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Daniel Craig was presented to Her Majesty at the premiere of Casino Royale in 2006.
BOND ON SCREEN
A vital part of making any Bond film is promotion, publicity and premieres. It’s all very well having made a film, but people need to know about it and want to go and see it; only then will its success be judged at the box office. Personally, I don’t like to bring up the subject of money, but you can find the budgets and worldwide gross takings of each film towards the back of the book – it makes for interesting reading.
Sean gets in the swing of things during the Thunderball post-premiere party.
CAUGHT IN THE WEB
There is always a huge press and public interest when a new Bond film is announced. At the time of writing, for example, Daniel Craig’s third 007 adventure, Skyfall, is in pre-production just a few doors down the corridor from my office at Pinewood Studios. The Art Department has all manner of sketches, models and storyboards laid out; the runner’s office is bursting with mail, coffee machines and baskets of fruit and snacks; the executives, accountants and producers are ensconced in suites a few doors further along and everybody who walks down the corridor is fascinated by the names on the doors and asks, ‘So what’s this one about?’
From Russia With Love didn’t have a premiere, but its opening was big news.
During my tenure as Bond, there was no such thing as the Internet. Any titbits of information and production stills were released to the media through the Unit Publicist’s office, and they’d appear as ‘exclusives’ in newspapers and magazines around the world, all slowly building to a bigger and bigger deluge as premiere time approached, when United Artists swung its entire marketing team behind us. Back then, the various fan club publications carried the odd rumour, early photographs and potential storylines. Now all of that is on the web, with daily updates and interactive forums where anybody can post just about anything – and they are no doubt frustrated by the huge secrecy surrounding a production. Well, if you were spending $100 million+ the last thing you’d want is everybody to know everything about a film before you even make it.
Cover stories – being Jim Bond could never be described as a low-key occupation.
By the way, everyone – but everyone – on the film is sworn to secrecy and has to sign a confidentiality agreement. Scripts are kept under lock and key and all are watermarked. But let me tell you all you need to know: it’s going to be a great film, with lots of action, wonderful gadgets and rather beautiful leading ladies – the rest is to be discovered and enjoyed in a darkened room with 350 of your local neighbours.
TALKING THE TALK
Product placement and tie-ins have always been a big part of the 007 movies. Sean promoted Smirnoff Vodka way back in Dr. No and mentioned a certain brand of champagne too. That wasn’t just by chance – that was paid for by the manufacturer. Bond tie-ins over the years have featured everything from the drinks, watches and cars I’ve written about elsewhere in this book, to things like airlines (Richard Branson’s Virgin), toys, clocks, soft drinks – Coke, 7Up, Perrier – Easter eggs, sweets, stickers, dolls, stationery, mugs, T-shirts, lighters and so very much more. I haven’t been surprised to see my face on ties or underpants either.
I’m never late for an audition, thanks to my trusted Zeon alarm clock.
The exploitation of Bond is really all controlled by Eon, Danjaq and their marketing departments, as once run by Jerry Juroe, John Parkinson and Anne Bennett, and now Keith Snelgrove and Stephanie Wenborn. I am fortunate in that a few pennies occasionally find their way to me from my little involvement. It keeps an old actor in baked beans, y’know.
Ahead of any premiere, out-of-town journalists converge on London for a press junket. United Artists would take four or five rooms at one of the big hotels, set up TV cameras and wheel in the TV journalists one by one. I’d be in situ and they’d get a few minutes with me, before being given a tape of what we’d just recorded, and waved goodbye. This would go on all morning, then they’d call lunch … and I’d move into a dining room full of tables of twelve print journalists, all waiting to interview me. I’d spend three or four hours, shifting between tables while trying to eat the odd mouthful of food. It was always quite an exhausting couple of days – and one that was repeated in each major city we visited overseas.
A few of these gold-plated Lotus Esprit models were made for presentation to the Royal party, stars and a few other folks during the premiere of The Spy Who Loved Me.
Another close shave averted!
Then there are the film festivals, the most famous and important of which is Cannes each May. There Jimmy usually graces the front of the Carlton Hotel on La Croisette. I must admit, when promoting The Spy Who Loved Me, it was rather intimidating to drive up and see my face all over the famous building. Okay, I admit there is a fizzy thrill the first time you see it, but after that passes, it becomes a little embarrassing. As a rule I always try to avoid festivals, as they’re simply too terrifying for modest actors such as I.
As for the previews and premieres, I could have quite probably seen any one of my Bond films twenty times over. Imagine having to endure that! After the Royal premiere, where, of course, I sat with the Royal Party, I’d then avoid sitting through the film again. Sure, I’d walk the red carpet of whatever city we were premiering in, but then Cubby and I would sneak out and head off for dinner.
These premieres are always very glamorous occasions, where the stars and principals of the movie, plus a few other stars from TV and film, come together to unveil the movie to world audiences.
THE PREMIERE EVENT
Although the first two Bond films were just screened at the Pavilion Cinemas in Piccadilly Circus, from Goldfinger onwards there were premieres, usually at the Odeon Leicester Square. With its 2,000 seats (now reduced to 1,683), it really is the cathedral of British cinema, and helps launch each film with style, excitement and fanfare.
Paul and Linda McCartney, who sang the theme tune, attending the premiere of Live And Let Die.
On the evening of the Goldfinger premiere, 5,000 fans gathered outside the Odeon Leicester Square to watch the cans of film being delivered by armoured truck, but little did they know that Guy Hamilton was still shooting the final scenes in those cans in America just a few days earlier.
‘The first thing to be locked on any Bond film is the premiere,’ Guy told me. ‘And that date is set in stone – you have to hit it. No excuses.’
Sean didn’t attend the opening, as he was in Spain shooting The Hill. However, all his co-stars were there, including Honor Blackman, who wore a diamond ring worth £10,000.
As did I and Jane Seymour, where we were presented to Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Jean-Pierre Cassel (with whom I was filming That Lucky Touch), looks on.
When Thunderball premiered in December 1965 at the Hibiya Cinema in Tokyo, Japan had become the epicentre of Bondmania and old Jim was dubbed ‘Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’. How appropriate.
A miniature Bonding session. And a fan magazine.
At the New York premiere a few days later, United Artists arranged for one of the Bell Jet-Pack pilots to fly off the marquee of the Paramount Theatre at 1501 Broadway, Manhattan, as a promotion at the launch. A number of United Artists publicity personnel and the pilot were arrested as no one had sought permission from the authorities. The UK hosted dual premieres in London on 29 December 1965 at the Rialto Theatre and Pavilion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus.
You Only Live Twice premiered on 12 June 1967 at the Odeon Leicester Square, and marked Sean’s first attendance at a Bond opening since From Russia With Love. The unofficial spoof version of Casino Royale also opened the same year, and United Artists pulled out all the stops to ensure You Only Live Twice scored bigger at the box office, and insisted that posters read Sean Connery IS James Bond.
To mark the event, two television specials were broadcast. The first, on BBC1 in the UK, was a special edition of Whicker’s World with a behind-the-scenes look at the film. NBC in the USA meanwhile broadcast Welcome To Japan, Mr Bond, featuring skits by M, Q and Moneypenny.
The premiere was graced by the appearance of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip – their first James Bond premiere – and it broke the opening-day record at the Odeon and instantly became the number one film in the USA when it opened there the following day.
Director Guy Hamilton and his wife Keri are presented to HRH the Duke of Edinburgh in the Royal line up at the Odeon Leicester Square for The Man With The Golden Gun.
By the premiere of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service in December 1969, the new 007, George Lazenby, had already decided to quit when he attended the event. Against the wishes of the producers, he arrived sporting long hair and a bushy beard, looking nothing like his on-screen persona. Although profits were down compared with earlier films, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service has since been regarded by critics and fans as one of the best Bond films, outside of my own, of course.
Diamonds Are Forever premiered on 17 December 1971 at the DeMille Theatre in New York, followed by a British premiere on 30 December at the Odeon Leicester Square, London. The film broke records again at the Odeon, taking £35,000 in its first week (£13,500 more than the previous high).
Although there was no premiere for Dr. No, the first-night opening was attended by cast and crew at the London Pavilion followed by a dinner. Sean was accompanied by Zena Marshall.
Unlike On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, which overshot by two months, principal photography on Diamonds Are Forever wrapped on Friday, 13 August, bang on time, and no doubt in part due to Sean’s contract adding an additional $145,000 on top of his salary of $1.25 million for every week the production overran.
NERVOUS, JIMMY?
I can honestly say that the only time I was nervous about being the new James Bond was on the way to the premiere of Live And Let Die. We’d been shooting for months, I’d attended countless press conferences and interviews, but in the car on the way to the Odeon Leicester Square on 5 July 1973, the labour pains started. ‘The baby is coming out and it’s too late to do anything about it,’ I told myself.
HRH Princess Anne graced the event, and thankfully the audience didn’t all get up and walk out halfway through. They asked me back for a second film, so all was not lost.
The Man With The Golden Gun premiered on 18 December 1974, at the Odeon Leicester Square in the presence of HRH Prince Philip.
Incidentally, this was the first James Bond movie to be shown at the Kremlin. When the movie had finished, one Russian official turned around to Cubby and said, ‘we didn’t train Scaramanga very well, did we?’
For Your Eyes Only was HRH Princess Diana’s first Royal Premiere, which she attended with HRH Prince Charles and HRH Princess Margaret.
The Spy Who Loved Me premiered on 7 July 1977. The date on the posters read 07/07/77. Jim’s lucky numbers. This was Cubby’s first solo Bond production, and he was obviously anxious it was a success. After Rick Sylvester (doubling for me in the ski stunt) launched himself off the snowy cliff top to reveal a Union Jack parachute, the audience leapt to their feet and cheered – and Cubby smiled widely. 007 was back!
A limited number of gold Lotus Esprit models were produced for the evening, and presented to the Royal Party, myself and one or two other notables.
The post-premiere party was held at the InterContinental Hotel in Park Lane and cost £143,000 – the budget of a small British film.
When Moonraker premiered, the original plan was to do it in Houston, to coincide with the first launch of NASA’s new space shuttle. However, the space shuttle was delayed for two years, and we returned to the Odeon Leicester Square on 26 June 1979 instead.
The Moonraker post-premiere party was at the Playboy Club in Park Lane.
A large model Moonraker space shuttle was driven around the square, accompanied by two extras in space suits and greeting celebrity guests including Richard Kiel, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, Blanche Ravalec, Bernard Lee, Toshiro Suga, former Bond girl Britt Ekland, along with big names of the day Joan Collins, Dodi Fayed, Dino De Laurentis, Michael Winner and Richard Johnson.
A post-premiere party was held at the London Playboy Club with the bunny girls dressed in space outfits. The Odeon took £86,084 in its first week, breaking records once again.
For Your Eyes Only premiered on 24 June 1981 at the Odeon Leicester Square in the presence of Prince Charles and (the then) Lady Diana Spencer. It was the first ever premiere they’d attended together, and my daughter Deborah was asked to travel to Kensington Palace to meet and escort them. Thousands of fans waited hours for the Royal couple, who were also accompanied by Princess Margaret.
I presented the Prince of wales with a solid-gold version of a 007 Seiko digital watch, which played the James Bond theme at the touch of a button.
I then sat next to Lady Diana during the screening and, being conscious of having had a Jack Daniel’s or two in the run-up to the evening, I acquired a little spray to freshen my breath, and kept it in my hand throughout. Apparently, this amused Diana, as she reported back to the Palace that I must have thought my halitosis would bother her.
Richard Kiel is presented to HRH Princess Anne.
Topol, who played Columbo in the film, suggested to Cubby he should invite his former producing partner Harry Saltzman to the event. Their split had been acrimonious, but time is a great healer and the reunion was a happy one.
Unbeknown to us all, there was also a future James Bond in the audience that night, as Pierce Brosnan accompanied his wife Cassandra Harris.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales joined us once again for the premiere of Octopussy on 6 June 1981 at the Odeon Leicester Square. By this time, United Artists had all but collapsed after the disastrous financial problems Heaven’s Gate had left in its wake. However, MGM structured a merger/buy-out deal and swung behind the thirteenth Bond adventure (particularly with Sean’s unofficial Never Say Never Again lurking on the release schedule) with a huge marketing campaign.
Marvel produced this Octopussy special annual.
Never Say Never Again premiered on 7 October 1983 in the USA, before a Royal Premiere on 14 December at the Warner West End cinema in the presence of HRH Prince Andrew. The film drew largely positive reviews, though the lack of familiar 007 elements such as the music, gun barrel opening and MI6 staff disappointed some fans. Originally, Peter Hunt had been offered the chance to direct, though declined, as did Richard Donner. Irvin Kershner ultimately took the helm. Incidentally, MGM acquired the distribution rights to the movie in 1997 after its acquisition of Orion Pictures.
I never saw it myself. I probably never will. But, then again, never say never, eh?
It was San Francisco’s Palace of Fine Arts that welcomed the world premiere of A View To A Kill in May 1985. Given the overwhelming cooperation the city had offered us during filming, Cubby decided they should benefit from hosting the event. It was followed a few weeks later with a UK premiere, on 12 June, at the Odeon Leicester Square in the presence of TRH The Prince and Princess of Wales.
Of course, all the press asked me if I’d do another Bond, to which I replied, ‘I wouldn’t be a bit surprised.’ I knew I wouldn’t do any more, but the last thing you do at a film opening is announce you’re retiring!
THE NEW BOYS
By the time the premiere of The Living Daylights rolled around in June 1987, Timothy Dalton’s debut opened to positive press and a healthy box office and people were saying, ‘Roger who?’
Pierce Brosnan’s debut film GoldenEye launched in New York City on 17 November 1995. Five days later, on 22 November, in the presence of HRH the Prince of Wales, it premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square. After a six-year absence from the screen, the newspapers declared 007 was well and truly back. The movie smashed records, and overtook Moonraker in the box-office stakes.
After my retirement I purposely avoided attending any of the premieres, though I did attend the premiere for Die Another Day at the Royal Albert Hall in 2002, which celebrated the fortieth anniversary of 007 in film. Timothy Dalton was there, along with Pierce and George Lazenby – who admitted it was the first Bond film he’d seen since 1969. ‘Maybe I’ll start getting into them,’ he quipped. Just then he exited and bumped into Dana Broccoli.
Diana Rigg and George Lazenby at the On Her Majesty’s Secret Service premiere at the Odeon Leicester Square. Cubby and Harry were not best pleased when their star turned up with a beard and long hair, looking quite unlike his screen image.
‘Hello, George,’ she said. ‘I’m so pleased to see you have finally grown up.’
For once, George was speechless.
For the premiere of Die Another Day the Royal Albert Hall was transformed into a giant ice palace, and welcomed Her Majesty the Queen and HRH Prince Philip. It was Her Majesty’s first Bond premiere since 1967, and my first one since 1985.
I agreed to attend because my daughter Deborah had a small part in the film, plus, of course, it was the fortieth anniversary, and a few of us former 007s were invited to be in the Royal line-up. We were also introduced on stage prior to Pierce welcoming the audience to what was to be his last Bond film.
Pierce Brosnan and Halle Berry at the Royal Albert Hall for Die Another Day.
Then Daniel Craig took over the helm and, after some uncertainty, much negative press and nervous anticipation, Casino Royale premiered in Leicester Square in the presence of HM the Queen on 14 November 2006. It was the first film to simultaneously premiere in three cinemas across the square: the Odeon Leicester Square, Odeon West End and Empire Leicester Square – accommodating over 5,000 people.
For Quantum Of Solace they went even bigger, premiering across three cinemas again and with Leicester Square itself totally given over to a 007 theme. It had the biggest budget of all the Bond films to date and to my mind only proves that there is still huge and genuine love for this incredible series. It’s hard to see how much bigger it can get – but you can bet your bottom dollar they’ll think of something. James Bond will return …