Bond File the Bonds Were New and Which Creates an Immediate Bond First Exercised His License to Kill in Fleming's Dynamic
CULTURE 'The target of my books lies occasioned by working on somewhere between the Bend Below something that is not unequi- solar plexus and the upper vocably 'right on'. After all, thigh', said Ian Fleming of The Belt these are films which the his James Bond novels, Left regards as sexist and neatly summing up their at- James Bond returns this month with Licence To Kill. Sally racist and stemming directly traction and intention as well Hibbin, a confirmed Bond girl, explains the fascination of from, and maybe even fuel- as that of the films. Fle- the long-running series of films ling, the cold-war climate. ming's novels were imme- But to write them off in that diately popular in England way is too easy because I, when they came out in the like I suspect many other 50s but only made it interna- readers of Marxism Today, tionally when John F Ken- thoroughly enjoy the Bond nedy included them in a list films. They are exciting to of his favourite, presidential watch and eminently satisfy- bedside reading. The films, ing. beginning with Dr No in There are, of course, those 1962, have become the most who will quarrel with even successful movie series of that. The Bond films, they all time. argue, are too predictable, It is estimated that over too similar to each other to half the world's population be interesting. If you've seen has seen a Bond film at one one you've seen them all. But time or another, and this wi- these critics are missing the thout the films ever having fun of the series.
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