Customer Reviews

James Bond: The Legacy 007

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There have been a lot of books written about the James Bond films and phenomenon; I should know because I've read them all! That's why I feel uniquely qualified and very confident in saying that this latest book (written by the two gentlemen who produced the special edition James Bond DVDs) is without a doubt THE best book yet written about the James Bond films! If you're baffled as to which book to add to you movie library, look no further because here you will find information and photos that you will not find anywhere else.

What makes this book so good? Well, first off, it's HUGE in size! A great coffee table book to be sure. The graphic layout is extremely well done and all the films are given equal time (not the case with some of the other books which tend to fixate on the Connery era). Also, for the first time in any official publication, we have coverage of the two "unofficial" James Bond films: NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN and CASINO ROYALE. Up until now these two "rogue" films have been missing from all official publications for legal reasons. JAMES BOND THE LEGACY is the first book to be published after MGM took ownership of these films, so now we are able to learn the fascinating stories of how they came to be made and, most interestingly, how they impacted and influenced the official series. Great stuff!

But what I like most about JAMES BOND THE LEGACY is how the authors look at each film within the historical context of when it was made. They focus not only on what was going on with the Bond producers at the time, but also what was going on in the world; what socio-political and even cinematic trends the Bond films were keying into. This really brings a new understanding to each film and helps explain why James Bond has endured while other "pop culture spies" (Matt Helm, Derek Flint, xXx :)) failed to connect beyond their time and have long since disappeared. Most people think James Bond films are "all the same", but you will discover here that they are not. In this book I learned how throughout its amazing 20-year history the Bond filmmakers made subtle--and sometimes very bold--changes in the tone of the series and to the character of James Bond himself. This is much more than a simple look at the production and plot of each film, this is a major work on one of the most famous fictional characters of the 20th century. Oh, and the book also gives a detailed look at the new Bond movie, DIE ANOTHER DAY, with some pictures that lead me to believe this could be the best Bond movie of them all! This alone makes it stand above the rest as definitive.

JAMES BOND THE LEGACY is a must buy for all James Bond fans and anyone interested in 20th century popular culture. Again, if you buy just one book about James Bond, make it this one.

Perhaps the best book on James Bond in the cinema since Steven Jay Rubin's excellent 1983 long-out-of-print work THE JAMES BOND FILMS: A BEHIND THE SCENES HISTORY (any true fans Bible), this large format book covers the James Bond movies up until 2002's DIE ANOTHER DAY choosing to concentrate on some of the cultural and current events that helped shape the transformation of the character over his 40-year cinematic career.
With many rare and previously unseen photo's the authors show the depth of their research through the comprehensive coverage not only of the influences on the movies, but also coverage of the influence the movies (especially those of the 1960s) had on popular culture. Its an astoundingly comprehensive book and not one that can be lightly flipped through in one sitting. It's large scale makes it somewhat cumbersome but this handsome, elegant edition is so brimming with artwork and illustrations that its scale becomes a blessing, that can for the most part be forgiven.
It's in its different approach to THE JAMES BOND FILMS that LEGACY really makes an excellent companion piece. Whereas the previous work concentrated on the behind the scenes stories for each movie (as its sub-head suggests) this book encompasses influence and the movies in broad strokes. Obviously big fans of Bond themselves they offer few criticisms of the movies themselves and scarce information on the anecdotal information that Rubin supplies.
Overall a sumptuous, elegant edition on the James Bond series that belongs in the bookshelves of every self discerning 007 fans.
Now, here's hoping Rubin updates his book soon!

First of all, let me begin by saying that I have too many books, movies, tapes, laser discs, etc., about James Bond, dating back to the 1950's. Some good, some not so good. These include autobiographies that seem to tout a personal agenda, books that push the author's point of view, and this book, a gift from my wife. JAMES BOND: THE LEGACY is the best one of all. It does not try to be everything, but it does succeed in giving the reader a thorough background into the writings of Ian Fleming and the production history and methods of Broccoli and Saltzman.

As one who has literally "read it all" about Bond, I found this book to be a refreshing read, that made me look forward to every page. While there was some "old" news that had been hashed and rehashed, I was surprised at the "new" information I was not aware of.

While it is not inexpensive, it is a quality book that speaks of the conspicious consumption that its name sake employed, and I would recommend it to anyone who likes the Bond movies, or just wants to know the history of action movies in the last half of the 20th century.

Unfortunately, this is the ultimate, but not the definitive. Not with the ongoing series, as a matter of fact, Bond 21 has just been announced, and it has a name and a director already, despite the fact that producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson don't have a man for the job at hand!
But never mind, this is the kind of book that never gets out of date, it is brilliantly written, not only full of exciting pictures from the series and from behind the scenes, as well, but also, and foremost, it is filled with all the details a hardcore Bond fan would ever dream of.
A true LABOR OF LOVE. The authors are well renowned historians, responsible for the DVD's documentaries, and the outcome are amazing. A very comprehensive book, depicting political, social and economics facts that were intertwined with the films.

One of its most memorable deeds, and remarkable strength is the fact that it comprised not only the official films, but also, the two spin-offs of the series, considered, by many, as "bastards", namely, CASINO ROYALE (1967) and NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN. It also includes some breefing on the american TV broadcasting BBC production as of 1954, CASINO ROYALE, starred by Barry Nelson.

Don't miss out on this one, it is sure a well addition to any Bond lover as well as movie buffs all around.

As a historian/biographer, I like to read the works of writers who have done their homework. Bruce Scivally and John Cork have done a first-rate job with this book. Simply fascinating. A must read.

Someone somewhere must have remembered how much I enjoyed the Bond films during my college days. I devoured the un-PC books and stood in line for the films. Since the days of Roger Moore, my interest waned. When I got this book, I thought, "I haven't even seen all these films!" I even missed this lates one at the theaters. After looking though the first few chapters (reading captions, looking at the photos), I decided one afternoon to read a bit of the text (awaiting the DSL installer for hours on end). Suddenly, it was like I was a kid again. I found myself re-living all the excitment of those great early Bond films and learning a lot I didn't know. Sure enough, over the next few weeks, I plowed through this book. What a joy to read! The Bond films are traced through the history of the past 40 years (50 if you include the novels, and this book does, thankfully give some space to those). I would have been bored silly if the book had been just a fan's guide to who is who and what film had what gadget. The thing I enjoyed here was the way the book looks beyond the films at popular culture, politics, world events. I found some of the most interesting parts to be about some of the films I haven't even seen. It is a satisfying mix of behind-the-scenes battles, modern history, and film criticism. When I recieved this book, I never expected to read it. I did, and I am glad I did. Now I need to see the rest of the Bond films.

I keep returning to this book and it continues to be a joy every time. I love the Bond films, and have spent a good part of three decades reading about them, so I'm wary of books that simply rehash the plotlines. But "JBTL" has so many nuggets of trivia and information that I always find something to smile about -- not only because the information stirs my Bond nostalgia but also because it cleverly shows how Bond has infiltrated our strange modern world. A sidebar: the production design of this book is great -- the "Ken Adam" of Bond coffee table books.

What a great book! I've read many Bond books and this one is by far the best. First of all, the book itself is gorgeous. It is HUGE and is jam-packed with great color photos. More importantly, though, this coffee table book contains a lot of great information. Not only does it go into detail about all the different Bond movies, but it also gives each film a historical context which makes it easier to understand why certain decisions were made. There are a lot of new Bond factoids that I learned from reading this book, even though I'm a big James Bond fan and thought I knew everything already! "James Bond: The Legacy" is a book that every Bond fan will treasure.

I started reading this on the recommendation of a friend and I was quite simply blown away. This is the best book on the subject of films and filmmaking that I have ever read. I am not the world's biggest Bond fan and I haven't seen all the movies...but this book manages to pull an interesting trifecta(sp?)--It is a great book about the history of James Bond, drawing you into WHY so many people love the character. It is also a story of how pop culture and history intersect and influence each other in fascinating ways. Finally, it is a great look at the history of movies for the past 40 years, albeit from the perspective of one franchise. I have never sat down with a huge coffee table book that I couldn't put down....until now. If you love movies, you will love this book.

I own several books on the subject ("The Essential Bond", "The Incredible World of 007", "The Bond Encyclopedia", "The James Bond Movie Book", etc) and while they are all very good, this one has to be the best by a long shot. The reasons ?: The excelent quality and size of the photographs; shot by shot analyis of some of the best Bond scenes; excelent material from the new release, "Die another day" and, ultimately, the amazing job done by the writers ! This book could not have been done by anybody without a real love for the subject.