Jamais plus Jamais ( Never Say Never Again ) French blu-ray edition released at last

Never Say Never Again : French Blu-Ray edition ( release date : April 2013 )

After the 2011 USA DvD release of that ' other ' Bond , Fox Video & MGM joined forces to offer a Blu-ray version for the French market . Hooray .

Every decent James Bond Fan in the world is aware of the peculiar background story concerning this movie .

Not part of the official Eon cannon , and thus not including all the usual gimmick ( opening gunbarrel and all ) , the film was launched at Summer 83 opposite ' the Bond of the moment ' , Octopussy .

It succeeded at the B.O almost according to plan ( the Roger Moore entry having the upper hand , but just slightly ) , and fuelled Kevin McClory with enough confidence to keep announcing in the Trade medias the iminent production of other Thunderball-based movies in the next decades ( none of them , including an animated version of the story ) never materialised , as we all know .

As a regular 007 movie , the film still missed some crucial elements . A sharper Peter Hunt / John Glenn type of editing , a shorter version ( 15 mm could be dropped from the final print without problem ) , a better soundtrack ( don't get me started on that , please … ) .

But 30 years later , it's interesting to note that many of the foolish ideas of the NSNA screenwriters have then been mysteriously adapted by the Eon franchise in the course of their own recent movies .

In Skyfall, for example , we see a beaten up , tired ( and slightly older ) James Bond trying to pass the physical tests to be reintegrated into active duty ( which is precisely what Bond does at the very beginning of NSNA - at the request of the new M ) .

And the ' Evil Queen of Numbers ' nickname of M in Goldeneye is a direct wink towards Bernard Fox' s own ' interpretation of M, infatuated with stats and numbers  …

So what of this Blu ray edition ?

Encoded AVC at 2:35 with ^a 16/9^th ratio ( compatible 4/3 ) , the image is superb .

The three documentaries already present on the 2011 US DvD version have been added , and they formed a truly great bonus of their own . Candid interviews with the crew & cast reveal the tortuous way the film production suffered , and the basic day-by-day struggle to simply be allowed to shoot a scene according to the peculiar legit status granted to Kevin McClory .

Of course , having Sir Sean Connery 's own recollection of the affair would have been the cherry on the cake but nonetheless those three mini doc ( approximatively ten minutes long each ) are really top of the state .

And would be sufficient enough for any decent Film fan to buy that disc – James Bond fan or not .

French release date : April the first 2013 . Priced at 14.99€

Acknowledgments Emile Imbert ( Cartel Communication )

                                Helena Conway ( TourismIreland.com )

Si Vive Solo Due Volte !!

William Boyd announces title of new Bond book at The London Book Fair

William Boyd, whose James Bond continuation novel is set to be one of this year’s publishing highlights, has today announced that his book will be called Solo.

The announcement came on the opening day of The London Book Fair, where Boyd is Author of the Day.

He explained his choice of title:

‘Sometimes less is more. For me as a novelist the simple beauty of Solo as the title of the next James Bond novel is that this short four-letter word is particularly and strikingly apt for the novel I have written. In my novel, events conspire to make Bond go off on a self-appointed mission of his own, unannounced and without any authorization - and he’s fully prepared to take the consequences of his audacity.
The journey Bond goes on takes in three continents – with the main focus honing in on Africa. It’s what happens to Bond in Africa that generates his urge to “go solo” and take matters into his own hands in the USA.
Thus far and no further, at this stage…’

He continues: ‘Titles are very important to me and as soon as I wrote down Solo on a sheet of paper I saw its potential. Not only did it fit the theme of the novel perfectly, it’s also a great punchy word, instantly and internationally comprehensible, graphically alluring and, as an extra bonus, it’s strangely Bondian in the sense that we might be subliminally aware of the “00” of “007” lurking just behind those juxtaposed O’s of SOLO…’

Very little else has been revealed about the book at this stage, other than that it will feature a veteran secret agent, with Bond aged 45. It will be published on 26 September in the UK by Fleming’s original publisher, Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Vintage Publishing, part of The Random House Group, in hardback, ebook and audio editions. HarperCollins will publish the book in Canada and the U.S. on 8 October.

Except ... Bond fans around the world will certainly remember ' Solo ' was the original title of Ian Fleming's venture into Television production . And that , due to legal pressure from mrs Broccoli & Saltzman - not quite keen on having the name of a minor character from the novel ( and then upcoming film ) Goldfinger used as the title of a new TV series , resulted in the series original title having to be hastily changed before actual U.S airing , to become the less subversive ' The Man From U.N.C.L.E ' ...

‘We are delighted to be announcing Solo as the title for the new James Bond novel on the day on which William Boyd is celebrated as Author of the Day at London Book Fair. The few of us with the good fortune to have read Solo can testify that Will has written an absolutely brilliant book and we look forward with mounting excitement to a huge worldwide publishing event on September 26th. The timing of the announcement is particularly apt as we mark the 60th anniversary of Jonathan Cape’s first publication of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale.’

The 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale, was on 13 April. 

Si Vive SOLO due Volte !

Sixty years ago ( almost ) ... James Bond was born !

Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel turns 60 on 13 April 2013.

Published on 13 April 1953 by Jonathan Cape, Casino Royale introduced James Bond, Special Agent 007, to the world. The first print run of 4,728 copies sold out within a month. Following this initial success, Fleming went on to publish a Bond title every year until his death in 1964. 

It is in Casino Royale where 007 first utters the immortal line ‘Bond - James Bond’ and where Bond first reveals his recipe for the famous martini cocktail, christened the ‘Vesper’ after the first Bond girl, Vesper Lynd. The artwork for the original cover was designed by Fleming himself, decorated with a heart motif to reflect a playing card.  

The first American pocket edition , apparently unsure of the original title , decided to go for a rather Mickey Spillane type of title ' You Asked for it ' .

In 2012, Casino Royale returned to its original publisher, Jonathan Cape, with a Vintage Classics edition featuring a new cover design inspired by the original, and an introduction by Alan Judd. Vintage also publish the rest of the James Bond collection and Fleming’s two non-fiction books.

To this day, Fleming’s Bond novels have sold over 60 million copies and have inspired a hugely successful film franchise. 
Eon Production’s 2006 film adaptation of Casino Royale with Daniel Craig is one of the highest-grossing Bond films in history.

Later this year a new James Bond novel, written by bestselling author William Boyd, will be published by Jonathan Cape. The book, the title of which is yet to be revealed, will be published in the UK on 26 September 2013: www.jamesbondthenewmission.co.uk.

( Remerciements :  Katy MacMillan-Scott)

James Bond returns

1969. A veteran secret agent. A single mission. A licence to kill.
James Bond returns.

For immediate release, Monday 18 February 2013

James Bond: The New Mission 26.9.13

Publication date of William Boyd’s Bond book announced

www.jamesbondthenewmission.co.uk

The new James Bond continuation novel by international bestseller William Boyd will be published on Thursday 26 September 2013, it is announced today. The book, as yet untitled, is one of the most eagerly anticipated publications of the year and will be published in the UK by Jonathan Cape – Ian Fleming’s original publisher and an imprint of Vintage Publishing.

The build-up begins with the launch of a website – www.jamesbondthenewmission.co.uk – dedicated to the new book, where fans can register to hear the latest news about the book as it’s released. The publication date is revealed on the same day that Skyfall is released on DVD in the UK.

The name and plot of the book remain a closely guarded secret, but it is confirmed that the story will take place in 1969, featuring a slightly older 007 at the age of 45. Boyd’s book will make a return to ‘classic Bond’, as Sebastian Faulks did with Devil May Care in 2008.

The new book will be published at the same time internationally, with HarperCollins publishing in Canada and the U.S.

2013 is an exciting year for Bond publishing, as 13 April marks the 60^th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, Casino Royale. To celebrate, Random House will be releasing new editions of Fleming’s non-fiction books Thrilling Cities and The Diamond Smugglers in the UK on this date.

Teaching DW & OO7 universes at Paris Sorbonne ( January 2013 )

Let the Sky falls ...

SKYFALL est enfin disponible … et il est temps de rappeler aux fans de 007 Legends que la mission finale du jeu – inspirée du film sur les écrans en ce moment même – est disponible dès aujourd’hui en téléchargement sur Playstation Network, Xbox LIVE et Steam pour PC.

Pour finir en beauté l’aventure vidéo James Bond, une expérience unique en son genre, la mission SKYFALL envoie les joueurs au cœur d’Istanbul pour traquer un violent assassin. Très vite, cette mission se transforme en chasse épique, entraînant les fans dans une poursuite à couper le souffle sur un train en pleine course alors qu’un mystérieux sniper manque de peu d’éliminer Bond. Après avoir vaincu la mort elle-même, 007 doit traquer sa cible jusqu’au bout du monde à Shanghai dans un duel final qui permettra de découvrir la vérité.

Voici la nouvelle bande-annonce avec des scènes tirées du niveau SKYFALL : http://youtu.be/8uaF5wx2tUo

Et pour garder un maximum d’authenticité, on trouve dans 007 Legends toute une liste de talents issus des films passés et présents de la saga James Bond, dont deux étoiles montantes de SKYFALL : NAOMIE HARRIS prête sa voix et son apparence pour son personnage Eve et OLA RAPACE donne ses traits à son personnage Patrice. Voici un aperçu des coulisses où l’on peut voir comment les développeurs donnent vie au film au sein du jeu : http://youtu.be/ZBq8nHLEKJo

007 Legends est disponible dès maintenant chez tous les distributeurs habituels. Pour plus d’information et des mises à jour exclusives, les fans ont rendez-vous sur www.facebook.com/007LegendsGame ou www.007legends.com. 

Pour fêter l'évènement , Our Man From Bond Street organise un grand concours - ouvert uniquement aux lecteurs Français .
Indiquez-nous par courrier au moins trois titres de films de James Bond auxquels Skyfall rend hommage dans son intrigue , d'une manière ou d'une autre  .
Envoyez vos réponses à mediabisfr@yahoo.fr avant le 30 novembre 2012 au plus tard . 

" This is the BIG one , 007 " ( This title is fully copyrighted Tim Greaves / Media Bis . Anyone using it without proper authorization is in for ...Quite a lot of troubles , I'll tell ya' ! )

ALL FOLLOWING INFORMATIONS HAVE BEEN OFFICIALLY CLEARED BY TASCHEN FRENCH P.R ( For your truly humble servant ) 

It weighs - approximatively - 6,4 kgs
It covers the production of ALL James Bond Movies - from Dr No to Skyfall ( including the non Eon produced ones ! )
It's a deadly weapon .
It's the Taschen James Bond 007 Archive book .
3 years in the making .
Thousands of exclusive pics unearthed and compiled by documentalist Paul Duncan .

First , the editions . Book will be available a little after the European release of Skyfall  .
It can already be pre-ordered on the Taschen website .
A Special limited edition ( around 700 copies I've been told ) should be available . Don't have precise details about that one ( heard about Daniel Craig signed copies , though )  .
An ULTRA SPECIAL VERY ( VERY ! ) limited edition will be produced .
With a 24 carat Gold lamé cover and gold leaf pages . It will be produced at such a restricted number that I prefer not to tell you about it , for fear of inducing mass suicide amongst Bond Fans around the World ...

Let's talk about the content now .
In a word : i's a WINNER !

If you thought you already knew everything about the Bond movies , then think again .

I would say about 70% of the picturial content is completely new and exclusive .

Documentalist Paul Duncan was given complete access to Eon archives ( which were - according to Taschen P.R - a ' real mess ' ... ) as well as Columbia pictures and Warner Bros ones ( for their respective entries in the Bond Canon ) .

Each chapter is dedicated to a specific movie - opening with some superb shots taken from their respective Credits sequence .

The real surprise then is to finally see both the Columbia Casino Royale version and Warner Bros Never Say Never again entries included at last in an official Eon / Danjaq book .

Granted, the NSNA chapter isn't that long - and without a lot of exclusive pics ( some storyboards - already seen here and there , a Theatrical release Poster sketch , some candid behind the scene shots ... ) . The text is very informative - and for once didn't downsize the movie when compared to the Eon ones .

But it's the 1967 Casino Royale chapter which really shines . With lots of never before seen pictures , and promo adds , funny anecdotes about the Hell the production went through to try to deliver something which could be more or less understood by a general audience ( some critics say they failed . But they tried - and very hard ! ) .

Book is constructed in a chronological way . From 1962's Dr No to 2012's Skyfall . 

Strangely enough , the latter films are more exclusively profusely illustrated than the Sixties ones . 

I suspect that quite simply , recent archive material was easier to unearth , than,say the caterer's menu of From Russia With Love ...

Anyway , despite a rather hefty Sale price , I can only say that's it's worth " every penny of it " .

Taschen PR jokes , telling me that perhaps they will make another one ... " In about fifty years " !!!

P.S : there IS a small complaint I could make . No information about CBS Climax Theatre 's version of Casino Royale . But since it wasn't a movie production, one could admit surely Taschen could be forgiven for that . Or could they ? ...