ITV1 Classic Bond Season: Becoming a Secret Agent
The new Bond film is going to be a bit of a ride this year. And it looks set to piece together more areas of 007’s elusive past, and in only the way that Bond knows how. Plenty of villains, beautiful girls, guns, and explosive action.
And to get viewers up to speed with what Bond’s been doing for the last 50 years, ITV1 is now showing all the classic Bond films in order, every Saturday night. Making sure that you know your Moonraker from your Moneypenny. We have already showcased our top Bond villains and henchmen, so now we thought we would give you some helpful tips on becoming a secret agent.
You might love or hate Bond, he’s a bit like Marmite in that respect. But whatever your opinion he’s an institution in the UK, a cinema and literary legend who we’ve all heard of. But with such an unmistakable reputation, what are the most popular things that we’ve come to associate with James Bond?
Clothing
The Bond film franchise has covered over 55 years with its film catalogue, and in that time we’ve seen plenty of fashion crazes come and thankfully go.
Do you remember when Sean Connery strolled out wearing his blue one-piece bathing suit? Made from towelling and complete with a matching belt. Yes, we’d brushed that one out of our minds too!
But we can all agree that Bond’s signature tailored suits are beautiful in every way. Whether they’re a black tuxedo-style or a more casual 2 piece. A suit ‘doth maketh’ the man, and in this case, it certainly suits Bond very nicely indeed.
Manners and Education
One thing you can be sure of with Bond is an impeccable set of manners. Educated privately at both Eton and Fettes colleges, before concealing his true age and joining what was back then the Ministry of Defence in 1941. Before heading off to join the Royal Navy.
His accent is eloquent, and he always holds the doors open for ladies. And when it comes to the females in James’ life he doesn’t hang around, and it’s no doubt that his charm and confidence do him most of the favours here.
We believe that this makes Bond one of the smoothest characters in both literary and film history.
Card playing skills
Fleming wrote his original Bond as a Baccarat fan. A ‘Chemin-de-Fer’ pro who could take any player under the table. In the very first Bond film – Dr No – we were introduced to 007 playing Baccarat in a casino, and this was perhaps one of the most iconic scenes from the franchise.
The baccarat playing Bond popped up in a few other films at various casinos around the world, and typically 007 is a high roller. Finding a casino to suit Bond could be a tricky affair, and if you’re also a fan of the cards then thankfully there are slot websites like Labslots, where you’ll find everything you need to set you on your own ‘Casino Royale’ adventures.
Bond’s cool exterior makes for a great poker face, and it was in this 2006 smash hit where we see our agent switch his skills to Texas Hold ‘Em.
Gadgets
At the heart of any true geek’s passion, you’ll find gadgets. And we must admit we’ve always been really envious of Bonds’, which are all designed by the ingenious ‘Q’.
Let’s take a look at the most memorable:
- ‘Little Nellie’ (above), Wallis WA-116 Agile plane. Flown by Sean Connery in ‘You Only Live Twice’.
Brilliant for short flights to your Granny’s house for tea, but useless for long haul trips.
- Invisibility cloak for Pierce Brosnan’s Aston Martin in ‘Die Another Die’.
Useful for riding around town undetected, not so good for rush hour traffic.
- Jet-propelled backpack, ‘Bell – Traxton’, as flown by Sean Connery in ‘Thunderball’.
Great for skipping any queue, but problematic if you get caught in a high wind.
- Camera ring, worn by Roger Moore in ‘A View to a Kill’.
Good for spying on your enemies, also good for evidence to use later against your mates.
‘That’ drink
Ah yes, no Bond film would be complete without the legendary phrase: ‘Shaken, not stirred’. And this refers to 007’s favourite tipple – the Vodka Martini. Not just any cocktail though, in the 1953 ‘Casino Royale’ book this was recorded with specific precision:
3 measures of Gordon’s gin (must be Gordon’s), one of Vodka, half a Kina Lillet.
Shaken until ice-cold then a large thin slice of lemon peel must be added.
This drink was named the ‘Vesper’ martini, after Bond’s ill-fated love affair with Vesper Lynd in the same film.
Cars
Finally, 007 just isn’t himself unless he’s sat behind the wheel of an Aston Martin. More precisely the silver 1963 DB5. This iconic car even made an appearance in the 2012 ‘Skyfall’ where it was blown into smithereens by villain Raoul Silva. A painful moment for any classic car or Bond fan!
Over the years Bond has sat behind the wheel of a Lotus, Bentley, and even a Rolls Royce. 007 has flirted with a few BMW’s throughout the Pierce Brosnan films, and viewers saw Daniel Craig roll into a beach resort driving a Ford Mondeo. Not sure how Ian Fleming would have felt about that, but Bond always returns to his Astons. And who can blame him?
Classic Bond films will air on ITV1 at 9 pm every Saturday.
