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For My Eyes Only - Directing the James Bond Films: The Autobiography of John Glen
Originally published by BT Batsford, 2001.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 20, 2019
Full of interest and packed with behind the scenes anecdotes from the postwar British film and TV industry to 80s Bond. It's nice to have some of the odder choices of location and stunt explained by the needs of the production and what/who was available. I was especially impressed by how genuinely dangerous the bobsled sequence in OHMSS was for everyone involved.
December 11, 2018
John Glen served as an editor and second unit director on three James Bond films (ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER) and as the director of five more (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY, OCTOPUSSY, A VIEW TO A KILL, THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS and LICENCE TO KILL). That's a lot of Bond, and as someone who went from age 10 when THE SPY WHO LOVED ME debuted to seeing LICENCE TO KILL while in college, I'd have to say that the bulk of Glen's Bond career neatly parallels much of my youth. Two of these films (FOR YOUR EYES ONLY and THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS) even qualify as personal favorites of mine. Not surprisingly, then, I quickly found a copy of this book as soon as I learned about it.
Glen seems quite aware of why most people would buy this book. While he does touch upon a variety of films on which he's worked (including several non-Bond action films that starred Roger Moore, the largely panned CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: THE DISCOVERY and 1978's SUPERMAN, on which he served as a second unit director), it's the Bond movies to which he devotes the most attention, and the book is chock full of Bond-related photos. Bond fans will certainly enjoy his anecdotes (I did.), but it should also be noted that coverage is a little sketchy. I don't doubt that one could write a book on the making of any ONE of these films, and Glen's narrative covers a lot of ground in a mere 223 pages (plus supplementary material such as an index and filmography), with photos taking up a large share of space.
That said, there are certainly plenty of good tidbits for Bond fans, as well as some for those nostalgic for 1970s action films. Glen is at his best describing action scenes and how they are filmed, and you do gain a new appreciation for stunt people and camera people who sometimes even risk their lives for their art (and Glen does, in fact, relate a few incidents in which someone was badly injured or a life was lost). Those old Bond films also entailed more trickery than I had realized, and it was interesting to read about that, too.
Glen fares less well in his accounts of his personal and working relationships. He mentions his first marriage and then meeting and courting his second wife while working on Bond films, but he neglects to tell us that he was ever divorced from Wife #1. Similarly, I had hoped to learn more about the personalities of the various actors and how they had meshed behind the camera, and while there is some of this, I wish that he had gone into more depth.
On the other hand, Glen's attitudes toward film making and the film industry do come through, and sometimes prove more revealing than he perhaps intended. Certainly, he has some old fashioned attitudes and even sounds like a bit of a grump when he complains about modern effects and how younger film makers often "don't know how" to use practical effects that would, in his view, often work better.
There are also a couple comments that he makes casually, but which raise some eyebrows today, in the #metoo era. First, there's a photo caption in which Glen points out that Roger Moore is groping a female crew member in said photo. With no further context, we can perhaps assume that this photo was staged, with the crew member's consent, but even if so, Glen's inclusion of it - with out his apparently feeling the need to explain it further - says something about his attitudes toward sexual harassment. Another comment, however, reveals even more. When discussing the filming of A VIEW TO A KILL, he notes that "local firemen" in San Francisco were "keen to volunteer" for a scene in which one was needed to "rescue" Tonya Roberts from a burning building. "The lucky chap who got the job was enthusiastically cheered by his mates as he came down the ladder with Tanya," Glen writes, adding that "...where his hands went was nobody's business." It's hardly shocking that such an incident occurred, but Glen's casual dismissal of it speaks volumes about the sort of culture that women faced on film sets.
Generally speaking, this book is worthwhile for James Bond enthusiasts and those with a casual interest in the craft of film making. Others may find it of less value. As one of those Bond enthusiasts, I personally enjoyed it well enough and am happy to have read it.
My score: 7/10
Glen seems quite aware of why most people would buy this book. While he does touch upon a variety of films on which he's worked (including several non-Bond action films that starred Roger Moore, the largely panned CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS: THE DISCOVERY and 1978's SUPERMAN, on which he served as a second unit director), it's the Bond movies to which he devotes the most attention, and the book is chock full of Bond-related photos. Bond fans will certainly enjoy his anecdotes (I did.), but it should also be noted that coverage is a little sketchy. I don't doubt that one could write a book on the making of any ONE of these films, and Glen's narrative covers a lot of ground in a mere 223 pages (plus supplementary material such as an index and filmography), with photos taking up a large share of space.
That said, there are certainly plenty of good tidbits for Bond fans, as well as some for those nostalgic for 1970s action films. Glen is at his best describing action scenes and how they are filmed, and you do gain a new appreciation for stunt people and camera people who sometimes even risk their lives for their art (and Glen does, in fact, relate a few incidents in which someone was badly injured or a life was lost). Those old Bond films also entailed more trickery than I had realized, and it was interesting to read about that, too.
Glen fares less well in his accounts of his personal and working relationships. He mentions his first marriage and then meeting and courting his second wife while working on Bond films, but he neglects to tell us that he was ever divorced from Wife #1. Similarly, I had hoped to learn more about the personalities of the various actors and how they had meshed behind the camera, and while there is some of this, I wish that he had gone into more depth.
On the other hand, Glen's attitudes toward film making and the film industry do come through, and sometimes prove more revealing than he perhaps intended. Certainly, he has some old fashioned attitudes and even sounds like a bit of a grump when he complains about modern effects and how younger film makers often "don't know how" to use practical effects that would, in his view, often work better.
There are also a couple comments that he makes casually, but which raise some eyebrows today, in the #metoo era. First, there's a photo caption in which Glen points out that Roger Moore is groping a female crew member in said photo. With no further context, we can perhaps assume that this photo was staged, with the crew member's consent, but even if so, Glen's inclusion of it - with out his apparently feeling the need to explain it further - says something about his attitudes toward sexual harassment. Another comment, however, reveals even more. When discussing the filming of A VIEW TO A KILL, he notes that "local firemen" in San Francisco were "keen to volunteer" for a scene in which one was needed to "rescue" Tonya Roberts from a burning building. "The lucky chap who got the job was enthusiastically cheered by his mates as he came down the ladder with Tanya," Glen writes, adding that "...where his hands went was nobody's business." It's hardly shocking that such an incident occurred, but Glen's casual dismissal of it speaks volumes about the sort of culture that women faced on film sets.
Generally speaking, this book is worthwhile for James Bond enthusiasts and those with a casual interest in the craft of film making. Others may find it of less value. As one of those Bond enthusiasts, I personally enjoyed it well enough and am happy to have read it.
My score: 7/10
April 6, 2020
With the possible exception of A View to a Kill, John Glen has made some of my favourite Bond films, so when I found out he wrote an autobiography, I had to read it! I definetely wasn't dissappointed. This book gives the reader a look into all the five Bond films Glen directed as well as On Her Majesty's Secret Service (on which he was the second unit director and editor). Glen also tells about the amazing Union Jack parachute ski jump from The Spy Who Loved Me and the pre-title sequence from Moonraker. He fleshes out many of the series' iconic set pieces and the trickery they applied to put it on screen. It is impressive to read about the craftmanship that went into making these great films, and Glen tells about it in a very captivating and even quite funny way - there are plenty of hilarious and sometimes very crude or NSFW anecdotes sprinkled throughout this book. You really get a sense of how the cast and crew of these film were family, getting back together across several Bond and non-Bond films and each bringing their particular set of skills. What really struck me about this book is the picture it paints of John Glen's career. It is really impressive to read about how a young kid transporting film reels on bike ended up honing his skills as editor and second unit director until finally being given the reins of a franchise he loved working on so much for five consecutive films. Glen really wanted to go back to the roots of Ian Fleming with his films, even if some of them had their sillier moments, and I've gained a whole new level of appreciation for his vision after reading this book. This is definetely a much read for every Bond fan out there!
November 21, 2020
A pretty good memoir especially for Bond fans, There’s also lots of detail here about other films the director worked on and some great pictures as well. Recommended for film buffs and highly recommended for 007 fans.
August 15, 2021
For a lifelong Bond fan this book could not disappoint. Glen shows himself to be the guy you expect him to be if you've watched his films, funny and adventurous, but deadly serious about his craft. I now have a watch list for his non-007 projects, which I'm looking forward to viewing.
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April 23, 2020Excellent candid book about the life of a man who grew up making TV shows and then eventually working on James Bond films. Great insight.
October 14, 2009
The autobiography of John Glen, for many years a vital component in the EON team (moving up from editor and 2nd unit director to being the director of all the Bond films made in the 80s), this is entertaining and good fun, if a little lacking on personal details.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews