The year 2022 is the 60th Anniversary of James Bond on the Big Screen and there have already been some great events to help celebrate 007’s longevity and global fame, such as the re-release of all the James Bond movies on the Big Screen in Britain.
EON have now announced three more special events for the Autumn in the UK to help commemorate Bond’s 60th Anniversary. And what a line up! Prepare to be both shaken and stirred.
Bond at the BFI: September 30th – October 2nd will see the British Film Institute (BFI) host a James Bond at 60 Weekender, featuring in-conversation events (including one with the Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson), plus the screening of Daniel Craig’s three most recent film performances as 007 on the huge BFI IMAX screen. The weekend at the BFI will also see a preview of The Sound of 007, a fantastic new documentary on the music and songs used in the 007 films over the whole of the franchise and directed by Mat Whitecross.
Bond Royale: October 4th will see The Sound of 007 in Concert, an event at the Royal Albert Hall in central London and headlined by Dame Shirley Bassey. The 85-year old Welsh superstar and singer of three James Bond theme songs (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker) will also be joined by the group Garbage (who recorded the theme for 1999’s The World Is Not Enough) and Brit Award-winner Celeste. The performers will be accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the whole event will be curated by five-time Bond composer David Arnold. To add to the double-o excitement, November will see in-concert screenings of three Craig Bond films, Spectre, Skyfall and Casino Royale, each accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing the scores to the films live. Speaking in a statement about the music events, the EON producers pointed out that the franchise had been ‘blessed with the extraordinary talents of legendary composers and artists’, who have created the ‘most powerful and moving musical contributions’.
Bidding for Bond: And for those who are budding Goldfingers with a few gold bars to spare the auctioneers Christie’s will be holding a not-to-be-missed 2-part Charity auction of 60 Lots to benefit 45 separate charities: this will see a live sale on September 28th, and an online sale from September 15th – 28th. The headline Lot for sale will be one of the 8 replica sliver Aston Martin stunt cars built for No Time To Die. It is estimated the car could reach £1.5m – £2m. Various other vehicles, models, clothes and other iconic material from the Bond films will also be open for bidding. A special catalogue of items will also be available for sale from Christie’s.
It sounds like dedicated James Bond fans are in for a real treat. Watch this space for further news as it happens. After all, you know the name, and you know the number.
