Everything or Nothing

Though this feels like a better than average DVD extra that's been buffed up and polished so that it can attempt to stand on its own two feet as a tv special/film, this actually isn't too bad.

It covers (briefly) how Bond came to be, but mostly focusses on how the film franchise came to be the massive deal that we know it to be.

It doesn't shy away from covering some of the lower moments along the way, not to mention that awkward six year gap between the reign of Dalton and Brosnan, but it's perfectly accessible for those who've heard all of the stories many times before, and equally those who don't.

A good effort.

Over the years, there has been so much media (in all formats) given to the James Bond saga that one would think it would be difficult to approach the matter from a new, fresh perspective. However, that is EXACTLY what "Everything or Nothing" manages to do by focusing on the creative talent behind the creation of Bond.

Basically, this documentary tells the "Bond story" from the perspective of those who created the books and films:

-It begins with much exposition on Ian Fleming, the book author, and what inspired him to create such an iconic character.

-Then, it focuses on the beginning of the films and how the Broccoli/Saltzman relationship became such a dynamite pairing that rocketed the franchise to stardom.

-The rest of the show explains how the Bond movies changed over the years due to the ever- changing relationships of the power players behind the scenes.

As a huge Bond fan, I very much enjoyed this documentary for its ability to pull back the curtain on the creative side of Bond, exposing some stories I had not heard before and some casting/creative decisions about the franchise that now make a bit more sense once the "backstage" stuff is known.

If you are just looking for a "Bond highlight reel", you might be disappointed here. But, if you want some great interviews and all the "dirt" on the creators, this will completely suck you in!

Documentary that pays tribute to James Bond, the longest-running and most profitable film franchise of all time, 60 years after the seductive secret agent first hit the big screen. It narrates the universe of the legendary British agent through interviews and frames.

Showing some reviews are given of all the actors who have given life to 007: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

Sean Connery's first film was ¨Terence Young's Doctor No¨and following others as ¨From Russia with love¨, You Only Live Twice¨, ¨Thunderball¨, ¨Goldfinger¨. Sean told her he'd never play James Bond again, however , for a big salary he accepted to perform ¨diamonds are forever¨ and later "Never say never again". The youngest was George Lazenby , who was twenty-nine in 007 ¨On Majestic's secret service¨ (1969). Sir Roger Moore as a new James Bond is cool , his first one : ¨Live and let die¨, and others as ¨Octopussy¨, ¨Moonraker¨ , ¨The spy who loved me¨, ¨A View to a Kill¨. Moore lacked coldness and toughness characterized by Sir Sean Connery; however, earning in irony , suavity and smoothness . Sean Connery turned down the then astronomical sum of five and a half million dollars to perform James Bond. Sean Connery gave Sir Roger Moore his personal seal of approval for inheriting his character , calling him "an ideal Bond¨ and making him the oldest actor to do so.

In the interviews they reveal the experiences that embodying one of the most legendary fictional heroes of all time has brought them. In addition to the statements made by the different interpreters, there is a special remembrance telling the story of the producers who financed the films: Albert R. Broccoli, and Harry Salzman with their company Eon along with the Hollwood production United Artists, they shared the dream of bringing to the screen the novels of the character created by Ian Fleming in 1952, the latter there is also a due memory. Showing the emotional experiences that the three creators experienced with their respective families and also containing some of the most impactful scenes of the Bond phenomenon films.

However, due to a copyright conflict regarding the novel "Thunderball", writer/producer Kevin McClory took over the rights and made a new Bond with an already aging Sean Conney, who had previously promised not to repeat this famous character. As Connery returned to the world of Bond after 12 years , it resulted to be a peculiar remake , titled "Never Say, never again¨ and was a failure at the box office. This Bond film was not part of the franchise produced by these producers , but here Kevin McClory who was producer and co-writer of Thunderball (1965), won a legal battle against Ian Fleming to make his own Bond movie , the settlement stipulated that it had to effectively be a remake of Thunderball . On the other hand, Timothy Dalton was a brief Bond playing only two films : ¨Living daylights¨, and ¨Licence to Kill¨. While Pierce Brosnan played ¨Die Another Day¨, ¨World is not enough¨, ¨Tomorrow Never Dies¨and ¨Goldeneye¨. Eventually, last James Bond, the tough and blond Daniel Craig has played: ¨Casino Royale¨, ¨Quantum of solace¨, ¨Spectre¨, ¨Skyfall¨ and ¨No Time to Die¨.

Fantastic documentary and very pacily directed. Actually more involving and entertaining than many recent Bond films for this fan, a real narrative arc to it all, and emotional involvement. Superb use of Barry music throughout to accompany the narrative, and clips from the films to illustrate events.

Bond creator Ian Fleming gets his deserved share of acclaim in it. Connery's non-involvement lends him a posthumous air, but it allows him to be cast as the villain of the piece, an attitude which seems more justified in retrospect as the series has gone from strength to strength without him. They linger on shots of Connery looking quite obese in the Diamonds are Forever era, as if to make a point, and the clips from his rogue Bond film Never Say Never Again mainly show him at his worst. They don't mention, however, that EON actively worked to mess up Never Say Never Again by hauling them to the courts on a weekly basis to throw up roadblocks over their intended storyline.

Alternative Bond producer and huckster Kevin McClory is the other villain of the piece, though no one would realistically stick up for him. That said, I'm not sure that the whole Spectre thing wasn't his idea and lord knows EON milked that in the 60s, using them for films where they hadn't even featured in the books.

A shock to see Roger Moore look so overweight, he's turning into Cubby now, while I thought Dalton looked better than he's been in decades, quite rugged and windswept. But his interpretation of Bond is wholly damned here, with no one speaking up in support of it, and he even seems to damn it in his own words: 'I worried that half the people would love Connery and the other half love Moore and they'd gang up to hate me...' implying that's what happened, though in the interview from which that quote was taken, a few years after LTK, he swiftly added 'Which didn't happen I'm glad to say', now edited out. Brosnan is in good form, but still surprisingly cut up about getting the push, surprisingly because, let's face it, his films were mostly below par through no fault of his own. I think his response was the grief or regret that comes from knowing he'd never get a chance to get it right, and now time had moved on.

One-time Bond George Lazenby is perhaps the best entertainment value for anecdotes, he's in good form and amusingly self-deprecating. Oh, there's a moving scene regarding a phone call from Connery to Cubby, related by Barbara Broccoli. Connery's comments are occasionally heard, but they're from past interviews and used very fleetingly, over other clips.

What I found surprising was that I found the clips of Casino Royale with Daniel Craig at the end far more moving than in the actual film, because the music played over it - not David Arnold, it seems - was more affecting. Craig's performance looked shockingly impressive this time round simply because of this.

Some clips from Skyfall at the end, though not too many if you haven't seen it yet. The trailer is almost directly before the film, so arrive at the last minute if you want to miss that. Catch this in cinemas if you can, as you get to see some clips of the films on the big screen for once, even if some of the hi-def remasters seem to have just something very slightly wrong about them sometimes.

Nothing here that I didn't already know. The information is already out there in countless books and other documentaries. Because it's an official documentary, views are very sanitized. Dull.