Displaying items by tag: James Bond

Since the early 1960s, 27 James Bond films have been produced, containing several hours of secret agent 007 going into space, through the jungle, underwater, and everywhere else. Some of the films are action-packed, full of gadgetry and silliness. In contrast, the 2006 Casino Royale, in which Daniel Craig was the lead for the first time.

 Shirley Veronica Bassey was born in 1937, in Tiger Bay, Cardiff. Her father was a Nigerian seaman and her mother came from Yorkshire. Tiger Bay was a tough neighbourhood and Shirley was the youngest of seven children. At age two her mother was left a single parent.

For some reason, whenever towelling’s mentioned, the first thing I think of is Sean Connery’s baby-blue belted terry playsuit in Goldfinger (don’t ask me why – some of you will already know I am a 007 fan).

Another national treasure has been taken. Honor Blackman, was a woman that many men and women of a certain age admired. Today April 6th, 2020, we were informed by the media that she had died of natural causes at the age of 94. For fans of shows like The Avengers, and the famous James Bond installment, Goldfinger, her passing is one that will be felt keenly. Her roles as Cathy Gale and Pussy Galore are ones that are deeply enshrined in the history of British Television, and Cinema. She was also a stage actress and a singer.

A set-piece typically refers to any big moment in a story that grabs the attention of the reader and defines the narrative. A set-piece can open a story with a bang, add interest throughout or bring the tale to a dramatic conclusion. Either way, these scenes create the talking points of a story.

The 23rd of May 2017 is a day that many will remember for reasons that are far from happy.

Brian Clemens is quite possibly Britain's greatest screenwriter. The man behind TV classic like The Avengers, Thriller and The Professionals and movies like Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter, The Tell Tale Heart and a firm ZANI favourite And Soon THE Darkness.

"Unfortunately I misjudged you, you are just a stupid police man... " When Joseph Wise's Dr. No character dismissed Sean Connery's James Bond with these words in October 1962, he also targeted the risky task that producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had taken on in trying to bring Ian Fleming's wildly popular 007 to the screen. Along with director Terrence Young and Connery, the Eon Productions team succeeded beyond all expectations, catapulting Fleming's character into not only the biggest screen franchise in history but a pop icon of the first degree.

“Being in the right place, at the right time,” is how Brian Jones, then of The Rolling Stones,   described the discovery of the band. Certainly there is more depth to Brian Jones’s statement. Nevertheless what is true with his train of thought is the essence and spirit of the 60’s. An era where new ideas and new acts, seemed to be an everyday occurrence.

There is no doubt that Cathy Gale helped change the perception of women on British television forever. "When I started, men were still of the opinion that women would always be seen as the weaker sex due to their lack of strength. I was the first woman to be seen defending herself and so illustrated that this was no longer the case. Despite being glamorous and witty, Cathy was also Steed's intellectual equal.