Fleming, Ian Fleming

Maybe it's the fact I was just "across the pond" last week, but nothing says London to me like Bond, James Bond. So while we wait for the next 007 installment, the BBC came out with a wonderful film Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond.

Starring Dominic Cooper (of Mamma Mia and Captain Phillips fame) as  author of twelve novels of possibly the most iconic spy ever known, the four-part mini-series details the  life of the black sheep turned failed London stockbroker turned Naval Intelligence officer (with a codename 17F, his work outsmarting the Nazis was a great training ground for Bond).  For Bond fanatics (that would be me), it's all here - the shaken, not stirred martinis, the womanizing, the original Miss Moneypenny, the fast quips and the blatant sexisms (to be fair, it was the forties). Moviegoers will recognize all sorts of references-- the future M, gadget pens, a penchant for Baccarat and all sort of espionage gimmicks culled from adventures  spent  behind enemy lines playing the Nazis against the Russians while all the time reporting back to the British. As Cooper notes, "Fleming's creativity was put to good use. All of his schemes and ideas (during his time as a Naval intelligence officer), they were so far-fetched, but then you find out some of them actually worked during the war!" Ironically the only thing he failed at was a "license to kill."

The first and original James Bond, actor Sean Connery with Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming with wife Ann O'Neill

Fleming writing his novels at his Caribbean home "Goldeneye"

Period London street sets above and below

Dapper and debonair: Dominic Cooper as Fleming 

Cooper/Fleming with Lara Pulver/Ann O'Neill

Needless to say, the mini-series is filled with great costumes and period WWII set designs. Check it out on the BBC Wednesday nights 10/9 central.

Film credits: Vermes Cata @ BBC

Stylish Sets, Bond Style

It is hard to fathom this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the James Bond film, one of the most iconic and successful franchises in movie history.

Six 007's and 23 films later, the style of James Bond endures. While a Bond film is all about the girls, guns and gadgets, the designs often take center stage. And just like the gin and vermouth in a shaken not stirred martini, a Bond film will always feature a villain and his stylish lair.

The legendary production designer Sir Ken Adam (who set the tone of the genre), Syd Cain, Peter Lamont and Dennis Gassner were responsible for designing the worlds of good versus evil that included everything from underground grottoes and an ice palace to sleek high tech headquarters for world domination.

The Ice Palace in Die Another Day

Moonraker above and below

Casino Royale

For a tour of some of the most memorable sets of  half a century, see my Architectural Digest article The Best Sets From James Bond Movies here.

For those who live in NYC (or happen to be visiting), be sure and check out the Museum of Modern Art's 50 Years of James Bond exhibition. If you missed the extraordinary Designing 007- Fifty Years of Bond Style in London, you have a second chance to catch it in Toronto October 26th to January 20, 2013. And if that is not enough Bond for your liking, own a piece of memorabilia at the Christie's auction 50 Years of James Bond: The Auction. A few goodies include the Prada dress from Quantum of Solace worn by Olga Kurylenko (a mere 2500-3500 pounds) or the Tom Ford sunglasses worn by present day Bond Daniel Craig.

In the meantime,  get ready for the latest bond installment Skyfall, out in theaters November 9th. Joining Craig will be Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes and the legend continues. 

Photo Credits: Danjag, Eon, Sony/Columbia

Designing 007

If you find yourself in London this summer with no tickets to the Olympics, be sure and catch Designing 007: Fifty Years of Bond Style at the Barbican. From 1962's Dr. No to the upcoming Skyfall, the exhibit chronicles the incredible evolution of the most famous secret agent in history. It's all here - Sir Ken Adams, Peter Lamont and Syd Cain's fantastical set and production designs, automobiles, gadgets, props, and the costumes and tailored suits (everyone from Armani and Tom Ford contributed to the James Bond look).

The One and Only and Accept No Imitations: Sean Connery
(Pierce Brosnan was a great runner up)

The Car: Aston Martin

The Gadget: Little Nelly helicopter in You Only Live Twice

The Bond Girl: Ursula Andress in Dr. No (and the first)

The Production Design: Ken Adam's sketch for the
Fort Knox "Rumpus Room" in Goldfinger

The  Suit: Pierce Brosnan in Brioni

The Set Decoration: Goldfinger

The Villain: Blofeld (Donald Pleasance) and cat in You Only Live Twice

The Martini and a Bath: Diamonds Are Forever

The Soundtrack

The Barbican exhibit opens July 6th and runs through September 5th. For the Bond aficionado, this is better than a martini shaken not stirred...and beats the penthalon and torch relays any day.

Photo Credits: Danjag/United Artists, Brioni

Sixties Style: An Education

Premiering this month, An Education (Sony Pictures Classics) is the latest film to chronicle the style of the sixties. Set in 1961, the film tells the tale of a teenager's coming of age in pre-Beatles London. Played by actress Carey Mulligan as Jenny, the viewer watches her go from a sixteen-year-old prepster to a stylish ingenue overnight -- as a result of her whirlwind romance with a thirty year old playboy (Peter Sarsgaard).

Carey Mulligan as Jenny

Fashion plays a supporting role in the film and the costumes were designed by Emmy award winning designer Odile Dicks-Mireux. Jenny goes from drab grey uniformed student to a sophisticated young woman with shades of Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn and Catherine Deneuve. Mireux drew her inspiration on pop icons of the time and found many of the cast's wardrobe from vintage dealers. Floral sleeveless chintz dresses, leopard coats and accessories and the classic little black dress complete her transformation while the menswear suits and trenchcoats were inspired by Sean Connery in Dr. No. The designs offer an interesting look at London before we know it historically - swinging Sixties, Carnaby Street, etc. with a nod to Mad Men.

Leopard styles completely fit in with today

Mulligan with Peter Sarsgaard

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No

The film is in limited release -- for more see the official website.

Photo Credits: Sony Pictures Classics

Movie Art: Collecting Vintage Posters

While commercialism is often front and center in the design of a movie poster, the designs can also be works of art. Since the beginning of film, posters (also known as "one sheets") have been a primary marketing tool used to publicize a film and fill the seats. Vintage posters (along with stills and lobby cards) have become hot collector's items over the years and have been known to fetch anywhere from $500 to $20,000 or more at auction.

At a Christie's auction in London last November, a rare one of three Casablanca posters created for the American ad campaign drew $109,000 while Attack of the 50 ft. Woman sold for $23,900 and the Bond films such as From Russia with Love went for around $22,600. As with any collection, buy what you love and the older and more vintage, the better.

Whether classic or contemporary, the following have made many top lists for both design and popularity as a collectible:

With its iconic image of the little black dress and cigarette holder, the poster for Breakfast at Tiffany's is just as stylish today as it was in l961.

All About Eve (1950) depicts the film's wit and sardonic humor with this design...

Faye Dunaway's iconic image for the Chinatown (1974) poster became a classic...


as did the haunting face of Mia Farrow in Roman Polanski's 1968 horror Rosemary's Baby.

The design for The Graduate (1967) is one of the most instantly recognizable images in film....

while the simplicity and color of the design for Sullivan's Travels (1941) makes this a sought after poster.

Through film posters we can see traces of the styles of the times...

Orson Welles' The Lady From Shanghai was classic forties...


as was A Hard Day's Night in the sixties, Mahogany in the seventies and Moonstruck in the late eighties...

Experts recommend learning everything there is to know about the market and selecting a niche (for example, a genre such as film noir, etc.) and concentrating on that. Foreign posters tend to demand more (a German poster of Breakfast at Tiffany's went for $17,500). While vintage is certainly a hot area, consider how popular a recent release will be in the years to come. Posters can be found at auctions, ebay, and websites such as filmposters.com and emovieposter.com auctions.

Two of the best books on the subject is the Art of the Modern Movie Poster (Judith Salavetz, Chronicle, 2008) and A Century of Movie Posters: From Silent to Art House (Emily King, Barron's, 2003) Both are available on Amazon.