Nobody Does it Better

by Edward Gross

The ultimate oral history of the only gentleman secret agent with a license to kill... and thrill...telling the incredible, uncensored true stories of the James Bond franchise and spy mania.

For over five decades, the cinematic adventures of James Bond have thrilled moviegoers. Now, bestselling authors Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross take you behind-the-scenes of the most famous and beloved movie franchise of all-time filled with reflections from over 150 cast, crew, critics and filmmakers who reflect on the impact of this legendary movie franchise as well as share their thoughts about their favorite (and least) favorite 007 adventures and spy mania which gripped fans the world over in the wake of the success of the James Bond films.


From Russia--with love, course--to Vegas, from below the bright blue waters of the Bahamas in search of a missing nuclear weapon to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge, from below the seas in Stromberg's new Noah's Ark of Atlantis into orbit with Hugo Drax, Nobody Does It Better: The Complete Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of James Bond tells the amazing, true story of the birth of James Bond through the latest remarkable James Bond adventures as well as the Spy mania classics that enthralled the world.

It's Bond and Beyond from the critically acclaimed authors of the bestselling The Fifty-Year Mission and So Say We All.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Media Tie In, Oral History, Audiobook, Film, Espionage

720 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 2020

About the author

Edward Gross is a veteran entertainment journalist who took his childhood passion for film and television and turned it into a career. As a student at Hofstra University, while most of the staff of The New Voice was interviewing the likes of student senators and faculty members, he was speaking to people like playwright Neil Simon (awarded an honorary degree by the school), Curtis Sliwa of New York’s Guardian Angels, Dr. Daniel Schwartz, the police psychiatrist who interviewed both David Berkowitz and Mark David Chapman; and James Bond director John Glen. Early on he sold pieces to New York Nightlife, Starlog and Filmfax magazines and was on his way.
Over the years he would not only become a correspondent for Starlog, but part of the editorial staff of Fangoria, Cinefantastique, SFX, Cinescape, Sci-Fi Now, Not of This Earth, RetroVision, Life Story, Movie Magic, Film Fantasy and TV Magic. Online he was Executive Editor, US for Empire Online, Film and TV Editor at Closer Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch Weekly, and Nostalgia Editor for DoYouRemember? Currently he is senior editor at Geek magazine, and editor and podcast host for Voices from Krypton (devoted to the superhero genre), TV RetroVision (classic television) and Vampires and Slayers (the name says it all).
In addition to the oral history books he’s written with Mark A. Altman, Gross’ other titles include Secret File: The Making of a Wiseguy and The Unofficial 25th Anniversary Odd Couple Companion; X-Files Confidential; Spider-Man Confidential; Planet of the Apes Revisited with Joe Russo and Larry Landsman; Rocky: The Ultimate Guide; and Stargate: SG1 — In Their Own Words.

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

"[If you] insist on staying at the Hotel Fountainbleu because that's where Bond first tangled with Auric Goldfinger and drank Dom Perignon '53 at 38 degree Fahrenheit with 'golden girl' Jill Masterson, then this book is definitely for you . . . and it's decidedly not just 'man talk.'" -- from the introduction, on page 20

Nobody Does It Better is one of those books that I sometimes describe as both exhaustive and exhausting. Although not specifically meant to be a fully in-depth or comprehensive look at every single 007 film (even including those two unofficial entries from 1967 and 1983) in the venerable spy series – chronologically from the debut Dr. No in 1962 up to Spectre in 2015 – it is still a fairly hefty tome weighing in at 700 pages. (Also, no photographs or production stills are present since this is all ‘unofficial,’ sort of like Bond’s revenge mission in Licence to Kill.) So, it may require a reader to be a truly devoted James Bond fan or follower, but those with an earnest or long-running appreciation for the flicks will likely find some good stories and trivia among the thousands of talking-head paragraphs. Authors Altman and Gross have grabbed opinioned interviews or pulled archival quotes from the starring actors (Roger Moore, George Lazenby, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig), the numerous supporting players, screenwriters, composers, directors, producers and various other technical or behind-the-scenes folks throughout the decades. You may be worn out by the time you finish it – just like Bond after the requisite climactic action scene - but you can always then kick back and watch a movie. As for me, I immediately popped Goldfinger into the DVD player. 😉

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

After 24 movies, their commentary tracks, a few dozen behind-the-scenes documentaries, several of the novels, scores of episodes of the James Bonding podcast, and this book, I think I may have finally had enough James Bond.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really what I expected. Yes, it’s an unofficial history of the James Bond franchise and it does have a lot of stories that most of us never heard from those who played Bond, others in the films, and those who made the movies. Yet it’s just hundreds of little snippets from those who played Bond, and other characters, writers, directors, who made the films and a bunch of random celebrities and virtual nobody’s talking about what they thought of the movies, where and when they first saw them, who and which movies they did and didn’t like, etc.

Mostly worthwhile reading but somewhat disappointing also as there were a lot of extremely boring ramblings about things you won’t even care about. Honestly, it’s a real drag after a while, all the politics behind the films; I mean who even cares?

My personal peeve regarding the book – No mention of Alice Cooper. They recorded the song “The Man with The Golden Gun” for the movie of the same name. Submitted it (unfortunately a day late), and it was turned down for Lulu’s lame version of a song by the same name.

Alice released the song on his Muscle of Love album. In my opinion it’s a great song.

By the last one hundred pages or so I was so done with this book.

[Rob Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some curious omissions (Tina Turner doesn't even rate a mention!) but as far as a single-volume overview of James Bond goes, you could do a lot worse. One of the things I found most interesting was its elucidation of the decades-long legal wrangling between Kevin McClory and EON.

[Richard Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having really enjoyed their two volumes of The Fifty-Year Mission oral history of Star Trek, I jumped at the chance to crack into Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman’s take on the James Bond franchise. After all, I’ve been slowly working through all the books for my 007 Case Files and re-watching all the films as well. From Fleming to 2015’s Spectre, this is an almost exhaustively comprehensive look at the production, behind the scenes intrigue and analysis of each film. As with the Star Trek books, I was just as fascinated with the roads not taken: Doctor No was planned to be a monkey in an early draft of that film, for example, and I’m not sure if the world is richer or poorer for the decision not go with this. While Gross and Altman don’t quite capture everybody involved, they come pretty damn close – including deep dives into the non-Eon productions such as the 1967 Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again. I especially enjoyed the sidebars into ‘Bond Girls’ or other thematic topics within an individual film’s history. Even if you’re a die-hard Bond fan, this is essential reading/listening.

[NephriteON · Rating 4 out of 5]

The following review was originally published in the online newspaper The Orkney News in November 2020. Link here. https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/11/27...

Nobody Does It Better By Edward Gross And Mark A. Altman

The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorised Oral History Of James Bond

Hello to you all! It feels like it’s been a while. Before I continue, I’d like to thank all for the response to my ‘confession’ last time. To put it mildly, I’m overjoyed to the reaction. Now then let’s get down to business.

I’ve made it clear on a few occasions through reviews for Thunderball and Forever And A Day that I’m a fan of 007 and his extensive list of missions over the years. Be it the Fleming original, the EON film series or his numerous loving (and not so loving) parodies. As such it should be no surprise that when I found an audiobook claiming to be a complete aural history of Bond’s existence moving from Casino Royale’s publication in 1952 to the most recent released film production in 2018’s Spectre I was curious to say the least. What would they and wouldn’t they include? Would they mention the 1967 Casino Royale spoof? Never Say Never Again? The legal hell with Kevin McClory?

I certainly got my questions answered! Nobody Does It Better by Gross and Altman (authors of The Fifty Year Mission, a two volume series written for the 50th anniversary of Star Trek) is actually a little different than I was expecting going in. Rather than being a behind the scenes biography almost of the books and films, it is composed mostly of quotes taken from interviews with numerous figures of Bond lore cut together in a scrapbook fashion to tell a complete history of the production both behind of and in front of the camera along with additional material by the authors. Several people are interviewed ranging from Wolf Mankowitz (uncredited script contributor, Dr No – 1962), Albert ‘Cubby’ Broccoli (EON Bond series producer 1962-1995) and numerous directors and stars of the film series including several Bonds, to famous fans and analysts of the books and films as well as several ‘what could have beens’ (writers whose contributions were rejected – including Nicholas Meyer author of The Adventure Of The Peculiar Protocols which I have previously reviewed, individuals considered for the part of Bond and other examples.)

The authors also go into depth on Bond’s other ventures – the 1960s newspaper strips, the 1990s James Bond Jr animated series and the non-EON film productions are all gone into on some level. Each film or side venture either has its own chapter or is included at its point in the timeline. The only thing of note I can think of not mentioned is the Young Bond book series by Charlie Higson. The audiobook was very much not what I expected but I had a lot of fun with it. Especially seeing everyone’s perspective of certain figures or events. The information included on the Kevin McClory situation was fascinating in particular. It certainly made it clear just why this debate or miniature war went on from the 1950s until the 2010s! Although one piece of advice I have for fellow interested listeners: Skip past the beginning and go straight to the chapter entitled The Road To Bond. The sections before then consist of introductions by the authors and about an hour of ‘James Bond is awesome, James Bond is awesome’ on constant loop like a stuck record player or skipping CD before the book actually seems to start. And I say this as a 007 fan!

The audiobook version of Nobody Does It Better has narration from multiple individuals. Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman read their own introductions while the main book is shared between Hannah Stokely, Simon Lenagen and Tam Williams. The three of them do an alright job – especially given the endless list of names being interviewed – with Stokely in particular doing well. Lenagen and Williams are more variable with some voices coming across well and being easy to listen whilst others being mildly grating. Overall I wouldn’t call the narration bad or anything like that but at the same time it could have been better.

On a slightly more negative note I unfortunately do have criticisms of the actual book. Despite enjoying the vast majority of it immensely, there were a few negatives. Firstly the beginning I mentioned previously, which does just seem to go on and on without end. To others I understand this might not be a problem but with a book as long and in-depth as this one…it tested my patience.

Secondly there is the treatment the authors give to certain films or Bonds. I understand personal choice and don’t expect the authors to parrot my own opinion back at me but the treatment can be odd. For example on the film front some of the Bond series’s few genuine disasters (regarded as such by fan consensus at any rate) such as Quantum Of Solace (2008) or Die Another Day (2002) feel like they are treated with kid gloves. Every film has its defenders in this book – something I appreciate – but even still it feels like some films are given generally kinder treatment than others when they don’t deserve it. This also extends to Bonds. Every Bond has his fans here – even Lazenby (1969) thankfully – but in one case they are conspicuously thin on the ground. The Timothy Dalton era (1987-1989) is treated unusually harshly with almost every contributor seeming to either disparage the Dalton films in general, Dalton’s performance, other members of the production behind the scenes or find some reason to heap scorn on that era. To be honest it got so bad in the section on The Living Daylights I had to skip to the next film halfway through! That’s usually a bad sign!

Lastly and in my opinion less severely it is also debatable that starting with the films worked on by the current management – Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, ‘Cubby’’s daughter and stepson respectively – the writers become less prone to tell all the stories and as much as possible ‘airbrush’ what the listener or reader is told. This is likely because they don’t want to antagonise the current bosses at EON but it’s still a debatable opinion.

Overall Nobody Does It Better is a genuinely enjoyable audiobook. Especially if you are a long time fan of Bond and all related ephemera. It is very interesting indeed hearing the behind the scenes opinions of those involved in making the films or of highly respected long time fans. Depending on the listener they may disagree heavily with certain voiced opinions but that just makes the experience more interesting usually. I hope some of you may join me in listening to this as despite my few complaints it’s still an audiobook I enjoyed immensely and I do heartily recommend.

I don’t think it will be too much longer before you hear from me again…but for now?

Sayonara!

Nephrite

[Jeff Wong · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have any interested in the James Bond films or novels, this oral history is likely to be of interest to you. The authors have essentially compiled commentary by cast members, production members, and other authors who have also followed the history of James Bond as a cultural icon in modern film and put them all together in a chronological telling of all 24 Bond films through the 1960s and into the present era. There was lots I didn't know about the behind-the-scenes stuff and a lot that I thought I knew (from the popular media) that the popular media probably got wrong. It made me want to go back and revisit several of the movies I have not seen in many years and to see (for the first time) several of the films that I didn't see when they first came out.

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the fifty plus years of 'James Bond' films, many people have worked together to create a staple of British cinema. Altman and Gross work well to capture their thoughts and experiences in a taut and well written account.

[Justin Gerber · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a podcaster, I hope and pray I don’t come across as whiny and gatekeep-y as Ric Meyers does in this. Goodness gracious.

Excellent compilation overall, but would have liked to have even more of a focus on the songs.

[Ingi Óskarsson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fann mér 28 klukkutíma hljóðbók til að hlusta á í vinnunni í margar vikur en svo er ég óvart búinn eftir 4 vinnudaga.

[John Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts off super detailed with the early films and then hurries through the Brosnans, ignoring rumors of awful decisions like replacing Sela Ward with Denise Richard because Ward was "too old." A fun fan read but plays it safe.

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nobody Does it Better is an oral history of the James Bond films from the authors of similar titles about Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Battlestar Galactica. You'd expect a book that covers 24+ films to be long, and this one is, but it's also weirdly repetitive with people often rephrasing things that others have said. And it's tilted heavily toward the interests and perspectives of the people who agreed to be interviewed for the book, which makes for a less well-rounded overview that you might want. It might be a bit shallow for fans of the series, but its still a fun journey through the films.

[Joe Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good oral history of the James Bond film franchise, up to and including Spectre. Tons of great info here. However, since the entire book is compiled from a variety of sources, you'll find a lot of conflicting information, and (my personal pet peeve) lots of opinions stated as fact. Still worthwhile, as long as you know what you're getting.

[Joe Kucharski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wise man once said, “I have no idea what an honest job is.” Or perhaps that quote came from a blunt instrument. Regardless, the man behind the quote is the king of his trade. His trade is one full of fantasy. And of that tradesman, well, nobody does it better.

Nobody Does It Better is a mammoth read compiling over 700 pages of uncensored, unauthorized oral history behind the most famous of Her Majesty’s 00 agents. Stories, memories, and commentary fill the tome covering the movies from Dr. No through Spectre, all by producers, writers, directors, and those martini-loving men themselves: Connery, Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig. For as in-depth a book as this is, a nice cadence is established by co-authors Mark A. Altman (Free Enterprise) and Edward Gross who build a rhythm between each of the interviews, movie by movie, decade by decade. They dig into the empire Cubby Broccoli built from the Ian Fleming novels, the legal problems with rival producer Kevin McClory, and best of all, one-on-ones with the men behind the Walther PPK.

Hearing directly from the Bonds, particularly Dalton and Brosnan who have mastered the art of the interview, is what makes the book. After all, they are the stars of the show. ‘Nuff said. As compelling as those men are, many of the other insights, save for lofty comments from the equally-lofty studio-heads, lack such gravitas and quickly become repetitive. Or annoying. Or forgettable.

But read on, as there are some quality surprises heavy with the weight of Cold War-era conspiracies. Such as the studio-abandoned scripts by both Donald Westlake (aka Richard Stark) and Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) that presented fun “What If”s. Both scripts were for Tomorrow Never Dies, which was arguably Brosnan’s best… and potentially could have been out-of-the-ballpark better. Ah, what if indeed.

Altman and Gross enlighten the masses in the most entertaining of ways around Kevin McClory’s attempted coup of the Bond empire. At first you laugh at the guy. Then feel sorry for him. Only to laugh again. After all, he was responsible for Never Say Never Again.

Altman and Gross’s aim targets the superspy superfan more so than the matinee tourist. Yet for as deep and intense as Nobody Does It Better is, there is the feeling that so much more was left out. Many of the interviews get into the inner workings of the Bond machine but the book seems light on any solid gold trivia. In place of the technicality of the opening titles and the ongoing social commentary, more details about the history - of the set times, of the movies relevance, of critical and social acceptance – would have been highly welcomed. And even though this was an oral history by the professionals for the fans, there wasn’t enough commentary from the authors themselves. Yes, Lazenby is presented as charming and foolish but the authors shouldn’t suffer on the sidelines.

The world is not enough but this book is a must-have read leaving you shaken and stirred, while giving a good view.

To a kill.

For more spies, martinis, one-liners, and Roger Moore, check out Read @ Joe's

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fans of Ian Fleming's 007 novels and the James Bond movie franchise could not ask for a more exhaustive or sublimely entertaining book on their favorite spy than NOBODY DOES IT BETTER. This massive oral history runs more than 700 pages and there's not a dull page among them. Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross ("The Fifty-Year Mission") have done an outstanding job of collecting and organizing firsthand memories from more than 150 cast and crew members, as well as critics, of the wildly successful film franchise that began with 1962's DR. NO.

Because of the numerous authorities, readers get praising and damning views of the films. Nevertheless, all offer new facts and trivia that will surprise even fans of commentary tracks. All six actors who have played Bond are included. (More if you count the 1967 spoof CASINO ROYALE--which the book does--with Woody Allen sharing memories of that messy production, which had 15 screenwriters and 40 James Bonds.) Sean Connery is especially droll commenting on George Lazenby's Bond interpretation in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE: "If he kept his mouth shut, he might have come out a lot better."

Readers will discover the surprising number of leading ladies and villains who were dubbed; actors seriously considered to replace Connery (Dick Van Dyke and Adam West!); and how the series survived six decades by morphing from brutish violence to gadget-reliant espionage to kitschy fantasies and back to darker interpretations.

Marvelously entertaining fun--no matter which Bond you love or loathe. This irresistible oral history is nirvana for Bond fans.

Six decades of James Bond movies come to life with this irresistible oral history featuring more than 150 cast and crew members--including all the actors who have played 007.

[Rick Pallansch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chock full of first-hand stories that will enlighten and entertain even the most die-hard James Bond fans

When you want to get a story right, the saying goes, go straight to the source. Or sources, in this case — more than 150 of them. Gross and Altman have pulled together anecdotes from actors, directors, writers, producers, stunt coordinators, composers, critics and fans that have helped make the James Bond film series a success for more than 50 years. The book is the latest in a series of oral histories from the authors who have published oral histories of television programs like Star Trek and Battlestar Galactica. Arranging anecdotes in chronological order from before 1962’s Dr. No to after 2015’s Spectre, the authors have added some text to provide context, but for the most part the stories (and storytellers) are the stars. Details and gossip range from the significant to the ridiculous: you will get eight pages about the casting of current Bond Daniel Craig, but you’ll also get four pages of people lamenting Denise Richards as Dr. Christmas Jones, the nuclear scientist who wore short shorts in The World is Not Enough. The book is threaded with personal stories most will have never heard, such as how Yaphet Kotto was ‘disinvited’ from a publicity tour for Live and Let Die over uproar stemming from a published photo of him giving a ‘black power’ salute, or the tragic tale of Pedro Armendáriz, Kerim Bey in From Russia With Love, who completed filming while suffering from cancer, only to commit suicide days later. Writers talk about collaboration and rewrites, producers relive battles over rights, and actors dish on other actors, like Diana Rigg, who describes working with neophyte actor George Lazenby as “I did the best I could, but oh, dear lord….”

[Yuri Vieitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really great book!
I have tried watching all the bond movies a few times, but always lost interest when one or two movies were bad.

This book finally got me through it. As people that work in business know, most of the times the story behind the movies could be as good or even better than the actual movie, and it was really interesting to go through this journey of James Bond films while also exploring the story behind them.

If I have one criticism is that on the “Goldeneye” chapter they mention the n64 game, which is actually what got me and many people from my generation interested in Bond. That was really nice to have this section for the game. But there were other games just as important.

“Everything or Nothing” (2003) is pretty much a 5th Brosnan movie with many appearances from the actors in the franchise and was written by Bruce Feirstein. Even more important since it was the latest release with Brosnan playing the character, following his last cinematic portrayal “Die another day” (2002) by one year.

Also written by Feirstein was “Bloodstone” (2010), which filled the gap between “Quantum of Solace”(2008) and “Skyfall”(2012) and is a very enjoyable game with a good story, if my memory is to be trusted. Lastly I believe “007 Legends” (2012) could’ve also been mentioned since it was part of the Bond 50 celebration and, even though the game was a mess, there is probably an interesting story behind its production.

I hope these could be added on a revised or second edition of the book if they ever do one.

All in all, the book is amazing and kept me entertained and hooked to the franchise through out the year and I loved every moment with it.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oral histories are always a fascinating read. Agree or disagree, the idea of taking direct answers to interview questions to offer a narrative/history about a concept is always interesting. So it is with James Bond and this work. From the original books written by war veteran Ian Fleming to the aftermath of Spectre, this work takes interviews/accounts from a myriad of actors, authors, producers, directors, and other stakeholders in the saga of Bond. As a fan of the series, I was drawn to this work, and it was insightful to read the backstories, many of which I had never heard about. Some of it was technical/movie-making/publishing issues, but you can get into the deeper accounts, the personal impact of the saga, from writing to acting. Yet, even the less-than-exciting accounts all add to the allure of the Bond series, one that has continued for nearly 60 years, and will probably continue into the future.

Of the accounts, I think I was most fascinated by the recollections of Yahpet Kotto, who stared as the villain in Live and Let Die. He brought in an African-American perceptive on Bond, and his candor and insight just stood out amid all the recollections of them villains/non-Bonds. Would have loved to read the perspectives of Christopher Walken as a Bond villain (even if View to A Kill is hardly one of the best Bonds). I can at least agree that the perspective of the book on Never Say Never Again (the Connery return/Thunderball ripoff) is that it was an inferior Bond, even to Octopussy.

Worth the read for the Bond fan (books or movies). Doesn’t matter which Bond you think is the best or worst.

[Grady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great but not comprehensive

Very informative. I liked hearing from the behind-the-scenes people you normally don't read about. Gross & Altman do a pretty good job filling in the cracks with information. Clearly they have much love for all things James Bond. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of pages given to the first Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again (they even gave some love to James Bond Jr.!).
I have two issues with the book. First, I wish they wrote more about the songs. They give some paragraphs to the title tracks for Live and Let Die and For Your Eyes Only but no time given to Shirley Bassey or any of the other singers and songwriters (Thunderball went through two title songs, nothing about that here). Another issue I have is obviously they weren't able to get personal interviews with everyone (they are very upfront about this) simply because many folks featured here have passed away. I wish they would've noted if a comment came from a new interview or from an archival one- basically I'm saying I wish they cited their sources. Many of the actors comments read like they were promoting said movie at the time- can't really make truly objective statements when you're selling a product! Overall I would recommend this book to any fan of the movies- you will certainly learn (almost) everything!

[Kelly Sedinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably closer to 3.75 stars, actually. I liked Matthew Field's SOME KIND OF HERO better, but with this one you get a lot of direct quotes from the people who have been in and around the world of 007 throughout the whole thing. A lot more of the book is given to opinion statements, which I find frustrating as, let's be honest, a lot of the opinions diverge from my own. Which is fine! But at this point I'm 51 and I'm not really interested in relitigating all the previous Bond movies. Plus, the opinions shared do at times seem to color the sections on each film accordingly. Reading the section about, say, LICENCE TO KILL frustrates a little when I don't grant the main premise that it's a lesser movie. I liked this book best for the recollections of the writers each time out; for the first time I get a real sense of the influence Purvis and Wade have had on the last half-dozen or so movies. (It turns out they're best suited to being "idea guys" and should likely not get full credit on their own, or the results are very mixed.)

[I.D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A thorough look at the franchise up to Spectre but due to its piecemeal construction of largely archival interviews it can be disjointed and the attempt to sometimes put two statements together as if they were responses to each other is a little disingenuous. Don’t get me wrong, you learn a lot but there’s also weird bits like the guy who just hates Timothy Dalton and complains about him in points where there’s no reason or the contributors who have such specific tastes for a Bond movie that all they do is find faults in each one or the overuse of fluff interviews with actors that were obviously from press packets. Way too many of the Bond girl contributions were just “this character is a strong but sexy woman etc” Really doesn’t doesn’t add much to anything other than making it seem like the authors has access to more people.
Just the overall construction of the book was bleh with too much fluff and opinion BUT it’s still worth reading for a fan.

[Tom Gase · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the James Bond films, this book is for you. It's a history of all of the films from Dr. No to Spectre as told by the people that wrote, directed, produced and acted in the films. You'll hear from Connery, Moore, Dalton, Lazenby, Brosnan and Craig about what it was like to play Bond in each film. The creators and fans will tell you what went right, what went wrong and what could have happened with each film. I enjoyed the parts on Connery years, Brosnan years and Craig years since I've watched the majority of those films. The Roger Moore era was a little dry for me just because I haven't seen those films except for Moonraker. A lot is also written about Ian Fleming and the books he wrote and how some weren't even close to the movie of the same names. Good stuff, glad I read this right before I saw No Time to Die.

[Marisa Carpico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up from the book room at work years ago and thrilled when I saw the audiobook was available through my library because there was literally no way I'd read this in physical form.

Anyway, lots of great stuff from interviews with people from the films to scholars. No new information here for me necessarily, but nice to get deep dives on the more recent films, as there was just less interesting stuff about them when I was writing my articles. More distance from them as well, I suppose.

I will say, it did occasionally feel like they missed interesting context because they were limited to the oral history conceit, but this s a solid compendium for any Bond fan regardless. Altman and Gross clearly did their research and I was all-in on their perspective from the defense of my beloved The Spy Who Loved Me in the introduction.

[J.J. Lair · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thick book that starts before the first movie. We get the full Kevin McClory story. He has input on what his contribution to James Bond is. Then we get into the first Bond move on tv which is largely forgotten today. We get into Dr. No. though to present. We get stars and producers and lighting people, costume designers, stunt people. We get the authors' views on the backroom dealings and a summary of each movie. They point out the absurd vs. the characters that work vs. just enjoy the fun.
I found I knew or agreed with the author assesments of each movie.
It’s funny how the current producers actors and writers weren’t alive when the first movies came out so they feel a duty to get this right.

[Robert James · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of everything James Bond, then this is a book for you. From the Fleming books to Dr. No to Spectre, this has about everything you could ever want regarding the history of this iconic character. My only fault with it is that there are sections that are very redundant. A really good editor could have probably cut this book by 100 pages or so. There is some eye opening information that is revealed especially in the sections about the film Dr. No. Will make you want to revisit the books and the films.

[Xavier · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is in part an interesting read if you're a Bond fan but it had too much of an emphasis on opinions about the movies both from the authors and third parties who had no association with the production of the movies themselves. I honestly kinda hated this aspect simply cause I found myself disagreeing with them almost 100% of the time.

That made it quite a tiring and annoying read. Also, don't go looking for information surrounding the 007 video games or the continuation authors, they're barely mentioned here.

2/5

[Jason Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a voracious reader of books about the James Bond series and have read my fair share of them, but perhaps this may be the best one yet. An oral history chronicling the making of James Bond from Dr. No to No Time To Die, this is a fantastic account of the up's and down's of 007. Despite being perhaps the most well-dcoumented movie series in history, I learned a lot, and the breezy, easy oral history format was really digestible. Overall, I highly recommend this... with a bullet.

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, but controlled, oral history of the Bond series. There are a lot of good stories, but there some major players (the Broccoli family, Connery) that are missing or severely lacking. The more current the movies get, the less juicy the stories get, as well as the criticism. A hardcore Bond fan will know a lot of the stories, but there is enough new material to make it worth the time. Other oral histories (ESPN, SNL) do it better.

[Ben De Bono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Up until a few months ago, I'd only seen 5 Bond films in total with bits and pieces of a couple more. After reading a few of the Fleming novels, I decided to bite the bullet and do a full watch through. This volume was my companion for that journey, covering each film from the original made-for-TV version of Casino Royale to Spectre.

This is a wealth of insight and analysis on the films. It made the experience of watching Bond truly special.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of small tidbits for deep-dive fans of JB. It really is intriguing to hear directly from writers, directors, actors, etc., about the films. I love all things Bond, and it was tough to hear critical things out of certain people or re certain films. Repeatedly. I love each and every film, even though they're all very different, and like to seek out the positive. That's just where my geekdom lies.