Book Preview: Some Kind Of Hero

By MI6 Staff

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For over 50 years, Albert R. Broccoli's Eon Productions has navigated the ups and downs of the volatile British film industry, enduring both critical wrath and acclaim in equal measure for its now legendary James Bond series. Latterly, this family-run business has been crowned with box office gold and recognised by motion picture academies around the world. However, it has not always been plain sailing.

Changing tax regimes forced 007 to relocate to France and Mexico; changing fashions and politics led to box office disappointments; and changing studio regimes and business disputes all but killed the franchise. And the rise of competing action heroes has constantly questioned Bond's place in popular culture. But against all odds the filmmakers continue to wring new life from the series, and 2012's "Skyfall" saw both huge critical and commercial success, crowning 007 as the undisputed king of the action genre.

Datastream:
Publisher: The History Press
Format: Hardback
Pages: 480
Price: £25
Release Date: October 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7509-6421-0

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Written by Bond scholars Matthew Field and Ajay Chowdhury (both regular contributors to MI6 Confidential magazine and MI6-HQ.com), "Some Kind of Hero" is based on over 100 new interviews with the stars, directors, writers, filmmakers, studio executives and the men who played James Bond. The authors have also drawn upon archives of rare and unpublished material from around the world.

"Some Kind of Hero" is the culmination of many years researching and interviewing the talented individuals responsible for bringing the James Bond films to the screen. Authors Field and Chowdhury commented: 'As we delved deeper into the Bond mythos, we realised there were many untold tales from many unsung heroes who played key creative roles in the series. We hope that even the most devoted Bond fans will find fascinating facets to the franchise in these pages. We have gained a new appreciation of not only how the series was started but how that Rolls-Royce standard has been maintained. When "SPECTRE" is released later this year, we hope readers will gain some insight in yet another chapter in the remarkable story of the James Bond films.'