JAMES BOND
NEWS 2008

4 December 2008
CHRISTIE'S South Kensington- Popular Culture & Entertainment

As Bond fever once again grips the nation, CHRISTIE'S South Kensington introduces an enviable selection of 007 memorabilia designed to rekindle a very British love affair with the nation’s favourite undercover agent, bringing together a collection of sought-after Bond posters, props, scripts and replicas.

Of particular interest to James Bond fans are lots #85 & #86 from the estate of Kevin McClory, which include one-of-a-kind items relating to Thunderball (1965), and his unrealised Warhead project co-authored with Len Deighton and Sean Connery which eventually made it to the screen in 1983 as Never Say Never Again.

FULL STORY

With the global release of the new movie Quantum of Solace putting Ian Fleming’s legendary British secret agent James Bond firmly back in the public eye, Bonhams is delighted to announce that it has one of 007’s classic sports cars for sale.

The white 1976 Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, starring Roger Moore and Barbara Bach, is expected to fetch £100,000-120,000 when it is sold in London on December 1st.*

*UPDATE 3/12/2008 -  The car sold for £111,500.

The vehicle is one of two Lotus cars driven in the film by Roger Moore’s James Bond character. It turns into an amphibious car for the movie, driven both on land and underwater.

FULL STORY

21 October 2008

Casino Royale DVDs are a bit like buses... none for a while and then two come along in quick succession! Hot on the heels of the 1967 spoof version of Ian Fleming's debut novel, comes a 3-disc deluxe edition of Casino Royale (2006), with a host of new special features and two commentary tracks featuring director Martin Campbell, co-producers Barbara Broccoli & Michael G. Wilson and members of the crew... READ THE REVIEW

Originally announced over a year ago to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the 1967 version of Casino Royale, the film is now released as a Collector's Edition DVD with a new 5-part ‘making of’ documentary and an audio commentary by Bond historians Steven Jay Rubin and John Cork.

READ THE REVIEW

MARK MAWSTON reports for 007 MAGAZINE

Sunday 19th October 2008 was a date set aside in many 007 fans diaries as this was the most important (and still achievable) Bond reunion of recent times. Hot on the heels of the wonderful Goldfinger reunion earlier this year, Gareth Owen and Andrew Boyle of ‘BondStars’ organized a day themed around what many see as Sir Roger Moore’s best Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me...

FULL STORY AND IMAGES FROM THE EVENT

24 October 2008

Sir Roger Moore added his voice to the campaign to attract funding to restore and preserve Bletchley Park on his visit to the World War Two code breaking centre on October 17, 2008.

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16 October 2008 -
Sir Roger Moore rounded off a hectic week of publicity for his autobiography ‘My Word Is My Bond’ by appearing to a sell out audience at The National Theatre on London’s South Bank.

Interviewed by Emma Forbes, daughter of director and producer Bryan Forbes, Sir Roger spent a short 40 minutes discussing his distinguished career. Unfortunately after only 15 minutes, the questions were opened up to the audience, which is always a recipe for disaster, particularly in an auditorium the size of the Lyttleton Theatre.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES FROM THE EVENT

2008 Lucky Strike Award for the creator of the James Bond Worlds: Ken Adam

The jury of the Raymond Lowey Foundation is awarding the leading international designer prize - the Lucky Strike Designer Awards with its prize money of 50,000 Euros - to Sir Kenneth Adam. With this year's award, the Foundation honours the works of a film production designer for the first time. “Ken Adam created unique cinematic worlds, illusions on film whose images, spaces and products remain alive in the collective memory of entire generations”, thus the jury's decision. Ken Adam will be presented with the Lucky Strike Designer Award at a ceremony held on 13th November in the Berlin cinema Kino Kosmos.

FULL STORY

28 September 2008

The Sunday Express publishes a collection of rare photographs from the 007 MAGAZINE ARCHIVE, which are now reproduced for the benefit of non UK visitors.

OUR NAME'S BOND

8 September 2008 - Bond Villains party with crowd at playful PLASTIC ROYALE by SWATCH

To celebrate 25 years of plastic and the launch of a provocative new line of ‘villainous’ SWATCH watches, Swatch founder Nicolas G. Hayek invited hundreds of SWATCH fans, special guests and journalists from around the world to a spectacular multimedia party in Bregenz on 8th September 2008.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES

PREVIEW THE SWATCH VILLAIN COLLECTION

14 August 2008
Barbara Broccoli, producer of the James Bond films and Chair of First Light Movies, has been appointed to the board of the UK Film Council by Culture Minister Margaret Hodge.

The appointment will run for four years from 4 August 2008 and Ms Broccoli's first board meeting will take place in September.

Barbara Broccoli is one of the UK film industry's most successful producers and she is currently producing the forthcoming Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

FULL STORY

8 June 2008

A report on the Barbican's THE BEST OF BOND weekend on 7th - 8th June 2008.

There was an exhibition of original props and rare collectibles on display in the Barbican cinema foyer.

FULL STORY

10 MAY 2008

The 007 MAGAZINE ARCHIVE was in the news again when various areas of the international media ran with an amusing image from the archive of Sean Connery relaxing in his underpants on the hotel bedroom set at Pinewood Studios during the filming of From Russia With Love back in 1963.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES

DAVE NORRIS, Chief Projectionist at the Empire Leicester Square, reports on the special digital screening of the 1977 Bond blockbuster The Spy Who Loved Me on Sunday 20th April 2008.

Presented by Park Circus, the screening was also attended by director Lewis Gilbert and camera operator Alec Mills.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES FROM THE EVENT

17 April 2008

Artist and writer Richard Chopping has died at the age of 91. He is survived by his civil partner, Denis Wirth-Miller with whom he lived for 70 years. Most famous for the dust jacket illustrations for nine of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels beginning with FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE (1957), he went on to become a successful (if controversial) author himself in the mid sixties, with two novels The Fly (1965) and The Ring (1967).

His trompe l'oeil paintings defined the 007 style long before the film series was launched in 1962, and his work was the centrepiece at the launch of the ‘Bond Bound’ exhibition as part of the Ian Fleming Centenary celebrations earlier this year. Three of his covers also appeared on Royal Mail's James Bond stamps.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE - 007 MAGAZINE pays tribute

10 APRIL 2008

A collection of letters between the James Bond author, his secretaries Una Trueblood and later Beryl Griffie-Williams, and typist Mrs. Jean Frampton are auctioned by Duke's.

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DUNCAN CARTER reports for 007 MAGAZINE on events held for James Bond fans in the UK during April 2008.

An eclectic set of guests attended events at Pinewood Studios, Adrian Harrington bookshop in Kensington, and ‘Autographica 11’ at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES FROM THE EVENTS

15 March 2008

OMEGA presents the new version of the Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond which collectors and fans have treasured since 1995. For the past decade, Her Majesty’s Secret Service agent 007 has been wearing an OMEGA Seamaster watch. Fans of the iconic spy, along with enthusiasts of fine watches, wait in anticipation of each new version of the timepiece.

Their patience will soon be rewarded. OMEGA will be releasing a special update of the incredibly popular Seamaster Diver 300m James Bond watch which has been worn by 007 since GoldenEye.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES

14 March 2008

Caterina Murino, the stunning Italian actress best known for her sizzling performance as Solange Dimitrios in Casino Royale, was in Jakarta to celebrate the openings of two new OMEGA Boutiques on March 11th.

Ms Murino, who had already established herself as a star in Italy, France, and Spain, made a memorable first impression on international film audiences when she first appeared in Casino Royale (2006) wearing a skimpy green bikini and riding a white horse.

FULL STORY AND IMAGES

21 limited edition covers, every 007, choose your favourite!

Celebrating the centenary of Bond’s creator the April issue of Future’s TOTAL FILM salutes all things 007 with a split-cover run featuring a massive 21-limited edition covers, one for every James Bond film.

From Dr. No to Casino Royale film fans can collect their favourite Bond covers secured by TOTAL FILM to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ian Fleming and the return of Daniel Craig in 2008 with the 22nd official Bond film, Quantum of Solace.

The issue contains a 36-page action-packed feature leading with an interview with the blonde Bond, Daniel Craig, who talks gadgets, stunts and the new movie’s much discussed title. There are the 20 greatest Bond girls and TOTAL FILM goes Bonds on Bond as former 007s talk about the part they played in making the world’s most favourite spy come alive on the silver screen.

VIEW ALL 21 COVERS