Leofwine_draca
IMDb lists the date for this short Bond documentary as 2002, but I must have seen an updated version because QUANTUM OF SOLACE was discussed and Gemma Arterton made an appearance. I'm guessing they reused material from the 2002 version of the documentary and cut out some extraneous material to make way for the new, up to date stuff.In any case, this is a rather dull little effort that offers entirely nothing new other than a few sound bites from various Bond actresses. Judi Dench is the most interesting one, bringing to light some of the gender politics from the series, but others like Halle Berry are very dull to listen to. The clips used are predictable and there's no real meat here to get your teeth into; the other Bond documentary shown alongside this one, EVERYTHING OR NOTHING: THE UNTOLD STORY OF 007, was much more interesting. Plus, I didn't like the way the interview footage was over directed, bizarrely going into split-screen at one point; just let the actresses speak for themselves without these over-the-top theatrics.
Hot 888 Mama
. . . is explained near the end of the 13-minutes-long initial part of this documentary shorts trilogy, titled A NEW KIND OF WOMAN. Luciana Paluzzi (who portrayed "Gina Volpe" in THUNDERBALL) laments that her potential shelf full of Italian Oscar awards vaporized quicker than Ms. Volpe's criminal empire did in the movie, as all the leading Italian film directors shunned her "as if I were a comic strip character" forevermore. Or take Halle Berry. MONSTER'S BALL, B.B. (Before Bond). CATWOMAN and MOVIE 43 after. One can go up and down the list of the hundred or so "Bond Girls," and see Ms. Paluzzi's experience repeated again and again. There might be life after Sean Connery for James Bond, but there is little life after Bond for his "girls"--on-screen or off-. After awhile, this caused leading actresses to generally be very wary of Bond in Real Life, which may explain why Bond's Eon Production Company began filling Bond Girl roles with models rather than actresses (even if ALL of their lines needed to be dubbed!).I rated Part 2 of this trilogy, CHILDREN OF OUR GENERATIONS (lasting nearly 18 minutes), slightly higher at "7." Where Part I covers "Bond Girls" of the 1960s, Part 2 focuses on Agent 007's chicks in the 1970s and 1980s. Two things stand out here. Lois Chiles as "Dr. Goodhead" told 007 to "take me around the world one more time" under duress at the climax of MOONRAKER, since she closes the back door in Real Life. Similarly, when Carey Lowell and trilogy host Maryam D'Abo get together to compare notes on James IV (Timothy Dalton), they point out that neither of their characters slept with Bond because of the 1980s AIDS crisis and 007's well-known penchant for unprotected rear entry.Important note, mostly for Halle Berry (and any other aspiring actresses who want to take a shot at "serious" roles in the future) . . .. . . who says during BOND MEETS HIS MATCH (Part III of this trilogy, which also lasts 18 minutes, and also merits a rating of "7") that Bond Girls are "an elite few." Moments later trilogy narrator Maryam D'Abo notes that there were 87 official BeeGees through the first 21 Agent 007 flicks (or 4.1 per picture, which yields a total of 95.2 Bond Girls series-to-date). Guess what, Halle? No matter how hard you scan this roster, it does NOT include the names of Anne Bancroft, Patricia Neal, Julie Andrews, Julie Christie, Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, Barbara Streisand, Maggie Smith, Glenda Jackson, Jane Fonda, Liza Minnelli, Ellen Burstyn, Louise Fletcher, Faye Dunawy, Diane Keaton, Sally Field, Sissy Spacek, Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, Geraldine Page, Marlee Matlin, Cher, Jodie Foster, Jessica Tandy, Kathy Bates, Emma Thompson, Holly Hunter, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Frances McDormand, Helen Hunt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank, Julie Roberts, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Sandra Bullock, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, or Cate Blanchett--the OTHER "Best Actress" Oscar winners during Bond's run (1962 till now). YOU were the only one of this "Eliter Few" to fall for bad boy Bond's "charms," and you've been rewarded with roles in flicks such as MOVIE 43 ever since!
David S. Rose
With a title like this one, you'd expect the usual, fluffy, ET-type of superficial clip flick. To my surprise, however, this retrospective/interview documentary, hosted (quite well) by former Bond girl Maryam D'Abo, turns out to be highly watchable, and not just for all the requisite clips of attractive women in bikinis. D'Abo, who co-wrote the script as well as hosted the interviews, does an excellent job of 'bonding' (ouch!) with her fellow eye-candy compatriots, and it really is fun (and interesting) to see the evolution of the role over time.Since the film was made some 40 years after Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore rolled in the hay with Sean Connery, and that image is firmly fixed in our cultural consciousness, it is somewhat disconcerting to see her now, white-haired and pushing 80 (but still regal). On the other hand, most of the more recent vintage actresses seem to have aged surprisingly well, and (at least to my mind) come across even sexier today than they did in their films. This is not the least because they are allowed to speak their minds without a script. Surprise, surprise, instead of just being decorative, many of them come across as being thoughtful, gracious and eloquent.The interviews with D'Abo were filmed casually, usually in public settings such as restaurants, bars or parks, but with extremely high production values. And since the film was made with the support of the franchise owners, there are more than enough clips from the original films to satisfy even hard core fans.While this was shot in 2002, AMC is running it in rotation now with the Bond films themselves, so I'd suggest that you set your Tivo to record it for you so that you can watch it at your leisure.
