The popular English belter Shirley Bassey sang the third movie’s theme, “Goldfinger,” and made it a radio hit. Any object appearing in these sequences will likely morph quickly into a naked lady.

For those who haven’t seen the movies (is there anyone?), these signature credits generally blend images of shooting guns and buxom women into a dazzlingly cheesy display. Soon other songs played over opening Bond credits and met with success. Monty Norman, the theme’s composer (John Barry, who did the music for many Bond films, has claimed credit for the composition, but a court decided it belonged to Norman in 2001), incorporated modern elements with more timeless classy ones just as rock, technological gadgets and spyware started taking over the world. No, which launched the now-famous theme song, full of taut guitar and jazzy swing. The Bond songs and theme have been an important part of Bond’s appeal since the release of Dr. The most ridiculous name for a Bond girl? It probably comes down to Pussy Galore or Xenia Onatopp, with honorable mention to Holly Goodhead.Ī new book by Jon Burlingame allows fans to evaluate the movies from yet another angle-best music. Most impressive chest hair? This easily goes to Sean Connery.

Best car chase? I’m partial to the yellow Citroen romping through the olive groves in the underrated For Your Eyes Only. Best henchman? I lean towards Oddjob, from Goldfinger, since he stands out from a long string of physically imposing, blond, Neanderthal types. Of course, the relative suavity of the man playing Bond represents just one of many possible dimensions for evaluating Bond movies. (George Lazenby-who?-played Bond in just one film, and Timothy Dalton took the part for two, but neither actor put much of a mark on the role.)

Compared to Sean Connery’s thick charm, Roger Moore’s amused dandyism or Daniel Craig’s aggressive, lethal-bull-in-a-tiny-china-shop demeanor, Brosnan always seemed the suavest, most glamorous, most casually alcoholic of the bunch. I recognize the controversial nature of this selection, and offer in my defense that GoldenEye was the first Bond I ever saw, possibly accounting for my bias. When asked to pick a favorite James Bond, I usually choose Pierce Brosnan.

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