Thunderball (1966) BQ watched, with our usual bemused expression. the growing anticipation about "No Time To Die", the upcoming Bond film which released its full trailer this week.......
.........because, even with all our social media venues, nothing, but nothing could ever duplicate the pop culture frenzy that gripped the entire globe over the making and release of the 4rth James Bond movie "Thunderball" in December of 1965.....
The entire planet had gone massively nuts over Bond after the smash success of "Goldfinger".........imitation TV series flooded the network schedules, Hollywood and Europe cranked out their own Bondian clones at a furious rate.......merchandise, everything from cologne to toy Aston Martins, inundated the stores......
So the making of the next film in the series kept moviegoers around the world salivating with frenzied anticipation........and a horde of international journalists descended on the Bahamas as "Thunderball" began its shoot......turning the production of the film into a non-stop 3 ring publicity circus........
In the raucous history of movies and media, nobody'd seen anything quite like it......and when the film finally made its way to the public, theaters everywhere turned themselves into all night Grindhouses.......running the film 24/7, around the clock to satisfy the crowds.....
And the movie itself? Did it deliver the goods? Was it everything the fans hoped it would be?
Oh yes. Sean Connery, at the height of his lean, muscular, panther-like physicality, hit peak perfection as Bond. Tossing off quips, bashing thugs and screwing every girl who crossed his path, he forever solidified his image as The One And Only Bond.......a mantle he wore with increasing unease and unhappiness that ultimately drove him to leave the role.......
When the film's release finally played out, it seemed almost like a long, long noisy New Year's Eve celebration had at last come to an exhausted conclusion........Bond would still be with us, settling in to become a permanent cultural fixture......but the world's mad obsession calmed down to a low roar......
The red hot Bond Fever broke........and the world went about its business.
When Connery's Bond returned, a year and a half later in 67's "You Only Live Twice", viewing the film was still a fun, exciting experience.......but a feeling of 'we've seen it all before' began to sink in........the Bondian tropes were all duly in place, but Connery seemed slightly disconnected, even bored......wandering through the film like a mildly interested tourist......(and no doubt United Artists' ad campaign of 'Sean Connery IS James Bond' aggravated the actor, who hoped for a wider variety of roles in his future.....)
But 54 years later, it remains kind of fun to remember that once-in-a-lifetime moment in cinema history.......when the whole world turned into rabid fanboys and fangirls......when Sean Connery, James Bond and "Thunderball" ruled the world......even if only for the holiday season.....and that's why, for BQ, it remains a 5 star (*****) FIND OF FINDS......
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