Some Kind of Hero: The Remarkable Story of the James Bond Films

By Matthew Field, Ajay Chowdhury and George Lazenby

For over 50 years, Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions has navigated the ups and downs of the volatile British film industry, enduring both critical wrath and acclaim in equal measure for its now legendary James Bond series. Latterly, this family run business has been crowned with box office gold and recognised by motion picture academies around the world. However, it has not always been plain sailing.

Changing financial regimes forced 007 to relocate to France and Mexico; changing fashions and politics led to box office disappointments; and changing studio regimes and business disputes all but killed the franchise. And the rise of competing action heroes has constantly questioned Bond’s place in popular culture.

But against all odds the filmmakers continue to wring new life from the series, and 2012’s Skyfall saw both huge critical and commercial success, crowning 007 as the undisputed king of the action genre. Some Kind of Hero recounts this remarkable story, from its origins in the early ‘60s right through to the present day, and draws on hundreds of unpublished interviews with the cast and crew of this iconic series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Oct 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9780750966504

Matthew Field

MATTHEW FIELD began his writing career with the book The Making of The Italian Job and later co-produced a feature-length documentary about the film for Paramount Pictures. In 2008, he penned the autobiography of Oscar-winning film producer Michael Deeley: Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off! He was an editorial consultant on the film Everything or Nothing, which marked the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series, and regularly contributes on the world of Bond for MI6 Confidential and Cinema Retro. He currently serves on the board of directors of The Ian Fleming® Foundation and works full-time for a leading London-based entertainment PR agency.

Reviews for Some Kind of Hero

[aadyer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A difficult to put down, easy to read, glorious romp through the history of the James Bond films. Whilst not exhaustative, it feels extremely well researched and investigated and in the main, there is an attempt to garner different and opposing points of view with an overall slight bias towards the current producers. Enjoyable, and filled with gems and insights into how these films were put together and shedding light on some of the conflicts that such a highly earning franchise can generate. Recommended unreservedly for fans, and also for those with a general interest in film as well.