Post by Ardbeg... innit on Apr 13, 2012 12:43:16 GMT -6
Say it aint so...
James Bond Ditches Martinis for Beer - 007 Fans Cry Sell Out
Arguably the most famous fictional character of the modern era, super spy James Bond has been an entrenched part of popular culture for nearly half a century (next year will be the 60th anniversary of his introduction). After about 45 books (including new authors) and 23 movies, the second most valuable film franchise in history, Bond has become famous for many very specific traits and idiosyncrasies, including his choice of guns (Beretta 418 or Walther PPK), gambling (baccarat), car (Bentley), and especially drink – martinis shaken not stirred.
Alas, as the film series has moved beyond the actual Ian Fleming novels on which almost all of them were based, it has embraced ever more blatant product placements, and in the process, many authentic Bond touches have been swept under the rug. While Fleming was famously concerned with details regarding clothing, food and drink, and it was these details that made Bond the suave and elegant Bond we know and love, the disconnect between the “real” Bond and the movie version has never been greater.
For years the literary Bond drove Bentleys, while the film Bond favored an Aston Martin DB5. Although Aston Martin (a different model) only appeared briefly in the novel Goldfinger, it was chosen as Bond’s car first for style and later for advertising, when Bond switched to several brand new models including the Vantage, Vanquish and DBS. He also drove a Lotus Esprit Turbo in one of the movies, but the one constant in film and book was his loyalty to British car makers – at least until BMW paid up for multiple recent appearances. This marked the start of the great Bond “auction,” in which his habits were sold to the highest bidder, re-writing history in the process.
Consider watches: Bond and his creator Ian Fleming both wore a Rolex, which Sean Connery also donned in the first Bond film, Dr. No (though Fleming chose an Explorer and Connery a Submariner). Rolex did not have to pay for the privilege, but Omega did, somehow becoming the “official” watch of James Bond. By the recent franchise re-launch of Casino Royal, filmmakers went so far as to have the new Bond, Daniel Craig, and his love interest, Vesper Lynd, shamelessly discuss the brand aloud because close-ups of its face were not enough. In the same movie, Bond’s well known passion for baccarat was replaced with a love of Texas Hold Em poker.
But for the forthcoming Bond film Skyfall, filmmakers have sold off perhaps the most famous Bond taste, his signature drink, and along with it, his trademark phrase, “shaken, not stirred” (“shaken and not stirred” in the books). Bond is best known for favoring vodka, which I would argue is not a martini at all, since a martini is a gin drink, making his choice sort of like a bourbon margarita, but in the books Bond orders his martinis with gin almost as frequently as vodka.
But in Skyfall – thanks to a rumored $45 million deal (reported by the Village Voice) with Heineken, Bond is now a beer guy. And according to the British press, this is not sitting well with Bond fans. Nor should it.
Arguably the most famous fictional character of the modern era, super spy James Bond has been an entrenched part of popular culture for nearly half a century (next year will be the 60th anniversary of his introduction). After about 45 books (including new authors) and 23 movies, the second most valuable film franchise in history, Bond has become famous for many very specific traits and idiosyncrasies, including his choice of guns (Beretta 418 or Walther PPK), gambling (baccarat), car (Bentley), and especially drink – martinis shaken not stirred.
Alas, as the film series has moved beyond the actual Ian Fleming novels on which almost all of them were based, it has embraced ever more blatant product placements, and in the process, many authentic Bond touches have been swept under the rug. While Fleming was famously concerned with details regarding clothing, food and drink, and it was these details that made Bond the suave and elegant Bond we know and love, the disconnect between the “real” Bond and the movie version has never been greater.
For years the literary Bond drove Bentleys, while the film Bond favored an Aston Martin DB5. Although Aston Martin (a different model) only appeared briefly in the novel Goldfinger, it was chosen as Bond’s car first for style and later for advertising, when Bond switched to several brand new models including the Vantage, Vanquish and DBS. He also drove a Lotus Esprit Turbo in one of the movies, but the one constant in film and book was his loyalty to British car makers – at least until BMW paid up for multiple recent appearances. This marked the start of the great Bond “auction,” in which his habits were sold to the highest bidder, re-writing history in the process.
Consider watches: Bond and his creator Ian Fleming both wore a Rolex, which Sean Connery also donned in the first Bond film, Dr. No (though Fleming chose an Explorer and Connery a Submariner). Rolex did not have to pay for the privilege, but Omega did, somehow becoming the “official” watch of James Bond. By the recent franchise re-launch of Casino Royal, filmmakers went so far as to have the new Bond, Daniel Craig, and his love interest, Vesper Lynd, shamelessly discuss the brand aloud because close-ups of its face were not enough. In the same movie, Bond’s well known passion for baccarat was replaced with a love of Texas Hold Em poker.
But for the forthcoming Bond film Skyfall, filmmakers have sold off perhaps the most famous Bond taste, his signature drink, and along with it, his trademark phrase, “shaken, not stirred” (“shaken and not stirred” in the books). Bond is best known for favoring vodka, which I would argue is not a martini at all, since a martini is a gin drink, making his choice sort of like a bourbon margarita, but in the books Bond orders his martinis with gin almost as frequently as vodka.
But in Skyfall – thanks to a rumored $45 million deal (reported by the Village Voice) with Heineken, Bond is now a beer guy. And according to the British press, this is not sitting well with Bond fans. Nor should it.
