Review of Everything or Nothing (2012) by Chris M — 30 Dec 2014

If you're a hard-core Bond fan who has voraciously read, watched, and researched the object of your affection, you may already know much of what this documentary has to say. But for those who are curious and interested about how the phenomenon came about, this documentary has much to recommend it.

Through archival footage and new interviews with surviving friends and relatives of Fleming, Saltzman, Broccoli, and others associated with the franchise (Connery is notably absent, only appearing in the form of archived interviews), this documentary lays out the basic history of the 007 franchise-from its roots in the books Fleming wrote, to the movies that set the sixties on fire, to beyond.

It might surprise some to know that the Bond books were actually fairly unpopular before the movies were made, being considered a bit too violent and vulgar for popular tastes. But that soon changed after Eon took a chance with Doctor No.

The movie tends to concentrate mostly on the early years, with a lot of detail about how the first few movies were made. That's when the most interesting part of the story is, after all. Moore, Dalton, Brosnan, and Craig get shorter shrift, though there is still plenty of interesting detail about how and why the Bond mantle passed.

I found the section about Lazenby particularly interesting. Lazenby basically had no acting experience at all, but bluffed his way past Broccoli and Saltzman to land the role. However, he was completely unequipped for the pressures of fame and let it all go to his head, which is why they let him go after only the one movie.

My only complaint about the movie is that it was not included as an extra with the Bond 50 Blu-ray boxed set. It would have made a great extra. If you're interested in learning more about James Bond, this documentary is a good starting point.