Charles Helfenstein's The Making of The Living Daylights & OHMSS
Number24
NorwayPosts: 22,331MI6 Agent
NB! This thread is really the same thread as the TLD thread I started, but changed to involve OHMSS too.
I've just finished this book and I enjoyed it a lot. TLD is a Bond movie I've always liked and was probaby the first Bond I saw. I don't count it among the best five, but I rank it as a very solid entry. The book goes into great detail about the development and sources of the short story, the development of the script and the casting process. These first three chapters are very good and were the ones I found the most interesting. Did you know TLD was not written with Roger Moore in mind, contrary to popular myth? Or that the cellist/assassin was inspired by Fleming's half sister Amarylis who prefered practising the cello in the nude? For a long time a landing on an aircraft carrier with a C-130 was in the script. I have suggested a landing on an aircraft carrier using a mid-size transport/passenger plane for some time, so I obviosly liked that idea! These are only a few of the nuggets I found in the first part of the book. The chapter about the pre-production was also interesting, but the chapters about the filming is more by the numbers and sometimes reads a bit like a list of locations and filming dates. I personally found the chapter about the music well worth reading because of the parts about the problems between John Barry and the Norwegan band a-ha. For me the chapter about the marketing was dull. Often a listing of posters, tie-in products etc that I care little about. All in all I liked the book and I look forward to reading the author's book about the making of OHMSS, one of my favourite Bonds. I really hope Helfenstein writes more about the Bond film series. Since both his books so far are about debut movies for Bond actors, I hope and expect he'll write about DN, LALD, GE and perhaps CR too.
Has anyone else read this book or the OHMSS book?
I've just finished this book and I enjoyed it a lot. TLD is a Bond movie I've always liked and was probaby the first Bond I saw. I don't count it among the best five, but I rank it as a very solid entry. The book goes into great detail about the development and sources of the short story, the development of the script and the casting process. These first three chapters are very good and were the ones I found the most interesting. Did you know TLD was not written with Roger Moore in mind, contrary to popular myth? Or that the cellist/assassin was inspired by Fleming's half sister Amarylis who prefered practising the cello in the nude? For a long time a landing on an aircraft carrier with a C-130 was in the script. I have suggested a landing on an aircraft carrier using a mid-size transport/passenger plane for some time, so I obviosly liked that idea! These are only a few of the nuggets I found in the first part of the book. The chapter about the pre-production was also interesting, but the chapters about the filming is more by the numbers and sometimes reads a bit like a list of locations and filming dates. I personally found the chapter about the music well worth reading because of the parts about the problems between John Barry and the Norwegan band a-ha. For me the chapter about the marketing was dull. Often a listing of posters, tie-in products etc that I care little about. All in all I liked the book and I look forward to reading the author's book about the making of OHMSS, one of my favourite Bonds. I really hope Helfenstein writes more about the Bond film series. Since both his books so far are about debut movies for Bond actors, I hope and expect he'll write about DN, LALD, GE and perhaps CR too.
Has anyone else read this book or the OHMSS book?
Comments
I've been meaning to get this too. I've read parts of his OHMSS book and would highly recommend it. Charles Helfenstein is also a member of AJB - doublenoughtspy and a moderator on CBn:
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/user/5462/
Some reviews here on Charles' site on the OHMSS one from the great and good in the Bond world. And by some riff-raff at the seventh one down. http://www.ohmss.info/reviews.html
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I bought the OHMSS book (not in bookshops-so bought in faith!) and it is excellent.
All aspects of the film and advertising etc covered.
I haven't got the TLDaylights one -yet
The OHMSS one was about £40 at the time.
I think Mr. Helfenstein chose these two, as other films do have "The Making of.. " books
whereas these didn't.
Bleuville.
Well, possibly....
But it could also be that Charles has been one of the leading experts on OHMSS for years, with a large collection of unique memorabilia from the film. Also, Tim Dalton is his favourite incarnation of Bond and as he explains in the TLD book, it is a homage to Tim.
Now, can you point me in the direction of, say, the Making of from Russia With Love you suggest is out there? 8-)
He does so several times. The blunder probably comes from the fact that Joe don Baker's character is called Whitaker.
Now I'm reading Helfenstein's "The making of OHMSS" and so far I love it. :007)
Not entirely so. Here's what I pointed out on the books publication in debate with Charles on CBN in 2010:
"Charles establishes that Fleming set in motion reseach to confirm whether there might be a Scottish line to Bond heritage. The research does not prove such, nor does it entirely rule out the possibility.
However, what is established fact is that Fleming publicly disclosed a Scottish link for Bond with the publication of OHMSS AFTER he had seen Sean Connery as Bond in Dr No.
Therefore, until anyone produces documentary evidence that states Fleming DEFINTATELY intended Bond to be Scottish prior to Connery's performance, the point is mute.
As I have pointed out elsewhere, Fleming did not use the reseach he had commissioned in his immediate novel, The Spy Who Loved Me. He waited until OHMSS, by which time Connery's performance was public and hugely praised...."
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But if you read Charles' point (and my comments, for what they're worth) Fleming only has research carried out, research which proved nothing definitive, and which Fleming did not immediately use.
He may have investigated the possibility of a Scottish Bond line which came to nothing as there was no evidence to support it. (He may have carried out much other research he never used in the books). However, as soon as Sean Connery becomes James Bond and a box office hit with the part, James Bond suddenly remembers he has Scottish blood....?
We can probably agree Fleming investigated much which was unused. His note books held by IFP would be fascinating to see, even just from the little bits that have been revealed.
That he looked into a Scottish Bond line seems undisputable from Charles' info, though such a line was unproven, and potential Scottishess remained unused for a number of years after the research took place.
Had such been identified or not, perhaps he might have used it without Connery. But I suspect had Richard Johnson agreed to be James Bond in DOCTOR NO, I'm pretty sure Bond would never have become Scottish...
Seems like there's a lot of desire for the Connery-Scottish Bond connection to be real.