The Man with the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World - Hardcover

Sinclair McKay

3.54

109 ratings by Goodreads

9781845133559: The Man with the Golden Touch: How the Bond Films Conquered the World

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1845133552 ISBN 13: 9781845133559

Publisher: Aurum Press Ltd, 2008

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When Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman set out to make what they expected to be the first of three or four movies based on the espionage novels of Ian Fleming they can hardly have dreamt that they were founding a business that would still be going strong nearly half a century later. Yet the role of James Bond, which transformed Sean Connery's career in 1962 when Dr No came out, still retained its star-making power in 2006 when Daniel Craig made his Bond debut in Casino Royale. This is the story of how, with the odd misstep along the way, the owners of the Bond franchise, Eon Productions, have contrived to keep James Bond abreast of the zeitgeist and at the top of the charts for 45 years, through 21 films featuring six Bonds, three M's, two Q's and three Moneypennies Thanks to the films, Fleming's original creation has been transformed from a black sheep of the post-war English upper classes into a figure with universal appeal, constantly evolving to keep pace with changing social and political circumstances. Having interviewed people concerned with all aspects of the films, Sinclair Mckay is ideally placed to describe how the Bond 'brand' has been managed over the years as well as to give us the inside stories of the supporting cast of Bond girls, Bond villains, Bond cars and Bond gadgetry. Sinclair Mckay, formerly assistant features editor of the Daily Telegraph, works as a freelance writer and journalist. He is also the author of A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films, which the Guardian called 'A splendid history' and the Independent on Sunday described as 'Brisk, cheerful and enthusiastic'.

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About the Author:

Sinclair Mckay, formerly assistant features editor of the Daily Telegraph, works as a freelance writer and journalist. He is also the author of A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films, which the Guardian called 'A splendid history' and the Independent on Sunday described as 'Brisk, cheerful and enthusiastic'.

Review:

�[R]eading McKay�s retrospective, it seems like Bond is just getting started.� --New York Post

�[O]ne of the very best attempts to take stock of the Bond films�smart and unexpected.� -- The New Republic

�Thoroughly researched, drolly written and critically sophisticated.� -- The Daily Mail

�Armed with encyclopedic knowledge and wit as dry as a shaken martini, Sinclair McKay casts a critical eye at the cinematic phenomenon launched in 1962�s Dr. No with Sean Connery uttering that famous introduction: �Bond. James Bond.� McKay astutely addresses the plots of each film and places them in the political and popular cultures of their eras (Bond has but one love interest in 1987�s The Living Daylights because producers feared encouraging promiscuity in an age of AIDS). He�s also an insightful critic, championing the initially maligned On Her Majesty�s Secret Service (1969) as one of the best in the series. And he�s often funny, discussing Roger Moore�s �many centuries� in show business, and describing sillier moments in the films as �naff,� which the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defines as �unfashionable, lacking in taste or style� -- something McKay�s book most definitely is not.� -- Newark Star-Ledger

�A marvelously entertaining tome...an arch but jolly 'galumph.'� -- Metrolife

�Thoroughly researched and documented yet fetching in tone and style, McKay�s fun, smart, and informative book gracefully treads the criticism/entertainment border� -- Library Journal

�Delightful critical appreciation�McKay writes in a breezy, chatty style, as if perpetually in between mouthfuls of popcorn�He�s a charming hybrid of a critic and fan�[The Man with the Golden Touch is] a scintillating read that�s often more entertaining than the movies themselves.� -- Publishers Weekly

�Zeltserman deftly drags the reader through the story, keeping you wondering about the truth� The Caretaker of Lorne Field is camp, and therein lies its appeal.� -- Dallas Morning News

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