Shaken, Not Stirred
From the premiere of Dr. No (1962) to the most recent incarnation of 007 in No Time to Die (2021), audiences – okay, some audiences – have thrilled to the movie adventures of James Bond over the decades.
We wonder whether Ian Fleming, who, before his death in 1964, authored the books that gave rise to this film franchise, foresaw such a lasting legacy, particularly given this perspective he offered on his title character:
“When I wrote the first [book] in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened; I wanted him to be a blunt instrument… when I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, [James Bond] is the dullest name I ever heard.”
Whatever else we might say about the movies, we can all agree that the cinematic version of James Bond – as portrayed by seven actors over the course of 27 films – seems not to be an “uninteresting man to whom things happened.”
Mark Brake’s 2020 book The Science of James Bond: The Super-Villains, Tech, and Spy-Craft Behind the Film and Fiction, considers in depth some of the key elements that have powered the secret agent saga through the years, including the gizmos and gadgets in the films that at times mirrored or even previewed developments in the actual world of technology. In the movies, a character known as Q typically introduces Bond – and the viewers – to the high-tech (and usually lethal) devices that 007 is to receive for an upcoming mission. Desmond Llewelyn played Q with a quirky drollery in the early days. After Llewelyn, John Cleese took over as Q and gave the character a sharper edge, as seen here in a clip from Die Another Day (1969):
We planted a variety of Bond-themed clues and answers in the puzzle. How many did you spot? And who is your favorite actor to have played James Bond?
The clues and their respective answers are far more interesting than the quote itself which, by the way, is too scary right now.
Very nice Acrostic.
Great fun, as always!
That clip of John Cleese and Pierce Brosnan is magnificent; I had totally forgotten how whimsical and delightful their byplay could be. (The accomplished young actor, Ben Whishaw, inherited the Q mantle in recent films. He gets more of an action role, but the comic interaction between him and 007 is diminished, which is a loss, I think.)
I’m sure I missed a few, but I count 10 of the 26 clues as at least tangentially Bond/spycraft-related: British, encoding, top-secret, intrigue, classified, officer (Bond is an officer (commander) in the royal Navy), jettison (the iconic ejector seat in the Aston Martin DB5), “Moonraker,” service (as in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service“), and Diamonds (are Forever).
Brake’s insight is quite astute. I think this hybrid of two popular genres is part of the franchise’s extraordinary, enduring (60-plus years!) appeal of these movies.
Ben Whishaw
Great topic! I’ve enjoyed both the spy and science angles in this franchise over the years. Always loved the Q scenes. I agree with the ten related words mentioned above and could make a couple of others work as well. I’ve enjoyed all the Bond actors, although I had a bit of difficulty with Roger Moore, because I was still seeing him as The Saint. But my favorite is Sean Connery, followed closely by Pierce Brosnan. I enjoyed their cheeky humor.