Today marks the 108th anniversary of Ian Fleming's birthday. But the long-awaited, untitled Fleming biopic, based on Andrew Lycett's 2009 biography "Ian Fleming: The Man Behind James Bond", still seems to be stuck in development hell.
Last autumn, James Bond•O•Rama caught up with the screenwriter of the Fleming biopic, Matthew Brown, at the Toronto Film Festival to enquire about the project.
Matthew Brown, who premiered his self-directed period piece "The Man Who Knew Infinity" at the festival, knew next to nothing about the current status of the Ian Fleming biopic.
Asked about his take on the James Bond author, Matthew Brown coyly answered:
"I think he's a fascinating, complex man, that ... ehm ... Fascinating and complex. I'll leave it at that."
Matt Brown went on to share a few details about his screenplay for the Ian Fleming biopic:
"You know, it was set during World War II, primarily when he met with [admiral John] Godfrey and sort of put his talents to use. That's what that focused on. It was a fun script, I was really excited when Duncan [Jones] came on board [as director]. Maybe he'll come back, I don't know, after this or not. But that was one of my favourite scripts that I'd written. I wouldn't mind directing that one, actually!"
Danish first edition Original: Octopussy and The Living Daylights (Jonathan Cape 1966) Publisher: Skrifola (Lommeromanen no. 451) Translator: Rita Damm Cover design: N/A
Ian Fleming's fourteenth James Bond book (his second collection of short stories) was the fourteenth to be published in Danish.
The short story "Snigskytten" (The Living Daylights) was reprinted separately in Danish as part of the anthology "Kisten og andre historier om gys og giftmord" (Lademann 1970).
Contains the short stories: "Var det selvmord?" [= Was it suicide?] (Octopussy) "100.000 er budt" [= The bid is 100.000] (The Property of a Lady) "Snigskytten" [= The sniper] (The Living Daylights)
Later editions: ● Octopussy (Rosenkilde & Bahnhof 2014) - includes the short story "007 i New York" (007 in New York)
Author: Peter O'Donnell (uncredited) base on Ian Fleming's novel "Dr. No" (1958) Artist: John McLusky (uncredited) Publisher: A/S Interpresse Editor: N/A Cover art: Jordi Penalva Format: 52 pages Publishing date: 1965 First published in the UK: Daily Express 23.05.1960-01.10.1960 Danish reprints: None
Contents:
"Doktor No" (39 pages - newspaper strips reformatted to 17x26 cm magazine format)
"James Bonds fjender: SMERSH" (1 page text excerpt from Ian Fleming's "Casino Royal" [sic])
"Knockout” (9 page comic by Bardon Studios)
B&" photo of Sean Connery on the set of "Woman of Straw" (1 page)
Back cover: color photo of Sean Connery and Gert Fröbe in "Goldfinger" (1 page)
NOTE: Dell Publishing's movie adaptation of "Dr. No" by Norman Nodel was published in Danish as "Detektiv-Serien nr. 6" by International Productions in 1963.
Today, 16 May 2016, is Pierce Brendan Brosnan's 63rd birthday.
The fifth man to portray James Bond 007 in the EON Productions film franchise (from 1995 to 2004), the Irish actor has also appeared in a Danish feature film. He played the co-lead opposite Trine Dyrholm inSusanne Bier's romantic dramedy "Love is All You Need" from 2012. And by the way, the original Danish title, "Den skaldede frisør", translates as "The Bald-headed Hairdresser".
"Love is All You Need" premiered at the Venice Film Festival that same year. I seized the opportunity to interview Pierce Brosnan – twice, in fact. An intimate two-to-one conversation was followed by a larger session with an international group of journalists. And yes, I shook his hand, which in James Bond terms makes three for six (I've also met Daniel Craig and George Lazenby).
Sadly, the year after this interview was conducted, Pierce Brosnan and Cassandra Harris' daughter, Charlotte Brosnan, died from cancer at the age of 42.
INTERVIEW WITH PIERCE BROSNAN, "LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED"
From Bond to Bier
Brian Iskov for Dagbladenes Bureau, September 2012
Working with Susanne Bier and her Danish ensemble of actors became a happy release for Pierce Brosnan after the straightjacket that was James Bond 007. Playing a cancer widower in Bier's romantic comedy ”Love is All You Need”, the Irish movie star drew on his own life experience
VENICE, ITALY – ”Tak” [thanks]. "Tusind tak" [thanks a lot]. And "du er smuk" [you are beautiful].
During his tenure as Agent 007 James Bond, Pierce Brosnan killed [Danish actor, ed.] Ulrich Thomsen and took private lessons in "Scandinavian tongues" with Danish model Cecilie Thomsen. But when we meet Brosnan during the Venice Film Festival in 2012, the Irish-born gent freely admits to a Danish vocabulary limited to the three phrases mentioned above.
No wonder that the then 59-year-old actor felt apprehensive when he ventured to Copenhagen in 2011 to prepare for his first lead ever in a Danish motion picture: ”Love is All You Need” (Den skaldede frisør) directed by Academy Award winner Susanne Bier.
– I was worried about my participation in it, am I gonna rock the boat? I was very nervous that I would take people out of the movie. Also, the actors all had such close proximity to each other. They've grown up together and been friends, lovers, whatever, Pierce Brosnan says.
– Someone like Kim Bodnia has powerful force. You look across the table at the dude, and he's gonna come at you. But he's funny!
Brosnan needn't have worried. From day one, everyone on the Danish film crew welcomed their colleague from abroad with open arms.
– I came into a tribe where I was cared for, nurtured, and laughed at in the best possible way for trying to speak the language, Pierce Brosnan says in his soft-spoken brogue.
– Luckily, the character [a British businessman living in Denmark, ed.] lent himself to this. I believed that [my character] could run this fruit company and never really got the hang of this Danish, always asking my secretary, "what are they saying?". The conceit, I think, was well founded.
Pierce Brosnan, Paprika Steen, Trine Dyrholm and Molly Blixt Egelind in "Love is All You Need" | Film still by Duane Gregory
Danish first edition
Original: For Your Eyes Only (Jonathan Cape 1960) Publisher: Skrifola (Lommeromanen no. 428) Translator: Rita Damm
Cover design: N/A
Ian Fleming's eighth James Bond book (his first collection of short stories) was the thirteenth to be published in Danish.
Note: As was the case with Rita Damm's translation of "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", the Danish edition of "For Your Eyes Only" is somewhat shortened, although there is no mention of this anywhere in the book.
The short story "From a View to a Kill" was first published in Danish in the anthology "Nye kriminalhistorier fra hele verdenen" (Omnibusbøgerne 1960) as "Med udsigt til mord" (a literal translation of the original title). The 1960 version was faithfully translated from the English original by Karen Melsted. An abridged edition of the anthology was published by Carit Andersens Forlag as part of the Lommebusserne series in 1969.
Contains the short stories: "Spioner i vinterhi" [= Spies in hibernation] (From a View to a Kill)
"Strengt fortroligt" (For Your Eyes Only)
"Fortrøstningens kvanteteori" (Quantum of Solace)
"Risiko" (Risico)
"Hildebrand-varianten" (The Hildebrand Rarity)
Later editions:
● Strengt fortroligt (Rosenkilde & Bahnhof 2014)
Author: Henry Gammidge (uncredited) after Ian Fleming's novel "Live and Let Die" (1954) Artist: John McLusky (uncredited) Publisher: A/S Interpresse Editor: N/A Cover art: (uncredited) Format: 52 pages Publishing date: 1965 First published in the UK: Daily Express 15.12.1958-28.03.1959 Danish reprint: 007 James Bond no. 50 (as "Lev og lad dø")
Contents:
"Leve og lade dø" (Live and Let Die - newspaper strips reformatted to 17x26 cm magazine format)
"M.I.5" (text excerpt)
"Roy Allen" comic: "Smuglergods fra Khartoun" [Contraband from Khartoun]
"Roy Allen" comic: "Spion i København" [Spy in Copenhagen]
Ad for the Batman comic book
Back cover: Color photo of James Bond (Sean Connery) in "Goldfinger"
