Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007

To coincide with the release of Skyfall – the 23^rd Bond film to be released since Dr No back in 1962 – documentary maker Stevan Riley celebrates 50 years of the successful franchise with the release of Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007.

Starting at the very beginning with the famous, and sometimes tepid, relationship between Ian Fleming and Hollywood and naturally ending with today’s Bond, namely Mr Daniel Craig. This talking-heads documentary successfully delves underneath what we already knew, giving us an insightful and informative look into the inner-workings of the Bond films that many of us grew up with.

Drawing inspiration from his intelligence work for the Royal Navy, author and journalist Ian Fleming first created James Bond as an alter ego of himself; Bond was whom Fleming wanted to be like.  The antithesis of the modern man Bond’s fictional dealings within MI5 morphed him into a one-man army bent on serving his Queen and country. 

It was a character that was remarkably close to Fleming’s heart and, at first, he was reluctant to work with Hollywood with the aim of bring Bond to the big screen. It was producers Albert Broccoli, or “Cubby”, and Harry Saltzman who managed to persuade him and thus were handed the opportunity. In total, the pair produced eight Bond films together and have since become synonymous with the franchise.

Stevan Riley’s documentary brilliantly illustrates, using archive footage, the ups and downs of how Broccoli and Saltzman orchestrated each film and, of course, the different Bonds that came and went. The film’s linear narrative (going through each film chronologically) is helpful as it keeps things simple for the more unfamiliar viewer. Candid interviews with everyone from Cubby’s daughter Barbara (who produced Casino Royale) to Pierce Brosnan really encapsulates the influence that Bond has had for five decades.

It has a slight issue of self-importance but that can be easily overlooked. Skyfall couldn’t come at a better time.

Richard Taverner

Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is released nationwide on 5^th October 2012.

Watch a clip of Pierce Brosnan from Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 here: