James Bond is among the most iconic film characters of all time. The 25th installment of the Bond series hit theaters recently, so it is a good time to look back at his life. All the women he womanized, all the shots he hit and missed, all the martinis he gulped down, and all these interesting facts.
Doctor No (1962)
Doctor No was the first-ever Bond film. It did not have some of the signature features of the series, like the iconic Bond theme music. It also lacked a Bond girl’s voice. It may be hard to believe that Ursula Andress, the first-ever Bond girl, did not voice any lines in the movie. Nikki van der Zyl dubbed her lines, along with most of the other female cast of the movie. The makers of the film found her voice to be exotic and felt it was more appropriate than the plain-sounding voices of the other female characters.
From Russia with Love (1963)
Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, Roger Moore, and Louis Maxwell (the first Moneypenny) have a consensus that this was the best Bond movie. The film features a device based on the Enigma Device used by Nazi Germany in the Second World War. During his career as a British Naval Intelligence officer, Ian Fleming (the creator of the James Bond character) was tasked with cracking the Enigma code during the war.
Goldfinger (1964)
This film introduced some of the more well-known Bond characters, like Pussy Galore, Oddjob, and of course, Goldfinger himself. The actor who played the role of Goldfinger, Gert Fröbe, was a former member of the Nazi party in real life, so the Israeli government banned the movie from being screened there. This was despite Fröbe withdrawing from the Nazi party several years before the start of World War II. He even helped some Jews escape persecution in Germany.
Thunderball (1965)
Terrence Young returned as director of this film after missing out on this role for Goldfinger. There was a scene in the movie where Sean Connery encounters some sharks in a swimming pool. During the filming of this scene, the sharks were supposed to be separated from Connery by a plastic sheet. However, they swam over the sheet and headed towards the actor, leaving him terrified. Fortunately, no one died.
You Only Live Twice (1967)
While You Only Live Twice was being produced, a competing Bond film, Operation Double 007, was also being made. The latter starred the younger brother of Sean Connery as well as several other actors from the Bond film series. The music for Operation Double 007 was produced by Ennio Marcone. This partially caused Connery to get turned off by his role as 007, and he then abandoned the Bond series.
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969)
George Lazenby took over the role of James Bond from Sean Connery for this film. He was a model whose only prior acting experience was doing ads for chocolate products. However, unlike all other actors who have played this role, he had military experience as a Special Forces professional. He had also received martial arts training from none other than Bruce Lee himself. George Baker, who was Ian Fleming’s preferred option to play Bond, provided the voice-over for Lazenby in the parts of the movie where he impersonates Sir Hillary Bray.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
Sean Connery was offered a million dollars to reprise his role as James Bond in this movie. This was an offer he could not refuse. Keep in mind that back in the 1970s, it used to cost less to make a down payment for a house in a suburban location. Connery used this money to establish a charity called Scottish International Education Trust. It aimed to help struggling artists in Scotland develop their skills.
Summing Up
James Bond is a legendary cultural icon of the film industry. He made his visual debut in 1962 with the film adaptation of Ian Fleming’s spy novel, Dr. No. 60 years later, he is still adored by movie audiences across the world. While watching movies in theaters have their charm, you would also want to be able to watch them from the comfort of your home. Find affordable & quality cable and internet bundles from BuyTVInternetPhone to enjoy watching your favorite movies, sports, and other content in High Definition.