The James Bond movie franchise has endured for near 60 years since the release of Dr. No in 1962. Part of the secret to its longevity is the filmmakers' willingness to adapt to contemporary trends. Every few years, the franchise reinvents itself with examples including Roger Moore's comedic approach and the darker tone of the Dalton/Craig films.
But along the way, there have been plenty of experiments too, with some being more successful than others and some which were downright bizarre. It is fascinating to look back at these films and understand how they tried to appeal to audiences with their borrowed elements.
60's Comedy
Though not a part of the main James Bond film series, 1967's Casino Royale was an official adaptation of Ian Flemming's 1953 novel. The movie rights to the book had landed in the hands of producer Charles Feldman after the death of Gregory Ratoff in 1960.
Feldman tried to collaborate with Bond producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman to bring Casino Royale to the main series, but these plans fell through. He instead reimagined the film as an outlandish comedy in the style of his recent hit What's New Pussycat. He brought back cast and crew members from that film including Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, and Burt Bacharach for the music.
The Blaxploitation Genre
Blaxploitation is a film sub-genre that arose in the 1970s, which was intended to broaden the scope of Black roles in film, away from the limited stereotypes of maids and servants. Blaxploitation was also intended to appeal to Black urban audiences, although it found popularity (and controversy) across all demographics of filmgoers. The genre was meant to break the existing stereotypes, although it did create new cliches by championing revenge, violence, and hostility toward law enforcement.
These new cliches were quite evident in Live and Let Die. The portrayal of the film's Harlem Villians was adjusted from that of the books, and the writers decided to include many blaxploitation cliches that were absent from the novel, including pimpmobiles, heroin trafficking, and a complete reimagining of Mr. Big as a typical blaxploitation gangster. Several Blaxploitation regulars were also cast, such as Yaphet Kotto, Julius W. Harris, and Gloria Hendry.
70's Kung Fu
The 1970s also saw the boom of Hong Kong martial arts films. Bruce Lee became a film icon with hits like The Big Boss, Fists of Fury and Way of the Dragon. By 1973, Hollywood had taken notice, with Warner Brother's producing the iconic Enter the Dragon.
Just as Live and Let Die had "borrowed" from Blaxploitation, The Man With the Golden Gun attempted to cash in on the success of the Kung Fu craze. The majority of the story was moved to China and Thailand, even though much of the novel had taken place in Jamaica. Midway through the film, Roger Moore's Bond finds himself in a karate school owned by villain Hai Fat. He duels with two fighters before making his escape. Lieutenant Hip and his nieces then help Bond by taking down a small army of martial artists.
90's Kung Fu
The next time a Bond film was set in southeast Asia, it again took some influence from the Honk Kong martial arts films of the time. Director John Woo perfected his signature style with hits like Hard Boiled and Hard Target before bringing his craft to Hollywood for Face/Off.
Tomorrow Never Dies was the Bond film of 1997, starring Pierce Brosnan. Hong Kong martial arts regular Michelle Yeoh was cast as the Bond girl, Wai Lin, one of the most badass and popular Bond supporting characters ever. The film was also the first example of a Bond film using John Woo-style slow motion for dramatic effect.
80's Action
The 1980s were an incredible time for Hollywood action movies. Hits like The Terminator, Rambo: First Blood Part 2, and Missing in Action made household names out of their movie stars. 1988's Die Hard with Bruce Willis, which launched a subgenre in its own right, was one of the most iconic of these films.
1989's Bond picture Licence to Kill starring Timothy Dalton took notes from these contemporaries, Die Hard in particular, with the violence turned up to the next level. Some actors from Die Hard were brought on for the Bond film, with Robert Davi playing the main villain Franz Sanchez. Also brought on was Michael Kamen, the music composer of Die Hard and Lethal Weapon.
2000's Sci-Fi
1999 was a significant year for science fiction. It saw the release of the highly anticipated Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and the surprise hit The Matrix. Around the same time, the X-Men, Spider-Man, and Lord of the Rings franchises were just getting off the ground as well.
It is by looking at these trends that one can understand the direction of Die Another Day. The film was even more outlandish than Moonraker, with an invisible car, giant space laser, and a plot involving gene therapy. The editing and cinematography were influenced as well, with several moments utilizing the bullet-time style popularized in The Matrix.
70's Sci-Fi
After laying mostly dormant for 2 decades, the science fiction genre exploded into the mainstream with the blockbuster success of 1977's Star Wars. Cinemas were soon flooded with imitations like Battlestar Gallactica and Battle Beyond the Stars, not to mention instant sci-fi classics like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Superman.
The James Bond franchise was quick to cash in. Instead of adapting For Your Eyes Only as planned, Eon Productions opted to make Moonraker. But the film was completely unlike the book and can best be described as The Spy Who Loved Me with spaceships instead of submarines and with new space lasers. Moonraker is to date the only film to send James Bond into space.
Jason Bourne Spy Thriller
The same year Die Another Day came out, audiences were captivated by another spy film The Bourne Identity, starring Matt Damon and directed by Doug Liman. The film introduced shaky handhelds and quick editing to create a new feel for a spy movie. The action was tough and brutal, unlike anything seen before.
Although Die Another Day made more money, the Bond producers had taken notice and it was clear that the franchise needed to take a different direction. Four years later Daniel Craig was in the role of James Bond in the "dark and gritty" reboot Casino Royale. Craig's physicality allowed Bond to be more brutal than ever on-screen, being closer in line with the 007 of Flemming's books.
Hitchcockian
Alfred Hitchcock was known as the master of suspense and in the late 1950s, he directed some groundbreaking thrillers, such as Rear Window and Vertigo. He also made a film about an ordinary man swept up in a game of espionage and intrigue. North by Northwest has often been described as the first James Bond film.
There was interest in having Hitchcock direct a Bond film, but this never materialized. Nevertheless, he left his mark on the series. The ruthless Bond of the books was turned into a more suave and charming character in line with Cary Grant's Roger Thornhill.
James Bond Film
If there is one genre that Bond filmmakers turn to for inspiration most often, it's the genre of James Bond himself. Dr. No and the subsequent films of Sean Connery laid the groundwork for the series to come by creating a blueprint to go by.
And the one Bond film that all others want to be is of course 1964's Goldfinger, featuring an industrialist with ulterior motives and an unforgettable henchman. In the years to come, some Bond films have featured unique stories or in some cases ignored existing Fleming material to create something akin to Goldfinger. The Spy Who Loved Me, A View to a Kill, and Tomorrow Never Dies are prime examples.