Shaken Not Stirred

As writers, most of us have, at one time or another, encountered a novel, an article, an interesting blog post, or a movie script we wish we had written. While I can appreciate a well-crafted literary work or a clever turn of phrase, for me it’s the fictional character, James Bond, I wish I had created.

Meeting Mr. Bond

The first time I encountered Bond, James Bond, was in a movie theatre showing On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. I was twelve, on a birthday party outing (the birthday girl’s name is a distant memory) – I’m only assuming that the film was chosen so the boys in the group wouldn’t be bored. When I saw the movie, I didn’t know the actor’s name (George Lazenby; very good-looking), the script was an adaptation of a novel, or that the character had been penned by Ian Fleming.

Two years later, I was back in the theatre aptly entranced by Diamonds are Forever, but disappointed it was a different actor. It wasn’t until years later I discovered that Lazenby was in the role only once, and it was Sean Connery who had played Bond in the movie franchise before returning to the role one last time. He no longer wanted to be a part of the bond films which he felt had become more gadget-oriented than plot-driven.

That second encounter in the theatre set me on a path of exploring the world of James Bond ad envisioned by the author, Ian Fleming. I ultimately abandoned the movies because the way the character is portrayed in the novels was much more interesting to me. While the films certainly capture the essence of 007, Fleming’s Bond is darker, more contemplative, introspective, complex, and vulnerable.

Meeting Mr. Fleming

Ian Fleming chose the name “James Bond” for the protagonist of his spy novels because it was an unassuming name; a bland, neutral-sounding name ideal for someone on covert operations; the name of someone who could blend into the background. But in 1953, with the publication of Casino Royale, the character that Fleming created leapt off the pages of that first novel and has captured our imaginations ever since. James Bond, in his formal dinner jacket, with his bevy of beautiful women and a taste for martinis, became indelibly woven into the fabric of popular culture.

He shared several notable characteristics with his fictional character, James Bond. Both Fleming and Bond worked in the spy industry; Fleming in the Naval Intelligence Service (an arm of the British Admiralty) during WWII and Bond as an operative of MI6. They also went to the same school; enjoyed the same foods; indulged in the habits of smoking, drinking and womanizing; and had a fondness for fast cars, firearms and gadgets of any kind.

Meeting the Martini

“Shaken, not stirred” symbolizes a person who knows what he wants, rejects rules not useful to him (bartenders stirred to keep the drink clear), and lives a life of high-stakes adventure. The famous Rat Pack (name given to the group of entertainers that hung out together made up of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford) were known for their consumption of martinis and their suave, smooth fashion style. Reputed to be largely due to the influence of the famous fictional MI6 spy, the martini’s popularity remained strong until the 70s when it first waned and then faded until its comeback in the 1990s.

Although his preference for the cocktail appeared in previous novels, James Bond himself did not utter the now famous words until Dr. No, published in 1958. Technically, he’s not drinking a martini at all. Before Bond forever changed the very nature of this popular libation, a classic martini was made of gin garnished with a single olive. But then the spy started ordering a dry martini with one part vodka to three parts gin and the martini was forever changed.

Legacy Lives On

Ian Fleming wrote 12 James Bond novels and one short story collection. The last James Bond novel written by Fleming, The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and The Living Daylights were published posthumously. But the James Bond franchise has continued to grow, both in novel and movie forms and the spy that preferred his martini shaken and not stirred, served up in a deep champagne goblet, still continues to thrill us after all this time.