As usual, the look of the film is above standard. Director of photography Alec Mills achieves some remarkable shots, such as the desert scenes when Bond, Kara, and the mujaheddin are riding camels and the sun is setting in the background. Production designer Peter Lamont creates a new, high-tech Q Branch interior, among others, but concentrates his work mostly in dressing superb outdoor locations. Only Maurice Binder's tired main title design, looking just as it did in the sixties, adds nothing original to the picture.
John Barry's musical score is better than his previous two efforts. But the main title song, cowxitten with and performed by the rock group a-Ha, has problems. The production of the song is flawed in that the lyrics are practically indecipherable, and the sound mix is messy. But the melody itself is engaging, and instrumental versions of the song are invigorating. There are also two vocal tunes written with Chnssie Hynde of The Pretenders. One song, "Where Has Everybody Gone?" is heard only over Necros' Walkman as he goes on his murderous rampages (instrumental versions are played over some action scenes). The second is used for the end title theme, and it is one of the more beautiful songs John Barry has ever written. "If There Was a Man" probably should have been the main title theme, for Miss Hynde's rendition of it is magnificent. Instrumental versions of the tune are used as a "love theme" throughout the picture, highlighting the romantic scenes between Bond and Kara.
The Living Daylights breaks a stale streak in the Eon series. It is fresh, dynamic, and daring. Timothy Dalton's performance is without a doubt the main reason for the picture's success. But it's also because the producers have shown great fortitude in abandoning the fantastical and self-mocking style which dominated their films during the seventies and early eighties, and have gone back to the blood and guts of James Bond—the spirit of Ian Fleming.
Timothy Dalton, the fourth actor to play James Bond (Wide World Photo.)
Ian Fleming in his cove at Goldeneye. Little did he dream that his creation would be so popular 35 years after 007's first appearance in CASINO ROYALE. (Photo by Mary Slater, courtesy of Michael Van Blaricum.)
Glossary
NOTE: Many of the entries and their definitions are fictional
AWABI. Shells for which Kissy Suzuki dives in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE.
BUREAU OF ALL-ASIAN FOLKWAYS. The cover name for the Japanese Secret Service.
CIA. Central Intelligence Agency. The American Secret Service which grew out of its predecessor, the OSS—Office of Strategic Services.
C.M.G. Companion to the Order of St Michael and St George.
"CRASH DIVE." Code term for an emergency.
DEUXIEME BUREAU. The French Secret Service.
DOUBLE-0 SECTION. The department in the British Secret Service to which James Bond belongs.
"EYES ONLY." Code term for top secret—the specific document is meant only for the agent to whom it is addressed. ("For your eyes only" is also used.)
F.I.R.C.O. The cover name for SPECTRE when the organization's headquarters was located on the Boulevard Haussmann in Paris. Supposedly F.I.R.C.O. was an organization which helped locate missing members of the French Resistance.
G.R.U. The Soviet Union's intelligence department of the General Staff of the Army.
GAIJIN. Japanese term for "foreigner."
K.G.B. The current name for the Soviet Secret Service. Formerly the M.G.B.
M.G.B. The former name for the Soviet Secret Service.
M.I. 5. Cover title given to British Security Service, responsible for counter-espionage. Works under Home Office.
M.I. 6. Cover title given to British Secret Intelligence Services (S.I.S.). Works under Foreign Office.
M.V.D. Forerunner of the M.G.B.
MAGIC 44. A secret ciphering method developed by the Japanese Secret Service.
NINJA. A Japanese guerilla trained in the art of stealth and invisibility.
R.N.V.R. Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve. James Bond was assigned to the Special Branch.
R.U.M.I.D. The Soviet Union's intelligence department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
SHAPE. Supreme Headquarters for Allied Powers in Europe. A branch of NATO.
"SHINER" A device used by cheaters when gambling at cards. Usually it is a metallic object with a reflective surface, such as a cigarette lighter, which allows the user to see the faces of cards as he deals them over the shiner.
SMERSH. The Soviet Secret Service's murder organization. SMERSH is a conjunction of two Russian words ("Smyert Shpionam") meaning roughly "Death to Spies." Its headquarters is No. 13 on the Sretenka Ulitsa in Moscow, and its leader, in 1957, was Colonel General Grubozaboyschikov, known in the building as "General G." SMERSH is divided into five departments:
Dept I. Counterintelligence among Soviet organizations at home and abroad.
Dept II. Operations, executions. (Also referred to as "the Department of Torture and Death.")
Dept. III. Administration and finance.
Dept IV. Investigations and legal work; personnel.
Dept V. Prosecutions and judgment
SPECIAL OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE. Organization setup in WWII to plan and carry out irregular counterintelligence operations.
SPECTRE. The Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion. Organization created by Ernst Stavro Blofeld consisting of international terrorists with no criminal record.
TRANSWORLD CONSORTIUM. The current cover name for the British Secret Service.
UNION CORSE. Controls most of the organized crime in France. It is older and more deadly than the Unione Siciliano, the Mafia.
UNIVERSAL EXPORT Co. The former cover name for the British Secret Service. Its headquarters is located in a "grey building" directly across the street from Regent's Park.
(With contributions by Iwan Hedman)
APPENDIX I
NOTABLE BOOKS RELATING TO JAMES BOND AND IAN FLEMING
HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
Bryce, Ivar. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE—MEMORIES OF IAN FLEMING. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1984. Second Edition. Finally republished with all the legal problems removed. Highly recommended.
Gant, Richard. IAN FLEMING: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN PEN. Mayflower-Dell Paperback, 1966. Lightweight but informative. Out of print.
Haining, Peter. JAMES BOND—A CELEBRATION. Planet Books, 1987. Handsome and lavishly illustrated.
Pearson, John. THE LIFE OF IAN FLEMING. Jonathan Cape, Ltd., 1966. (U.S.—McGraw-Hill). The definitive biography of Ian Fleming. Highly recommended. Out of print.
Plomer, William. IAN FLEMING, 28th MAY, 1908-12th AUGUST, 1964. Address given at the Memorial Service. Privately printed, 1964. Highly recommended. Very rare.
Zeiger, Henry A. IAN FLEMING: THE SPY WHO CAME IN WITH THE GOLD. Duell, Sloan & Pearce, New York, 1965. Lightweight but informative. Out of print.
JAMES BOND AND THE NOVELS
Amis, Kingsley. THE JAMES BOND DOSSIER. Jonathan Cape, Ltd., 1965. (U.S.—New American Library). The definitive work on the novels. Very entertaining. Highly recommended. Out of print in the U.S.
del Buono, Oreste and Eco, Umberto. THE BOND AFFAIR. Macdonald, 1966. A series of essays first published in Italy. Informative. Out of print.
Lane, Sheldon, ed. FOR BOND LOVERS ONLY. Panther Books, Ltd., 1965. (U.S.—Dell). A series of articles compiled by Lane on different subjects—Sean Connery, Ian Fleming, etc. Out of print.
Pearson, John. JAMES BOND—THE AUTHORIZED BIOGRAPHY OF 007. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1973. (U.S.William Morrow & Co.). Brilliant fictionalized biography of Bond based on the Fleming novels. Highly recommended. Out of print.
Snelling. O. F. 007 JAMES BOND: A REPORT. Neville Spearman, Holland Press, 1964. (U.S.—Signet). The first study of the novels. Informative and readable. Out of print.
Tanner, Lt.-Col. William "Bill" (Pseudonym for Kingsley Amis). THE BOOK OF BOND, OR EVERY MAN HIS OWN 007. Jonathan Cape, Ltd., 1965. (U.S—Viking Press). Amusing and informative trivia book. Out of print.
JAMES BOND FILMS
B
rosnan, John. JAMES BOND IN THE CINEMA. The Tantivy Press, 1972. (U.S.-1972 A. S. Barnes & Co., revised second edition published 1981). Highly entertaining and affectionate look at the series. Highly recommended.
Hibbin, Sally. THE OFFICIAL JAMES BOND 007 MOVIE BOOK. Hamlyn Publishing Group (U.K. )/Crown Publishers (U.S.), 1987. The authorized movie book from Eon Productions. Great official film stills, many in color.
Hibbin, Sally. THE OFFICIAL JAMES BOND 007 MOVIE POSTER BOOK. Hamlyn Publishing Group, 1987. Large format book of all the Eon movie posters. A must for collectors.
Rubin, Steven Jay. THE JAMES BOND FILMS. Arlington House, 1981. Crown Publishers, 1983. An informed "behind-the-scenes" look at the films. Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.
MISCELLANY
Bond, Mary Wickham. HOW 007 GOT HIS NAME. Collins, 1966. The story of the first meeting between Ian Fleming and ornithologist James Bond. Out of print.
Campbell, Iain. IAN FLEMING: A CATALOGUE OFA COLLECTION. Privately printed, 1977. A detailed listing of a very complete and extensive Fleming collection. Very handy as a reference book and bibliography. Highly recommended.
Fl*m*ng, I*n. ALLIGATOR. A Harvard Lampoon parody, 1962. Very funny. Hits its target on the bull's-eye. Highly recommended. Out of print.
Gurin, Philip. THE JAMES BOND TPIVIA QUIZ BOOK. Arbor House, 1984. A load of fun for hard-core fans.
APPENDIX II
BESIDES THE FAMOUS BEREFIA .25 USED IN THE FIRST FIVE NOVELS AND THE WALTHER PPK FROM THE REMAINING FLEMING NOVELS, THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF WEAPONS THAT JAMES BOND HAS BEEN KNOWN TO USE:
CASINO ROYALE:
.38 Colt Police Positive
LIVE AND LET DIE:
steel-capped shoes; Champion harpoon gun; limpet mine; Colt .38 Detective Special
MOONRAKER:
long-barreled .45 Colt Army Special; nuclear missile
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER:
Bofors anti-aircraft gun
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE:
Wilkinson throwing knives; .25 electric gun concealed in a copy of WAR AND PEACE gun-metal cigarette lighter and an Eric Ambler novel (for defense); an ordinary chair
DOCTOR NO:
.38 Smith & Wesson Centennial Airweight; steak knife; spear fashioned out of wire mesh; a crane with a load of bird guano
GOLDFINGER:
daggers concealed in soles of shoes; bazooka; his bare hands
"From a View to a Kill":
long-barreled .45 Colt
"For Your Eyes Only":
Savage 99F rifle
THUNDERBALL:
Turkish steam cabinet; knife; spears fashioned out of broom handles and knives
THE SPY WHO LOVED ME:
presumably standard issue gun (Walther PPK)
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE:
ski poles; Rolex watch used as a knuckle-duster; plastique bombs
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE:
quarter-staff; his bare hands
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN:
cyanide gun
"The Living Daylights":
Winchester .308 target rifle
COLONEL SUN:
knife; Mills grenades
LICENSE RENEWED:
9mm Browning automatic; cigarette lighter containing "knockout" gas; antique dueling pistol; tear gas; Ruger Super Blackhawk .44 magnum; Colt Python .357 magnum; Crossbow; MBA Gyrojet rocket pistol
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES:
Sykes-Fairbaim throwing knives; Heckler & Koch VP70 automatic; blinding aircraft light concealed in Saab; gasoline bomb; Winchester pump gun; Armalite AR18 machine gun
ICEBREAKER:
Heckler & Koch P7 automatic; Lapp skinning knife; Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum revolver; L2A2 grenades
ROLE OF HONOR:
ASP 9mm automatic with Glaser Safety Slugs; stun grenade
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER:
ASP 9mm automatic; ASP telescopic tactical baton; "Toolkit" —multipurpose tools including a screwdriver, picklocks, explosive charges, all concealed in a compartment in Bond's belt; flannel washcloth; steel-capped shoes; flare pistol; Uzi submachine gun; Stetchkin automatic pistol
NO DEALS, MR. BOND:
ASP 9mm automatic; ASP telescopic tactical baton; two Enfield .38 revolvers; Luger 9mm parabellum; Covert Operations Accessory Pack containing a compact flare pistol, miniature grenade, killing knife, saw-toothed garroting wire, and a pen/gun firing steel needles; Uzi machine pistol
SCORPIUS:
ASP 9mm automatic; ASP telescopic tactical baton; 1W (Individual Weapon) XL65E5 rifle; Ruger P-85; compact Browning 9mm; overnight briefcase containing a small medical kit; a set of lock-picking tools; lengths of wire; an all-purpose tool useful as a knife, hacksaw, file, or jimmy; and plastique explosive materials for making small bombs
(contributed by George Almond)
APPENDIX III
HE'S A TOUGH GUY—A LIST OF THE INJURIES SUSTAINED BY BOND IN THE NOVELS:
CASINO ROYALE:
Minor shock from camera-bomb blast
Minor injuries from wrecking Bentley
Genitals mangled by carpet beater
Back of right hand lacerated by SMERSH agent
LIVE AND LET DIE:
Little finger of left hand is broken
Loss of a hunk of flesh when a barracuda bites his shoulder
Back and legs flayed on a coral reef
MOONRAKER:
Minor injuries from cliff-fall
Minor injuries from wrecking Bentley
Abrasions and contusions from a beating administered by Drax
Second degree burns from high-pressure steam hose
DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER:
Abrasions and contusions resulting from being kicked repeatedly by a pair of football-booted thugs
Hit in shoulder with thrown knife during final scuffle with Wint and Kidd
FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE:
Minor injuries from fight with Red Grant
Nerve poisoning from Rosa Klebb's knife-wielding shoe
DOCTOR NO:
Electric bum across palm of right hand
Superficial burns from heated area of the obstacle course
Superficial wounds on abdomen from tentacles of giant squid
GOLDFINGER:
Knocked out by Goldfinger's guards before buzz-saw torture
Minor abrasions and contusions from fight with Goldfinger
"Risico":
Knocked out by Colombo's men on the beach at Lido
THUNDERBALL:
Shock and surface abrasion of nerve-ends inflicted by sabotaged traction machine
Battle fatigue from underwater combat
ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE:
Fatigue from ski escape down Piz Gloria
Minor injuries from bobsled ordeal
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE:
Severe depression brought on by the murder of his wife
Amnesia caused by head wound
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN:
Bullet wound in shoulder
Nerve poisoning from bullet dipped in cobra venom
COLONEL SUN:
Drugged at Quarterdeck by M's captors
Knocked out on beach by Sun's men
Tortured with probing devices in the orifices of his head
Minor abrasions and contusions from fight with Von Richter
LICENSE RENEWED:
Tortured with sound waves
Minor abrasions and contusions from fights with Franco and Caber
FOR SPECIAL SERVICES:
Drugged and brainwashed by SPECTRE
ICEBREAKER:
Wounded in right shoulder by knife
Shock and frostbite from being immersed in freezing water
Two gunshot wounds in upper chest
ROLE OF HONOR:
Bullet crease above right hip
NOBODY LIVES FOREVER:
Superficial scratches inflicted by claws of vampire bat
NO DEALS, MR. BOND:
Lacerations to le
ft arm caused by dog bites
Superficial cuts on both hands from barbed wire
Left arm broken in two places and muscles torn
SCORPIUS:
None to speak of, for once
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RAYMOND BENSON comes from West Texas and received a BFA with High Honors in Directing from the University of Texas at Austin. Working in a diversity of fields, Raymond has directed plays, composed music, and designed sound for several theatrical productions around the country. He has designed and written two "interactive fiction" text-adventure computer games, a role-playing adventure game, and is currently working on a novel. He is also a frequent contributor to Bondage magazine (published by the James Bond 007 Fan Club). The first edition of The James Bond Bedside Companion, his first book, was nominated for Best Biographical/Critical Work at the 1985 Mystery Writers of America Edgar Awards. Raymond is married and currently lives in New York.
The preceding Bio appeared in the 1988 edition of THE JAMES BOND BEDSIDE COMPANION. Since that time, Raymond Benson has published 25+ novels (including six original James Bond tales), designed/written several award-winning computer games, taught college courses in Film History, and writes for numerous periodicals and newspapers. To find out more up to date news about the author, visit him at www.raymondbenson.com.
The James Bond Bedside Companion Page 55
