Fans of Ian Fleming's 007 novels and the James Bond movie franchise could not ask for a more exhaustive or sublimely entertaining book on their favorite spy than Nobody Does It Better. This massive oral history runs more than 700 pages and there's not a dull page among them. Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross (The Fifty-Year Mission) have done an outstanding job of collecting and organizing firsthand memories from more than 150 cast and crew members, as well as critics, of the wildly successful film franchise that began with 1962's Dr. No.
Because of the numerous authorities, readers get praising and damning views of the films. Nevertheless, all offer new facts and trivia that will surprise even fans of commentary tracks. All six actors who have played Bond are included. (More if you count the 1967 spoof Casino Royale--which the book does--with Woody Allen sharing memories of that messy production, which had 15 screenwriters and 40 James Bonds.) Sean Connery is especially droll commenting on George Lazenby's Bond interpretation in On Her Majesty's Secret Service: "If he kept his mouth shut, he might have come out a lot better."
Readers will discover the surprising number of leading ladies and villains who were dubbed; actors seriously considered to replace Connery (Dick Van Dyke and Adam West!); and how the series survived six decades by morphing from brutish violence to gadget-reliant espionage to kitschy fantasies and back to darker interpretations.
Marvelously entertaining fun--no matter which Bond you love or loathe. This irresistible oral history is nirvana for Bond fans. --Kevin Howell, independent reviewer and marketing consultant