Since the release of Dr No (d. Terence Young) in 1962, James Bond has been one of the few enduring icons of British cinema. Representing sophistication, style, predatory sexuality and unerring poise even in the tightest of narrative corners, Bond has given British audiences a comforting fixed point in a world which has become increasingly unpredictable. James Bond made his first appearance in Ian Fleming's novel Casino Royale in 1952. Fleming, a veteran of Naval Intelligence, created Bond in his own image and protected him jealously. This made bringing him to the screen a lengthy and delicate process. Casino Royale was produced for American television in 1954, and the rights were subsequently bought by American agent Charles K. Feldman. The rights to the other books were bought by Harry Saltzman, a producer who had co-founded Woodfall Productions with John Osborne and Tony Richardson. Saltzman's involvement in the British New Wave ended in 1960 after disagreements with his partners, but his influence on British cinema was soon to be sealed. He teamed up with Albert R. Broccoli, another producer eager to bring Bond to the screen, and, calling themselves Eon Productions, they found a sympathetic studio in United Artists, who offered a six-picture deal, beginning with Dr No in 1962. Dr No was made for $1.1 million - a relatively small sum even in 1962 - and starred a little-known Scottish actor, Sean Connery, as Bond. Fleming was doubtful about the film, not least because he had wanted either Noël Coward or Cary Grant to play Bond, but he was surprised by the quality of the finished product. So were critics and audiences, and Dr No eventually grossed nearly $60 million worldwide. There have been 20 'official' Bond films released by Eon Productions, the most recent being Die Another Day (d. Lee Tamahori), which was a major box office success in 2002. Five actors have appeared as Bond in these films: Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and, currently, Pierce Brosnan. Two other Bond films have emerged since 1962: Casino Royale (d. John Huston/Ken Hughes/Val Guest/Robert Parrish/Joe McGrath/Richard Talmadge, 1967), which turned the source material into an incoherent all-star comedy, and Never Say Never Again (d. Irvin Kershner, 1983), with an older but still eminently charismatic Connery in an amusing remake of Thunderball (d. Terence Young, 1964). These two films are not usually considered part of the Bond canon. Each film uses a selection of narrative elements which can be juggled endlessly. Certain elements are mandatory: the 'Bond Girls', increasingly resourceful to reflect the changing perceptions of women but invariably beautiful and receptive to Bond's attentions; the megalomaniac villains with their plots for wealth, control, respect or revenge; the vast sets in which the explosive climaxes take place; exotic locations in which Bond invariably causes havoc; the bizarre array of henchmen put up against the super-spy; the expensive, ingeniously enhanced cars; lengthy chases involving anything from speedboats to tanks; and the various 'imprisonment/escape' scenarios, frequently involving piranhas, sharks or alligators. Other elements have changed with time and taste; Q's gadgets for example, which began in low-key fashion and gradually escalated in importance before it was decided to return them to the background; the role of 'M', initially an avuncular guardian, then a bad tempered civil servant and finally a tough-talking, unsentimental woman; and the roles played by the Superpowers as Cold War turned into détente and, latterly, the fall of Communism. But most important is the siren song of the character of Bond himself: unflappable, unfailingly resourceful and a commercially astute combination of the eternal English gentleman and the sardonic American private eye. Mike Sutton
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