Review: Fascinating tidbits about the birth of the James Bond films
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2012
I'm old enough to have seen every James Bond film on its original release, and over the five decades since "Dr. No" was released in 1962, I've read a tremendous amount of Ian Fleming/James Bond lore, some undoubtedly true and some most likely a press agent's fanciful creations. However, Author Len Deighton's recollections are a treasure trove of gossipy tidbits about the principals that I've never read before.Deighton reveals things that I wasn't aware of about his friend Ian Fleming, including the surprising fact that early on, despite the success of his James Bond novels, Fleming thought seriously about killing off Bond and ending the series. He also describes the relationship between Fleming and Kevin McClory, a man who worked with Fleming to bring the James Bond series to the movie screen, but would end up in a bitter, protracted legal battle with Fleming. McClory had worked in the movie business, but was perhaps best known for saving the large plastic model of the whale used in "Moby Dick" when it blew loose from its moorings!Interestingly, had everything gone smoothly between Fleming and McClory, "Thunderball" would have been the first James Bond film, not "Dr. No." Exactly how this came to pass is described in this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the personae involved in the real-life story.By the way, the subtitle of the book refers to finding the origin of the name "James Bond."It was great to see Len Deighton writing again after a long absence.