Monday, August 28, 2017

The World Of James Bond



To most James Bond the British Super Spy is someone they’ve seen at the movies.

To the older generation James Bond was the literary creation of writer Ian Fleming that sprung to life in the 1950s.

James Bond books rocketed to popularity when President John Kennedy mentioned that the James Bond novels were some his favorite reading material.

When the first James Bond movie came out in the early 1960s, starring Sean Connery as the suave spy, the movie became a big hit overseas and an even bigger sensation in the United States.

From that point on James Bond became an institution known around the world.

Author Jeremy Black examines the literary and big screen adventures of Bond in his new book, The World Of James Bond’ published by Rowman & Littlefield.

In his book the author delves how the James Bond books and films reflected the times they were released in.

The Cold War, the sexual revolution, the drug culture, the counter-culture-all of the changes and events that shaped the decades are intertwined with the James Bond legacy.

Class, race, gender, changing social norms, and other events and phenomenon of the times are all represented in one form or another in the Bond literary and film releases. 

As times changed, Bond changed.  Nowhere is that more evident than with the various actors that portrayed Bond.  Each represented a certain aspect of Bond intricately linked with the time the Bond films were released.

Bond himself transformed from a hard-nosed assassin to womanizer to partnering with women that were his equal then to a back to hard-edged killer.

From Connery to Craig, James Bond has evolved and adapted to fit the times and promises to do so for another 50 years.