Sinclair Mckay, formerly assistant features editor of the Daily Telegraph, works as a freelance writer and journalist. He is also the author of A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films, which the Guardian called 'A splendid history' and the Independent on Sunday described as 'Brisk, cheerful and enthusiastic'.
This delightful critical appreciation celebrates the longest-running of all film franchises as much for its absurd excesses as for its stylish thrills. Journalist McKay considers the films' family-run production company to be the Bond saga's true auteur and devotes a chapter to each of the movies up through the groundbreaking Casino Royale with Daniel Craig. McKay's 360-degree treatments take in everything from the script and actors' performances to the set design, score, and titles sequences, with droll digressions thrown in on such Bond motifs as Persian cats, monorails, "impossible leaps of villainous logic," and substandard action set pieces ("That's another thing that Bond producers never really learn: boat chases are intrinsically dull"). McKay writes in a breezy, chatty style, as if perpetually in between mouthfuls of popcorn; he remains raptly focused on aesthetics and eyeball impact while still teasing out underlying sexual and geopolitical themes. He's a charming hybrid of critic and fan, calling out Thunderball's failings-"How is it possible for a drama involving nuclear blackmail to drag on so?"-while managing to find the good even in George Lazenby. The result is a scintillating read that's often more entertaining than the movies themselves. Photos. (Aug.) Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
For almost 50 years, throughout a cinematic oeuvre of 22 films, fans of Ian Fleming's fictional Cold War MI6 uberspy have been in glorious Bondage. Freelance writer McKay explores the entire Bond cash cow, the longest-running film franchise in history. All the leading men get their due with film backstories and anecdotes. McKay also includes an informative analysis of EON productions, the London production company (started by Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961) that owns the Bond franchise. The Bond formula-exotic locales, technical gadgetry, megalomaniacal villains, obligatory chase scenes, and, oh yes, all those girls-is delineated in all its splendor. There is no shortage of critical (James Chapman's License To Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films), popular (John Cork's Bond Girls Are Forever: The Women of James Bond), and fan-based (Michael Di Leo's The Spy Who Thrilled Us: A Guide to the Best of Cinematic James Bond) 007 titles. Verdict Thoroughly researched and documented yet fetching in tone and style, McKay's fun, smart, and informative book gracefully treads the criticism/entertainment border.-Barry X. Miller, Austin P.L., TX Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.
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