Tagged: Turnback Cuff Shirt

Live and Let Die: James Bond’s Beige Jacket in New Orleans

Roger Moore as James Bond (sans Rolex) in Live and Let Die (1973)

Roger Moore as James Bond (sans Rolex) in Live and Let Die (1973)

Vitals

Roger Moore as James Bond, cheeky British secret agent

New Orleans, Spring 1973

Film: Live and Let Die
Release Date: June 27, 1973
Director: Guy Hamilton
Costume Designer: Julie Harris

Background

Ah, Roger Moore’s divisive first outing as James Bond. After getting heat for basing Lazenby almost entirely on Connery’s characterization, the producers (and Moore himself) decided to go a new direction with the Bond character in Live and Let Die. Moore’s “Bond for the ’70s” replaced cigarettes, martinis, and the sleek Walther PPK with cigars, bourbon, and a Dirty Harry-style .44 Magnum. (OK, so he still carried the PPK at the beginning, but you know what I mean.) Continue reading →

Bond Style – From Venice with Love

Sean Connery as James Bond in From Russia With Love.

Sean Connery as James Bond in From Russia With Love (1963).

Vitals

Sean Connery as James Bond, British government agent and legendary super spy

Venice, Spring 1963

Film: From Russia With Love
Release Date: October 10, 1963
Director: Terence Young
Costume Designer: Jocelyn Rickards
Tailor: Anthony Sinclair

Background

For anyone who isn’t familiar with it, From Russia With Love is a very polarizing film for Bond fans. It is almost a direct adaptation of the novel, a gritty and realistic espionage adventure based on the murder of a British naval attache on the Orient Express in 1950. The film too is grounded in realism, relying on genuine suspense rather than gadgets or contrived villains. It’s one of my favorites (definitely my favorite of the pre-Craig era) and Sean Connery’s personal favorite, so that should tell you something.

After a tense mission and subsequent getaway stretching from Istanbul through Eastern Europe in From Russia With Love, Bond is glad to spend a short holiday relaxing in Venice with new arm candy Tatiana before having to ship her off to London with the film’s MacGuffin, a decoding device. Continue reading →