James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters

by Alastair Dougall

ackaged with two exclusive prints! Coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Bond movie franchise as well as the release of the new Bond film, Skyfall, featuring Daniel Craig, James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters is sure to be a must-have for every Bond fan. From 1962's Dr. No to 2012's Skyfall, this lavish film-by-film guide, written by Bond Production Designer Dennis Gassner, boasts the most impressive visual collection of James Bond movie posters to date. Featuring a gallery of rare and sought-after posters, as well as spectacular unused concept artwork, and unique teasers and lobby cards from virtually every country where Bond movies have screened, this is a gorgeous collection of the images that have defined cinema's most famous superspy. 007 (Gun Logo) and related James Bond Trademarks© 1962-2012 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved. 007 (Gun Logo) and related James Bond Trademarks are trademarks of Danjaq, LLC, licensed by EON Productions Limited.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Film, Pop Culture

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2012

Reviews

[Michel Siskoid Albert · Rating 4 out of 5]

As coffee table books go, James Bond: 50 Years of Movie Posters manages to have something to say and isn't JUST pretty pictures. There's actually useful commentary on the various publicity campaigns covering all Bond films from Dr. No to almost Skyfall (only its first image was available) - including the 60s spoof and Never Say Never Again - showing how the franchise itself evolved through its imagery, how different countries interpreted the ideas (and what concepts were tried but never used), and in short paragraphs, highlighting design elements we might not otherwise have caught. This is a book I might have opened now and again to look at posters or lobby cards, but the virtue of reading it all in one go is that you can track the audiences' changing tastes and how one image might progress from one campaign to the next. The first two decades' painted posters are definitely the best and most imaginative, with an ugly drop-off just in time for poor Timothy Dalton when photo elements became the norm. Things pick up once they've mastered digital compositing, but they've moved away from objets d'art by then. A big, solid book with vibrant images to leave lying around for company.

[Alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charity shop find, with bonus prints still safely stashed inside the front cover! Huge, glossy and appealing tome. It's fascinating to see the Bond brand honed from a free-for-all to a carefully orchestrated campaign, and from blunt instrument through action-packed posters to 2010s minimalism. I loved the unused concepts, especially those for Licence Revoked (before it became Licence To Kill), but it was the image of a naked Sean Connery with visible pants tan that made this an essential acquisition.

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book. Obviously very lovingly made. If you're a Bond fanatic, you will really be glad this book came your way. I grew up in the Sir Roger era of Bond, and loved buying Bond posters wherever I could find them. The author brings us high quality pictures of posters from all over the world, all the while making observations that I had never noticed before. It made my Bond heart proud.

[Karlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I ranted about the Pink Panther DK book yesterday, I’ll rave about this one. This comprehensive book of Bond posters is not only a history of the Bond franchise, but also film marketing in from 1962 - 2012. It also gets kudos for including non-Eon films.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was interesting.

[Ryan Grinas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you enjoy the films? Do you enjoy the novels? You will enjoy this book!

[Andrew Shapter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb collection of poster art.

[Jeroen Berndsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A luxury item, this grand slipcased hardcover book is filled to the brim with posters from Dr. No to Skyfall (albeit just a few from the latter). Thought is given to the evolution of the Bond posters but this volume mostly let's the images speak for themselves without resorting to endless analysis. The posters and paper are high quality and we get to see posters and promo material from all around the world and quite a lot per movie, which gives some surprising insights in the cultural differences when it comes to marketing a superspy.

I recommend getting this while it's still affordable, because when a nice edition like this one gets scarce, prices will skyrocket. 4,5/5 stars

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

The British publishing house of Dorling Kindersley, Ltd. was granted a special license to thrill in creating this book that will impress the living daylights out of both casual and dedicated fans of 007. Movie posters from around the globe explode off of each page in full color like a thunderball, beginning in 1962 with Dr. No, and ending in 2012 with Skyfall. Bond shares the spotlight in this book with the graphic designers, who were responsible for creating the iconic images and themes forever associated with this particular spy on her majesty's secret service. This book is so great that you may want to purchase a copy for your eyes only, or to read another day.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent design, but the imagery and commentary gets less interesting as the years progress. The text is also overly fawning in places.