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.