Bond Girls Are Forever
Bond Girls Are Forever is a 2002 James Bond documentary film hosted by actress Maryam d'Abo, who had played the role of Kara Milovy in the 15th James Bond film The Living Daylights. It was accompanied by a 2003 book written by John Cork and d'Abo. The book is subtitled The Women of James Bond. Both the film and the book is a tribute to the elite club of women who have played the role of a Bond girl.[1]
| Bond Girls Are Forever | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Produced by | Maryam d'Abo |
| Starring | Maryam d'Abo, Halle Berry, Ursula Andress, Honor Blackman, Luciana Paluzzi, Jill St. John, Jane Seymour, Maud Adams, Lois Chiles, Carey Lowell, Michelle Yeoh, Judi Dench, Samantha Bond, Rosamund Pike |
| Cinematography | Brian Pratt |
| Edited by | Kevin Bourque, Harry Watson |
Production company | Planet Grande Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
| Distributed by | MGM Domestic Television Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 46 min (US) 49 min (updated) (DVD) (Finland) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The TV film, which was released in November 2002 alongside Die Another Day features interviews with a number of Bond girls who were featured throughout the film franchise between the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962) starring Ursula Andress and the then-current 20th film Die Another Day starring Halle Berry. In 2003, the documentary was released on DVD and offered as a free gift with the purchase of Die Another Day on DVD by some retailers.
In 2006, a new version of the documentary, updated to include interviews with cast from Casino Royale and edited to include commercial breaks, was produced for the AMC network and was later released as a bonus feature on the March 2007 DVD and Blu-ray editions of Casino Royale.
A new 2012 version was shown on the Sky Movies 007 channel in the UK to include Quantum of Solace and Skyfall.
Emmy award–winning singer and songwriter Faith Rivera performed a rendition of "Nobody Does It Better" over the closing credits of the documentary.
Bond girls interviewed in order
- Halle Berry
- Ursula Andress
- Honor Blackman
- Luciana Paluzzi
- Jill St. John
- Jane Seymour
- Maud Adams
- Lois Chiles
- Carey Lowell
- Michelle Yeoh
- Judi Dench
- Samantha Bond
- Rosamund Pike
- Eva Green (2006 version)
- Caterina Murino (2006 version)
- Gemma Arterton (2008 version)
- Naomie Harris (2012 version)
- Bérénice Marlohe (2012 version)
The leading actors
There would be several roles available for female actors offered casting in a ‘Bond Film’: the principal character, whose motives are sometimes uncertain, those who contribute to the task-at-hand, those who undermine it, often with consequences, and quixotic confederates. There are of course gray areas, numerous indefinites, as to the role offered in casting, with or without reference to a definite screenplay. Is the role ‘written’ true to an ‘original’ Fleming novel, in keeping with the Fleming genre, or as a play on the style or cast without a screenplay? Alternatively, does the role accepted change with edits to the screenplay, changes in directors or from producer influence?[2]
Largely, female leads are ‘rescued’ by Bond, fellow MI6 agents or CIA allies, played against associates of the lead villain or the opposing SPECTRE / KGB intelligence organization, both being supported by actors in smaller parts moving ‘the plot’ along with momentary interaction with the male lead. Two actors have played in more Bond Films than any individual Bond actor: Lois Maxwell (Lois Ruth Hooker) as Miss Moneypenny and Dame Judith Olivia Dench as ‘M’. They have not been the Lead in a Bond Film, playing a Protagonist but never the Antagonist; both always stand very high in the credited cast lists for each film in which they appear.
 Boxtree British hardcover edition | |
| Author | John Cork Maryam d'Abo |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Series | James Bond |
| Publisher | Boxtree Ltd. |
Publication date | 2002 (Documentary) 2003 (Book) |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) TV film |
| Pages | 192 pp. |
| ISBN | 0-7522-1550-7 |
| OCLC | 52785338 |
References
- "Bond Girls are Forever: The Woman of James Bond by Maryam D'Abo, John Cork". goodreads.com. Retrieved 2014-03-01.
- Persall, Steve (7 November 2012). "Four kinds of unforgettable Bond girls". Retrieved 17 August 2015.