Back in 1995 CBM editor Ed Gross had the opportunity to travel to England to spend a couple of days on the set of the 17th James Bond film, GoldenEye, which introduced Pierce Brosnan as 007. What follows is an excerpt from an article covering that visit printed at the time of the film's release.
James Bond wielded the knife with obvious skill. He approached, blade barely glinting in the light, and pounced, the knife coming down to join the awaiting fork.
"I usually eat fruit," he said simply, "but today I'm in the mood for a good English breakfast." And with that, he began his meal.
Okay, so it's not stopping Ernst Stavro Blofeld from triggering World War III, or preventing Auric Goldfinger from turning the gold in Fort Knox radioactive, but it was MY experience with agent 007.
For a guy who grew up on the Bond films (I'm reluctant to admit that I can clearly remember seeing Thunderball during its original theatrical run), having breakfast with Pierce Brosnan, the new James Bond, on the set of the latest 007 epic is pretty heady stuff.
So I sit with Pierce for about 30 minutes, barely concealing my excitement as I hit him with what I want to be riveting questions, but instead come out initially with, "So, how does it feel to finally say for the camera, 'My name is Bond. James Bond"?
"I suppose," he replies between bites of his breakfast, "it's like it would be for any guy in a play. It's not quite on par with Shakespeare, but nevertheless it is known by the man in the street. The whole world knows it. Perhaps more than 'To be or not to be...' Yes, I find myself brushing my teeth in the morning, kind of mumbling the lines. Of course I do. I just practice it, I say it and I crack myself up. It's quite funny, just a breath away from parody, really. I just kept it as simple as possoble because I'm very aware that the audience is waiting for me to say it, so I share the moment with them."
I also mention that the impression I have is that his Bond will be a hybrid of Sean Connery and Roger Moore's, humor coupled with ruthlessness.
"I agree with that," he says, hopefully not noticing how cool I think it is that James Bond agrees with my theory. "It really should be pointed out that Roger made the part his own. There's a generation out there that was brought up only with Roger. They didn't know who the hell Sean Connery was, and Roger's films did make a lot of money. First impressions, of course, were Sean. There will be people who accept me and those who say, 'He's not Roger. He's not Sean.'..."
"He's not George Lazenby," I pipe in, being a wiseass.
"Right," Brosnan laughs, "he's not George Lazenby."
Things went on from there.
Later, special effects supervisor Dreek Meddings explains and demosntrates the virtues of models over computer effects, giving me a tour of miniature buildings, including the nerve gas facility that will open the film. In mid-sentence, though, Meddings pauses, a look of concern on his face.
"Oh, dear," he says in his British tongue, "you seem to have burst your zipper."
I look down and, sure enough, the zipper on my jeans has snapped off, revealing my underpants. I immediately look up, embarrassed, and comment, "My wife told me I'd be so excited something like this would happen."
Next stop is the costume shop, where James Bond's costume designer is pinning me up.
The following day producer Michael Wilson brought me into his office to play the first teaser trailer for the film, which wouldn't be hitting theatre screens for another month or so. Needless to say I'm blown away by the fact that Bond is back....big time!
[BBvideo 425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4hbwwq5 ... r_embedded[/BBvideo]
Through it all, I'm no doubt smiling like a kid in Q's workshop.
So, how does Brosnan rate as Bond? From watching him in action, i feel confident saying that his is the first of the successor 007s to suggest the magic of Sean Connery -- which is not to denigrate the efforts of Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton or even the underrated George Lazenby, each of whom brought a differnet spin to the role. The classic Goldfinger was the first film the then-adolescent Brosnan ever saw in a theatre, and Connery was one of his early heroes. Not only that, the Irish actor also shares many of the same qualities that Connery brought to the role.
Over the course of the few days on the set in England, I managed to travel quite a bit of the globe with the new Mr. Bond. We began in Cuba, at the brim of a secret satellite dish that the film's villain intends to use to destroy civilization. From there it was about a five-minute walk to St. Petersberg, Russia, where the bad guys were fleeing in a car, with Bond chasing them in a state-of-the-art tank.
That's about where I left 007 -- after watching Bond zoom through Russia, I had to catch a cab to Heathrow Airport for my return flight to the United States. but as a parting, through the side window of the cab, I was treated to the sight of an explosion in St. Petersberg, and one thought instantly flashed through my mind: I had survived my tour of James Bond's world.
Shaken, perhaps, but not stirred. -- Edward Gross
this story can be found here
Good read Blowfeld. Nice to read about an actor who got what the Bond movies where all about.and could have some fun making them. Brosnan respected the legacy of work left by the Other actors who have played Bond, whilst Craig seems to want to disassociate himself from their past work.
