Writer William Bradley points out that this month marks the 45th anniversary of the British premiere of the James Bond classic Goldfinger. He provides one of the most interesting and insightful tributes to the film we've ever read - and there are plenty of films clips accompanying it. Click here to read

A BBC report sent James Bond toy collector Stuart McKell to a British memorabilia fair where plenty of Bond collectibles and other movie and TV tie-ins were on display. The piece offers some tantalizing glimpses of Star Wars and Thunderbirds memorabilia and features McKell horse-trading with dealers over Corgi Aston Martin vehicles. Refreshingly, the piece plays it straight and doesn't seek out weirdos dressed like Darth Vader to represent the average collector. Click here to view. 

The chart that adjusts grosses for inflation is indeed a valuable tool to rank box office success. However, it  still ignores several factors. For one, the US population is twice what it was in 1939. On the other hand, films from that era had no competition from television.

I like the Hollywood Reporter approach which ranks the top five films in a year.
When people talk about how the James Bond films are more popular than ever I point out the facts regarding Thunderball that you mentioned and this bit of info:
The last 007 flic to be ranked in the top five films for the year was Diamonds Are Forever. The others are from From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball.
So Sean is still the king. Sorry, Daniel

Bruce Marshall

(Bruce Marshall wrote the article about the restoration of Lee Van Cleef's The Big Gundown in Cinema Retro issue #13. Look for his interview with Escape From Alcatraz screenwriter Richard Tuggle in issue #15) 

Retro Responds: All valid points, Bruce, but I think you have to also factor that in the early days of the Bond movies, the series was new and ground-breaking in many ways. Bond has had to endure decades of competition from countless films that wouldn't exist if it weren't for the 007 franchise. They've also had to survive their own artistic missteps (remember two appearances by Sheriff Pepper???), six different actors in the role and the challenge of remaining relevant to young audiences. The fact that the Bond films even exist almost fifty years later is remarkable, not to mention that they still pull in over a half billion dollars in worldwide grosses each - and that doesn't count home video sales. 

By Lee Pfeiffer

We try to stay away from politics on Cinema Retro, but like Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part III, every time we think we're out, those politicians pull us back in. The constant blurring of show biz and government makes it a disservice to ignore some stories - especially when there are more boobs on display in Washington D.C. than there are in any ten strip clubs. Take, for example, the current state of the Republican party, which is in the worst straits since the dark days of Watergate. Frustrated by President Obama's consistently high approval ratings, the GOP has been floundering in its attempts to find an issue they can make work for them. With seemingly half the country out of work, the issues that have generally worked well for the party -gun control, abortion and the Bible - aren't high on most people's list of priorities. Thus, when the Democratic Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, became embroiled in a potential scandal recently, Republicans were understandably salivating at the prospect of capitalizing on it. Pelosi, whose own popularity ratings are generally very low, has been a constant critic of the Bush administration because of the use of waterboarding on terror suspects - a practice that Pelosi considers to be torture. Last week, however, the CIA indicated that Pelosi had been briefed by the agency years ago about the possible use of waterboarding - and Pelosi made no objection at that time. Faced with evidence of possible hypocrisy, the usually media savvy Pelosi gave a bumbling speech that rivaled that of Don Knotts in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken.She denied ever having been told about waterboarding and blatantly accused the CIA of not only lying, but intentionally misleading Congress. Them's fightin' words and the debate over who's telling the the truth has been raging ever since. What does all this have to do with the world of retro cinema, you may ask? Keep reading.  

Smelling blood in the water, the GOP quite naturally wanted to keep the story alive so that Pelosi would suffer the daily drip-drip-drip of embarrassing questions from the media. (Her refusal to discuss the matter further after making the astonishing charge against the C.I.A. gave the GOP plenty of arrows for their quiver.) Then some genius working for the Republican party decided it would be funny to use the potential scandal as the basis of a James Bond-oriented spoof video based on Goldfinger. The ploy immediately backfired.The video opens with the familiar gunbarrel, and features the Speaker's face inside it while the blood drips down. This may be innocuous in the context of a real Bond movie, but it apparently never occurred to the person who put it together that centering Pelosi's face in the middle of a bloody gun barrel might strike some as sinister. Secondly, the video tries to make the connection between Pelosi and Honor Blackman's Pussy Galore - and actually uses both women on the same split screen. Now Bond girl names with sexual overtones is a long tradition, but in the politically correct world of politics, using the nation's most prominent female Congresswoman in the same sentence as "Pussy" in any context might just turn off women voters. Third, the implication is that Pussy Galore is an infamous Bond bad girl, but the video director obviously hasn't seen the film since it premiered. He doesn't realize that Galore turns out to be the heroine of the movie and saves the day by thwarting Goldfinger's plot to bomb Ft. Knox.

The result has been a major embarrassment for the GOP, which also used a Dr. No spoof in John McCain's campaign against Barack Obama - and we know how well that worked out. The GOP has not officially commented on the circular firing squad they've formed, but they have quietly taken the video down from their web site. However, you can see the uncut video on the liberal blog Taylor Marsh by clicking here. View a CNN story about the video by clicking here.

If you're a Republican and are distressed by these developments, just wait a few days. We're certain similar geniuses in the Democratic party are working on providing plenty of fodder for the next go-round.

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By Eddy Friedfeld

“I never worked with a stinker- how great is that?” Mitzi Gaynor said as she recalled working with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Cole Porter, Rogers and Hammerstein.  Probably because the legendary actress, singer, and dancer never worked on any project that she did not make better.

In New York City celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the release of the film South Pacific on Blu-Ray disc, Ms. Gaynor was radiant, charismatic, and vibrant, still possessing all the energy that could “wash that man right out of her hair,” recalling her iconic character, Nellie Forbush.

Filmed on location on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i, the classic and enduring South Pacific is about a young American nurse from Little Rock (Gaynor) who meets the handsome and mysterious French planter (Rossano Brazzi) on a South Pacific island during World War II.  They fall in love against the backdrop of the war and a classic Rodgers & Hammerstein score. 

“The film brought in $17,000,000 on its domestic release,” writes Laurence Maslon in The South Pacific Companion, “making it the third top grossing film of the 1950s.  In England, they went absolutely mad for the picture.  It was the greatest money earner in the United Kingdom until Goldfinger.”

“The minute we got off the airplane, off came the girdles and the stockings and on came the Mumus.  And then the next day we suited up for shooting.”

“Nellie Forbush was one of the first feminist characters and she didn’t know it,” Gaynor said. “She was just a little girl from Little Rock.  A nice girl from a nice family- brought up right. Nellie was college educated in her twenties, a trained nurse.  She’s never been away from home and winds up on an island in the Pacific, surrounded by servicemen.  She meets a man with an accent she’s never heard before who offers her a brandy and a plantation.  She initially can’t get over her own prejudices- he was married to a black woman and has Polynesian children, which to her are black. ‘Before you’re six or seven or eight, you’re taught to hate everyone your family hates’ were the lyrics.  But Nellie overcomes what she was taught as a child, and when her great love is killed in action, Nellie commits to raise his children as her own.”

“The best part of making South Pacific were Rosanno and Lydia Brazzi- two treasures of my life. Rosanno would walk around so in love with himself- “Mitzi Gahnor- I’m so gorgeous- could you imagine not having a good time with someone like that.” 

“Few people know that if it weren’t for Frank Sinatra I wouldn’t have gotten the part,” Gaynor recalled fondly. “I was doing The Joker’s Wild with Frank and he took me to meet director Josh Logan who shook my hand and said “Hello Nellie.”  I met Richard Rodgers the next day They then wanted me to meet Oscar Hammerstein, but Oscar was only available on a particular Thursday, which was the day of the big casino scene in The Joker’s Wild.  I asked the director, Charlie Vidor, for a few hours off.   Charlie turned to Frank and said, “it’s your call.” Frank said, “We’ll shoot around you, honey - go get the job.” Someone else would have said are you crazy?” Frank never got the credit he deserved for all the good things he did for people.”

I sang for Oscar Hammerstein.  All he said was “Thank you, Miss Gaynor.”  I finished Joker’s Wild and then started Les Girls with Gene Kelly.  It was lunch time, it was raining, and cold. I was in my dressing room when my phone rang.  “How are you?” Jack (Jack Bean, Gaynor’s beloved late husband and manager of 51 years) asked.  “My fanny hurts, my leg hurts, my ankle hurts, and I’m coming down with a cold.  But other than that I’m fine.  “I wonder what the weather is like in Kawaii in August,” he said.  “How in the world would I know,” I responded.  “Because you’re going to be there, you got the part.”  And here we are 50 years later.”

The new DVD features a special “Road Show Version” of the film, a feature-length documentary “Passion, Prejudice and South Pacific: Creating an American Masterpiece”, Mitzi Gaynor’s screen test, and vintage excerpts from the original Broadway stars, and Diane Sawyer interviewing James Michener, author of Tales of the South Pacific, upon which South Pacific was based.

“Dancing is still the hardest profession.  Gene Kelly said dancing is a man’s game.  Women have to do the same thing in heels, and have to sing and smile at the same time.  Professional athletes don’t even have to do that- and they get to wear sneakers.  You break your knees, ankles, and toes.  The first lesson is not to step on your own feet or anyone else’s. Dancers are always falling down offstage and tripping.  Probably because they’re not paying as much attention.”

Gaynor also recalled running into Sid Caesar in the vitamin section at Trader Joe’s in Beverly Hills and immediately lapsing into a German accent and matching banter as Caesar’s shifted into an equally faux German voice.

On the connection between music and comedy:  “I’m a Hungarian Virgo- I see everything skewed. You cannot see the forest through the trees- you just see that little hole of what’s missing- and that’s where the comedy comes from.  There’s a big difference between a Hungarian and a Romanian- both will sell you their mothers, but a Hungarian is honest- he’ll deliver.”

Cinema Retro Contributor Eddy Friedfeld is the co-author, with Sid Caesar, of Caesar’s Hours and teaches The History of Comedy in America at Yale and NYU.

 Click here to order the new South Pacific DVD discounted from Amazon. Click here to order the DVD Mitzi Gaynor: Razzle Dazzle, The Special Years. Click here to order The South Pacific Companion book.

By Lee Pfeiffer

Last Friday's tribute to the music of James Bond at Carnegie Hall was a magnificent evening of entertainment. The New York Pops, under the direction of conductor Carl Davis, did justice to the canon of great film themes that have characterized the 007 movies. To the relief of Bond fans, the Pops did nothing to "soup up" the arrangements of the familiar songs, opting instead to perform the traditional arrangements. The two hour-plus event managed to incorporate almost all of the main title themes which were played more or less in sequential order, and it was especially rewarding to hear Burt Bacharach's The Look of Love included, despite the fact that it derived from the mostly-detested 1967 slapstick version of Casino Royale. Carl Davis proved to be an amiable and entertaining emcee, as well as conductor, providing fun anecdotes in between every song. He did make one minor mistake however, by claiming that the first Bond song to hit the charts in America was A View to a Kill. Of course, almost all of the previous songs had charted to some degree and several were smash hits, with three earning Oscar nominations. Davis was aided and abetted by two superb talents who alternated singing the title themes: Mary Carewe and Simon Bowman. Both brought passion and excitement to their renderings of the songs, and I confess that even the weaker ones (i.e The Man With the Golden Gun) seemed to resonate better than they do in the actual films. Happily, Davis provided some much-appreciated "bonus" tracks including John Barry's Dawn Raid on Ft. Knox from Goldfinger and Marvin Hamlisch's Journey to Atlantis from The Spy Who Loved Me. The Pops' performance of the latter made me appreciate this particular theme more than I had in the past. Most intriguingly, Davis opted to perform an extended musical sequence from perhaps the least-popular score of the series, GoldenEye. Curiously, Eric Serra was the only composer not acknowledged by Davis in his introductions. (Could it be because it's been said that the music from this sequence- the tank chase- was actually inserted into the film by uncredited composers?)There were some omissions that were disappointing: Davis included We Have All the Time in the World from On Her Majesty's Secret Service but unfortunately did not include John Barry's brilliant main title theme for that film, which is arguably the best of the series.While Bond fans were probably grateful the Pops skipped Die Another Day, one wishes they had included Barry's beautiful theme song for Octopussy (All Time High). Similarly, the decision to close the show with the dreadful Quantum Of Solace theme proved that all the Pops' women and all the Pops' men couldn't make this sound like anything but the wail of a banshee. (The "composer" Jack White bragged that he came up with the song in twenty minutes, which makes one wonder what took him so long.) Among the encore tracks was a most-welcome performance of k.d lang's Surrender, the closing song from Tomorrow Never Dies. Davis correctly pointed out that this was to be the film's opening song until it was bumped by Sheryl Crowe's composition (of which it can be said that I seem to be the only person on earth who expresses admiration for her contribution to the series.)

I was a bit dubious that the Carnegie Hall regulars and season ticket holders wpuld be very responsive to the Bond tribute, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Three elderly women in front of me said it was one of the best evenings of entertainment they had witnessed in the legendary venue. I concur - and I will also say that it's one of the few times I was able to enjoy a major James Bond event without having to fly to London.

(For more on the New York Pops, click here to access the official web site)

Harry Saltzman was a world-class producer who knew a great deal about how to make financial blockbusters, but when it came to soundtracks to his own films, he had a tin ear. The HMSS Weblog has an interesting story about how Saltzman tried to veto the theme songs from Goldfinger, Live and Let Die and Diamonds Are Forever. The article includes interesting clips from a UK documentary about the Bond soundtracks. Click here to view.

We've always said that Cinema Retro readers were among the best informed when it comes to classic movies. In our recent poll of the best James Bond movie of all time, readers have resoundingly voted to accord that honor to On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the 1969 film that starred George Lazenby in his one and only appearance as 007. The film command a whopping 27% of the vote. The second place choice was Goldfinger with 19%. Curiously, some unenlightened critics still dismiss Lazenby's film with contempt, though it's doubtful they've seen it since it came out, if at all. If you haven't seen the movie recently, give it another go - it ranks near the top of almost every Bond fan's list of favorites.

Subscriber Bob Collins is working on a documentary about drive-in movie theaters. During the course of his research, he unearthed some movie ads from 1965 for theaters in the Winston-Salem area. Read them and weep, as it recalls a time when virtually every theater had a film worth getting excited about. We also loved those old triple features shown at drive-ins. Check out this bill: The Three Stooges in Around the World in a Daze, Jack Lemmon in Under the Yum Yum Tree and Richard Boone in Rio Conchos - and how about reserved seats for The Sound of Music for two bucks! We're going back into the lab to continue working on our time machine! (Bob Collins would like to hear from anyone who may have been associated with drive-in theaters or who might be a collector of memorabilia relating to drive-ins. You can reach him at: bobc007@hotmail.com)

Cinema Retro's correspondent in Scotland, Brian Smith, reports on Sean Connery's appearance at a screening of his 1965 classic The Hill.

HOME, JAMES

Sir Sean Connery returned to his beloved home city of Edinburgh to celebrate his 78th birthday. He appeared at the Edinburgh International Book Festival today to launch his memoirs, Being A Scot. In front of a 300-strong crowd (the event sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale) he discussed the book with his co-author Murray Grigor. Scotland's First Minister, Alex Salmond, attended and after the event hosted a birthday party for Sir Sean at Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister. Other attendees included Sean's wife, Micheline and his brother Neil and his wife, Eleanor.

The previous evening Sean introduced a rare screening of his 1965 masterpiece The Hill at Edinburgh's Filmhouse Cinema. Much to his delight, he was welcomed on stage with the audience singing Happy Birthday. He was interviewed by film writer, producer and director, Mark Cousins. His wife Micheline and son Jason were also in the audience. Sean was relaxed and in good humour as he shared his memories of making of the film as if it was yesterday.

In The Films Of Sean Connery (Citadel Press, 1993), authors Philip Lisa and Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer describe The Hill as "arguably the greatest film of Sean Connery's career." Although not a commercial success, Sean's involvement grew out of his desire to move away from the James Bond image after the release of his third Bond movie, Goldfinger, in 1964.

"I was really trying to do something different," recalled Sean. "More testing and original for me. The Bonds were very limiting because they were badly planned and they ran over. So this was a very compact film."

Sean had never met director Sidney Lumet before and admitted to being "very reluctant because I didn't honestly believe an American would be able to handle the discipline of the British army. I was absolutely proved wrong." Sean is keen to point at that his relationship with Sidney Lumet is the longest he's had with any director, and cheekily added, "Nothing sexual, mind you!" They would later collaborate on The Anderson Tapes (1971), The Offence (1973), Murder On The Orient Express (1974) and Family Business (1989). "We've stayed very, very good friends," said Sean, "and my wife and I always see him when we're in New York."

The Hill is set in a British prison camp in the Libyan desert during World War II. Sean's character, Trooper Joe Roberts, is sent to the stockade for disobeying orders and assaulting a superior officer. However, recently arrived Staff Sergeant Williams (Ian Hendry) persecutes Roberts and his cellmates (played by Ossie Davis, Roy Kinnear, Alfred Lynch and Jack Watson) by running them up and down an artificial hill of sand and rock in the blazing sun until they collapse from heat exhaustion. When one of the men dies after a particularly arduous session on the hill, Roberts rebels and eventually gains the sympathy of another staff sergeant, played by Ian Bannen, and the medical officer played by Michael Redgrave. The film is unrelenting in its depiction of the brutality waged against these men. It is shot in black and white, the editing is minimal and there is no music score.

Sean recalled, "The concept was to shoot in black and white with a fantastic cameraman, Ossie Morris." He pointed out that being on set was very different to the finished film. "If you saw it being made in reality, and then you saw it on the screen, you would say it's not the same place." Oswald Morris let a lot of light into the camera to replicate, visually, the heat and glare of the desert sun. The film was shot in Spain, still in uncomfortably hot desert surroundings. Lumet's direction also called for the actors to climb the hill for real, and in one take. This removed the necessity of editing and the use of doubles. "Lumet had a cradle on the side of the hill with the arm on it and the camera was following us up and down the other side, recalled Sean. "We were all knackered."

"To be fair to [Sidney Lumet], because he goes for the difficult stuff, perhaps the sound suffers a bit, but you can't take away from the central core of what the movie is and how good all the actors are - including myself!"

This week the Edinburgh Filmhouse will also be screening Sean Connery in Sidney Lumet's The Offence (1973), John Huston's The Man Who Would Be King (1975) and Richard Lester's Robin And Marion (1976). Brian Smith.

Article and Connery candid photographs(C) Brian Smith, 2008. All rights reserved.

For Cinema Retro's review of The Hill DVD click here

ALL TIME HIGH: BARRY STRIKES DUBLIN LIKE THUNDERBALL!

RTÉ Summer Evening Concert Season: The Film Music of John Barry

The National Concert Hall, Dublin, Friday 20 June, 2008

Report by John Exshaw – 22/6/08

To say that the John Barry concert in Dublin on Friday 20 June went over big would be a gross understatement, if not an outright distortion. Giving the first-ever concert of his film music in the capital, the multiple Oscar-winning composer was cheered to the rafters by a packed house at the National Concert Hall – and before a single note had even been played. By the end of the evening – and two standing ovations later – it was clear that the 74-year-old veteran, who seemed genuinely moved by the warmth of his reception, could consider his no-doubt arduous six-hour flight from New York to have been very much worth the effort, a sentiment heartily endorsed by his enthusiastic and appreciative audience.

The concert, part of the Summer Evening season arranged by RTÉ, the national broadcaster, and featuring the RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra, was presented by Aedín Gormley, host of the station’s Movie & Musicals programme on lyric fm, which was broadcasting the event live, and it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Barry himself would take the baton for the two opening pieces, Goldfinger (1964) and We Have All the Time in the World (from On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, 1969), as it had initially been thought that he would only be in attendance, rather than participating.

When the applause that greeted these two pieces had eventually subsided, Barry gave way on the podium to Nicholas Dodd – orchestrator and conductor of, inter alia, the Bond movies The World is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002) and Casino Royale (2006) – who proceeded to send a shiver down the collective spine with the ominous and threatening theme from Zulu (1964), followed by Somewhere in Time (1980), Moviola (1993), and the main themes from The Persuaders (1971-1972), Mary, Queen of Scots (1971), and Midnight Cowboy (1969, and featuring an excellent, mournful harmonica solo by John Murray Ferguson), before taking us into the interval with a suite comprising pieces from Dances with Wolves (1990).

The second part of the concert included Born Free (1966), All Time High (from Octopussy, 1983), Out of Africa (1985, and a particular favourite of Gormley’s listeners on RTÉ lyric fm), Body Heat (1981, featuring a marvellously slinky sax solo by Fintan Sutton), the incidental piece Space March from You Only Live Twice (1967), and the theme from The Knack…and How to Get It (1965). The finale was provided by the James Bond Suite, a suitably roof-raising crowd-pleaser comprised of 007, From Russia with Love (both 1963), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice, Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and On Her Majesty’s Secret Service as well.

During this amazing sequence, Dodd not only got the best out of the orchestra (ably led by first violin, Alan Smale), but provided a splendid spectacle himself – arms waving, hair flying everywhere, hands thrusting out, cajoling and coaxing, his body swaying and bouncing to the rhythm – at one point so wrapped up in the music that he had to turn two pages of the score in immediate succession just to catch up with himself (even though it was obvious he knows it all by heart).

John Barry then came onto the podium for the first of his standing ovations, before removing himself to a safe distance as Dodd tore into an encore of the full 007 piece. When Barry rejoined him, Dodd proved himself as good at working an audience as he is at working an orchestra, giving the crowd an exaggerated deaf ear gesture to encourage even more applause for the beaming Barry, who closed proceedings with a brief but heartfelt thank-you speech.

At the reception afterwards, and spurred on by the stern maxim that ‘Cinema Retro always gets its man’, I managed to ask Barry a few questions before being stampeded by a pack of autograph hounds. What criteria, I enquired, does he apply when approached to score a film? To which, in a voice still retaining traces of his native Yorkshire, he replied, “I think the number one single thing is a great script – that it’s a really great story, you know, with a beginning and a middle and an end, and it’s almost like a piece of literature. And then the director, of course. Meet with the director and see that he loves it and what he’s going to do with it. And once you get a great script and a great director, you’re in very good shape.”

Remembering that Sergio Leone would sometimes preface a question to Ennio Morricone by helpfully saying, “You know, it’s the one which goes da-da-da”, I asked Barry what happens if the director is a musical illiterate and says, I’d like a bit here that goes dum-dee-dum-dee-dum? “Then fuck you!” Barry laughs. “ No, no, the good directors trust you, they don’t start whistling things in your ear because, you know, they either hire you because you know what the hell you’re doing – so don’t hire me and then start telling me what to do! I mean, [with] a good director I say, what kind of a mood do you want, what are we trying to say? Like Out of Africa, Sydney Pollack talked what he wanted then I went away and wrote it. So that kind of help – what the emotion is between the two main characters and all that, that’s the kind of direction I like, and I can use.

Recalling also Morricone’s assertion that, unlike other composers, a film composer must be familiar with the musical style of any era in which a movie might be set, I asked Barry if, with a film like The Lion in Winter (1968, set in medieval England), he had to research the musical history of the period. “No,” he replied, “because I studied with Dr. Francis Jackson, who was my first teacher and he was a Master of Music at York Minster, so all that choral stuff in Latin, I knew all that. So although everybody thought, oh this is new, it was actually sort of the first stuff I’d done, so that’s why I loved doing that movie.”

Soon after which the autograph hounds butted in, so I took my leave and found refuge on a sofa next to Nicholas Dodd, still perspiring happily following his tremendous exertions onstage. Seizing the moment, I asked him how he came to be involved with tonight’s concert, and about his association with John Barry. Pausing only to wipe his brow, he said, “Well, the first time John saw me working was in Abbey Road studios, on an album of The Ten Tenors. They were taking his famous themes, like Out of Africa, and [long-time Barry collaborator] Don Black put lyrics to them and I was the orchestrator. And John had heard of me because I’ve been involved in the last three James Bonds, orchestrating, conducting. I’d met him a couple of times, but at that point it’s when he saw me – I think it was about three or four years ago – and things sort of progressed from there . . .”

Remarking on his obvious joy in conducting, I asked if there was something particular in John Barry’s music to which he responded. “Damn good themes!” he responded without hesitation. “And that’s it. Beautifully orchestrated by Nic Raine and beautifully played this evening by the RTÉ National. It’s absolutely marvelous the way they played. And they’re just good themes and well-orchestrated – it’s just thoroughly good music.” From a technical point of view, are some of them harder to get right in performance than others? “Not really, no. All of John’s music and all of his themes – and that’s why he is a legend and so well-known and loved – [succeed because] quite simply he writes music that communicates very easily to most people. And it’s very accessible music, so whilst a theme may be different, like Out of Africa which seems to have just a little more coherency in the sense of being such a strong theme – whereas others are not so well-known and not so popular. But that doesn’t mean to say they’re any less of a theme. So, in a technical sense, they’re all the same, to bring out the push-and-pull of the phrase.”

Before hitting the highway, I buttonholed Julie Knight, press officer of RTÉ lyric fm, to discover if there were any plans for further movie-related concerts. Nothing definite, she replied, though she intended to pursue a suggestion put to her this evening that a certain well-known Continental composer might be persuaded to do his thing at the NCH in the near future – provided, of course, that the sky does not fall on his aged head in the meantime and that Paris is not burning . . .

Click here to listen to a podcast of the concert

We've intercepted this Top Secret memo that divulges inside information about the recent VIP opening of For Your Eyes Only, the new Ian Fleming exhibition taking place at the Imperial War Museum, London. Read it, then forget you ever saw the memo....

To: M

From: Head of R, GCHQ

Subject: Former SMERSH sleeper agent, code-name Deep Sleep Six (Real name: Krassno Granitskiovich. Aliases: Red Grant, Jr., Captain Norwood Nash)

Documentation: E-mail intercept, sent to G, head of SMERSH Veterans’ Association

Greetings Comrade G,

Following instructions, attended opening of special exhibition, ‘For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond’, at Imperial War Museum, London, 16 April, 2008, having neutralised and taken the place of reporter of nostalgic-revisionist organ ‘Cinema Retro’, using silicone mask provided by Otdyel II. Met at museum (dedicated to past glories of British imperialist war-mongers) by the American, Pfeiffer, and the Briton, Worrall, capitalist running-dogs and editors of aforementioned ‘Cinema Retro’. Enemy failed to penetrate disguise.

Event began with Bollinger champagne reception (not Dom Pérignon, as favoured by British assassin and enemy of the Russian and former Soviet peoples, James Bond). Speech of welcome given by Air Chief Marshal Sir Peter Squire, GCB, DFC, AFC, DSc, FRAeS, Chairman of the Trustees of the Imperial War Museum. Follow-up speech by the Right Honourable Margaret Hodge, Minister of State for Culture, Media, and Sport. Official opening speech delivered by Miss Honor Blackman, actress responsible for impersonating Pussy Galore, former associate of deceased agent, Auric Goldfinger.

Exhibition dedicated to life of Ian Fleming, fascist hyena and biographer of the killer Bond, on pretext of centenary of birth (see conclusion below). Items of interest include: bourgeois dinner-jacket and bow tie belonging to the author; desk and Remington Remette typewriter from Goldeneye, the author’s colonial-imperialist home in Jamaica; copy of ‘Checklist of Birds of the West Indies’ (1947) by James Bond (a transparent attempt to confuse real-life assassin with local ornithologist); a recipe for scrambled eggs, headed “Scrambled Eggs Never Let You Down” (copy forwarded for deciphering); book entitled ‘Sea Fauna or The Finny Tribe of Golden Eye’, with notes and illustrations by Fleming; and manuscript of propaganda work, ‘Casino Royale’, detailing the regrettable failure of SMERSH operative, Le Chiffre.

These items followed by various family portraits and mementos, including letters from enemy of the Revolution, Winston Churchill; Christmas stockings large enough to clothe an entire village of peasants; various sporting trophies from Eton, the so-called public school (and breeding ground of reactionary imperialist swine); and various documents pertaining to the class enemy Fleming’s time spent as a “journalist” (a remarkably transparent cover) in Moscow, including a denied request for an interview signed by our late, Great and Glorious Leader, the much-loved Chairman Stalin himself! (Overcome with emotion, I found myself singing the Internationale – until I noticed the American Pfeiffer looking at me suspiciously. Strongly suspect this Pfeiffer may be none other than the Yankee pig-dog Felix Leiter, lackey of the CIA and cohort of Bond.)

The next exhibits are dedicated to the fantasist Fleming’s secret service in the Naval Intelligence Division during the Great Struggle against the forces of National Socialism. These include the coat worn by Fleming during his observation of the Dieppe Raid in 1942, a courier’s passport allowing him passage from Madrid to Gibraltar; various documents pertaining to his work with Rear Admiral Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence, and the clandestine activities of 30 Assault Unit, overseen by Fleming, as well as information on the German V1 and V2 flying bombs, allegedly the forerunners of former Soviet agent Drax’s Moonraker rocket. A manuscript of fictional ‘Moonraker’, with original title, ‘Mondays Are Hell’, crossed out and replaced by the words “The Moonraker”, is also displayed.

The post-Struggle section of the exhibition includes a Mercury News map of the world showing the location of various journalists (and spies, as we well know) employed by the Sunday Times newspaper, of which Fleming was the foreign news manager, along with various souvenir items from the author’s effete and luxurious travels for a series of articles (and later book), ‘Thrilling Cities’. This is followed by a most interesting item – a portrait of the killer, Bond, commissioned by Fleming circa 1957, incontestable proof that the assassin known as 007 really exists and was not just a figment of the lap-dog Fleming’s decadent day-dreams (as the British establishment, with inexplicable perversity, would have the masses believe). After all, even a degenerate bourgeois like Fleming would not commission a portrait of a non-existent character! There is also a cup, in the shape of a chamber pot, presented by Fleming to the Old Etonian Golfing Society – a typical example of British public school humour. This is followed by a case containing first editions of Fleming’s glorification of the murderous functionary, Bond, and original art-work for the books by the illustrator, Richard Chopping.

Sir Roger Moore has confirmed he will be the guest of honor at a Pinewood Studios reunion of cast and crew of his favorite James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me. The event will be organized by Cinema Retro's own Gareth Owen and his partner Andy Boyle, who run www.bondstars.com. Owen and Boyle recently staged the acclaimed Goldfinger reunion at Pinewood at which director Guy Hamilton was presented with The Retro Lifetime Achivement award on behalf of Cinema Retro by actress Honor Blackman. The Spy Who Loved Me event will take place on Sunday, October 19 and will be an all day affair with studio tours, panel discussions, interviews and a dinner honoring Sir Roger.

Please note: because this event is relegated to a relatively small number of attendees, Bondstars.com will be allocating tickets on a lottery basis. In order to be entered in the lottery, you must submit your registration form by June 7.

For the registration form and full details, click here.

RELATED STORIES

Click here for coverage of the Goldfinger reunion event

Click here for exclusive coverage of Sir Roger Moore's surprise birthday party in New York City

For James Bond fans, Sunday's Goldfinger reunion had the Midas Touch in every regard. Organized by Cinema Retro colmunist Gareth Owen and his partner Andy Boyle of www.bondstars.com, the event gave 120 lucky attendees from around the world the opportunity to celebrate the classic James Bond film in the ultimate fashion. With the exception of Sean Connery, John Barry and Shirley Bassey, virtually every living actor and technician from the film were reunited at London's Pinewood Studios where principal photography had taken place in 1964. Among the attendees: director Guy Hamilton, cast members Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallett, Burt Kwouk, Martin Benson, Margaret Nolan, Caron Gardner, production designer Sir Ken Adam, art director Peter Murton, Peter Lamont (who served as draughtsman on the film), Leslie Bricusse, who co-wrote the lyrics to the smash hit title song, and sound man Norman Wanstall, who won an Oscar for the film. This was literally an all-day event, as the stars arrived at 10:30 AM for autograph sessions that were followed by a tour of the studio led by Cinema Retro co-publisher Dave Worrall. A highlight was the surprise appearance of one of the original Aston Martin DB5's which was on loan for the event from The Louwman Collection in The Netherlands. In the afternoon, everyone gathered at Pinewood's Theatre 7 for a screening of the film in digital format. It was to be an historic occasion: the largest gathering of cast and crew to view the movie since its original premiere. The digital print was simply stunning and it's safe to say that no matter how many times you've seen the film, you haven't truly seen it until you've experienced the flawless digital presentation. At the conclusion of the film, Cinema Retro editor-in-chief Lee Pfeiffer conducted Q&A sessions with Shirley Eaton, Tania Mallett, Burt Kwouk, Leslie Bricusse, Margaret Nolan and Guy Hamilton. At the conclusion of the session, Honor Blackman, who made a surprise appearance at the screening, joined Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall on stage to present Guy Hamilton with the Cinema Retro Lifetime Achivement award in recognition of his remarkable body of work that includes serving as assistant director to Sir Carol Reed on The Third Man and John Huston on The African Queen and his own hit films as director that include Live and Let Die, Diamonds Are Forever, The Man With the Golden Gun, Funeral in Berlin, The Colditz Story and Battle of Britain. A clearly moved Guy Hamilton gave a gracious acceptance speech and relished reliving his memories of Goldfinger with Honor Blackman.

Finally, there was a memorable photo session as Cinema Retro photographer Mark Mawston posed many of the cast and crew members around the Aston Martin DB5. The event finally ended at 7:00 PM, with weary but enthusiastic attendees recognizing they had been part of a day they will not soon forget.

(Tickets for this event sold out in 24 hours. For those who were not able to attend, but who would like a souvenir of the day, there are a limited number of the illustrated collector's programs available for sale. To purchase from Bond Stars click here)

(All photos copyright Mark Mawston. All rights reserved.)

Tomorrow, props purported to be from one of the original James Bond Aston Martin DB5 cars seen in Goldfinger go up for auction as part of The Pugliese Collection. Anthony Pugliese is a collector of rare film props and memorabilia and the auction features such rarites as one of the original prop Maltese Falcons. However, as reported on the MI6 website, less celebrated items are drawing the attention of James Bond fans and experts. The history of the legendary Aston Martin was told in Cinema Retro co-publisher Dave Worrall's book The Most Famous Car in the World which traced the history of the car that debuted in Goldfinger and later became a "star" in its own right. In reality, there were four vehicles identified with the film. Two were used in the movie itself and the other two were created for publicity tours after public response the gadget-laden DB5 became overwhelmingly positive around the world. After it made a follow-up appearance in Thunderball,however, the gadget car was returned to Aston Martin who foolishly stripped it of all the gizmos in 1968 and sold it as a used car to a private owner. Realizing the car's history, that owner refitted the car with custom-made gadgets designed to replicate those seen in the film. Ultimately, this car ended up in the possession of Anthony Pugliese, who had the car displayed at international auto shows - until it inexplicably went missing in 1997, resulting in an insurance payment of over $3 million.

Mr. Pugliese maintains he stripped the car of the gadgets prior to the theft and it is these parts that are being auctioned this week. (It is not explained why Pugliese would have removed the very gadgets that made the car tie in with the Bond legend.)  However, the controversy comes in because the auction house mistakenly implies these are gadgets seen onscreen in Goldfinger. In fact, they are not. These are the replicas of the gadgets built by the private owner in the late 1960s. Additionally, there are other inconsistencies - a license purported to be an original from the car seen in Goldfinger is dated 1970. The film was in production in 1964.

The auction market for film props requires a good deal of research and skepticism. In some cases, sellers genuinely believe they are auctioning valid props even though their provenance is dubious. In Pugliese's case, most of the props he's auctioning were acquired from other auction houses with good reputations. However, in the past, many high profile items had to be withdrawn from such auctions or have their descriptions amended when it became clear that they were not originals.

For more on the Bond car controversy, visit MI6 by clicking here

Come Spy With Me

Dean Brierly dons his Nehru jacket and straps on his Walther PPK as he explores the diabolically swinging espionage world of Dick Malloy, Agent 077.

The 1960s gave the world a new kind of cinematic hero, one who redefined conceptions of morality through his indulgence in casual violence and unrepressed carnality. He operated in a fantasy world of spy vs. counterspy, had a license to kill and carried out supercharged adventures in such Technicolor playgrounds as London, Paris, Rome and Istanbul. His adversaries were ingenious, formidable and frequently megalomaniac; his playmates were numerous, voluptuous and frequently duplicitous. He was known by many names. Among the most familiar and enduring were Bond, Solo, Drake, Palmer, Flint.

In addition to these celluloid titans, there was a vast contingent of second-tier spies, overlooked and unheralded by critics, but cheered on by audiences the world over who couldn’t get enough kiss kiss, bang bang. Literally hundreds of cheap but potent European spy films were churned out in the mid-to-late sixties to feed the demand. Like the contemporaneous spaghetti western genre, the Eurospy misses outweighed the hits, but not by as great a margin as is generally assumed. Unfortunately, many of these gems have yet to be rescued from the Siberia of cinema history.

A wave of the Beretta, therefore, to Dorado Films, which recently brought to DVD one of the most notable figures of the Eurospy genre, CIA agent Dick Malloy. Also known as Agent 077, he was played by cult film icon Ken Clark, whose screen persona was at once rugged and graceful, heroic and hedonistic. If Roger Moore and Peter Graves had somehow trumped the laws of nature and produced a love child, it probably would have looked a lot like Clark. Tall and muscular, he radiated manly mojo and looked like he could have kicked Sean Connery’s ass if the occasion ever arose. Even his chest hair looked tough. The athletic actor performed all of his often-dangerous stunts with rare enthusiasm and total commitment. Perhaps more important, Clark was the undisputed master of the action man stance. Nobody, but nobody, posed with such intensely stylish affect. With feet planted shoulder-width apart and torso angled slightly forward, his entire body radiated lethal prowess as he dispensed brutal punches and stylish karate chops. Clark looked equally convincing handling a wide variety of firearms and females, projected an engaging cockiness and, topping it off, looked pretty damn suave in a tuxedo.

A new poll pertaining to movie fan's favorite film weapons of all time finds the Jedi light sabre at the top of the list. Two James Bond weapons placed on the list: Scaramanga's unique golden gun from The Man With the Golden Gun and Oddjob's razor-brimmed hat from Goldfinger. For the entire list click here

Three evergreen songs from James Bond movies have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. They are:

• The James Bond Theme
• Title theme from Goldfinger
• The Look of Love from the 1967 spoof version of Casino Royale. The song had been nominated for an Oscar but lost to the ever-popular If I Could Talk to the Animals from Doctor Doolittle

For the James Bond website MI6' report, click here

From the ground-breaking release of Dr No in 1962, to the release of the most successful James Bond film ever Casino Royale in 2006, the OO7 phenomenon is unsurpassed in the history of cinema. In 1965 Corgi Toys signed an agreement with Eon Productions, the makers of the hugely successful James Bond franchise, to produce diecast model cars from the OO7 films. It was to be the beginning of a relationship that would continue to this day, and produce the most famous toy car of all time – The James Bond Aston Martin DB5. Since then, Corgi have produced an unparalleled catalogue of highly detailed models associated with all of the movies – the Aston Martin being the most synonymous with agent OO7. To celebrate this remarkable achievement and partnership, Corgi have just released four superb gift sets with all the packaging notes and booklet biographies written by our very own co-publisher Dave Worrall, who has worked as a consultant for Corgi for over fifteen years, and was the author of the highly successful (and now out of print) book, ‘The James Bond Diecasts of Corgi’ (1996 Solo Publishing). All sets are limited editions, with ‘limited’ being the key word.

Not that we thought he was bluffing after passing up a fortune to star in the latest Indiana Jones film, but 'lest there was any doubt, Sir Sean Connery has confirmed he is officially retired from movie-making. "It's over", he tells the newspaper The Scotsman. He also confesses to having a horrendous memory when it comes to dates, often being off by as much as a decade. He relies on his wife to be his memory. On the upside, Connery still has what it takes to impress the public with his physical prowess. The 78-year old original James Bond has something in common with the latest 007, Daniel Craig: they both landed on the list of top ten male bodies in a recent poll. For the full story click here

THE DVD SET OF THE YEAR HAS ARRIVED!

Cinema Retro's Lee Pfeiffer provides the first review of the U.N.C.L.E. boxed set

Santa arrived a month and a half early with an advance review set of one of the most eagerly-awaited DVD collections ever - The Man From U.N.C.L.E. from Time Life, distributed under license from Warner Home Video. Quite obviously, I haven't had time to make a dent in the 100+ episodes contained on the staggering 41 discs. However, I did choose the episode I was most eager to watch: The Alexander the Greater Affair. This two-part episode was the season 2 opener in September 1965 and has been virtually unseen since. It also formed the basis of the feature film One Spy Too Many. Purists always argue over the merits of each individual episode, but for me, this was representative of the best of the series. Just as the third James Bond movie, Goldfinger, found the perfect balance between adventure and humor, so, too did season two of U.N.C.L.E.- at least in this writer's humble opinion. Many fans prefer the more straight-forward, less-than-humorous episodes in season one, when the show was seen in black and white. Virtually all agree that season three was a disaster, with the content designed to emulate the campiness of Batman. Things got considerably back on track for the aborted season 4, which ran from September 1967 to mid-January 1968, but the bloom was off the rose. The spy craze had peaked and U.N.C.L.E. had also been damaged by being placed in constantly new nights and timeslots, opposite ratings powerhouses like Gunsmoke.

The series has not been widely seen in syndication since the 1970s. Those episodes that have been shown on networks like TNT have been cut to shreds to accomodate more commercials. Thus, the arrival of the show on DVD is especially liberating for enthusiasts who will no longer have to depend upon the largesse of cable stations to show the occasional episode. The first aspect of the collection that commands attention is the packaging. The entire set is packed in a sturdy mini-silver attache case that boasts an U.N.C.L.E. emblem on the top and even has traditional snap locks to open the "case". When you do open it, there is a cool black and white photo on the upper inside cover of Del Floria's tailor shop. Each season is packaged as a separate set and features an illustrated collector's booklet complete with extensive and informative liner notes. Each season's notes is written by an expert on the series: New York TV critic David Bianculli, Jon Burlingame, Cynthia Walker (a professor) and Craig Henderson, who is authoring Cinema Retro's continuing series of articles about the U.N.C.L.E. feature films. Each collector's booklet also contains a statement about the series by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum. The only hitch here is that the same statement appears in each set, rather than presenting their views on each specific season. A small quibble, though, considering how welcome the booklets are in an age in which standard DVD releases have virtually done away with this once omnipresent value-added feature.

Lois Maxwell, the Canadian-born actress who passed away on September 29, made an indelible impression throughout the 007 film series in her signature role as Miss Moneypenny, personal secretary to “M.” Ian Fleming himself approved her casting, confiding to her after filming wrapped on Dr. No: “I envisioned a tall, elegant woman with the most kissable lips in the world. You are her!”

Moneypenny never applied those passionate lips to James Bond’s, yet she held his affections longer than any of his innumerable screen conquests. Maxwell sat in Moneypenny’s chair in 14 Bond films, sparking against the disparate charms of Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore. She made the most of her limited screen time, exhibiting sophisticated comic flair in ongoing racy repartee with the world’s most libidinous secret agent.

With Connery, Maxwell enjoyed a palpable sexual rapport, especially in the first several films. There was an intriguing sense that, given the right circumstances, they just might give in to their mutual attraction. In Dr. No, Bond sits on the edge of her chair and seductively nuzzles her while holding her hand. And why not? She’s wearing a fetching sleeveless black dress that’s just begging to be ripped off. From Russia With Love finds them in another near-embrace, with Bond whispering, “Let me tell you the secret of the world” and Moneypenny about to come undone when M’s buzzer breaks their reverie. As Bond leaves for his assignment, he and Moneypenny exchange “ciaos” with the intimacy of would-be lovers.

Saturday September 8th at 12 noon was a time and date highlighted with a gold marker in many a Bond fan’s diary as this was the time they would have the opportunity to meet the Masterson sisters from Goldfinger,' Shirley Eaton and Tania Mallet for a double 007 signing.

It’s well documented that Shirley’s gold painted body became an iconic image of the 60’s, but to have both the Masterson sisters Jill and Tilly together at Vintage Magazine Store in London’s Soho was an 18 carat pleasure. Both ladies, accompanied by Gareth Owen of Cinema Retro and www.bondstars.com, were in fine form, with the interest in Goldfinger riding high after its very successful re-release at various UK cinemas. Park Circus recently confirmed that if the fans had the choice of another digital re-issue then On Her Majesy’s Secret Service would be the next film to be digitally transferred to the big screen. We’ll wait and see. The only disappointment on the day was that I didn’t get my Goldfinger quad poster signed by the official Golden Girls as the fans behind me seemed anxious to get their own stuff covered in gold pen! – Mark Mawston

Here's another blast from the past from the Cinema Retro archives. We thought of it when we came across this news blurb in the November 18, 1964 issue of the trade paper The Film Daily:

"GOLDFINGER PREMIERE FOR NY LINCOLN SQUARE

American premiere of United Artists' Goldfinger will be held at the DeMille Theater, New York, on Dec. 21 as a benefit for the Lincoln Square Academy at Lincoln Center. Vincent Sardi Jr. is premiere chairman."

We delved into our archives and came up with this image of a screening ticket for an invitational preview of the film shown at the DeMille Theater on October 29. We wonder how many people in attendance realized how the film would revolutionize the action movie genre...

Cinema Retro welcomes reader correspondence. Please send any letters, suggestions or criticisms to cinemaretro@hotmail.com

Cinema Retro responds: Thanks Greg...We have to admit to not being fanatical over the franchise the way many others are and that's why we also appreciated the nature of Bill's article. It gave the a human side to the impact the film had as opposed to simply debating the exact measurements of a storm trooper's helmet. While the new entries in the series may have been constructed primarily to sell toys at Burger King, there is no denying that George Lucas has created something that will be an integral part of popular culture for years to come. Our guess is even if they made a hundred more episodes, fans will still have the most appreciation for the first SW and Empire.

DEBATING BOND

I recently visited the Cinema Retro website and carefully read the essay on the OHMSS screening at the Film Forum’s “Vintage 007 and 60s Spies A Go-Go” festival in New York City. I attended the early evening screening of OHMSS on Saturday and, I’m happy to report, there were lots of laughs and applause and cheers at that showing as well. I agree with almost all of the observations in your essay- but with one caveat. I’m of the belief that OHMSS would be honored as a classic 007 film, regardless of whether it was Sean Connery or George Lazenby wearing the shoulder holster. Lazenby’s performance is amazing – especially when you consider his near-total lack of acting experience. But it would seem to me that Peter Hunt was determined to bring Fleming’s (next-to-last) great Bond novel to the screen in its original vision and I believe Hunt’s decision would have held firm regardless of the actor portraying James Bond. The fact that George Lazenby didn’t do Diamonds Are Forever absolutely cheated fans out of a great follow-up to OHMSS, but (well publicized personality conflicts with the Producers aside) I can’t imagine Connery not at least considering OHMSS had he known the direction that Hunt was planning on taking the series; away from the gadgets and sci-fi and towards the commission of a witty, intelligent screenplay and the return to a From Russia With Love-type staging. There were so many moments in the script – no doubt the result of Richard Maibaum’s respect for Connery’s interpret – when the dialogue was so obviously tailored to a Connery-esque delivery. A simple case in point would be when Bond rolls out of Moneypenny’s office with his off-handed sign-off that he’s off for some “beachcombing.” That’s a Sean Connery moment. And, of course, having Connery cradle the late Mrs. Bond in the film’s final reel would have had a far greater emotional impact on theater-goers… there’s just so much history there, how could it not have? None of this is George Lazenby’s fault, of course, and having said all this, OHMSS remains one of the classic James Bond films and, unequivocally, ranks alongside FRWL and Goldfinger as the best of the series “first phase”. I’m not of the oft-repeated opinion that Connery mailed-in his performance in You Only Live Twice (and having watched the film for the umpteenth time at the Forum on Friday, I still believe that). George Lazenby was a great and credible James Bond - no doubt about it - and I would have loved to see him stay on. But this doesn’t change the argument that, sadly, Sean Connery walked away from the series (at least) one film too soon

Regards,

Hank Reineke

Cinema Retro responds: Thanks for the excellent observations, Hank. Actually, Peter Hunt only got the job of directing OHMSS because of the Connery departure. He was brought on board for his directorial debut largely because they felt they were going to do something bold to introduce the new 007.Thus, it's by no means certain that Hunt would have been given the job at all had Connery continued in the role. In fact, he had a falling out with the producers on You Only Live Twice because they backed off their promise to let him direct the film, opting instead for Lewis Gilbert. They very well may have continued with a known director had Connery not quit. In any event, we do agree the film would have been fascinating with Connery in the role - if they had remained respectful of the source novel. It's all speculation at this point with no clear answer. However, it seems unlikely this would have been the case simply because the series had ventured too far into the fantastic by that point. The same fate befell Pierce Brosnan- he could have done a hard-edged job in Casino Royale but he had been too closely associated with the gadget-laden Bonds that he had starred in. As for the dialogue, we agree- there were too many Connery-esque one-liners for Lazenby. As for Sean's performance in Twice, it's a matter of opinion. He's certainly fun to see in action , but we still think he had one eye on his watch while filming it.

ARE YOU LISTENING, FOX?

Lee and Dave,

Just in case you talk to anyone at Fox Home Entertainment soon, could you please let them know how much at least one fan appreciates what they're now doing featuring the original ad art and the old 20th Century-Fox logo on the covers of their Classics Collections. As a fan of pre-1970 Fox, it's like a dream come true for me.

Also, with the DVD special editions of Fantastic Voyage and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea coming soon, I hope Fox is readying the same sort of thing for Journey to the Center of the Earth. I think the transfer they did for the DVD of this title is great, and I was thrilled to finally see the original trailer, but I wish like hell it had a commentary track and some extras. I think the movie has a lot of fans and deserves such a treatment, and comments from cast members Pat Boone and Arlene Dahl, both still alive and active, would be greatly appreciated (in case anyone at Fox reads this).

And speaking of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.... I'm really enjoying renting the TV series DVDs from Netflix (I can't afford to buy everything I want), and I wonder if Cinema Retro plans an article on the series soon? The transfers look fantastic and since I was a kid in the sixties (born in '59) seeing the Fox "Color by DeLuxe" look restored is a huge thrill.

Thanks,

Rory Monteith

Cinema Retro Responds: Thanks for sharing your insights, Rory. Your observations regarding the special edition commentary tracks for these films really make sense and we'll pass them on to Fox brass. There is almost a moral obligation on the part of studios to solicit the participation of key actors and filmmakers for popular films from bygone eras, even if they may not have been Oscar winners. That's why we were delighted that Fox is producing special editions of films such as Our Man Flint and Von Ryan's Express. When cast and crew members can't be found for commentary tracks, there are always knowledgeable scholars and authors who can enlighten fans as to how the films were made. Regarding Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, we will indeed try to cover the series on the web site. The print magazine is still largely devoted to feature films, but with the enormous amount of potential articles and contributions that are always being submitted, we've launched the web site so we can accomodate more ideas. Thanks for your support!

AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: DVDS

Cinema Retro #7 is beautiful! Definitely worth 12 bucks! It's a great idea to have a DVDs Most Wanted column...Here's mine: the Traveling Executioner, Welcome Home Soldier Boys, The Farmer, If ( a Lindsay Anderson omnibus featuring O Lucky Man and Britannia Hospital also would be most welcome), Buster and Billie, Von Richtofen & Brown...I'll think of more later and send 'em on! Thanks.

Bill Ameen, North Carolina

Cinema Retro responds: All good suggestions, Bill. By the way, Von Richthofen and Brown (also known as The Red Baron) starring John Philip Law will be released on DVD in the USA in April. See posters below for the two different ad campaigns.

GUNS, CAMERA, ACTION!

by Dean Brierly

I've just been given the keys to the Aston Martin.

At least, that's what it feels like to write this column for Cinema Retro's new and improved website. It's a responsibility I don't take lightly - unlike 007's flippant rejoinders to Q's lectures on the DB5's capabilities. Editor in chief Lee Pfeiffer has (perhaps unwisely) given me license to fill this space with whatever wayward and outrageous reflections strike my fancy, as long as I keep the steering wheel pointed more or less in the direction of cult film and television. I just hope he never feels the urge to trigger the ejector seat.

BY Raymond Benson

I thought my days of writing about or for James Bond were over. But as Al Pacino bemoaned in The Godfather Part III, 'They keep pulling me back in!'

And that's exactly what the recent so-called "Ultimate Edition" DVD releases of the Bond series did for me. After having not viewed many of the pictures in years, it was a treat to go back and watch them all again in chronological order, dip into the bonus features, and reassess the official EON 007 films' something I hadn't done since the publication of the updated edition of The James Bond Bedside Companion in 1988. Twenty years is a long time and I'm a very different person than I was in 1988. For one thing, I've been on the other side of the fence with Bond. Thus, I'm not really in a position to opine whether or not this or that film is good. It's the main reason why I don't update the Bedside Companion-it just wouldn't be ethical for me to write critiques of the Bond books or films since 1988. I leave that for others to do.

THIS PAGE IS BEING UPDATED. SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.

Some back issues may be temporarily unavailable to order through the web site. You can order by mail, phone or send us an e mail with the issues you need to: cinemaretro@hotmail.com  and we can send you a Pay Pal invoice until the back issues section is updated entirely.

CINEMA RETRO ISSUE #17

• Interview with James Bond and Hammer star Valerie Leon.
• Ten page tribute to the classic horror film The Haunting featuring unpublished interview with director Robert Wise and star Richard Johnson.
• Unpublished interview with David Carradine, who discusses the Kung Fu years
• Producer David V. Picker recalls the filming of the cult comedy classic Smile
• Exclusive photos from Ray Harryhausen's amazing archive of original film props
• The cult Blaxploitation/voodoo film Sugar Hill
• Storm in a D Cup celebrates the career of buxom beauty June Wilkinson.
• The Espionage Films of Alistair MacLean. 
• How the West Was Won: a road trip to visit  the present day locations seen in the Cinerama classic
• Cinema Retro reunites The Men from U.N.C.L.E. Robert Vaughn and David McCallum at the Players Club.
• The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes at Pinewood Studios

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CINEMA RETRO ISSUE #19 (2011)

• We celebrate the Blu-ray release of The Exorcist with Matthew R. Bradley and Gilbert Colon's in-depth interview with author William Peter Blatty, who discusses some fascinating aspects about the making of the classic movie. There's also an abundance of facts and rare photos including a cover photo that is bound to give you the creeps.
• Todd Garbarini has an exclusive interview with the original cougar, Angie Dickinson, who discusses Roger Vadim's quirky sex comedy/murder mystery Pretty Maids All in a Row, with Rock Hudson as a horndog high school counselor- who might also be a serial killer.
• Lee Pfeiffer celebrates the 45th anniversary of the film version of The Sound of Music by visiting the famed Von Trapp Lodge in Vermont, where he meets with Johannes Von Trapp, son of Captain and Maria.
• Steve Saragossi presents an in-depth look at the career of an under-rated leading man of 60s and 70s cinema: Rod Taylor.
• In part two of Matthew Field's interview with Lewis Gilbert, the famed director looks back on his "personal" films including the classic Alfie.
• Dave Worrall takes you behind the scenes at the James Bond Aston Martin DB5 auction in London
• Tim Greaves examines the off-beat 60s sex comedy Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush
• Phil Gavin looks back on the history of classic Hammer horror film posters.
• John Surles recalls his meeting with actor/singer Jimmy Dean and his role as Willard Whyte in Diamonds Are Forever.
• Famed character actor Shane Rimmer's new autobiography
• S.O.S Film Industry - Gary McMahon culls comments from famed filmmakers who take issue with the direction of today's motion picture industry.
• Adrian Smith covers Brian Clemens, director of many classic episodes of The Avengers, at his BFI tribute in London.
• Matthew Field covers Sean Connery's appearance at the Edinburgh International Film Festival and gets to meet the Great Scot, who introduced a screening of The Man Who Would Be King.
• More on the world of 007 in this Bond-heavy issue: Gareth Owen and Dave Worrall spend a day with director Guy Hamilton and accompany him to an outdoor London screening of Goldfinger.
• Raymond Benson provides us with his choices of the ten best films of 1978.
• Darren Allison covers the latest soundtracks on CD
• Plus extensive DVD and film book reviews

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