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Steven Spielberg once applied for the job — and didn’t get it. Same with Christopher Nolan. And Quentin Tarantino. And Peter Jackson.

Over the decades, James Bond has left behind a smoldering trail of blown-up villain lairs and wrecked Aston Martins — but also a hefty pile of heartbroken A-list directors. Ever since Terence Young shot the first 007 feature, 1962’s Dr. No, the franchise has been one of cinema’s most coveted behind-the-camera gigs. Alfonso Cuarón, Joe Wright, Matthew Vaughn, Guy Ritchie — at one time or another, they all dreamed of directing a Bond movie. And they all, for one reason or another, never got the chance.

All of which is to say: congratulations, Denis Villeneuve! You’ve just landed the hardest-to-get directing job in Hollywood. The 58-year-old French-Canadian auteur will be helming the 26th Bond film — the first since longtime producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson sold the...

With one noteworthy exception (which didn’t work out too well in my opinion), no movie in the James Bond series has ever been directed by a marquee-name, rock-star filmmaker. And when you think about it, that’s quite a startling statement. Because…why not? Quentin Tarantino? Christopher Nolan? Who on earth would want to see a Bond film directed by one of those losers?

The directors of the Bond films have mostly been veteran craftsmen (like Terence Young or Guy Hamilton), or journeymen (like John Glen), and a few have had a prestige aura (like Michael Apted or Lee Tamahori). But it was only when Sam Mendes was tapped to direct “Skyfall” that one felt the series was suddenly aiming higher than it had been. I was excited to see a filmmaker as gifted as Mendes take the reins, but suffice to say: While much of the world loves “Skyfall,...

The Film That Drove Audrey Hepburn Away From Hollywood(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

In 1953, a young woman with delicate features and an unreadable smile stepped onto the cobbled streets of Rome, and with that, she marked her way into cinematic history. William Wyler’s Roman Holiday was not just Audrey Hepburn’s big break but a coronation. Unlike most actresses of Hollywood’s golden era, she was not loud and never begged to be noticed. Even after that, from the very first frame in front of the camera, Audrey proved that she belonged in the industry for years to come.

She was never the kind who chased fame down studio hallways or stayed up rehearsing acceptance speeches in her head. Audrey moved through the world like she was part of another era altogether. She was distant, poised, and of course, a little mysterious, and subsequently, Hollywood couldn’t look away.

Laurence Olivier was the greatest Shakespearean actor of the 21st century, an unrivaled master of technique who brought the Bard to the big screen with an invigorating cinematic bravado and refreshing absence of preciousness. Olivier was a sensation on the boards, but he came to believe in the power of movies and, via such masterpieces as "Hamlet," "Richard III," and "Henry V," made a strong case that these works belonged to everyone, regardless of their economic or cultural upbringing.

Olivier's openness to the movies during the advent of the talkies perturbed some of his most valued colleagues. Noël Coward, the boundlessly witty playwright who gave us "Blithe Spirit," "Private Lives," and "Design for Living," once told his friend, "You've no artistic integrity, that's your trouble; this is how you cheapen yourself." Coward might've had a point in that Olivier, at the time of this comment, was mulling an Rko contract offer that would've paid him,...

Plot: Shady businessman Zsa-zsa Korda (Benicio del Toro) survives the latest of six separate assassination attempts and decides to name his estranged, noviciate nun daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton) as his successor. Along with his tutor, Bjørn (Michael Cera), the three set out on a globe-trotting adventure to secure funding for his latest scheme.

Review: Wes Anderson is probably the only director whose work is immediately identifiable. You could look at a still image from any one of his films and immediately recognize all the Anderson hallmarks, including his muted, retro color scheme, his boxy 1:33:1 aspect ratio, and his quirky costuming. You either go with it or you don’t, and for me, Wes Anderson movies are pure joy. Whenever a new one of his movies drops, I’ll be the first in line.

That said, Anderson has undeniably become more of an acquired taste in recent years, with...

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is giving action fans some big releases in the ultra-high definition Blu-ray department. It was announced earlier that Lethal Weapon would be getting a remastered release as well as 6-film collection of the Sean Connery James Bond movies. Lethal Weapon‘s street date will now be on April 29. The film catapulted Shane Black as his script for this film was a hot property in Hollywood. The movie stars Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Gary Busey, Mitchell Ryan, and Tom Atkins.

The James Bond collection description reads, “Complete your James Bond Collection with this 007: Sean Connery Complete 6-film 4K Collection. All Sean Connery films available for the first time on 4K Blu-ray in a beautiful, limited edition exclusive Steelbook Library Case.” The collection includes 6 Steelbooks featuring unique art, all 6 007: Sean Connery films on 4K Blu-ray and Digital, and all of it is housed in a Steelbook Library Case.

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Among James Bond fans, there is a well-established genre known as the non-Bond Bond movie. You might think that 26 official 007 films would be enough to satiate fans of England's greatest spy, but cinema's most enduring franchise has now been running for 65 full years, and evidently a film releasing on an average of every 2.5 years just simply isn't enough for 007 adherents.

Now that Amazon owns the James Bond IP that will surely change, with Bond spin-off ideas likely coagulating in the minds of Amazon execs as I type. While we await the onslaught of 007 media, however, there are several well-established non-Bond Bond movies that can act as solid substitutes for official 007 features. These movies include films that starred former 007 actors in roles that are, in all but name, essentially James Bond and there's even an entry...

Whatever you think about James Bond's gadgets, it's hard to imagine the spy without them. Ever since he debuted in the pages of Ian Fleming's "Casino Royale" back in 1953 — a book that received some truly weird changes upon its U.S. debut — England's greatest spy has been making use of gizmos provided by Q-branch. It wasn't until the films began with 1962's "Dr. No," however, that James Bond's gadgets began to take on their legendary cultural status. While "Dr. No" didn't feature much in the way of spy gadgets beyond Bond's standard Walther Ppk, the follow-up "From Russia with Love" introduced Desmond Llewelyn's Q and his department of genius tinkerers who supply 007 with all manner of covert instrument.

In the years since, Bond gadgets have run the gamut from ingenious to downright ridiculous. Much like the franchise to which they belong, the gadgets have been both believable (Gps...

Late last year, it was announced that a number of Warner Bros. classics would be making their way onto 4K Blu-ray remaster releases. The titles for this year’s releases included Lethal Weapon, Amadeus, Constantine and David Fincher’s Seven. It would also be announced that a collection of the Sean Connery James Bond films was to be sold in a new set. Blu-ray.com has reported that Warner Bros. Home Entertainment will be making the classic Ian Fleming spy movies available to retailers on June 3.

The description reads,

“Complete your James Bond Collection with this 007: Sean Connery Complete 6-film 4K Collection. All Sean Connery films available for the first time on 4K Blu-ray in a beautiful, limited edition exclusive Steelbook Library Case.”

The collection includes 6 Steelbooks featuring unique art, all 6 007: Sean Connery films on 4K Blu-ray and Digital, and all of it is housed in a Steelbook Library Case.

Following fellow Brit Terence Young, Guy Hamilton was the second filmmaker to bring Ian Fleming's British spy to the big screen. Hamilton was a French-born English filmmaker with a distinguished background in the Royal Navy who'd worked alongside greats like Carol Reed and Orson Welles before taking over the 007 mantle. Hamilton's first swing at a Bond film was an unqualified triumph, but how does it rank alongside the other three Hamilton-led Bond features? The following definitively ranks every Guy Hamilton James Bond movie from worst to best.

It took nearly a decade for Ian Fleming's British spy to move from the page to the big screen. Not counting an hour-long Casino Royale adaptation for television the author hated, it wasn't until 1962's Dr. No that James Bond truly arrived in the medium. British director Terence Young had a background in action, spy and war films, so it's not hard to see why Bond producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli settled on the filmmaker as a natural fit for the material. Young directed three of the first four 007 pictures. All of them are immortally iconic, thanks in no small part to Sean Connery, whose embodiment of the spy arrived fully formed from the moment he uttered, "Bond, James Bond." Even in the moments before that, really.

It has only been a few weeks since Amazon announced it had acquired full creative control of the James Bond franchise, but the rumor mill has been running nonstop ever since. The internet has been alight with speculation about which actor will take over for Daniel Craig as 007. While Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is fielding suggestions for the next Bond, though, the franchise’s future star is not the only role that needs to be filled for it to officially move forward.

Amazon also has to choose a director to helm its next Bond movie. The franchise’s previous directors include Sam Mendes, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Martin Campbell, Terence Young and Lewis Gilbert. Here are five filmmakers who could potentially join that list, and sooner rather than later.

Christopher Nolan speaks onstage during the 77th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards at The Beverly Hilton on February 08, 2025. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images...

Quick LinksMichael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli Still Own 2/3 of James BondJames Bond Is a Big Franchise With a History of Quality IssuesJames Bond Fans Are Angry About Potential Spinoffs and TV ShowsFans Seem to Want Generational Franchises to Die Rather Than Grow

In July 1961, film producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman formed Eon Productions after securing the rights to adapt Ian Fleming's James Bond novels into films. Since then, the company has overseen the first modern franchise, complete with reboots and recasts of the central character. Over time, Albert's son, Michael G. Wilson, and daughter, Barbara Broccoli, also joined the company. These films have been distributed by MGM Studios, which was purchased by Amazon in 2022.

With the news that both Wilson and Broccoli are stepping back from active producing roles, Bond fans online erupted with outrage. It's fair to have skepticism about a corporation that's already facing...

When Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson ceded all creative control of James Bond to Amazon MGM Studios, eras ended.

Half-siblings Broccoli and Wilson had extraordinary control over the Bond franchise, personally steering the films after they inherited the company Eon Productions from Broccoli’s father and Wilson’s stepfather, Albert R. “Cubby” Broccoli in 1995. More than any director, they were the arbiters of “what is a James Bond film,” navigating Bond’s post-Cold War reinvention with Pierce Brosnan in the ’90s and selecting Daniel Craig as his replacement in 2005.

Reports in Deadline on February 20 say that Amazon bought out the pair for $1 billion — but that the vibe in Broccoli and Wilson’s orbit is “of a death in the family.”

Not long ago, a Bond fan might expect a 007 film to feature a Jeff Bezos-style villain. He shares a bald pate with Blofeld, as well as his own personal rocket fleet.

Subhash K Jha celebrates the career of noted director Ravi Tanson and shares his selection for Tandon’s best work in this fascinating feature.

1. Anhonee (1973):

Ravi Tandon turned producer-director with this eminently engaging murder thriller, which starred Sanjeev Kumar as what seemed to be a mentally unstable man. But wait, there was a delicious twist in the story, which I suggest you experience for yourself if you haven’t already. With Sanjeev Kumar was the pretty Leena Chandavarkar seducing him with Lata Mangeshkar’s superhit song ‘Buddhu pad gaya palleyk. The hit Sanjeev-Leena pair was back in Ravi Tandon’s comedy Apne Rang Hazaar two years later. That, too, was a hit.

2. Zindagi (1976):

Many see this Ravi Tandon directorial as a precursor to the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini autumnal drama Baghban. Sanjeev Kumar and Mala Sinha play a couple who are separated by their children who can only afford...

Geneviève Page, the alluring French actress who starred in such films as Belle de Jour, El Cid and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, died Friday. She was 97.

Page died at her home in Paris, her granddaughter, actress Zoé Guillemaud, told the Afp news agency.

In a career of more than 50 years, Page appeared in other notable films including Fanfan la Tulip (1952); Foreign Intrigue (1956), opposite Robert Mitchum; The Silken Affair (1956), with David Niven; John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix (1966); Mayerling (1968), directed by Terence Young; and Charles Vidor’s Song Without End (1960), where the director died mid-shoot and was replaced by George Cukor.

In 1967, Spanish director Luis Buñuel cast Page as Madame Anais, the owner and operator of the high-class brothel in Belle de Jour, an adaptation of Joseph Kessel’s 1928 novel.

The film centers on Severine Serizy (Catherine Deneuve), whose sexless marriage pushes her into prostitution — but only between the hours of 2 and 5 p.

The James Bond series has been blowing viewers' minds with wild gadgetry for decades, although some may not know just how much of 007’s incredible tech has its basis in real science. As a film series based on the novels of Ian Fleming, which began with Sean Connery as Bond in 1962’s Dr. No, it’s amazing just how much tech has improved in the years since to the point that some of Bond’s gadgets have now become objects that average people use every day. Other Bond gadgets have yet to become household items but still stand as real inventions.

The best Bond movies all include incredible tech, and 007 has consistently been given access to the most unique and useful gadgetry that MI6 has to offer. From Bond’s signature cars being fitted with multipurpose modifications to uniquely advanced characteristics of some of Bond’s most iconic villains, there...

Kids, there was a time when you could actually own the media you loved. Long before the rise of subscription models shackled art to the servers of multinational tech corporations, we all went out and bought movies and music, amassing treasured collections and cluttering our living rooms with unsightly plastic cases in the process.

But while everyone who grew up in the pre-streaming days piled up CDs, DVDs, and VHS tapes, there were plenty of physical formats that never quite took off. Take Laserdiscs, which had an undeniably cool name but were never all that popular — at least in the United States where they first hit the market in 1978. Physically, Laserdiscs looked like large CDs but were two-sided and could hold between 30 and 60 minutes of footage per side. A precursor to DVDs, these vinyl-sized optical discs were touted as superior to VHS tapes but for a variety of reasons — prohibitive...

The 1960s changed the thriller genre in big ways. It was a decade of new ideas when filmmakers broke all the rules and went into uncharted territory. Both cinema and the world were changing quickly. The rise of counterculture, political unrest, and a thirsty audience for darker stories forced thrillers of the 1960s to change. In this era, suspense wasn’t just about a good story; it was also about breaking rules, playing with the audience’s mind, and using technology to make them feel like they were in the middle of the action.

Take a look at the original nature of “Psycho” (1960), a film that made the concept of “shock” cinema famous. “Peeping Tom” (1960) took voyeurism and psychological horror to places most filmmakers were afraid to go.

Let’s not forget the revolutionary change in thrillers brought on by adding political drama and paranoia in films like “The Manchurian Candidate...

A smattering of well-known classic titles are now on their way to the crisp realm of ultra-high-definition physical media. Bill Hunt of The Digital Bits has just unveiled a number of movies that have been announced to release in 4K Blu-ray early next year. We’ve reported earlier that the Pierce Brosnan/Linda Hamilton volcano film Dante’s Peak is set for a February 11 release, the same day will also see the 4K Uhd release of Howard Deutch’s teen comedy Pretty in Pink (1986). It is said to feature Dolby Vision Hdr and a new “Filmmaker Focus” featurette.

It has also been confirmed that Disney, who is the parent company of the Buena Vista label, has completed a 4K restoration of the Michael Bay 1997 disaster blockbuster Armageddon. On December 6, the Bruce Willis asteroid movie is set to screen in this remaster at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles as part of An Evening with Diane Warren.

For a long time, Westerns were indisputably the most popular and widely enjoyed genre of movies that were being made. Throughout the 40s and 50s, the genre rose to immense prominence and birthed some classic Hollywood stars who managed to make their entire careers through this style of filmmaking - from Clint Eastwood to John Wayne, countless actors followed this same path. However, not every Western was an instant classic at this time. There were still many films that didnt quite live up to expectations, or perhaps simply havent aged perfectly, that cant quite be labeled as perfect.

Related 10 Best Westerns That Are Over 3 Hours Long

The Western genre lends itself to epic narratives, with great films over three hours long like Dances with Wolves making a case for longer Westerns.

Many of the best Westerns ever made are those that manage to blend the inherent scope and scale of the genre with more grounded,...

Out of all the Bond girls, only a few have come close to capturing the heart of the elusive James Bond. What began in the early 1960s as a novel adaptation has transformed into a world-renowned film franchise centered on the gentleman spy James Bond and his ability to seduce women at the drop of a hat. However, Bond is not always as impartial as he appears, and he has also fallen for several women over the years.

As Bond 26 nears and the search for the next Bond girl continues, there are already several iconic Bond girls to seek inspiration from. As every James Bond actor has put their own spin on their movies, so has the female counterparts they've had. The James Bond franchise has evolved over the years to feature a variety of well-written female characters, but each Bond actor also has one woman who stands out among...

The name’s Mendes, Sam Mendes. The Bond franchise has been ongoing for more than 60 years and 25 films, so it’s no surprise that there have been many repeat directors. But Sam Mendes was the first to helm multiple Bond films since the ‘80s (an era ruled by John Glen), guiding Daniel Craig through the 2010s. After Skyfall and Spectre, the torch was passed to Cary Joji Fukunaga. So will Sam Mendes go the Terence Young route, sitting one installment out and returning with thunder? Never say never…but probably not.

Speaking with Inverse, Sam Mendes credited the Bond films with coming at a crucial time in his career but doesn’t see it as a guarantee for his future. “Never say never, to quote the man, but I would doubt it. It was very good for me at that moment in my life. I felt like it shot me out of some old habits.

Celebrate James Bond Day this October 5th with a martini and all the 007 missions, as all 25 official James Bond films are now available to stream worldwide on Prime Video. The official James Bond X/Twitter account shared the news that every Bond outing, from Connery to Craig, are now on the streaming platform, meaning audiences can immerse themselves in the action-packed world of Britains greatest spy.

You may not have ever heard of James Bond Day, but the celebration takes place later this week on October 5, which marks the date that the first official James Bond movie, Dr. No, premiered way, way back in 1962. Starring Sean Connery, who is still considered by many to be the best iteration of the character, and directed by Terence Young, Dr. No started it all, and finds Bond in Jamaica where is investigating the disappearance of a fellow British agent.

Connerys other outings include From Russia with Love,...

Robert Watts, the British producer and production manager who collaborated with George Lucas on the first three Star Wars films and the first three Indiana Jones movies, has died. He was 86.

Watts died Monday in his sleep at his home in East Sussex, England, his rep, Julian Owen at Alliance Agents, told The Hollywood Reporter. “We were with him for a decade taking him to conventions all over the world, where he could connect with fans and talk about his career,” Owen said.

Watts also worked alongside Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg on the Spielberg-produced Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991).

For the extremely challenging first Star Wars film, Watts served as production supervisor under production designer John Barry, and the two traveled to Morocco and Tunisia to scout locations. He then did some third-unit directing.

“We were under a great deal of pressure from 20th Century Fox,...

What do you get when you cross a glossy all-star business drama with a kinky Italian horror flick, a German crime procedural, and “Fiddler on the Roof?” That insane mix may sound too good to be true, but it’s not — it’s a movie that actually exists. It’s called “Bloodline,” it was released by Paramount in 1979, and after years of intermittent accessibility on home video, it’s now available in a beautiful Blu-ray edition from the boutique label Vinegar Syndrome.

At the time of its release, “Bloodline” wasn’t a success by any criteria, but it was a major release thanks to an international cast consisting of Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, James Mason, Romy Schneider, Omar Sharif, Beatrice Straight (just a few years after her Oscar-winning turn in “Network”), Irene Papas and others. The fact that it was based on a novel by bestselling author Sidney Sheldon — who...

Franca Bettoia, the Italian actress who starred opposite Vincent Price in the 1964 cult sci-fi film The Last Man on Earth, has died in Rome, her family told the Italian news agency Adnkronos. She was 88.

Bettoia was married to Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi — he starred in the 1978 movie La Cage aux Folles in the part played by Robin Williams in Mike Nichols’ 1996 adaptation The Birdcage — from 1972 until his death from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1990 at age 68.

In The Last Man on Earth, directed by Ubaldo Ragona and Sidney Salkow, Bettoia portrays Ruth, a woman who, with the help of Price’s Dr. Robert Morgan, is fending off the effects of a plague that has turned humans into vampiric creatures.

Filmed in Rome, produced by Robert L. Lippert and distributed by American International Pictures, the movie was based on Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel I Am Legend. The author then co-wrote the screenplay credited as Logan Swanson.

Studiocanal announces a stunning brand-new 4K restoration of the thrilling and unique western Red Sun as part of the Cult Classics Collection available on 4K Uhd Steelbook, Blu-Ray, DVD & Digital from 9th September to celebrate we are giving away a Steel Book edition!

Billed as the first East meets West Western, and directed by Terence Young, Red Sun is based on a true story from the American Wild West of 1870. When outlaw Link (Charles Bronson) is betrayed by his gang during a train robbery, he is forced by the Japanese Ambassador to help regain a priceless sword stolen by Link’s double-crossing partner Gauche (Alain Delon).

Link and the Ambassador’s bodyguard, Kuroda (Toshiro Mifune), travel the West in pursuit of Gauche, attempting to lure him out by taking his girlfriend (Ursula Andress) as hostage. Although Kuroda plans to kill Gauche straight away, Link needs him alive to find the loot from their last robbery.

Roger Vadim's 1968 sci-fi freak-out "Barbarella" is one of the zestiest, sexist, strangest, and most amusing pictures the genre has to offer. Set in the 41st century, "Barbarella" follows the merry caprices of the title heroine (Jane Fonda), a freelance adventurer of the cosmos. Barbarella, frequently undressed, is assigned by the President of Earth (Claude Dauphin) to track down a mysterious, missing scientist named Durand-Durand (Milo O'Shea) who has invented an all-powerful weapon called the positronic ray.

During her quest, Barbarella is attacked by killer dolls, befriends a blind angel (John Philip Law), is forced into a deadly orgasm machine (although she can outlast its mechanical manipulations), and faces off against the Black Queen, the tyrant ruler of Sogo.

The film was based on the erotic comics by Jean-Claude Forest, and possesses all the same sexual energy as the aggressively naughty original, even if it's not quite as sexually explicit.

Home invasion has been a part of horror movies practically from the beginning. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), Nosferatu (1922), Dracula, and Frankenstein (1931) all included moments of attackers entering homes uninvited and terrorizing unsuspecting victims.

Home invasion as a sub-genre unto itself came a bit later, as the suburbs sprung up and a false sense of security rose in the United States along with fears of “the other” that have always been a key aspect of horror movies.

These ten movies may not all be the best of this sub-genre, but they all bring something different to the table and pushed it, in large and small ways, in new directions.

The Desperate Hours (1955)

It is practically impossible to pinpoint the exact moment that started any new genre or movement within film but a good candidate for the foundation of the home invasion movie is William Wyler’s The Desperate Hours. The...

After concluding April with discussions of Ciarán Foy’s Eli (listen) and David Cronenberg’s eXistenZ (listen), we kicked off May with a revisit of Stephen Sommers’ delightful 1999 film, The Mummy (listen).

Now we’re headed into the past with Terence Young‘s adaptation of Frederick Knott‘s “disabled woman in danger” play, Wait Until Dark (1967).

In the film, recently blind Susy (Audrey Hepburn) is menaced by a trio of strange men, including sexually perverse ring leader Roat (Alan Arkin), “nice guy” Talman (Richard Crenna) and portly Carlino (Jack Weston). The men are looking for a doll full of heroin, which is located somewhere in her apartment, but she doesn’t know where!

Can Susy figure out the scam with the help of upstairs neighbor girl Gloria (Julie Herrod) or will she wind up hanging in the closet like Roat’s poor accomplice Lisa (Samantha Jones)?

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Terence Young's Wait Until Dark is not often the first film you think of when talking about Audrey Hepburn's work, but it should be. This psychological thriller, also starring Alan Arkin and Richard Crenna, is an underrated submission in the genre, and even earned Hepburn an Academy Award. So, what is so special about it? With Young being well-known for directing various James Bond films, such as Dr. No and Thunderball, Wait Until Dark offers the same excitement with a darker tone. "Kill or be killed" describes the stakes best in this psychological thriller, while also remaining a charming time capsule for 1960s film drama.

Fictional secret agent James Bond has gotten into his fair share of scrapes and close calls, but broadly speaking, the high-profile actors who have played him on screen have been pretty safe stepping into the character's expensive shoes. The Bond films have become famous for their jaw-dropping and boundary-pushing stunts, but those moments are the result of teams of people who design and choreograph everything to be as safe as possible for both the stars and their stunt doubles. The James Bond franchise is one of the most lucrative and longest-running film series of all time, but in its very first movie, we nearly lost its first lead actor in a gruesome death that would have robbed movie lovers of some legendary performances and ripped away the franchise's potential before it even got started.

In 1962's "Dr. No," Sean Connery's Bond notices he's being tailed by three assassins while driving up a mountain road.

The biggest, most audacious James Bond movie during Sean Connery’s celebrated run as the British superspy is 1965’s Thunderball, a spectacular adaptation of the Ian Fleming novel of the same name. Thunderball sees the insidious terrorist syndicate Spectre steal two nuclear warheads from NATO and hold the world governments hostage for ￡100 million. After a run-in with Spectre operatives at a local clinic while recuperating from a recent mission, Bond suspects the warheads are hidden in the Bahamas and convinces M to investigate further. Upon arriving, Bond matches wits with high-ranking Spectre figure Emilio Largo (Adolfo Celi) and assassin Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi), romancing Largo’s girlfriend Domino (Claudine Auger) as he searches for the warheads.

Nearly 60 years after its initial release, Thunderball remains the highest-earning Bond film in North America after adjusting for inflation and is the second in the long-running series to win an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.

“Bond, James Bond.”

62 years, 25 films and 6 lead actors — but it all began with this iconic line from Sean Connery in Dr. No.

This iconic British character, conceived by author Ian Fleming in 1953, has captivated audiences worldwide as the world’s most famous secret agent in the history of cinema.

To tell the full story of how 007 began, Eon Productions opened its archives of photos, designs, and production materials to Taschen. The result is this remarkable account of the making of Dr. No.

Related: James Bond Movies In Order: Filmography, Bond Women & Iconic Villains

Director Terence Young debuted Dr. No in 1962, featuring Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder, Bernard Lee as M., Joseph Wiseman as Dr. No, and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny.

The companion book provides a glimpse into the day-by-day account of what took place, which scenes were shot and who made the decisions that shaped the story and characters as it was filmed.

The recent rumors about Christopher Nolan directing a James Bond film are not true, according to the director himself. However, Nolan is a big fan of the franchise and would love to direct a 007 movie at some point in the future. Nolan's next film will not be as dark as Oppenheimer, as the director wants to do something lighter for his next project.

Two years after Daniel Craig said goodbye to the James Bond franchise with No Time to Die, Amazon MGM Studios is looking for a new 007. As well as a new director. Recent rumors have claimed that The Dark Knight and Oppenheimer filmmaker Christopher Nolan is being eyed for the directing job...and Nolan himself has now responded to the speculation.

Just as a long list of actors have played the famous British secret agent, such as Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton and Pierce Brosnan,...

Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn explains that the story of a rough-around-the-edges kid being transformed into a suave superspy mirrors Sean Connery's own casting story for James Bond. Author Ian Fleming didn't think Connery was right for the part, but Dr. No director Terence Young convinced him by turning the Scottish actor into an "English gentleman" at the posh Savile Row shops. The Kingsman movies pay homage to Bond by featuring well-dressed spies, gadgets, over-the-top villains, and unique henchmen, while also poking fun at these elements and subverting them in a clever way.

Kingsman: The Secret Service director Matthew Vaughn reveals how the action comedy spy movie mirrors Sean Connery's James Bond casting journey. Released in 2014, the first entry in the Kingsman franchise sees Taron Egerton starring as Eggsy, an unrefined London street kid who is transformed into a spy for the eponymous British intelligence agency. The...

Terence Young's 1963 triumph "From Russia with Love" was the James Bond series' first sequel, and, 60 years later, it's still considered by many 007 aficionados to be one of franchise's finest installments. It's a brisk, surprisingly brutal film. The gadgetry popularized by 1964's "Goldfinger" (and launched well over the top by 1965's "Thunderball") is kept to a sensible minimum; for the most part, this is a revenge film in which our licensed-to-kill protagonist is lured into an elaborate defection plot designed to knock him off for having killed Spectre's Dr. No in the first movie. Narratively, it's as small potatoes as the mostly maligned "Casino Royale" follow-up "Quantum of Solace" (a revenge film in the other direction), but, at the time, it had the advantage of working within an unformed universe.

"From Russia with Love" has two of the Bond series' oddest highlights: the sexualized Turkish settlement brawl between Martine Beswick and Aliza Gur,...

The casual James Bond fan might think that author Ian Fleming invented all of 007's trademarks before his novels were adapted for the screen, but the truth is a lot more complex. One of the biggest influences on the Bond we've all come to know and love was director Terence Young, who oversaw the spy's first big-screen outing in 1962, "Dr. No." Without Young, Bond would have arguably failed. The filmmaker brought his sophistication, fashion sense, and humor to Bond, all of which would come to define the character in the popular consciousness.

Of course, Young undoubtedly benefited from having Sean Connery as his star. Playing James Bond was, however, a double-edged sword for Connery. The actor debuted as England's greatest spy in "Dr. No," but over the course of the next decade would punctuate his tenure as 007 with remarkably nuanced and powerful performances in such classics as 1965's "The Hill...

Few American filmmakers of the last 40 years await a major rediscovery like Hal Hartley, whose traces in modern movies are either too-minor or entirely unknown. Thus it’s cause for celebration that the Criterion Channel are soon launching a major retrospective: 13 features (which constitutes all but My America) and 17 shorts, a sui generis style and persistent vision running across 30 years. Expect your Halloween party to be aswim in Henry Fool costumes.

Speaking of: there’s a one-month headstart on seasonal programming with the 13-film “High School Horror”––most notable perhaps being a streaming premiere for the uncut version of Suspiria, plus the rare opportunity to see a Robert Rodriguez movie on the Criterion Channel––and a retrospective of Hong Kong vampire movies. A retrospective of ’70s car movies offer chills and thrills of a different sort

Six films by Allan Dwan and 12 “gaslight noirs” round out the main September series; The Eight Mountains,...

When you consider the evidence, the 1970s was the greatest crime movie period since the 1930s. Maybe it’s because of the grim film stock, but those 10 years were so filled with the criminal element even a highly-rated political journalism feature like All the President’s Men (1976) is really an investigation into indictable acts. The decade is defined by Francis Ford Coppola’s first two The Godfather movies, but those tell the story of the dons who live in compounds on Long Island. Most illicit infractions are committed on the street, and so many fall between the cracks.

Crime and gangster movies historically and consistently break boundaries in motion picture art. This is especially true when independent filmmakers muscle their way in packing something heavy. The 1970s was an experimental decade for motion pictures with wildly varied visions behind the lens. Some of these films were considered old-fashioned, others have proven...

Laird Koenig, who wrote “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane,” died in Santa Barbara on June 30, Jamie Dixon, the son of Koenig’s collaborator Peter L. Dixon, told Variety. He was 95.

Koenig was an American author and screenwriter whose novel was adapted into the 1976 Jodie Foster-led horror movie “The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane.”

He was born on Sept. 14, 1927, in Seattle, and would go on to attend the University of Washington. Koenig worked in advertising before being approached by Peter L. Dixon, whom he would collaborate with extensively throughout his career, and went on to write for the adventure television series “Flipper.”

Koenig also wrote the screenplay for “The Cat” which starred Roger Perry, and the 1969 production of “The Dozens” which starred Al Freeman Jr., Morgan Freeman and Paula Kelly.

He notably wrote the screenplay for several Terence Young Films, including “Red Sun,” which starred Charles Bronson,...

With "No Time To Die" in the rear-view mirror, can we all agree "Casino Royale" is the best Bond movie? If it weren't for the 2006 reboot, Sean Connery would remain the undisputed Bond king, and who knows, maybe the famed super-spy and his decades-old franchise would have fizzled out as society moved into the modern-day.

Thanks to Daniel Craig's broody and embattled take on Bond, and the general "gritty reboot" trend of the early 2000s, 007 was reinvigorated for a new generation. Yes, before Bond once again became a parody of himself, for a brief moment we were all treated to a glimpse at a truly 21st Century 007 that still remained true to Ian Fleming's original vision. Craig's scarred bruiser of a spy gave the impression that beneath the icy bravado and suave affectation, there existed a real person.

It seems Craig maintained some of that icy bravado off-camera too.

Corsage (2022).In Corsage, the young Louis Le Prince, the forefather of the early motion picture, instructs the Empress Elisabeth of Austria thusly: “As long as you smile, you can do anything,” before proceeding to film her. The outsized importance of keeping up appearances has never been lost on anyone, especially not a young monarch in 1877. Nearing age 40, the average life expectancy of women at the time, Elisabeth (nicknamed “Sisi”) begins to rebel against the stultifying ceremony of court life. With wit and verve, Austrian director Marie Kreutzer correspondingly follows suit, assembling a compellingly lush film that gently seethes below the surface. She fashions painterly frames that, upon further inspection, reveal politely surreal modifications—a modern door adorns an otherwise period-specific palace, contemporary leather goods sit alongside 19th-century silhouettes. These anachronistic flourishes casually accumulate; in one scene, the orchestral melody plinked by chamber musicians reveals itself as a cover of “As Tears Go By,...

The continuing box office success of Top Gun: Maverick has proven that action movie sequels don’t always mean diminishing returns. Sequels usually just replicate what made the original work so well with less of the magic, but that’s not always the case. Not only can sequels manage to live up to their predecessors; in some rare cases, they even surpass them in quality, as many of Top Gun: Maverick’s rave reviews have suggested.

From The Dark Knight to The Road Warrior to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, there are many action movie sequels that Redditors have deemed to be stronger films than the ones that came before.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

According to Redditor u/P1nCush10n, Captain America: The Winter Soldier is an improvement over its predecessor. Cap’s first MCU solo movie is a fun enough pulpy World War II action-adventure, but its set-pieces...

Monty Norman, who helped launch the James Bond franchise by composing the character’s beloved theme music, has died at the age of 94 following a brief illness. His family confirmed the news of his death to BBC, who first broke the story.

Norman was born in London on April 4, 1928. The son of Latvian immigrants, he was forced to evacuate the city during World War II but later returned during The Blitz. After serving in the Royal Air Force, he began pursuing a career in music. Norman first worked as a performer, singing with many prominent big band music acts and eventually sharing the stage with other top comedians and musicians of his time.

In the 1950s, Norman began to transition from performing to composing. He wrote lyrics for a variety of successful West End musicals, including “Make Me an Offer” and “Expresso Bongo,” and also wrote songs for various recording...

Monty Norman, the composer behind the iconic James Bond theme, has died at the age of 94.

A statement posted on his official website said, “It is with sadness we share the news that Monty Norman died on 11th July 2022 after a short illness.”

Norman most famously composed the score for “Dr. No,” the 1962 James Bond film starring Sean Connery. His theme for James Bond, as arranged by fellow Englishman John Barry, would go on to become the theme for the entire franchise.

As Norman said on his site, “We recognized we needed a fresh, contemporary sound for the main theme, and in the up-and-coming young John Barry we found a wonderful arranger, so the whole thing worked very well.”

But controversy erupted decades later when Barry claimed authorship of the theme, resulting in Norman suing the Times of London for libel over a 1997 story (“Theme Tune Wrangle Has 007 Shaken and...

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Doug Liman was so committed to getting an adaptation of Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity made for the big screen, he crashed a wedding and later piloted a prop plane to make it happen.

“I spent years hitting brick walls,” says Liman, who broke out directing indie stunner Swingers in 1996 but had yet to make a major studio play. “I even crashed a wedding to accost Warner Bros. president Terry Semel because Warners had the rights at the time,” Liman tells THR. “It got to the point that if I mentioned Bourne Identity to my agent, he would groan and roll his eyes.”

Eventually, the rights reverted to Ludlum, so Liman went to Montana to meet with him. The director flew solo in a tiny propeller plane to get there. “I had just gotten a license to fly,” Liman recalls. “My arrival...

“I am a person rarely impressed by actors… but in the case of Mifune I was completely overwhelmed. The ordinary Japanese actor might need ten feet of film to get across an impression. Toshirō Mifune needed only three feet,” said Akira Kurosawa.

One of the greatest talents in cinema history, Toshirō Mifune left behind a staggering body of work amassing over 150 starring roles. Born on April 1, 1920, a retrospective was planned for 2020 timed to his centennial and now, after a delay due to the pandemic, it will kick off next week at NYC’s Film Forum. Featuring 35mm rarities and rediscoveries imported from the libraries of The Japan Foundation and The National Film Archive of Japan, the series will run for a whopping four weeks, from February 11 through March 10, and feature 33 films.

Ahead of the retrospective, we’re pleased to exclusively debut the trailer, edited by John Zhao, highlighting what is...

In 1967, Audrey Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in Wait Until Dark, a film about a blind woman who becomes the target of three con-men. Due to the character’s impairment, Terence Young’s film – ranked among AFI’s best thrills – becomes a much more anxiety-inducing experience than most thrillers. But what if the star was actually visually impaired? Something not thought of or considered at that time, but Randall Okita’s See for Me, written by Adam Yorke and Tommy Gushue, is one of only a handful of films that allow actors with disabilities to shine – in situations only they could fully understand or convey. Wheelchair user Kiera Allen shows immense strength as she attempts to escape the suffocating clutches of a psychotic mother in Run, giving one of the best performances in 2020. Representation like Allen’s on-screen is barrier-breaking because it shows that those with...