The James Bond Story

Forget Freddy, Michael, Jason or that dork from Scream: When it comes to long lasting franchises, the name's Bond. James Bond. Timed to coincide with the release of the 19th feature film based on Ian Fleming's secret agent 007, The World is Not Enough (see review this issue), this paper-thin biography, ably narrated by Miranda Richardson, is short on deep analysis (there was an ethical segment called "Right and Wrong" that lasted a good minute or two, but I didn't jot down a single word in my notes), but stocked with Bond alumni. Interviewees include Sean Connery, George Lazenby (a strange egg who starred in a single Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan, as well as directors John Glen, Lewis Gilbert, Terence Young, and Michael Apted. In addition, screenwriter Tom Mankiewicz, the late actor Desmond Llewellyn (gadget man "Q") and Bond girls Maud Adams and Jane Seymour weigh in with personal reminisces about the mysterious semi-cold fish with a license to kill. On the meatier side, the program does take a look at Ian Fleming's life, points out that Noel Coward (!) was an original candidate to play Dr. No, and includes tons of clips (including the earlier, and not-quite-as-successful-take of the running across the backs of gators sequence in Live and Let Die). Will this be popular? Are martinis shaken, not stirred? Recommended. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)