Here I am, watching old Bond movies on Spike TV. "From Russia With Love" is playing right now, and James Bond is cavorting around beautiful Istanbul, looking dapper in his shiny skinny suit. I have to admit I've never been a devoted Bond fan. A college friend opined once that women couldn't possibly understand Bond, and that THAT was the fundamental difference between the sexes. I know he was being facetious, but I think there's truth in it. May I admit that I never found Connery attractive in his Bond days? Once he grew a beard for The Name of the Rose and The Russia House, I loved him. But as Bond? I just wasn't interested.
Nevertheless, I loved Richard von Busack's article in this week's Metro, Confessions of a Bond Fanatic.
I have to confess that what charmed me most was von Busack's personal history:
That's how quickly a life changes, like a chance bite from the infected mosquito. I saw On Her Majesty's Secret Service and have spent the rest of my life as a film critic, and it was just that simple.
But I also really enjoyed his recounting of the cultural context and his comparison of books and movies. I may just have to pick an Ian Fleming novel, and I may yet become a Bond appreciator, if not a die-hard fan. I am, after all, still a girl.
Continuing my advice to try children's books, I will recommend "Chitty Chitty Bang-Bang"... a perhaps more likeable Ian Fleming. And yes, of course it's Ian Fleming: who else would come up with a character name like "Truly Scrumptious"?
Posted by: anne | Nov 26, 2006 at 08:32 AM
Fleming wrote children's books? My respect for him just went up tenfold! Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!
Posted by: Elkit | Nov 26, 2006 at 10:53 AM