Secrets of James Bond: Q&A

The NJSO celebrates five decades of classic music from the James Bond films with Bond & Beyond in Newark and New Brunswick, June 4–5. After the concert, Cinema Retro magazine publisher, 007 author and documentary filmmaker Lee Pfeiffer, who has tracked the suave super spy internationally for decades, shares behind-the-scenes intel on 007 and his literary creator, Ian Fleming.

Pfeiffer chats with the NJSO in advance of the concerts about Bond and his legacy.

What is your history with the Bond franchise?

I saw my first James Bond film in 1964 (From Russia with Love) at age 8, and I was immediately hooked. Throughout the years, I was fortunate enough to become involved in many official projects for the 007 producers, Eon Productions, including writing books, licensing merchandise and producing official documentaries for DVD and Blu-ray.

The themes and opening credits are iconic parts of the Bond experience. How does music play a special role in the films?

The Bond franchise is the longest-running continuous series in motion picture history, and it’s more popular than ever. Music has always played an integral role in the series’ success, beginning with the classic scores by the legendary John Barry and continuing with such notable names as Bill Conti, George Martin, Marvin Hamlisch and Thomas Newman. “The James Bond Theme” is one of the most recognizable compositions in pop culture history, and people in even remote areas of the globe instantly recognize it.

Can you share some fun facts about the Bond legacy?

• The first actor to portray James Bond was American actor Barry Nelson in a 1954 live TV version of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale.
• Sean Connery was not the first choice for the role of Bond for the feature film franchise, which began in 1962; British actor Richard Johnson was asked to play the role but declined. Connery was brought to attention when producer Cubby Broccoli and his wife saw him in the Disney film Darby O’Gill and the Little People.
• Connery made six “official” Bond movies and played the role for the final time in the non-Eon 1983 production Never Say Never Again.
• George Lazenby played the role once, Roger Moore seven times, Timothy Dalton twice, Pierce Brosnan four times and Daniel Craig four times to date.
• The highest grossing film in the franchise is Skyfall (2012), although last year’s Spectre was also a blockbuster.
• Ian Fleming lived to see the success of the first two Bond movies but passed away in 1964 at age 56, just prior to the release of Goldfinger, which launched the era of Bondmania.
• One other “renegade” Bond production was the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale, a broad comedy that improbably starred Peter Sellers and Woody Allen.
• The first Bond film that had been planned was Thunderball, but an ongoing legal matter concerning rights contributed to the movie ultimately being the fourth in the franchise and was released in 1965 to incredible international grosses.

Check out more on 007 at www.cinemaretro.com.