JAMES BOND
FACT FILES

In the United States Exhibitors’ Campaign Books were called ‘Pressbooks’ and completely different in content to their UK equivalent, and obviously targeted at the American market. Pressbooks were also produced for other territories around the world, although interesting, these were seldom as lavish in production as their UK and US counterparts. US Pressbooks differed in size from the UK versions, and ranged from 13" X 18" for the Sixties films, with the exception of Casino Royale that was issued by Columbia Pictures with a colour cover measuring 11" X 17". Starting with Diamonds Are Forever (1971) the 11" X 17" size was adopted for all subsequent United Artists Pressbooks. Many later films in the Bond series did not have Pressbooks issued in the USA until the advent of electronic Press Kits in the late 1990s.

The final United Artists Pressbook [issued to promote For Your Eyes Only (1981)] was available in two versions - one for the USA showcasing the Bill Gold designed photographic poster and advertising materials; and an International version featuring the Eric Pulford designed artwork painted by Brian Bysouth. Both Pressbooks contained identical editorial content and exploitation details.

The re-release programme of the James Bond films in the USA was more standardized than in the UK, and new marketing campaigns were initiated by United Artists for almost every re-issue. The advertising materials available were featured in the new Pressbook, which had a much smaller page count. The National Screen Service issued most sizes of the so-called ‘Combo’ posters and lobby cards, and new cinema trailers were produced for the five official nationwide revivals from 1965-1980. The double-bill of Thunderball/You Only Live Twice, originally released in 1970, did not have a full Pressbook produced; instead, United Artists issued a double-sided ‘Catalogue of Advertising Materials’. Diamonds Are Forever (1971) also had a shorter 8-page ‘Catalogue of Advertising Materials’ rather than the more comprehensive Pressbook. The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) also had a separate advertising supplement issued which featured alternate advert blocks with the Style B poster artwork by Tom Jung; whilst the advertising supplement for The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) also contained alternate press advert blocks showcasing the opening ski jump with review extract headlines.

With the growth in multiplex cinemas in the mid-1980s, advertising and promotional space was at a premium, with multiple films being screened at each venue. Most cinemas simply opted for the standard 1-sheet poster in lobby displays, and as a result many US poster sizes ceased being produced. As most advertising was now in newspapers and magazines there was no longer the need for the lavish promotional displays seen in the previous decades, and pressbooks became press kits and standardised the material available for each new film, generally limiting their content to star biographies and production notes. However, Casino Royale (2006) reverted to a 68-page (8.5" X 11") colour Press Kit that also included material on a CD-ROM.

For the 1967 spoof James Bond film Casino Royale, Columbia Pictures issued a Pressbook (11" X 17") that initially comprised 20-pages with a full-colour cover printed in the landscape format to utilise the full artwork, unlike the UK edition where the tattooed girl wrapped around onto the back cover. An additional 12-page insert featuring more promotional advertising material was also issued, and a further 8-page insert produced once the film was in general release promoting its short-lived box-office success. This insert featured new posters and newspaper advertising blocks promoting Casino Royale as “The #1 sensation across the nation!”

For Sean Connery's 1983 comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again, US distributor Warner Brothers issued a 4-page colour Exhibitors’ Promotional Brochure (14" X 17") with a die-cut rectangle in the front cover; when closed (below left) it showed Sean Connery's face from Bond’s ‘identity card’ tucked under the bikini bottom of a knife-wielding model featured in the centre fold-out.

The knife-wielding female torso was photographed by influential Austrian-born, American graphic designer and art director Henry Wolf (1925-2005), and was also used on a Japanese B1 (28.5" X 40.5") cinema poster (above right) for Never Say Never Again (1983). Wolf had revolutionised US magazine design during the 1950s and 1960s with his bold layouts, elegant typography, and whimsical cover photographs while serving as art director at Esquire, Harper's Bazaar and Show magazines.

Warner Brothers also issued a Press Kit for Never Say Never Again (1983) housed in a folder (9" X 12") that contained a series of A4-sized stapled Production Notes and star biographies. Also included was a set of 17 glossy black & white 10" X 8" promotional stills.

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