JANUARY 2021 - Michael Apted (1941-2021) |
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7
January 2021
Michael Apted, who directed Pierce Brosnan's third James
Bond film The World
Is Not Enough (1999), has died at the age of 79.
Born in
Aylesbury on February 10, 1941, Apted began his career at
Granada Television in Manchester. One of his first assignments
was researcher on the ground-breaking documentary series
Seven Up! (1964), which charted the lives of fourteen
British children from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.
Apted then directed the eight subsequent series which returned
to the children every seven years. The last series 63 Up
was broadcast by ITV in 2019. Apted also directed several
episodes of the long-running Granada soap opera Coronation
Street, and two episodes of the popular Yorkshire Television
children's series Follyfoot (1971-73), which featured
Desmond Llewelyn as Colonel Maddocks, owner of Follyfoot Farm.
Michael Apted's
feature film debut was Triple Echo (1972) starring Glenda
Jackson and Oliver Reed. Apted then alternated work on TV and
film with character-based dramas including Agatha (1979)
starring Vanessa Redgrave, Dustin Hoffman and
Timothy
Dalton, Coal Miner's Daughter (1980) starring Sissy Spacek, Gorky Park
(1983) starring William Hurt and Lee Marvin, and Gorillas in
the Mist (1988) starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian
Fossey. |
Michael Apted
was therefore an unusual choice when he was approached to direct
The World Is Not Enough (1999) in August 1998. Having
agreed to direct, Apted also had some input at the scripting
stage and made many suggestions that were ultimately
incorporated into the final uncredited rewrite by Dana Stevens (Apted's
then wife). Most of the changes focussed on the strengthening of
the character of Elektra King played by
Sophie Marceau.
In June 1999 Michael Apted was reunited with Follyfoot
star
Desmond Llewelyn (1914-1999) for his three-day shoot in Q's
lab, which was the final appearance in the series for the
much-loved actor. At the time of its release The World Is Not
Enough became the highest-grossing James Bond film to date,
taking over $350-million at the box-office.
In addition to
his television and feature film work Apted also continued to
direct documentaries including The Official Film of the 2006
FIFA World Cup narrated by
Pierce
Brosnan. |
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JANUARY 2021 - Tanya Roberts (1955-2021) |
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4 January
2021
American Actress Tanya Roberts, who played Stacey Sutton in
A View To A Kill
(1985), has died at the age of 65 - a day after her agent
and partner prematurely announced the news.
Born Victoria
Leigh Blum in New York City, Roberts began her career as a model
in TV advertisements, and started acting in off-Broadway plays
in the late 1970s. In 1980 Roberts was chosen from some 2,000
candidates to replace Shelley Hack in the fifth season of the
popular US television series Charlie's Angels. The show
ultimately suffered from low ratings and was cancelled in June
1981. Roberts then starred in the adventure fantasy film The
Beastmaster (1982) which she promoted with a PLAYBOY
pictorial in the October issue. Roberts followed this by playing
the secretary to private detective Mike Hammer (played by Stacy
Keach) in the television movie Murder Me, Murder You
(1983), although she declined to appear in the follow-up series
to work on Sheena: Queen of the Jungle (1984), which
proved to be a critical and box-office disaster. Tanya Roberts
then appeared as geologist Stacey Sutton in A View To A Kill
(1985) opposite Roger Moore in his final James Bond film. After
appearances in several more forgettable US films Tanya Roberts
played the recurring role of Midge Pinciotti in three seasons of
the popular US television period sitcom That '70s Show
(1998-2000). She later appeared as a special guest in seasons 6 &
7 (2004), before leaving the series to look after her terminally
ill husband Barry. |
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DECEMBER 2020 - Roger Deakins Knighted in New Years Honours list
2021 |
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31 December
2020
Congratulations to
Roger
Deakins who has been awarded a Knighthood in the New Years
Honours List 2021.
Producers
Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said: “Roger is truly a
great visionary of our time. His cinematography always brings
depth and humanity to the screen. His uncompromising commitment
to the work is unparalleled, he is a wonderful collaborator. We
feel incredibly privileged that he created the stunning visual
identity of Skyfall.
Many, many congratulations to a great master.”
Roger Deakins
was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for his
cinematography for
Skyfall (2012).
Still
available: 007 MAGAZINE
ARCHIVE FILES - Skyfall |
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DECEMBER 2020 - Peter Lamont (1929-2020) |
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18 December
2020
Peter Lamont the noted set decorator, art director,
and production designer most famous for working on 18 James Bond
films from Goldfinger (1964) to
Casino Royale
(2006), has died at the age of 91.
Lamont began
his career as a draughtsman on such films as The Importance
of Being Earnest (1952), then as set decorator on This
Sporting Life (1963); and later as art director for the first
time on Sleuth (1972) working with production designer
Ken Adam. In this capacity he worked on
Live And Let Die
(1973), The Man With The Golden Gun (1974) and
The Spy
Who Loved Me (1977), before getting his first ‘production
designer’ credit on For Your Eyes Only (1981).
Peter Lamont's
first James Bond assignment was Goldfinger (1964) on
which he worked uncredited as a draughtsman, later progressing
to the position of set decorator on
Thunderball (1965)
[also uncredited], You Only Live Twice (1967),
On Her
Majesty's Secret Service (1969) and
Diamonds Are Forever
(1971). Throughout his
60-year career, Peter Lamont was nominated for three Academy
Awards for his work on Fiddler on the Roof (1971), The
Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Aliens (1986); finally
winning the Oscar as production designer for Titanic
(1997).
007 MAGAZINE REDUX
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EDITION – Issue #29 featuring an exclusive interview with Production Designer Peter
Lamont
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DECEMBER 2020 - Jeremy Bulloch (1945-2020) |
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17 December
2020
Three-time James Bond film actor Jeremy Bulloch has died at
the age of 75. After drama school Bulloch's first notable film
appearance was in
the 1963 Cliff Richard musical comedy Summer Holiday.
Small roles in British films and television series followed,
including BBC TVs long-running Doctor Who with
appearances opposite William Hartnell (The Space Museum
1965); and Jon Pertwee (The Time Warrior 1973).
Jeremy
Bulloch's first James Bond film appearance was as HMS Ranger
Crewman Andrews in The Spy
Who Loved Me (1977). His next
film role would be the one for which he will be best remembered
- the bounty hunter Boba Fett in The Empire Strikes Back
(1980). The actor also played an imperial lieutenant [uncredited]
and is the only time Bulloch's face was seen in the series until
his appearance as Captain Colton in Revenge of the Sith
(2005). Bulloch's face was hidden by a mask whilst playing Boba Fett,
and he was also re-voiced along with many
of the other British actors in the Star Wars films. Bulloch
returned to the James Bond series in 1981 to play ‘Q’s assistant Smithers in
For Your Eyes Only.
The character is named in the film but his performance went uncredited. Bulloch reprised the
role in Octopussy
(1983), this time credited as Jeremy Bullock. The same year Bulloch also
returned to the role of Boba Fett in Return of the Jedi.
Although the character is killed in the film, Bulloch played the role several times more in Star Wars related spin-offs
and short films. |
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DECEMBER 2020 - Writer Ian Fleming queried Hitler's intentions in a
1938 letter to The Times |
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Writer Ian
Fleming queried Hitler's intentions in a 1938 letter to The
Times. A year later, he joined as a special correspondent
before working for Naval Intelligence during the war. It wasn't
until 1952 that he brought James Bond to life in CASINO ROYALE,
creating an iconic character.
READ THE LETTER |
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DECEMBER 2020 - 20 James Bond movies streaming for free on YouTube |
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20
James Bond films are now available to legally stream for free on YouTube. From Sean Connery’s debut in Dr. No (1962) to
Pierce Brosnan’s penultimate outing The World Is Not Enough
(1999),
that’s almost every official 007 movie except for the Daniel Craig era.
MGM have removed the paywall for the time being on their
official YouTube account. This offer is currently only available
to those streaming inside the US, and the films will include
advertisements.
Sean Connery's
1983 comeback as James Bond in Never Say Never Again is
also included in the collection.
WATCH THE FILMS |
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DECEMBER 2020 - Ian Fleming/James Bond in Kent - Paul O'Grady's
Great British Escape |
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Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
Current viewing figures:
4 million
Episode 4: Wednesday, December 2 - 8pm ITV
Ian Fleming/James Bond in Kent
This episode
sees Paul visit places long on his Kent bucket list - iconic
spots on his doorstep but where he’s never set foot before, and
in the process at one of James Bond author Ian Fleming’s old
Kentish haunts, The Duck Inn at Pett Bottom near Canterbury, he
meets up with 007 MAGAZINE editor & publisher Graham Rye for a
chat with tea and vodka.
FULL STORY |
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NOVEMBER 2020 - Yaroslav Horak (1927-2020) |
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24 November
2020
Yaroslav Horak, the illustrator who took over from John
McLusky as illustrator of the James Bond comic strip, has died
at the age of 93.
Born in Harbin,
Manchuria (now North-Eastern China) in 1927, Horak was the son of a Czech father and Russian mother.
His family emigrated to Sydney, Australia just before World War
II where Horak began his career as a portrait painter, and later
illustrator for some of the larger Australian magazine
publishers. Horak’s first comic strips were the detective
adventure Rick Davis, and The Skyman (a mysterious
costumed flyer) in 1948. Horak illustrated many other comic
strips in Sydney and Melbourne, before moving to London in 1962.
Horak took over from John McLusky (1923-2006) as illustrator for
the Daily Express James Bond comic strip from 1966-1977,
which then moved to the Sunday Express and Daily Star
from 1977-1979. In total Horak worked on 33 complete James Bond
comic strips all adapted by American writer Jim Lawrence. In
order to bridge the transition between two illustrators, the
final few panels of YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE in January 1966
also included drawings by Horak, although still bearing the
credit ‘Drawing by John McLusky’. The first James Bond comic
strip credited to Horak was the final panel of YOU ONLY LIVE
TWICE published on Saturday January 8, 1966 which lead into the
lengthy adaptation of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. |
Jim Lawrence
and Horak would follow the comic strip version of Ian Fleming's
final full-length novel with adaptations of the short stories
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS (September 12, 1966 - November 12, 1966),
OCTOPUSSY (November 14, 1966 - May 27, 1967) and THE HILDEBRAND
RARITY (May 29, 1967 - December 16, 1967). Jim Lawrence
(1918-1994) was given permission by the Ian Fleming estate to
write new original stories for the comic strip, the first of
which was THE SPY WHO LOVED ME which ran from December 18, 1967
to October 3, 1968. Two further original stories The Harpies
and
River of Death followed before the pair adapted Robert Markham's
COLONEL SUN; the final original James Bond novel to be given the
comic strip treatment, and published in the Daily Express
from December 1, 1969 to August 28, 1970. All subsequent stories
were original creations by Jim Lawrence with the majority
illustrated by Horak. Four stories drawn by Horak between 1977
and 1979 were syndicated outside the UK before John McLusky
returned to illustrate the strip in the Daily Star from
1981-1983. The first of the five Daily Star stories
Doomcrack (February 2, 1981 - August 19, 1981) was drawn by
Mad Magazine illustrator Harry North. Horak illustrated
three final stories in 1983/84 but these were only syndicated
outside the UK. All James Bond comic strips illustrated by these
three artists have been published in the UK by Titan Books in
various compilations, starting with the Jim Lawrence/Horak
adaptations of THE MAN WITH THE
GOLDEN GUN and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS in 1987. |
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After a long
career Yaroslav Horak retired to Australia. In 2005 007 MAGAZINE
Editor & Publisher Graham Rye arranged for Horak to return to
the UK, and attend a
special signing at The Cinema Store. It was then on to
Kettners’ restaurant in Soho where 007 MAGAZINE had sponsored a
special reception for Horak, and where he was reunited with his
old colleague from The Daily Express, Sydney Jordan,
creator and illustrator of space hero Jeff Hawke.
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NOVEMBER 2020 - BBC Radio 4 James Bond season |
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24
November 2020
BBC Radio 4 is re-broadcasting a short season of their
acclaimed adaptations of Ian Fleming's novels starring
Toby
Stephens as James Bond. The season began on Saturday 14th
November with a repeat of THUNDERBALL, featuring Tom Conti as
Largo and Alfred Molina as Ernst Stavro Blofeld. This was
followed on Saturday 21st November by MOONRAKER with Samuel West
as Sir Hugo Drax and Katherine Kingsley as Gala Brand. The
series concludes with DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER at 14.45 on Saturday
28th November. American actor Stacy Keach takes on the role of
Ernie Cureo, with John Standing reprising his role as ‘M’. All
three broadcasts will be available for 30 days. |
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THUNDERBALL
MOONRAKER
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER |
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NOVEMBER 2020 - New James Bond Video Game Announced |
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19
November 2020
IO Interactive is currently developing Project 007
(Working Title)
James Bond will once again be coming to a console and computer
screen near you. IO Interactive (Hitman), in
collaboration with MGM, EON Productions and Delphi announced
today that they are developing the very first James Bond origin
story with the working title Project 007. Project 007
will feature a wholly original Bond story exclusively as a video
game.
FULL STORY AND TEASER TRAILER |
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NOVEMBER 2020 - OHMSS 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 offered for
first time at auction |
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The Bond Street Sale - Important Collectors’ Motor Cars
16 December 2020 - London, New Bond Street
Estimate £100,000 - £150,000
[Update 17
December 2020 - Sold for £356,500 inc. premium]
A 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7
convertible, which had a starring role in the classic James Bond
film On Her Majesty's Secret Service, will be offered for
the first time at auction, fittingly at the Bonhams Bond Street
Sale on 16 December, following a nut and bolt restoration.
FULL STORY AND MORE IMAGES |
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NOVEMBER 2020 - Several important James Bond props and costumes up
for auction |
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Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction - London - 1st & 2nd
December, 2020 12:00 PM GMT
Several
important James Bond props are included in the live auction
including
Honey Ryder's (Ursula Andress) conch shell and a set of
black-and-white photographs from the first Bond film
Dr. No (1962). This unique screen-used item is from the
collection of the production's prop master Patrick Weymouth
(1910-1981). [sold for
£5,500]
Among the other
significant props and costumes included in the auction are a
grey suit jacket worn by Sean Connery in Diamonds Are Forever
(1971)
[unsold], the
Hamilton Pulsar P2 2900 LED watch worn by Roger
Moore in Live And Let Die (1973)
[unsold],
Sir Christopher Lee's
personal annotated first draft script from The Man With The
Golden Gun (1974)
[sold for £8,500],
Topol's
navy double-breasted blazer
[sold for £800] and a
white jacket worn by his co-star Julian Glover in For Your
Eyes Only (1981)
[sold for £1,100]. A
prop spear-gun used by Timothy Dalton in
Licence To Kill (1989)
[unsold], the
AKS-74U Assault Rifle used by
Pierce Brosnan in the pre-credit sequence of GoldenEye
(1995)
[sold for £6,000], along with his
Walther PPK with silencer and holster
[unsold] from
the same film are also highlights of the auction.
Daniel Craig's
midnight blue Tom Ford tuxedo
[sold for £18,000], and his
MI6 training suit from
Skyfall (2012)
[sold for £15,000] are the most recent costumes featured in the
sale. Perhaps the most unusual item in the auction is the
Wetbike delivery bag used in The Spy Who Loved Me
(1977) [sold for £1,700].
Many other lots went unsold. |
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NOVEMBER 2020 - Original Walther PP used by Sean Connery in Dr.
No up for auction |
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Icons And
Idols: Hollywood - December 3, 2020
Just two weeks after the death of Sean Connery at the age of 90,
comes the news that an original Walther PP handgun used by the
actor in the first James Bond film Dr. No, is to be sold
in the USA by Julien's AUCTIONS.
Lot 1359 -
Estimate: $150,000 - $200,000 Starting: $37,500
[Update
December 4, 2020 - Sells for $256,000]
The auction
will include nearly 600 important artefacts taken out of the
vault and production archives of Hollywood's greatest films from
its Golden Age to today's box office classics, as well as pieces
rarely seen or coming to the auction block for the first time,
celebrating the famous and influential from film, television,
stage and more. The marquee highlight of the event is the
Walther PP handgun used by Sean Connery in the very first James
Bond film Dr. No (1962).
FULL STORY AND IMAGES |
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