Directed by Stevan Riley, Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is the story of the James Bond franchise and how it was made by three men who would come up with a franchise that’s now lasted for 50 years. The documentary explores the roots of the James Bond story and how it would evolve in the many years through different actors playing Bond as well as all sorts of things that nearly derailed the franchise. The result is a truly engrossing and incredible documentary from Stevan Riley about the James Bond franchise.
The documentary explores the history of James Bond dating back to the 1940s when Ian Fleming was a naval officer working for the British government in World War II. During his time working for a newspaper and vacationing in Jamaica just as the Cold War was to start, he would write the first James Bond novel in Casino Royale that would launch the James Bond books series. Throughout the course of the film, it reveals how Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman teamed up to get the rights and create one of the great film franchises in the history of films.
With interviews by the families of Fleming, Broccoli, Saltzman, and associates that includes Christopher Lee who was a step cousin of Fleming. Also interviewed are five of the six actors who played James Bond while Sean Connery’s is only presented in archival audio and video interviews. In the course of the story, things are revealed into why Sean Connery left the franchise the first time around after You Only Live Twice and why George Lazenby only did one film. Also touched upon is the split between Broccoli and Saltzman after the release of The Man with the Golden Gun in which Saltzman sold his shares to United Artists though the two made peace when Broccoli invited Saltzman to the screening of For Your Eyes Only.
Another person that is talked about is Kevin McClory who claimed to have co-written Thunderball with Fleming and Jack Whittingham as it led to all sorts of legal troubles for many years that gave McClory the chance to make Never Say Never Again in 1983 against EON’s production of Octopussy released that same year. Broccoli’s daughter Barbara and his stepson Michael G. Wilson revealed a lot more into many of the legal issues that kept Bond out of the spotlight for six years in the early 1990s which contributed to Cubby Broccoli’s ailing health. It’s among one of the most compelling tales of the Bond franchise story as well as how they got the rights to Casino Royale in the hopes to reinvent Bond in a post 9/11 world.
Stevan Riley’s direction is brilliant for the way he tells the stories through many interviews from people who were in the franchise or were involved like production designer Ken Adam along with fans like former U.S. president Bill Clinton. Through the editing of Claire Ferguson, the film reveals a lot of rare photos and video footage of the films being made in production as well as old family movies from the Saltzman and Broccoli family of their time together during the 1960s. The actors who played Bond reveal small stories about the franchise where Pierce Brosnan revealed how he almost got the part in the mid-80s after Roger Moore’s departure but was derailed when NBC bought the rights to have Remington Steele on their network. It is among the many fun stories about the film’s franchise and it has more than enough material for Bond fans to enjoy.
Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is a phenomenal documentary from Stevan Riley that explores the history of James Bond. It is a film that Bond fans must see whether they know a lot about the franchise’s history or for those who are new to the series. It’s definitely something that serves as a great companion piece to the film’s franchise as well as reveal the story about the three men who created a franchise that is now 50 years old and is more beloved than ever. In the end, Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 is a marvelous film from Stevan Riley.
James Bond Files: The EON Films: Dr. No - From Russia with Love - Goldfinger - Thunderball - You Only Live Twice - On Her Majesty's Secret Service - Diamonds are Forever - Live and Let Die - The Man with the Golden Gun - The Spy Who Loved Me - Moonraker - For Your Eyes Only - Octopussy - A View to a Kill - The Living Daylights - Licence to Kill - GoldenEye - Tomorrow Never Dies - The World is Not Enough - Die Another Day - Casino Royale (2006 film) - Quantum of Solace - Skyfall - SPECTRE - No Time to Die
Non-EON Films: Casino Royale (Climax! TV Episode) - Casino Royale (1967 film) - Never Say Never Again
Bond Documentaries: Bond Girls are Forever - True Bond
© thevoid99 2012
Glad you enjoyed it, so did I. My only minor quibble was that there are no new interviews with Sean Connery. Lazenby was surprisingly enjoyable to listen to.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would've loved to have new interviews with Sean Connery as well. Yet, it seems he doesn't really want to do anything at all.
ReplyDeleteAt least George Lazenby was fun to watch as was the other Bonds.