You asked and we answered – so buckle up for a lot of James Bond! Back in September of last year, we asked all of the Substack crew for topic suggestions and one name came up more often than most – James Bond. So here it is, a long and rambly episode all about our favorite parts of the James Bond franchise and a more detailed review of the latest outing
Great fun episode! I rewatched all Connery-era Bond movies during lockdown and it was great fun. A bunch of them don’t hold up so well (Dr. No being the worse offender since it feels Connery isn’t really the suave spy we know and love till really late in the movie). I would like to suggest to both our hosts to take another look to From Russia with Love, because I would say it is the one movie pre-Craig that lands in the true-cinema category that they discuss in the episode. Very minimalisticly shot and produced, even with a hitchcock-like flare I think James would appreciate. If anything those movies are worth to watch just for the terrific sets designed by Ken Adams.
Finally I have a question to Jason: when you say that Bond is supposed to be a former SAS or similar, do you mean the movie bond or the literary character? The movie bond, I get, specially in the case of Craig (it’s even implied in Casino Royale) but the one from the novels was supposed to be a former Commander from the Royal Navy Reserves, which as far as I understand were supposed to be civilians activated in case of war. I always read this as Fleming trying to make a distinction for Bond to be more of a gentleman warrior coming from the upper crust than a regular grunt (perhaps mirroring how he saw himself). Cheers!
I did want to shout out my favorite Bond car appearance though - the Alfa Romeo GTV6 in Octopussy. He commandeers it off the street from a woman taking too long in a phone booth and races with police in pursuit to a military base to disarm a warhead in the nick of time.
great show, got me thinking that Bond may well be the ultimate one watch guy, not overly fussed what it. is but it has to do every scenario with aplomb like him. take it easy Gents
It took me two listens to get through the whole episode, but in my mind that was a plus. Almost like a bonus episode!
I first watched the Connery Bond films, though they were old when I saw them. Brosnan was the first Bond I watched when it came out. I agree he brought the upper-crust refinement but that made the gritty action stuff a little less believable. My son had already been bugging me to watch a Bond film, but the weekend after this episode we fired up Goldeneye.
I like the Craig movies, but I think they tried to go too much in the "film" vs. "movie" direction. Watching them as they came out several years apart, I often felt lost and that I had lost the thread. Very great movies no doubt, but also a very different direction than the other 20+ movies of the franchise.
For me, the quintessential Bond will always be Connery, with Brosnan and Craig tied for second.
As others have said, I felt the ending of NTTD was a bit of a waste. Bond has escaped so many "sure deaths" over 50 years that they could have written him one if they want. And since, like Dr. Who, Bond has numerous faces, I agree with James' point there was no need to kill off the Craig version in order to bring out the next face.
Coming to the series in the 8-11 year age range, I loved the gadgets. They were my favorite part, especially the car-based modifications. Now I realize how cheesy some of them were. Even as a child I knew Moonraker and Jaws jumped the shark... Of course all of them were Chekhov's gun in that somehow in the course of the movie, Bond would find himself in a situation that required the use of that *exact* special capability. Still and all, the gadgets hold a special place in my nostalgia, and I doubt I would love the overall series as much if they hadn't grabbed my attention.
Second (third, fourth?) vote for an Ana de Armas spinoff. Both the actress and character were excellent in the short time on screen.
I had to watch A View to a Kill again because of you two. Classic, but I'm still a Bronsan fanboy. However, in an effort to learn more about the Spectre organization, I want to watch each movie that has a Spectre baddie in it. I'll probably buy one of the rings too.
Apologies if this has already been mentioned in the comments, but it's worth noting that the first watch worn by Sean Connery when he first appears as Bond in the Casino scene of Dr. No is a Gruen Precision with small seconds. There are several references to it online, but this write up is worth checking out. http://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2020/10/14/playing-the-long-game-or-how-i-found-my-bond-watch/
Apparently he wore this off and on during some non-action, non-aquatic scenes in several of his Bond movies.
And my take on where Bond goes next is varied. First of all, it might be time to be less precious with it as far as having one movie every few years, no spin-offs, etc. There are so many outlets for content, it might be time for the Bond producers to diversify and grow the Bond audience. Have a female 007 (#, not Bond) in a movie or two, or maybe Netflix series. Have a traditional (male) James Bond movie every few years (like we do now). And what would really be cool is a Netflix (or other) series that has Bond set in the 1950's and/or 1960's which is more akin to the novels; something more cerebral, true spy stuff, in a cold war setting, costumes, locations, etc. That would be really fascinating.
A mix of content like that could really stir a nice Bond cocktail.
So I'm currently watching "For Your Eyes Only," and they are about to invade Kristatos warehouse. Columbo nervously pops a couple pistachios in his mouth, and I think he's wearing a Rolex Explorer. Is it my imagination folks?
My favourite has to be From Russia With Love. Early on in the series with a good mix of Cold War intrigue and compelling story line. Clearly not as flashy or action packed as later ones but one I enjoy watching over and over. I was a bit disappointed with no time to die - not doubting the overall quality as a movie but I expect to leave Bonds feeling relatively upbeat and this just didn’t do that. Omega decked out Burlington Arcade in London pretty nice for it though - now the focus is on the Winter Olympics for anyone passing through.
I bought the blue sweater, sadly my legs are too long for the trousers but they seem popular in North America from what the guy was telling me! I would not have worn them all at the same time but they would have come in handy when it's time to retrieve a drone from a bush at Paramount Ranch.
Loved this episode! As a huge Bond fan it's great to hear two other fans and film nerds break down these iconic movies. And I agree with everything you said about No Time to Die. Especially James's point about the ending.
Loved this episode. I’m a huge Bond fan and his watches definitely served as an entry point for my rediscovery of watches in my college years. My first “big boy watch” was actually a CWC RN Diver specifically because I thought it was what 007 would have actually worn.
I suspect that the next film in the series will be a hard reboot given the ending of NTTD. Totally new cast. There has long been talk of Christopher Nolan taking the helm, which I am all for. He has spoken publicly about how Bond movies have influenced his own films. Inception and Tenet were essentially high concept Bond films in many ways. I’d love to see what he’d bring to the franchise. I don’t have strong feelings on who they cast as 007 next, but I do have a fondness for Henry Cavill after seeing his performances in Man From Uncle and Mission Impossible.
Loved this episode, it just flew by! Honestly the Bond films have never been compelling enough for me to consider an Omega, but listening to Jason's experiences with his white dial Seamaster definitely has gotten me thinking haha. The difficulty now is picking a variation since there are so many different versions of the watch. Would love everyone's thoughts on this!
As an 80s kid, I grew up on Connery and Moore. I always like Moore, well, more - his Bond was like an adult version of Adam West's Batman (which I also grew up on). In that vein, Moonraker is my "guilty pleasure" - as a kid I absolutely loved Jaws. I guess I always have been a sucker for the bad guy with a redemption arc.
I've watched all the Craig Bond films through a few times recently, and they hold together pretty well. Even Quantum of Solace comes out OK in context. I think the humanity the Craig puts into Bond makes him far more relatable than he was in the previous films.
My Bond journey: first memory was watching You Only Live Twice on TV with my parents and asking them what "liquidated" meant. I checked out and read every Bond book from the local library when I was in high school. As a skier, I LOVED the opening sequence in The Spy Who Loved Me - I remember reading a great article on the stunt in SKI magazine at the time. Mostly lost interest when the movies deviated from the books in the later 80s and 90s.
On (in)vulnerability and the super hero aspect: My take on the books is that Fleming represented Bond as very very good, but also imperfect and flawed and someone who got wrung out when the going got rough. He sometimes barely scratched out his wins, but he won. The written ski sequence in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a great example.
On gadgets: the campy/silly/gadgety stuff in the moves is kind of fun, but also kind of a dead end for me. I will say that I always liked Desmond Llewelyn as Q, even in the campy movies. But I'm an engineer, so of course.
On the reboot with Craig: This series, for me, took the franchise to the next level. The movies are integrated into a single story in a way that just didn't happen before. Yes, Craig's Bond is more brutal and definitely more tortured than Fleming's original, but there is a coherence to the story that I think honors a real character arc - from beginning to end. For example, when I first saw it, for example, I thought Quantum of Solace was kind of a mess. In context of the story arc, however, it all makes sense and I can overlook the flaws.
On No Time To Die: it felt like a Bond movie through and through. Yes, it's jumpy and flawed, and Rami Malek's character feels like an afterthought. But there were so many awesome callbacks. Bond says "We have all the time in the world" at the beginning; Leiter's exit scene, which mirrors that of another character exit in Casino Royale; awesome driving with spare but critical usage of gadgets in the DB5 chase scene. One highlight for me is the way Bond summarily dispatches a key character at the end. It is totally unlike so many final confrontation scenes, but it just feels right for this Bond.
The low point of the last five for me. That awful "Rolex" "Omeeega" "Beautiful" scene. That has to be the worst product placement scene I have ever seen in any movie ever. Totally unbelievable dialog. Totally unnecessary.
Finally, on watches: totally agree that it would have been awesome for Bond to just wear a PO through the whole series. As much as I like the latest Bond Seamaster with its broad arrow and all, I think the PO just sums up this Bond: tough, highly functional, goes anywhere, no nonsense, and nothing extra.
One more note: good backstory on Ian Fleming and his role in the influence operation that UK Intelligence ran to get the US into WW II is found in "The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington" by Jennet Conant.
Great episode guys. As mentioned by others, Bond has to die. Infected with the virus that keeps him away from his love and his daughter.
I know that Idris Elba is getting a bit old, but even one or two movies with him as Bond would be brilliant.
I agree about Bonds skillset. 'a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.' And just an all around smart guy. Surprised you guys didn't bring up a contrast/compare to Jason Bourne. Obviously damaged character, but also hugely capable.
Great fun episode! I rewatched all Connery-era Bond movies during lockdown and it was great fun. A bunch of them don’t hold up so well (Dr. No being the worse offender since it feels Connery isn’t really the suave spy we know and love till really late in the movie). I would like to suggest to both our hosts to take another look to From Russia with Love, because I would say it is the one movie pre-Craig that lands in the true-cinema category that they discuss in the episode. Very minimalisticly shot and produced, even with a hitchcock-like flare I think James would appreciate. If anything those movies are worth to watch just for the terrific sets designed by Ken Adams.
Finally I have a question to Jason: when you say that Bond is supposed to be a former SAS or similar, do you mean the movie bond or the literary character? The movie bond, I get, specially in the case of Craig (it’s even implied in Casino Royale) but the one from the novels was supposed to be a former Commander from the Royal Navy Reserves, which as far as I understand were supposed to be civilians activated in case of war. I always read this as Fleming trying to make a distinction for Bond to be more of a gentleman warrior coming from the upper crust than a regular grunt (perhaps mirroring how he saw himself). Cheers!
Awesome episode! Didn't mind the length at all!
I did want to shout out my favorite Bond car appearance though - the Alfa Romeo GTV6 in Octopussy. He commandeers it off the street from a woman taking too long in a phone booth and races with police in pursuit to a military base to disarm a warhead in the nick of time.
great show, got me thinking that Bond may well be the ultimate one watch guy, not overly fussed what it. is but it has to do every scenario with aplomb like him. take it easy Gents
It took me two listens to get through the whole episode, but in my mind that was a plus. Almost like a bonus episode!
I first watched the Connery Bond films, though they were old when I saw them. Brosnan was the first Bond I watched when it came out. I agree he brought the upper-crust refinement but that made the gritty action stuff a little less believable. My son had already been bugging me to watch a Bond film, but the weekend after this episode we fired up Goldeneye.
I like the Craig movies, but I think they tried to go too much in the "film" vs. "movie" direction. Watching them as they came out several years apart, I often felt lost and that I had lost the thread. Very great movies no doubt, but also a very different direction than the other 20+ movies of the franchise.
For me, the quintessential Bond will always be Connery, with Brosnan and Craig tied for second.
As others have said, I felt the ending of NTTD was a bit of a waste. Bond has escaped so many "sure deaths" over 50 years that they could have written him one if they want. And since, like Dr. Who, Bond has numerous faces, I agree with James' point there was no need to kill off the Craig version in order to bring out the next face.
Coming to the series in the 8-11 year age range, I loved the gadgets. They were my favorite part, especially the car-based modifications. Now I realize how cheesy some of them were. Even as a child I knew Moonraker and Jaws jumped the shark... Of course all of them were Chekhov's gun in that somehow in the course of the movie, Bond would find himself in a situation that required the use of that *exact* special capability. Still and all, the gadgets hold a special place in my nostalgia, and I doubt I would love the overall series as much if they hadn't grabbed my attention.
Second (third, fourth?) vote for an Ana de Armas spinoff. Both the actress and character were excellent in the short time on screen.
Not sure if you guys have seen these? Just stumbled onto it, kinda interested now for my Hamilton Khaki
https://af0210strap.com
I had to watch A View to a Kill again because of you two. Classic, but I'm still a Bronsan fanboy. However, in an effort to learn more about the Spectre organization, I want to watch each movie that has a Spectre baddie in it. I'll probably buy one of the rings too.
Apologies if this has already been mentioned in the comments, but it's worth noting that the first watch worn by Sean Connery when he first appears as Bond in the Casino scene of Dr. No is a Gruen Precision with small seconds. There are several references to it online, but this write up is worth checking out. http://www.scottishwatches.co.uk/2020/10/14/playing-the-long-game-or-how-i-found-my-bond-watch/
Apparently he wore this off and on during some non-action, non-aquatic scenes in several of his Bond movies.
Fast forwarding to Brosnan in GoldenEye. I recently realized that he wears his blue quartz Omega Seamaster on a black strap during the pre-title sequence. https://www.jamesbondlifestyle.com/product/omega-seamaster-300m-quartz-25418000
And my take on where Bond goes next is varied. First of all, it might be time to be less precious with it as far as having one movie every few years, no spin-offs, etc. There are so many outlets for content, it might be time for the Bond producers to diversify and grow the Bond audience. Have a female 007 (#, not Bond) in a movie or two, or maybe Netflix series. Have a traditional (male) James Bond movie every few years (like we do now). And what would really be cool is a Netflix (or other) series that has Bond set in the 1950's and/or 1960's which is more akin to the novels; something more cerebral, true spy stuff, in a cold war setting, costumes, locations, etc. That would be really fascinating.
A mix of content like that could really stir a nice Bond cocktail.
So I'm currently watching "For Your Eyes Only," and they are about to invade Kristatos warehouse. Columbo nervously pops a couple pistachios in his mouth, and I think he's wearing a Rolex Explorer. Is it my imagination folks?
My favourite has to be From Russia With Love. Early on in the series with a good mix of Cold War intrigue and compelling story line. Clearly not as flashy or action packed as later ones but one I enjoy watching over and over. I was a bit disappointed with no time to die - not doubting the overall quality as a movie but I expect to leave Bonds feeling relatively upbeat and this just didn’t do that. Omega decked out Burlington Arcade in London pretty nice for it though - now the focus is on the Winter Olympics for anyone passing through.
In case you guys were interested in the no time to die gear, it is available from N.Peal here https://www.npeal.com/pages/no-time-to-die-collection
I bought the blue sweater, sadly my legs are too long for the trousers but they seem popular in North America from what the guy was telling me! I would not have worn them all at the same time but they would have come in handy when it's time to retrieve a drone from a bush at Paramount Ranch.
Loved this episode! As a huge Bond fan it's great to hear two other fans and film nerds break down these iconic movies. And I agree with everything you said about No Time to Die. Especially James's point about the ending.
Loved this episode. I’m a huge Bond fan and his watches definitely served as an entry point for my rediscovery of watches in my college years. My first “big boy watch” was actually a CWC RN Diver specifically because I thought it was what 007 would have actually worn.
I suspect that the next film in the series will be a hard reboot given the ending of NTTD. Totally new cast. There has long been talk of Christopher Nolan taking the helm, which I am all for. He has spoken publicly about how Bond movies have influenced his own films. Inception and Tenet were essentially high concept Bond films in many ways. I’d love to see what he’d bring to the franchise. I don’t have strong feelings on who they cast as 007 next, but I do have a fondness for Henry Cavill after seeing his performances in Man From Uncle and Mission Impossible.
Loved this episode, it just flew by! Honestly the Bond films have never been compelling enough for me to consider an Omega, but listening to Jason's experiences with his white dial Seamaster definitely has gotten me thinking haha. The difficulty now is picking a variation since there are so many different versions of the watch. Would love everyone's thoughts on this!
As an 80s kid, I grew up on Connery and Moore. I always like Moore, well, more - his Bond was like an adult version of Adam West's Batman (which I also grew up on). In that vein, Moonraker is my "guilty pleasure" - as a kid I absolutely loved Jaws. I guess I always have been a sucker for the bad guy with a redemption arc.
I've watched all the Craig Bond films through a few times recently, and they hold together pretty well. Even Quantum of Solace comes out OK in context. I think the humanity the Craig puts into Bond makes him far more relatable than he was in the previous films.
My Bond journey: first memory was watching You Only Live Twice on TV with my parents and asking them what "liquidated" meant. I checked out and read every Bond book from the local library when I was in high school. As a skier, I LOVED the opening sequence in The Spy Who Loved Me - I remember reading a great article on the stunt in SKI magazine at the time. Mostly lost interest when the movies deviated from the books in the later 80s and 90s.
On (in)vulnerability and the super hero aspect: My take on the books is that Fleming represented Bond as very very good, but also imperfect and flawed and someone who got wrung out when the going got rough. He sometimes barely scratched out his wins, but he won. The written ski sequence in On Her Majesty's Secret Service is a great example.
On gadgets: the campy/silly/gadgety stuff in the moves is kind of fun, but also kind of a dead end for me. I will say that I always liked Desmond Llewelyn as Q, even in the campy movies. But I'm an engineer, so of course.
On the reboot with Craig: This series, for me, took the franchise to the next level. The movies are integrated into a single story in a way that just didn't happen before. Yes, Craig's Bond is more brutal and definitely more tortured than Fleming's original, but there is a coherence to the story that I think honors a real character arc - from beginning to end. For example, when I first saw it, for example, I thought Quantum of Solace was kind of a mess. In context of the story arc, however, it all makes sense and I can overlook the flaws.
On No Time To Die: it felt like a Bond movie through and through. Yes, it's jumpy and flawed, and Rami Malek's character feels like an afterthought. But there were so many awesome callbacks. Bond says "We have all the time in the world" at the beginning; Leiter's exit scene, which mirrors that of another character exit in Casino Royale; awesome driving with spare but critical usage of gadgets in the DB5 chase scene. One highlight for me is the way Bond summarily dispatches a key character at the end. It is totally unlike so many final confrontation scenes, but it just feels right for this Bond.
The low point of the last five for me. That awful "Rolex" "Omeeega" "Beautiful" scene. That has to be the worst product placement scene I have ever seen in any movie ever. Totally unbelievable dialog. Totally unnecessary.
Finally, on watches: totally agree that it would have been awesome for Bond to just wear a PO through the whole series. As much as I like the latest Bond Seamaster with its broad arrow and all, I think the PO just sums up this Bond: tough, highly functional, goes anywhere, no nonsense, and nothing extra.
One more note: good backstory on Ian Fleming and his role in the influence operation that UK Intelligence ran to get the US into WW II is found in "The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington" by Jennet Conant.
Great episode guys. As mentioned by others, Bond has to die. Infected with the virus that keeps him away from his love and his daughter.
I know that Idris Elba is getting a bit old, but even one or two movies with him as Bond would be brilliant.
I agree about Bonds skillset. 'a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.' And just an all around smart guy. Surprised you guys didn't bring up a contrast/compare to Jason Bourne. Obviously damaged character, but also hugely capable.
Keep up the good work guys.