The James Bond franchise has remained one of the most well-known entertainment properties in the world. It spans dozens of books and more than 20 films, in addition to video games, comics, and other media. Ian Flemings spy has not only become a popular figure in popular culture but is the basis for practically every other fictional secret agent.
First introduced in 1953,James Bond has been around for almost 70 years. Throughout all that time the series has maintained its popularity. Its longevity and age also mean that many fans will not know lots of things about the franchise. After all, many of them will only have seen the most recent movies and might not have ever read a James Bond novel. Even avid fans might get a shock after reading some of these facts.
Goldfinger is one of the most famous James Bond films. Yet, it was banned in Israel for many years. The reason was not because of any content in the film but rather remarks made by Gert Frbe, who portrayed the main villain. He had made remarks about being a Nazi during the Third Reich but later clarified that he had actually been sympathetic to the persecuted Jews and had helped hide a mother and daughter.
One thing that James Bond is known for is the spectacular stunts that take place in practically every movie. The crew and stunt actors are so experienced that they have even managed to pull off shots that no one else has been capable of. For example, the number of flips that the Aston Martin DBS did in Casino Royale is a Guinness World Record.
James Bond is the creation of author Ian Fleming. What many people wont know is that the character is heavily based on the writer. Fleming was actually a Naval Intelligence Officer, working closely with the director of this military department. The author even based some of Bonds personality traits on himself, such as his love of drinking and smoking, as well as his views on women.
A group of doctors analyzed the James Bond novels and films to determine just how healthy the spy would be living his high-octane lifestyle. The results were not good. In the paper, which was published in the prestigious British Medical Journal, the medical professionals argued that his constant drinking, habitual smoking, and unprotected sex puts him at risk of many problems, including alcoholism and impotence.
The James Bond films have an incredibly large body count. In the 24 movies to date, more than 1,300 have died or been killed. 007 himself has been responsible for 354 of those deaths. In fact, in one film he killed 47 individuals, although, in The Man with the Golden Gun, he took out just one man.
Plenty of stunts in the James Bond movies have been dangerous. The stuntmen are therefore well paid to compensate them for the dangers. For example, Bill Cummings was given an extra $450 during the filming of Thunderball for jumping into a pool filled with live sharks.
While Ian Fleming was not thrilled with the casting of Sean Connery initially, he eventually grew to think the Scottish actor was the perfect choice after seeing him on film playing the role. In fact, he was so impressed that he changed his characters biography. The author made it so that Bond had his roots in Scotland in homage to Connery.
For many, Sean Connery is not just the first James Bond but also the best. However, he was not the first actor to play the famous spy. Others actually beat him to the punch, including Barry Nelson and Bob Holness. Connery was just the first person to play Bond in the Eon Productions.
In The Man with the Golden Gun, Christopher Lee played the evil Scaramanga. Although he was a well-established actor at that time, he may have had some help getting the part. It turns out he was actually related to author Ian Fleming, as the pair were second cousins by marriage.
Related: 5 Most Useless James Bond Car Gadgets (And 15 We'd Never Use)
For many years, the general consensus was that the spys name was taken from a birdwatching book. Ian Fleming lived in jamaica while writing the novels and had an ornithologist book at his home featuring an expert called Dr. James Bond. More recent research has indicated that a Welsh man named James Charles Bond worked as a military commando with Fleming during World War Two and may have inspired the fictional 007.
Ian Fleming was a fan of the Eon Bond movies and visited various sets during filming. In fact, he was a regular as the crew was shooting From Russia with Love. Several high profile theories have argued that he actually had a cameo appearance in the movie during a shot when the train passes a field. Unfortunately, theres no real way to confirm whether it is him or someone else.
Related: 17 Actors Who Almost Played James Bond
Throughout the novels and various movies, James Bond has shown that he is talented at speaking foreign languages. In fact, according to official sources, he is fluent in both German and French in addition to his native English. However, during some films, he has also shown he can speak Spanish, Japanese, Russian, and Arabic.
An iconic part of the James Bond films is the opening sequence in which a silhouetted Bond shoots at the gun barrel camera. Although Connery played 007 in the first three Eon movies, he did not actually appear in these sequences. He was unavailable to film them so stuntman Bob Simmons took on the role. The Scottish actor only performed in the scene from Thunderball when it was reshot to take into account changing aspect ratios.
Related: Everything We Know About The Upcoming James Bond Film, No Time To Die
The first film in the franchise, Dr. No, had a very small budget. Executives did not know how well it would sit with the public, so were unprepared to hand over a large amount of money. The entire film was made for just $1 million, making it difficult for the crew. For instance, the production staff only had around $20,000 to work with and had to come up with imaginative ways to get the set ready for filming,
The consequences of Bonds many romantic partners is never explored in the movies. However, Ian Fleming did write about one possible outcome of having unprotected relationships in You Only Live Twice. His dabbles with Kissy Suzuki leave her pregnant, unbeknownst to the spy. She eventually gives birth to a son called James Suzuki.
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15 Surprising Facts About James Bond We Never Knew | TheThings - TheThings
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