DJ PsychoMike Presents: Bond. James Bond. The opening credits & music!

All the Bond opening credits & music, the story of how they were first created, the songs that were rejected, plus the post that was too hot for social media!

At the bottom of the page, you’ll find the post that was too hot for social media!

To understand the power of the James Bond opening credit and music sequence, let’s look at the opening to A VIEW TO A KILL without the credits:

 Back in 1961 visual artist Maurice Binder (who got his start creating department store ads for retail giant Macy’s) presented an idea to Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli that would become an intrinsic part of their James Bond movie franchise—the famous title sequence that featured naked girls, guns and of course Mr. Bond caught in the sights of a gun barrell.

Goldfinger

According to Binder his pitch to Saltzman and Broccoli was put together on the fly after he had been contacted by the studio when his title sequence for the 1961 film The Grass is Greener caught their attention. Binder was asked to adapt some similar ideas for the opening sequence for Dr. No. The storyboard that Binder brought to the fateful meeting was cobbled together with white price tag stickers that served as a means to convey gunshots floating across the screen. Needless to say Saltzman and Broccoli dug his pitch and Binder’s overall original concept—that included the image of a Bond viewed through the scope of a gun—became an important part of the films’ success.

Thunderball

When it comes to how later Bond titles sequences would come to be realized, we have Robert Brownjohn to thank. As a student at the Institute of Design in Chicago Brownjohn studied under the tutelage of Hungarian-born artist, painter and photographer László Moholy-Nagy. Moholy-Nagy, a former professor of the Bauhaus School helped influence a technique used by Brownjohn of projecting in-motion footage onto the bodies of his subjects (which Moholy-Nagy used in his early films in the 1920s) when he created the title sequences for From Russia with Love in 1963 and perhaps the most memorable Bond title sequence in the franchise’s history, 1964’s Goldfinger. Brownjohn was also the brainchild behind covering model Margaret Nolan in gold paint. Shortly after Goldfinger’s success the artist’s relationship with Saltzman and Broccoli became contentious and Binder returned and would go on to create every Bond film title sequence until 1989’s Licence To Kill. He too often used the technique of projecting films onto the models. Via Dangerous Minds click here for more

The Spy Who Loved Me

This is a wonderful 33 minute documentary on how the titles came to be:

The Story Of The Opening Titles, Mr. Bond click here

There have been many songs rejected for the opening titles, created by Blondie, Alice Cooper, The Beach Boys, Johnny Cash and many more. Here is a countdown leading to the top 5 rejected songs (25 minutes)

Goldeneye

The opening credits and music set the tone for the film, but in Bond’s case they also stand alone as great works of cinematic art. I was just a kid when I saw the double bill of DR. NO and GOLDFINGER and was swept away by Bond. I would read the books, play with the toys and collect the bubble gum cards.

In those days schools, the church and parents never spoke of sex or how one becomes a man. A woman is, a man must become. For lots of kids James Bond gave us a glimpse of the pleasures and perils of being a man. Click here for all the opening titles with the music to all the Bond films :

Watch all the Bond opening credits by clicking here

If you have never seen a James Bond film I recommend these 5 to start with: CASINO ROYALE, ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE, GOLDFINGER, FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE and LICENSE TO KILL.

Folks we have been having censorship problems with the social network known as FB. The way to make sure you don’t miss a single post you must subscribe, you can subscribe for free or with a paid subscription have access to the coolest, weirdest and just plain fun film, cartoon and music collection on earth. But whichever you choose, by subscribing you have access to posts even when they scare the AI patrols on social media! Here is the post that was too hot for FB:

Behind the paywall: JAMES BOND AT 60 | The Jubilee Documentary (2022)

Over one year in the making, 'JAMES BOND AT 60' presents a look back in time on sixty years of 007 to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the world's longest film franchise in style. With partly enhanced, colourised and animated photos the film is presented in stunning 4K Ultra HD. Serving as both historical account as well as tribute, the documentary is complemented by expert analysis of long-time fans who have come to love and cherish the adventures of fictional secret agent James Bond.