I saved you all some money.
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I mean, itâs not that this book is a load of crap being sold for a ridiculous sum of money. This is great stuff, Iâve seen press material given out by Taschen. Itâs absolutely fantastic from what Iâve seen, but itâs a shame that itâs only available for people with enough small change in their pockets. Itâs just too much. And even half the price would be pretty hefty. Tell the wife that you want to spent 750 bucks on a book when thereâs need for a new washing machine (and the dishwasher has been making funny noises for quite a while) âŠ
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Accessibility. This was always going to be a niche project - but making it a luxury niche project does a disservice to the few fans who would truly appreciate it. Itâs likely going to end up in some air-conditioned vaults of âinvestorâ-minded small fry speculators who wonât open the sealed package. Which is a shame.
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Looking at the photos on the link I must say: interesting.
But your former statement made the perfect point: hiw many times would I pull that book from my shelf and actually reread it?
The Taschen Archives is kind of a reference book with tons of visuals I do look at repeatedly (when Iâm in the mood and donât have the time to watch the movies).
But this one would be way too expensive for way too little ongoing enjoyment.
Another embarrassing road to a million?
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Yesterday I received a hugh beautiful book âThe Rolling Stones Iconsâ full of photos from well known photographers incl. Terry OâNeill. I couldnât help thinking if this was a Taschen book it would have been at least 150 euro, now it was around 60 euro incl. p&p costs.
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This sounds promising and is available for free download. Iâm acquainted with the author, who runs an excellent French website on all things Bond:
You know the name, you know the number, but do you know⊠How it was planned to pit Bond against Goldfingerâs twin brother on several occasions? What exactly was in the script for the canceled spin-off about the character of Jinx, envisioned after Die Another Day? How Thunderball was first envisaged as a film, before becoming a novel, then a film, and yet another film later? What would Timothy Daltonâs third film look like? What is this action scene in the London postal railway network that was imagined for four films but never ended in any of them? How Max Zorinâs character original plan was to divert a comet and make it crash into Silicon Valley? In which adventure was Muammar Gaddafi briefly considered as one of the villains? How 007 was to confront SPECTRE again in The Spy Who Loved Me and Octopussy? What about this motorcycle chase on the Great Wall of China in a film project where the Bond Girl was inspired by Rambo? Which scenes from the scripts were filmed but cut in the edits? Or how The Living Daylights was first envisioned as a reboot presenting the very first mission of an inexperienced young James Bond?
All the answers to these questions and more can be found in this new free e-book by ClĂ©ment Feutry about the writing of the films, featuring the worldâs most beloved secret agent. Discover 60 yearsâ history of the saga through the analysis of more than a hundred documents (scripts, treatments, interviews, correspondence, storyboards, etc.). See how the screenwriters created the plots for the Bond films. Who were these screenwriters? From what or from whom did certain storylines or characters originate? How different is the story of the film compared to the novel? How did the plots evolve from their initial concepts to the final edit? What ideas were abandoned along the way and sometimes re-used in subsequent films? What were the challenges? Itâs up to you to discover it in this book.
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Excellent! Canât wait to delve into that!
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I helped some with this magnificent book. A great read! Great work by Clement!
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I recently came across a thick advertising magazine that I received from Taschen last summer. The back of the magazine says: âbooks for optimistsâ, which is probably what they mean themselves, given the crazy prices they dare to ask for them.
By the way, there were a number of interesting books in it, but a normal earning person simply cannot afford all of that.
For example, there is a book about Kubrickâs âThe Shiningâ, which contains a quote from Spielberg (but hey, he has enough money to buy it!):
âYou must read this book. And then -watch The Shining again the second you put the book down. And I donât care if youâve seen it 50 times, you will never see it the same way again. Itâs going to change everything.â
Admittedly, that sounds intriguing to say the least, doesnât it?
But then I looked at the price (1500,-) and realized that I am very satisfied with how I view the film now.
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I would have bought it instantly if it werenât so ridiculously expensive.
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And what if you like the movie less as a result? And just spent $2,500 (on the site I looked at) to like it less? Maybe go a little Jack Torrance on someone?
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Maybe Spielbergâs message was directed specifically at Stephen King? Heâs got the money for the book and needs help enjoying the movie. Me, not so much on either front.
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Possibly. But Spielberg was a Kubrick groupie, so it may be intended for the uninitiated.
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No, itâs about this Taschen book and about the Kubrick movie. If you read the Taschen book and then watch the movie again it will be a hole new ballgame.
If that is ever possible, ofcourse.
$2500 is a heck of an initiation. Canât I just settle for the ritual beating and maybe a tattoo?
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Anyone knows anything, or read, this book:
âResisting James Bond: Power and Privilege in the Daniel Craig Eraâ Hardcover â July 13, 2023
by Christoph Lindner (Editor)
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From Amazonâs page:
Beginning with Casino Royale (2006) and ending with No Time to Die (2021), the Daniel Craig era of James Bond films coincides with the rise of various justice movements challenging deeply entrenched systems of inequality and oppression, ranging from sexism, racism, and immigration to 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, reproductive justice and climate change. While focus is often placed on individual actions and institutional policies and practices, it is important to recognize the role that culture plays within these systems. Mainstream film is not simply âmindlessâ entertainment but a key part of a global cultural industry that naturalizes and normalizes power structures.
Engaging with these issues, Resisting James Bond is a multidisciplinary collection that explores inequality and oppression in the world of 007 through a range of critical and theoretical approaches. The chapters explore the embodiment and disembodiment of power and privilege across the formal, narrative, cultural and geopolitical elements that define the revisionist-reversionist world of Daniel Craigâs Bond.
I cannot say anything about the book itself, but from this text I suspect itâs a collection of essays about various socio-political themes that use Craigâs Bond films as focal point.
This neednât be a bad thing.
But.
Bear in mind the respective disciplines may not necessarily bend well to this approach. Books in this vein usually cover a broad range of readability, professional discussion and topical entertainment - with the entertaining qualities not always up to the other categories. I remember having read a tome on military strategy in Game of Thrones. And while it was fairly entertaining and informative it certainly wasnât Clausewitz. Had it been Clausewitz it probably wouldnât have been all that good at explaining the use of dragons and nuclear weaponsâŠ
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I just discovered that I already have two other books from this author/editor and I remember that those books were a good read:
âThe James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Readerâ
" Revisioning 007: James Bond and Casino Royale (Film and Media Studies)"
On the other hand, Iâve never felt the need to pick them up again and read them, so Iâll leave this new one for what it is.
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I know a little late reply, but I also remembered a minute ago that next to the Dr. No special there is also a Cinema Retro You Only Live Twice special magazine. Do you have that one, I think itâs still avaible, or at least on Ebay.
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Speaking of reading, Iâll soon be reading the welcome flyer from the local insane asylum, because Iâve fallen for it again. What? In which? With a shady car salesman? A pyramid scam? Dating fraud?
No, dear fellow Bond friends, I finally couldnât resist the temptation and bought the completely idiotic Taschen Dr. No book. Iâm getting so tired of myself! But also Free shipping! 
On the other hand, Iâve had a shit year and from now on Iâve finally taken a holiday and donât plan on going anywhere on my own, so I actually think I deserve this book. At least I have something fun to look forward to.
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