Friday, December 18, 2015

Some Kind Of Hero

Long before popular fictional literary works became mega-movie franchises, there was James Bond.  Written by one-time British covert operative Ian Fleming, James Bond - 007, the master spy with the license to kill, thrilled both book and film fans.

I've always considered myself somewhat of a James Bond semi-expert.  I found myself slightly taken aback by Matthew Field's and Ajay Chowdhury's new book: Some Kind Of Hero, published by History Press/Trafalgar Square Publishing.

I was totally surprised about how little I knew about the film franchise.

I've read a lot of books about James Bond and I have to say that Some Kind Of Hero is the ultimate book about 007's film legacy.

Filled with interesting (and sometimes little known) facts about the 007 film franchise the book includes cast and crew interviews, insights from insiders, behind-the-scenes tidbits and secrets..

007 has led a long prestigious film career.  Much of today's blockbuster films owe a great debt to the James Bond films. 

Intriguing storylines, spectacular physical and visual effects, powerful film scores, incredible stunts, tight and tense action, fast-editing and expansive marketing are just a few of the hallmarks established by the films.

Today many films profit by licensing to merchandisers.  Often a film can fail, but succeed when it comes to merchandise.  The James Bond films have always been intelligently marketed, offering viewers everything for toys to colognes.

To quote Carly Simon's song, "No body does it better."

If you love the James Bond films, then this is the book you'll want in your collection.  M, Q, Moneypenny and Felix Leiter would be proud.


Even Goldfinger, Oddjob and the other James Bond villains have to admit James Bond is the best and so is this book about his Silver Screen career.