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After the larger sprawling and rather
randomly scattered layout of the BOND IN MOTION exhibition at the Heritage
Motor Museum at Beaulieu, the scaled-down version now on display in London
is a far more immersive experience, and all the better for it, but, and
it’s a big BUT – the lighting in their basement display area has more the
feel of a dungeon than Q’s workshop – it took my eyes at least 20 minutes
to adjust to the low light levels. When I asked one of the LFM’s security
stewards why the lighting design was so dim, he explained it was in order
the audio visual screens, showing looped scenes from the Bond films, could
be easily viewed. However, when I first walked directly from the sunny
street into the brightly lit white-painted entrance area of the museum and
approached the ticket desk, there on my left was a video wall containing
12 separate screens clearly showing looped scenes from the Bond films. Go
figure! Many of the vehicles on display there need to be seen for exactly
what they are – large ‘shiny beasts’! |
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Unfortunately the
lighting lets this nicely mounted exhibition down rather badly. Other
niggles include no photograph of Sean Connery sitting astride the dune
bike to illustrate its use in Diamonds Are Forever; the red
Mustang Mach 1 from the same film really needs a new paint job before
it’s displayed anywhere and so it resembles its actual look in
the film; displaying the Aston Martin from 1995’s GoldenEye (BMT
214A) with accompanying audio visual from Goldfinger was also a
bit of a cheat, and I know also a bit of let down for some was that
the actual 1964 gadget car was not included in this exhibition; and a
few blank spots that could and should have been covered by at least a
‘BOND IN MOTION’ logo panel. On a more positive note, thankfully Auric
Goldfinger’s truly magnificent Rolls-Royce Phantom III Sedanca de
Ville is positioned to its best advantage; opposite the Goldfinger
RR is Cubby Broccoli’s Rolls-Royce CUB 1 – used in 1985’s A View To
A Kill and also seen in 1965’s Thunderball; underwater
equipment used in several of the Bond films is displayed in a nicely
atmospheric area, and reminded me that one of them was offered for
sale to me many years ago under rather amusing circumstances; other
pluses are an interesting display of original production art and
storyboards on the mezzanine floor; while back downstairs are
personalised hand props used by the various James Bond actors and Bond
Girls, and a number of model vehicles. But for me the most poignant
item on show was ‘Little Nellie’, and a tinge of sadness ran through
me as I looked at what was now truly a museum piece and remembered
that her ‘father’, the wonderful Ken Wallis (who we lost on September
1st 2013 aged 97), would no longer be accompanying her on her travels. |
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