Magazines Love James Bond

Magazines Love James Bond

Article by Jessica Vandelay

British author Ian Fleming created the character “James Bond 007” in 1953. Fleming featured James Bond in 12 novels and two short stories. Now the James Bond movie franchise is the second longest movie franchise to date and has made approximately billion and is largely covered in magazines.The next installment of the James Bond movie franchise, “Quantum Solace,” is in theaters November 2008. It is the 22nd James Bond movie.

The character James Bond is an agent with the British Secret Intelligence Service. Fleming named Bond after American ornithologist James Bond, whose field guide book, “Birds of the West Indies,” Fleming was reading at the time. The popular magazine Reader’s Digest once quoted Fleming, “I wanted the simplest, plainest-sounding name I could find, ‘James Bond’ was much better than something more interesting than ‘Peregrine Carruthers.’ Exotic things would happen to and around him, but he would be a neutral figure – an anonymous, blunt instrument wielded by a government department.”

At the core of the Bond film theme are exotic things, exotic women and awesome spy weaponry and gadgets. Bond is a character of sophisticated taste in cars and especially in women. Bond girls are the characters in the movies that are a love interests or sex objects of James Bond; they can be fellow agents, allies, victims or villains. Their character names are often double entendres like Pussy Galore, Plenty O’Toole, May Day and Holly Goodhead. Actresses who have portrayed Bond girls include Ursula Andress, Halle Berry, Michelle Yeoh and Eva Green.

A total of six actors have played the spy in the big screen adaptations of Fleming’s novels. Sean Connery acted in 7 Bond films, George Lazenby acted in one film, Roger Moore acted in seven films, Timothy Dalton acted in two films and Pierce Brosnan acted in four films.

In the two most recent movies, “Casino Royale” and “Quantum Solace” British actor Daniel Craig is James Bond. Craig is the first blonde Bond and has been universally dubbed as the “woman’s Bond” because of a combination of his dashing good looks and more emotional portrayal of Bond. In a scene from “Casino Royale,” Craig as Bond emerges from the ocean and makes more of a splash with his excellent physique than has any other Bond.

Other noteworthy characteristics of the movies are theme songs and cars. Among the most popular James Bond theme songs are Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever sung by Shirley Bassey, Live and Let Die composed and sung by Paul McCartney, You Only Live Twice sung by Nancy Sinatra and Thunderball sung by Tom Jones.

For Quantum Solace, musician and singer Jack White wrote and produced the movie’s theme song, “Another Way to Die,” which was recorded in Nashville, TN and features legendary Stax musicians the Memphis Horns. R&B songstress Alicia Keys sings the theme song. Entertainment Weekly magazine reported on the song.

Both men’s and women’s magazines have devoted a lot of coverage to the promotion of “Quantum of Solace.” In its November issue, Elle magazine ran a profile on actor Daniel Craig while other magazines like Time, Men’s Health, GQ, Vogue and other magazines have run articles on the movie. Even Budget Travel magazine devoted an article to James Bond with its feature, “Travel Like James Bond.”

About the Author

For more on magazines, visit http://www.magazines.com

Jessica Vandelay is a freelance writer in New York City.