Aston Martin’s DBS vanishes – in favour of the Vanquish

This week Aston Martin unveiled its replacement for the popular DBS model – the new Vanquish. While the casual viewer may agree that it’s a nice car, there may have also been the odd question regarding the whereabouts of the new Vanquish, not entirely jokingly perhaps. Indeed, despite presenting somewhat more rounded lines and contours the new Vanquish above all features the very distinctive and by now well-known Aston-Martin-ness. Evolution, not revolution, is the manufacturer’s basic premise of development.

Traditionally the models from Gaydon on paper leave nothing to be desired, and the new Vanquish is no exception here: a V12 engine with 565bhp accelerates the car’s 1739kg in next-to-nothing beyond every sensible speed-limit – as well as most  insensible ones, one assumes. And there is no reason to question the car’s actual performance on road or racetrack. In return for a small fortune customers acquire a machine in its own league and a veritable objet d’art, a sculpture of motion and emotion.

Meanwhile shrewd eyes have detected an interesting titbit in the ‘Configure your Vanquish’ section of the company’s website. The car can be had in both ‘Quantum Silver’ and ‘Skyfall Silver’. Top Gear also picked up this and spoke to the company, asking them if the new model would feature in the upcoming ‘Skyfall’. Sadly this is not the case. Both options are merely there to remind customers of the long association between Bond and Aston Martin. And there is in fact another option for the Vanquish that might appeal to Bond himself. The car can be ordered as a 2+2 seater and as a real two-seater. With plenty of boot, Bond would hope.

Read Top Gear’s full story here

You can discuss this news in this thread

Thanks to CBn forum members marktmurphy and Navy007Fan for the alert.

New ‘Skyfall’ footage teased at CineEurope 2012

4 minutes of the upcoming Bond film ‘Skyfall’ was previewed in Barcelona earlier this week, says Hollywood Reporter.

The footage was promoted by Berenice Marlohe, who described getting the role as Severine, the new Bond girl as ‘a dream come true’. News of the preview broke a mere few hours after internet rumours surfaced of a 4 minute extended trailer which was shown to test audiences.

‘Skyfall’ is released October 26th.

‘Catching Bullets’ – 1980s Bond in the eyes of a young fan

Among the barrage of publications that marks James Bond’s 50th anniversary on the big screen this year will also see a number of less conventional but all the more noteworthy releases. One of these is the upcoming book by comedy and screen writer Mark O’Connell (‘Carrying Dad’, ‘The Last Laugh’), his memoirs of growing up as a Bond fan in the teeming 1980s, coming under the catchy title’ Catching Bullets’. It provides a close-up view on 1980s Bond, by a fan with true enthusiasm and given from an unexpected angle.

From Splendid Books’ website:

From the offbeat vantage point of a gay teenager whose grandfather was chauffeur to legendary 007 producer Cubby Broccoli, Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan is a love-letter to James Bond, Duran Duran title songs and bolting down your tea quick enough to watch Roger Moore falling out of a plane without a parachute.

When Jimmy O’Connell took a job as chauffeur for 007 producers Eon Productions, it would not just be Cubby Broccoli, Roger Moore and Sean Connery he would drive to James Bond. His grandson Mark swiftly hitches a ride on a humorous journey of filmic discovery where Bond movies fire like bespoke bullets at a Reagan-era Catholic childhood marked with divorce, a closet-gay adolescence sound-tracked by John Barry and an adult life as a comedy writer still inspired by that Broccoli movie magic.

‘Catching Bullets’ will be published on September 3rd 2012 by Splendid Books and can already be pre-ordered at the publishers.

You can discuss the book here

Thanks to author Mark O’Connell for alerting us. We will try to get more details on this as they come.

George Leech (1921 – 2012)

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of James Bond stuntman, George Leech, who passed away Sunday 17th June 2012. He was 91. Leech was involved in many of the early Bond films, as well as playing various henchmen from 1962’s ‘Dr No’,  up untill 1985’s ‘A View To A Kill’. He doubled George Lazenby as well as Roger Moore. His other credits include “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”, “Revenge Of The Pink Panther”, and ‘Superman’.

He is survived by his two daughters.

James Bond ‘Fragrance For Men’ First Look

Photographer Greg Williams gives us a sneak peak at  a ‘Fragrance For Men’ trailer. One of the many products being released in 2012 to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of James Bond.

Ian Fleming Publications announces audio book releases

Ian Fleming Publications has announced the release of 12 James Bond Audio Books to be released later this year. Individually read by some of the best British talent, the project 3 years in the making, aims to create an exciting, modern take on these classic stories.

• Casino Royale read by Dan Stevens
• Live and Let Die read by Rory Kinnear
• Moonraker read by Bill Nighy
• Diamonds Are Forever read by Damian Lewis
• From Russia With Love read by Toby Stephens
• Dr No read by Hugh Quarshie
• Goldfinger read by Hugh Bonneville
• Thunderball read by Jason Isaacs
• The Spy Who Loved Me read by Rosamund Pike
• On Her Majesty’s Secret Service read by David Tennant
• You Only Live Twice read by Martin Jarvis
• The Man With the Golden Gun read by Kenneth Branagh

Lindy Hemming talks ‘Designing 007’ at Clothes on Film

Incidentally Chris Laverty’s fashion-and-film blog Clothes on Film today features an exclusive interview with costume designer Lindy Hemming about her contribution to the upcoming Barbican exhibition ‘Designing 007 – 50 Years of Bond Style‘.

Hemming hints at the broad range of items included in this multi-sensory experience, from clothes and dresses to weapons, gadgets, set design and special effects. Many exhibits had to be intricately re-created just for this event, covering wherever possible the entire range of the Bond films. And she reveals that at least 50 per cent of the exhibits have never before been publicly on display. So this occasion will provide something new even for the seasoned Bond fan and doubtlessly constitutes a not-to-be-missed event.

Read the entire Clothes on Film interview with Lindy Hemming here.

Thanks to the German Bondklub for the alert.

The Barbican presents ‘Designing 007 – 50 Years of Bond Style’

This July London’s Barbican Centre celebrates the 50th anniversary with the exhibition ‘Designing 007 – 50 Years of Bond Style‘, from 6th July to 5th September. Curated by the Barbican, with guest-curation by fashion historian Bronwyn Cosgrave and Oscar^®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming, the exhibition will take audiences on a trip into the style of 007 and the iconography that made the Bond films so exceptional.

From their website:

The Barbican marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, from 1962’s Dr No to this year’s Skyfall, with a unique exhibition showcasing the inside story of the design and style of the world’s most influential and iconic movie brand.

In collaboration with EON Productions and with unprecedented access to their archives, Designing 007 will be a multi-sensory experience, immersing audiences in the creation and development of Bond style over its auspicious 50 year history.

It will explore the craft behind the screen icons, the secret service and villains, tailoring and costumes, set and production design, automobiles, gadgets and special effects, graphic design and motion graphics, exotic locations, stunts and props.

Read more about the exhibition here.

You can already book tickets here, which may not be a bad idea.

SFX Magazine is counting to 23

In a series of weekly extensive articles SFX Magazine’s website is going to review the Bond films. The series already started at the end of May and has since reviewed ‘Doctor No’, ‘From Russia With Love’ and ‘Goldfinger‘.

This week’s article concerns itself – of course – with ‘Thunderball’.

The pieces are written with obvious admiration for the series and the topic, and provide many details the casual fan may not be aware of. Definitely recommended.

Thanks to CBn Forum member quantumofsolace for the alarm about this retrospective that otherwise might have escaped us.

WhatCulture! is decidedly optimistic about ‘Skyfall’

Yesterday popular entertainment-themed website WhatCulture! took a closer look at the eagerly expected third Craig outing. And came up with “5 Reasons Why Skyfall Might Be The Best James Bond Film Ever”.

Members of the CommanderBond.net Forums may experience a sense of deja-vu reading this headline, but WhatCulture! gives the topic serious thought and provides sound reasoning.

Read their full story here.