British Secret Service agent James Bond, code number 007, made his debut in the hit 1952 novel Casino Royale written by restless World War II English naval intelligence veteran Ian Fleming. An innately problematic idealized symbol of British exceptionalism and global policing ideology, Fleming conceived Bond as a man of decisive action, cold and merciless against his enemies, overindulgent in gambling and alcohol, and absolutely irresistible to women. Broadly appealing to readers seeking to vicarious partake in the primal pleasures of sex and violence neatly dressed is escapist fantasy, it was inevitable for 007 to leap off the page and become a film icon for the ages.
After failing to bring Bond to the silver screen himself, Fleming sold the film rights to his novels to producers Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman in 1961. Broccoli and Saltzman formed Eon Productions for the sole purpose of making James Bond adventure pictures, EON being an acronym for Broccoli and Saltzman's driving motto and a perfect summation of Bond's world view: "Everything or Nothing." Since the release of the Eon's adaptation of Fleming's sixth Bond novel Dr. No in 1962, the production company's James Bond film series quickly became one of the most prolific and lucrative cinematic franchises ever, featuring exotic locations, beautiful ladies, imaginative gadgetry, and spectacular stunts. However, the series is not without its share of creative and financial highs and lows.
As the audience's tastes change with the times, the direction and overall tone of the Bond films shift accordingly but not always gracefully. The franchise has of taken odd turns into disparate genres, co-oping styles of other successful action films and Hollywood blockbusters with mixed results. As a whole, the franchise may be viewed as a fascinating study on the evolution of action cinema
Showing a surprisingly amount of self-awareness and depth, the character of James Bond gradually grows throughout the series, particularly in the best films of the franchise. Bond transforms from a charming and clever hunk with a mean streak to a corny impeccable gentlemen spy to a defiant roguish hero to a quietly tormented deeply flawed freight train of a man with an unrelenting talent for murder. Later entries of the series ease into challenging 007's place in our ever-changing world and go as far as examining his damaged psyche, offering a fuller portrait of a government operative ready to kill and die for his country at a moment's notice.
