Synopsis:
Before there were epic action film franchises, there was James Bond… the British super spy who set the bar for what an action film could be, inspiring every franchise that came after it. Icons Unearthed: James Bond tells the story of how Ian Fleming’s literary creation got his big break on the silver screen and became the most quotable name in cinematic history. With a formula for success in place the producers bet the franchise on an unknown face who would prove to be more than they could handle. Keeping up with the changing times, the films would embrace the Civil Rights movement, the space race, and the end of the Cold War. How did Bond enthrall audiences for over 60 years, surviving a failing creative partnership, six different lead actors, multiple lawsuits, competing films, corporate takeovers, and two complete reboots? Hold onto your Vesper martinis, and get ready for guns, gadgets, and Bond girls on Icons Unearthed: James Bond.
What We Thought:
For a while now I’ve been thinking about doing a James Bond franchise rewatch. It’s been decades since I’ve seen some of them and there are a few I haven’t seen. After watching Icons Unearthed: James Bond, I really want to watch them sooner rather than later.
This is the fifth Blu-ray release of Icons Unearthed from Mill Creek Entertainment I’ve received and so far they have all been right up my alley. This six episode series follows Ian Fleming’s spy from his pages to the big screen. That journey and its decades long run might be even more dramatic than the films themselves. Between book rights sold to different people, production companies and MGM butting heads and having financial troubles, Bond has been in more hands than men who have played the character. The series tackles all the casting, production woes and the changes the character has gone through up until the last Bond movie released.
We think of Bond today as an iconic blockbuster franchise established well before blockbuster franchises were even a thing. Bond movies may predate the Star Wars, MCU, Mission: Impossible and the Fast & the Furious franchises that dominate modern cinema, but it wasn’t a guaranteed hit. The first episode explains how the first film (Dr. No) got started, who pushed for Sean Connery and whether the British spy would be a big enough draw outside England. Future episodes continue with recasting Bond after Connery leaves, George Lazenby being a one-off, the age of Roger Moore, then into Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and James Blond, Daniel Craig.
But the series isn’t just the highs and lows of the movies, no, there was plenty of drama behind the scenes. The films don’t exist without Cubby Broccoli (and now his daughter and stepson), but he had battles with rights owners, studios and more. Despite Bond flicks doing well at the box office, budgets and studio interference were always an issue. Everyone wanted a say in how much was spent, who got paid for what and who should be the next Bond. MGM was bought and sold multiple times throughout the Bond run and different stories had to be adapted or changed because of rights. We think of Daniel Craig in Casino Royale nowadays, but the original is more a comedy than spy flick. Never Say Never Again, Sean Connery’s 1980s return to Bond, only exists because Kevin McClory had the rights to Thunderball and is one of a handful of non-Eon Productions James Bond adaptations. There was lots of drama, law suits and set backs for James Bond.
If you are a fan of 007 you’ll quite enjoy Icons Unearthed: James Bond. As we sit and wait to see who the next James Bond is, this will remind you of everything that’s happened so far. Bond has changed, been rebooted and made less sexist and the movies continue to make money. This series is a great, in-depth look at how the world’s best spy became the franchise that it is.
Bonus Features:
Over 13 hours of full, unseen interviews with Gloria Hendry (Live and Let Die), George Lazenby (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service), Caroline Munroe (The Spy Who Loved Me), Martin Campbell (Director of GoldenEye and Casino Royale (2006)), Jeff Kleeman (Former MGM Executive), John Glen (Director of For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, and License to Kill), and Jeffrey Caine (Writer of GoldenEye)
The Nerds Templar 