Tagged: Chukka Boots

Bond’s Peacoat in Casino Royale

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) (Source: Thunderballs)

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Casino Royale (2006) (Source: Thunderballs)

Vitals

Daniel Craig as James Bond, British government agent

Prague, Winter 2006

Film: Casino Royale
Release Date: November 14, 2006
Director: Martin Campbell
Costume Designer: Lindy Hemming

Background

For the first 00-7th of the new year, I want to recall the first on screen appearance of Daniel Craig’s James Bond. Continue reading

The Rum Diary: Kemp’s Striped Linen Shirt and Jeans

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp in The Rum Diary (2011), with co-star Amber Heard.

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp in The Rum Diary (2011), with co-star Amber Heard.

Vitals

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp, expatriate American journalist and borderline alcoholic

St. Thomas, Summer 1960

Film: The Rum Diary
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Director: Bruce Robinson
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

Background

All the balls that Paul Kemp was juggling at this point have begun to fall. His grasp on his job, his shady dealings with PR whiz Sanderson, and his flirtation with Sanderson’s girlfriend. The bottom falls out when Kemp and photographer pal head to Carnival at Saint Thomas in the Virgin Islands after visiting island property for Sanderson’s budding real estate scam.

Bruce Robinson’s script perfectly nails the feeling of the scene as Chenault leads Kemp by the hand to Sanderson’s yacht:

Like walking the plank in reverse, they invade a small drinks party.

Other than the glamorous Chenault, none of the new visitors fit in with Sanderson’s cosmopolitan set. Continue reading

Clive Owen as “The Professor” in The Bourne Identity

Clive Owen as "The Professor" in The Bourne Identity (2002).

Clive Owen as “The Professor” in The Bourne Identity (2002).

Vitals

Clive Owen as “The Professor”, English sleeper assassin for the CIA

Paris, Winter 2002

Film: The Bourne Identity
Release Date: June 14, 2002
Director: Doug Liman
Costume Designer: Pierre-Yves Gayraud

Background

A hallmark of the Bourne series is the dogged adversary, usually a fellow government assassin who always manages to stay one step ahead of our protagonist, even when the agency itself can’t quite manage to do the same. The first major example of this adversary is “The Professor”, the otherwise unnamed hitman played by Clive Owen in The Bourne Identity. Continue reading

Paul Kemp’s Blue Suit Jacket and Corvette in The Rum Diary

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp in The Rum Diary (2011).

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp in The Rum Diary (2011).

Vitals

Johnny Depp as Paul Kemp, expatriate American journalist and borderline alcoholic

Puerto Rico, Summer 1960

Film: The Rum Diary
Release Date: October 28, 2011
Director: Bruce Robinson
Costume Designer: Colleen Atwood

Background

Car week continues with a story by an American icon involving an iconic American car.

More than a decade before becoming the face and beautifully twisted mind of Gonzo journalism, Hunter S. Thompson was a struggling writer who had recently been discharged (honorably, but with prejudice) from the U.S. Air Force and had a few legal issues to his credit, not the least of all being the sinking of nearly every boat in a Kentucky harbor by shooting holes into the boats’ hulls just below the waterline. Continue reading

Skyfall – Bond Returns to Istanbul

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall.

Daniel Craig as James Bond in Skyfall (2012).

Vitals

Daniel Craig as James Bond, British secret agent

Istanbul, Spring 2012

Film: Skyfall
Release Date: November 9, 2012
Director: Sam Mendes
Costume Designer: Jany Temime

Background

After a four year hiatus between films – the longest gap in Bond history without a new actor – Daniel Craig boomed back into 007’s shoes in the explosive opening scene of Skyfall, set in the oft-used Bond setting of Istanbul. The long but quickly-paced film kicks off in media res, with 007 chasing down an assassin who just killed a fellow MI6 agent and stole the film’s MacGuffin, a hard drive with the identities of all agents. Continue reading

Titanic’s 2nd Officer Lightoller in A Night to Remember

Kenneth More as Second Officer Charles Lightoller in A Night to Remember (1958)

Kenneth More as Second Officer Charles Lightoller in A Night to Remember (1958)

Vitals

Kenneth More as Charles Lightoller, Second Officer of the RMS Titanic

North Atlantic Ocean, April 1912

Film: A Night to Remember
Release Date: July 3, 1958
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Costume Designer: Yvonne Caffin

Background

101 years ago at 2:20 a.m., the RMS Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after colliding with an iceberg, resulting in the death of more than 1,500 passengers and crew. The story has remained at the forefront of public consciousness for generations to follow, an enduring historic tragedy that has resulted in scores of books, films, televised works, and more, perhaps most famously the 1997 blockbuster Titanic directed by James Cameron.

Cameron stated that he was inspired by scenes from the 1958 film A Night to Remember, a comparatively little-known film when compared to his expensive epic. However, many historians refer to A Night to Remember the definitive filmed adaptation of the disaster. Continue reading