print run of 12,500 copies sold out quickly. Much of the background research undertaken by Fleming formed the basis for the non-fiction book The Diamond Smugglers, which was published in 1957.

The story centres on how James Bond, an agent of the MI6, closes down a diamond smuggling operation, the pipeline of which originates in the diamond mines of Sierra Leone and ends in Las Vegas. Along the way Bond meets and falls in love with one of the members of the smuggling gang, Tiffany Case.

The novel received broadly positive reviews at the time of publication and was serialised in the Daily Express newspaper, firstly in an abridged, multi-part form and then as a comic strip. In 1971 it was adapted into the seventh Bond film in the series and was the last Eon Productions film to star Sean Connery as James Bond.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/35

The Spektor is inspired by the Enigma machine.

From Russia, with Love is the fifth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 8 April 1957. As with the first four books, From Russia, with Love was generally well received by the critics. The story was written at Fleming's Goldeneye estate in Jamaica in early 1956. By the time the book was published, he did not know whether he wanted to write another Bond book or not.

The story centres on a plot by SMERSH, the Soviet counterintelligence agency, to assassinate Bond in such a way as to discredit both him and his organisation, the Secret Service. As bait for the plot, the Russians use a beautiful cipher clerk and the Spektor, a Soviet decoding machine. Much of the action takes place in Istanbul and on the Orient Express.

The novel's sales were aided by an advertising campaign that played upon a visit by British Prime Minister Sir Anthony Eden to Fleming's Goldeneye estate and by the publication of a 1961 Life Magazine article, which listed From Russia, with Love as one of US President John F. Kennedy's ten favourite books. There have been three adaptations of the book: a serialisation in the Daily Express newspaper, a subsequent daily comic strip by Henry Gammidge and John McLusky in the same paper, and the 1963 film version of the same name.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/36

Dr. No tries mining guano from Roseate spoonbills

Dr. No is the sixth novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 31 March 1958. The story centres on Bond's investigation into the disappearance in Jamaica of a fellow MI6 operative, Commander John Strangways and his secretary, Mary Trueblood. He establishes that Strangways had been investigating Dr. No, a Chinese operator of a guano mine on the Caribbean island of Crab Key; Bond travels to the island to investigate further. It is on Crab Key that Bond first finds Honeychile Rider and then Dr. No himself.

The novel was originally a screenplay written in 1956 for producer Henry Morgenthau III for what would have been a television show entitled Commander Jamaica. When those plans did not come to fruition, Fleming adapted the ideas to form the basis of the novel, which he originally titled The Wound Man. The book's eponymous villain was influenced by Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu stories.

Dr. No was the first of Fleming's novels to receive large-scale negative criticism in Britain, with Paul Johnson of the New Statesman writing his review about the "Sex, Snobbery and Sadism" of the story. When the book was released into the American market it was generally received more favourably.

Dr. No has been was serialised in the Daily Express newspaper in both written and comic strip format. It was also the first James Bond feature film of the Eon Productions series, released in 1962 and starring Sean Connery; the most recent adaptation was a BBC Radio version, broadcast in 2008.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/37

Fort Knox

Goldfinger is the seventh novel in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, first published in the UK by Jonathan Cape on 23 March 1959. Goldfinger originally bore the title The Richest Man in the World and was written in January and February 1958. The story centres on the investigation by MI6 operative James Bond into the gold smuggling activities of Auric Goldfinger, who is also suspected by MI6 of being connected to SMERSH, the Soviet counter-intelligence organisation. As well as establishing the background to the smuggling operation, Bond uncovers a much larger plot, with Goldfinger planning to steal the gold reserves of the United States from Fort Knox.

Upon its release, Goldfinger went to the top of the best-seller lists; the novel was broadly well received by the critics, being favourably compared to contemporary version of both Sapper and John Buchan. Goldfinger was serialised as a daily story and as a comic strip in the Daily Express newspaper, before being the third James Bond feature film of the Eon Productions series, released in 1964 and starring Sean Connery as Bond. Most recently, Goldfinger was adapted for BBC Radio with Toby Stephens as Bond and Sir Ian McKellen as Goldfinger.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/38

The title story is set in Vermont.

For Your Eyes Only is a collection of short stories by British author Ian Fleming, featuring the fictional British Secret Service agent Commander James Bond. It was first published by Jonathan Cape on 11 April 1960. It marked a change of format for Fleming, who had previously written James Bond stories only as full-length novels.

The collection contains five short stories: "From a View to a Kill]]", "For Your Eyes Only", "Quantum of Solace", "Risico" and "The Hildebrand Rarity". Four of the stories were adaptations of plots for a television series that was never filmed while the fifth Fleming had written previously but not published. Fleming undertook some minor experiments with the format, including a story written as an homage to an author he greatly admired, W. Somerset Maugham.

Elements from the stories have been used in a number of the Eon Productions James Bond film series, including the 1981 film, For Your Eyes Only, starring Roger Moore as James Bond. The film used some elements and characters from the short stories "For Your Eyes Only" and "Risico". "From a View to a Kill" also lent part of its title (but no characters or plot elements) to the fourteenth Bond film, A View to a Kill (1985), while plot elements from "The Hildebrand Rarity" were incorporated in the sixteenth Bond film, Licence to Kill (1989). "Quantum of Solace" was used as the title for the twenty-second Bond film.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/39

"The Living Daylights" is set in East Berlin.

Octopussy and The Living Daylights (sometimes published as Octopussy) is the fourteenth and final James Bond book written by Ian Fleming in the Bond series. The book is a collection of short stories published posthumously in the United Kingdom by Jonathan Cape on 23 June 1966.

The book originally contained just two stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights", with subsequent editions also carrying firstly "The Property of a Lady" and then "007 in New York". Three of the four stories were first published in different publications, with "Octopussy" not having been previously released. "The Living Daylights" had first appeared in The Sunday Times on 4 February 1962; "The Property of a Lady" was published in November 1963 in a Sotheby's publication, The Ivory Hammer, whilst "007 in New York" first appeared in the New York Herald Tribune in October 1963.

The two original stories, "Octopussy" and "The Living Daylights", were both adapted for publication in comic strip format in the Daily Express in 1966–1967. Elements from the stories have also been used in the Eon Productions Bond films. The first, Octopussy, starring Roger Moore as James Bond, was released in 1983 as the thirteenth film in the series and provided the back story for the film Octopussy's family, while "The Property of a Lady" was more closely adapted for an auction sequence in the film. The Living Daylights, released in 1987, was the fifteenth Bond film produced by Eon and starred Timothy Dalton in his first appearance as Bond.

...More selections

Portal:James Bond/Selected article/40

The book is set in the Aegean islands.

Colonel Sun is a novel by Kingsley Amis published by Jonathan Cape on 28 March 1968 under the pseudonym "Robert Markham". Colonel Sun is the first James Bond continuation novel published after Ian Fleming's 1964 death. Before writing the novel, Amis wrote two other Bond related works, the literary study The James Bond Dossier and the humorous The Book of Bond. Colonel Sun centres on the fictional British Secret Service operative James Bond and his mission to track down the kidnappers of M, his superior at the Secret Service. During the mission he discovers a communist Chinese plot to cause an international incident. Bond, assisted by a Greek spy working for the Russians, finds M on a small Aegean island, rescues him and kills the two main plotters: Colonel Sun Liang-tan and a former Nazi commander, Von Richter.

Amis drew upon a holiday he had taken in the Greek islands to create a realistic Greek setting and characters. He emphasised political intrigue in the plot more than Fleming had done in the canonical Bond novels, also adding revenge to Bond's motivations by including M's kidnapping. Despite keeping a format and structure similar to Fleming's Bond novels, Colonel Sun was given mixed reviews.

Colonel Sun was serialised in the Daily Express newspaper in 1968 and adapted as a comic strip in the same newspaper in 1969–1970. Elements from the story have been used in the Eon Productions Bond series: The 1999 instalment The World Is Not Enough used M's kidnapping, whilst the villain of 2002 film Die Another Day, Colonel Tan-Sun Moon, owes his name to Colonel Sun Liang-tan.

...More selections

Nominations

Feel free to add related featured articles to the above list. Other articles may be nominated here.

There is a list of featured articles related to James Bond here. There are also lists of good articles.

  • nominations must
  1. be Featured articles (FA), Good articles (GA), Top or High importance articles
  2. (optional) have a free-use image available

Current Nominations