Never Say Never Again Revisited On DVD, Blu-Ray

Well, wonders never cease! How things have changed in a few years. I remember asking an MGM Home Video rep if we'd ever see a Special Edition of Never Say Never Again back when the current, bare-bones DVD first came out... and being rather shocked by the vehemence with which he said we were lucky to have any DVD of that movie! He indicated that the producers of the legitimate Bond franchise would much rather see it disappear, and MGM obviously has good reason to want to keep the Broccolis happy. But clearly something's changed since then, as Fox Home Video (who distribute MGM product) announced today that the infamous rogue Bond film starring Sean Connery will indeed see a Special Edition release (and even a Blu-Ray release!) on March 24, the same day that Quantum of Solace and the third wave of official James Bond Blu-Rays come out.

According to the press release, both the Blu-Ray and the DVD will include "commentary with director Irvin Kershner and James Bond historian Steven Jay Rubin, multiple featurettes, the theatrical trailer and photo gallery." I don't know, but I would assume that this means that Rubin is producing the special features, as he did with MGM's other recent rogue Bond DVD, Casino Royale '67. There's an absolutely fascinating story behind Never Say Never Again, so hopefully MGM actually allows it to be told on the featurettes! Those includes "The Big Gamble," "Sean is Back," and "The Girls of Never Say Never Again."

I know Never Say Never Again is a film that divides Bond fans, but personally I love it... so I'm really excited about this release! Especially that Kershner commentary.

Sir Sean Connery's New Louis Vuitton Ad

See Sean Connery Live In Hollywood!

Sir Sean Connery will make a rare Los Angeles public appearance on Wednesday, October 1, introducing his classic 1975 film The Man Who Would Be King in the Cinerama Dome at the Arclight in Hollywood as part of the "AFI Night At the Movies." Tickets were meant to go on sale tomorrow, but they're actually already on sale now, for $25... and going very quickly! Spy fans have another choice that night, too; Mike Meyers will present the original Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery in a different Arclight theater simultaneously.

Read more on the AFI website.

Connery's Anderson Tapes Gets Region 1 DVD Release At Last

Sony will release Sean Connery's 1971 heist movie The Anderson Tapes on DVD September 23 as part of their "Martini Movies" promotion. While it's been available for quite some time as a Region 2 disc in Britain, this will be its U.S. debut. Directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted from the novel by Lawrence Sanders, The Anderson Tapes co-stars Dyan Cannon, Ralph Meeker and a very young Christopher Walken. A remake is currently in the works.

While you would think that a "Martini Movies" wave would include a lot of spy-type flicks, that's not really the case. In fact, the promotion doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Supposedly each title will boast a featurette on how to mix certain drinks cut to clips from the movies of people drinking. Also, each title (particularly this one) will feature ugly cover art. One other title of interest in the collection is $, another 1971 heist movie starring Warren Beatty, Goldie Hawn and Gert Frobe.

Covers Revealed For Bond Actor Memoirs

Amazon.co.uk has posted the cover artwork for upcoming books by Sir Sean Connery and Sir Roger Moore. Connery's Being a Scot comes out in England August 21; Moore's autobiography My Word Is My Bond hits shelves in the U.K. October 2 and the U.S. a month later.

(First spotted by CBN.)

Preview Of April's Hemispheres Magazine James Bond Content

The new issue of United Airlines' in-flight magazine, Hemispheres, with the Bond content I mentioned last week, hits seat pockets (and the web) tomorrow. Here's an advance look at what readers can expect, courtesy of the editor.

The complete Bond content in the issue is as follows:

1. The John Cork feature (6 pages)

2. The Connery Interview (3 pages)

3. A Bond-themed crossword puzzle (1 page)
4. A gear/tech page of some real-life products that are “practically Bond” (an aquatic auto, a camcorder pen, etc.)

5. A listing and photo on the event calendar of the Fleming exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London

I've seen the magazine, and I have to say, it's surprisingly impressive! 007 permeates the issue, as evidenced in the table of contents where a little red "007" logo denotes all the stories with relevance to the theme. Cork's handsomely-illustrated feature is of the same high quality we get from his books on the subject, but the real highlight is definitely the Connery interview (by the evidently knowledgeable Matt Hurwitz), which focuses almost exclusively on Bond. Connery shares his candid thoughts on Daniel Craig and Casino Royale, both of which he's very enthusiastic about. He does offer one interesting and valid criticism of Royale, though:

"I did have one reservation," the star reveals. "They sort of diluted the Bond musical theme, which you hear only at the very end. When I heard it, I thought, 'Oh, that's what I've been missing.' That theme gives the audience a direct connection to Bond--it's an instant recognition." I'm sure John Barry (and Monty Norman) would be happy to hear how highly Connery regards the importance of music in Bond films! He shares a lot more similar insights, and even distills his secret of playing Bond! (That bit might be familiar to avid fans, but it definitely makes a nice conclusion to a very good interview.)

Stay tuned for a chance later this week to win copies of the magazine here on the Double O Section!

James Bond In Hemispheres Magazine

If you're flying United anytime soon, you're in luck: the next issue of their in-flight magazine, Hemispheres, will feature lots of James Bond content--including a brand new, exclusive interview with the notoriously recalcitrant Sir Sean Connery talking about his most famous role! The issue, timed to celebrate Ian Fleming's Centenary, will also feature a story on 007's enduring popularity by noted Bondologist John Cork, co-author of most of the officially-sanctioned books on the Bond films (including last fall's The James Bond Encyclopedia), producer on most of the special edition DVDs in the series (as well as those excellent Charlie Chan sets Fox has been putting out!) and ersatz publisher of his own magazine, the fondly-remembered Goldeneye. And on top of all that, Hemispheres' managing editor Spencer Carney promises "a lot more" Bond content to boot, but it's unclear whether or not Bond's on the cover. The issue will be available on all United flights (complimentary to fliers) starting April 1; the stories (plus added content) will also be online on their website that day. Bond fans who aren't lucky enough to be flying United next month can obtain a copy of the print magazine for $7.50 by calling 877-569-4946. (With any luck, I'll also have a few to give away here on the Double O Section!)

Oddly enough, I was just flying United yesterday. Guess I was a week too early; it would have been a nice surprise to find that Bond issue in the seatback pocket in front of me!

Movie Review: Sean Connery In Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959)

I just saw Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure (1959) for the first time last weekend. Beyond being "the Sean Connery Tarzan" (he’s a bad guy, not Tarzan!), it’s widely regarded to be the very best Tarzan movie. I don’t know if I’d go quite that far (I have a soft spot for some of the Weissmullers), but it is certainly among the best. Gordon Scott makes an excellent Tarzan, and has a lot to work with thanks to a very good script that adheres more closely to Edgar Rice Burroughs’ literary version of the character. This is an articulate Tarzan, not a grunter.

Scott is supported by one of the best casts ever to appear in a Tarzan movie, including Anthony Quayle as the villain, Slade, Connery as his drunk, psychotic henchman, O’Bannion, and Nial McGinnis and Al Mulock rounding out the gang. Actresses Sara Shane and Scilla Gabel are both as good as they are beautiful, which isn’t always a given in this type of jungle adventure. Shane is especially fetching as the daredevil aviatrix/adventuress forced to tag along with Tarzan on his jungle quest for revenge. I’m stumped as to why she didn’t have more of a career after this, other than a few American TV credits. She would have made a wonderful Eurospy starlet! Slade’s girl Toni (Gabel) did go on to do a few spy movies (including Modesty Blaise), as did Scott himself who capped his career with Segretissimo (1968).

Producer Sy Weintraub must have asked himself, "What’s the only thing that could make Treasure of the Sierra Madre better?" and come up with "Tarzan!" In theory I’d say he was right in this hypothetical conclusion (it could be argued that there are few things Tarzan wouldn’t improve), but in practice even the Lord of the Jungle can’t make up for the loss of Bogie and Huston. Still, that formula leaves a surprisingly adult drama to unfold against the jungle backdrop, into which Tarzan fits well. When the gang, led by Slade, kills some of Tarzan’s friends in a raid on a town, Tarzan vows revenge and tracks them into the jungle. He and Slade have a history together, which makes Slade antsy (to the bemusement of his gang). All the while, there is tension among the gang over the diamonds they’re out to collect, and their own greed and in-fighting spell their doom. Ultimately the jungle does them in; Tarzan (as its human spirit) only helps.

Connery, who was paid $5,600 for his efforts, is surprisingly good as the wicked O’Bannion, which turns out to be a much more sizeable role than I’d ever imagined. He was evidently impressive enough that Weintraub asked him back to play a different role in the next Tarzan movie (not the role of Tarzan, as some sources have erroneously reported over the years). According to Gabe Essoe’s definitive look at the Ape Man, Tarzan of the Movies, "Sean Connery was apologetic. ‘Two fellows took an option on me for some spy picture, and are exercising it. But I’ll be in your next,’ he promised, having no idea what would happen with James Bond." The rest, of course, is history.

Tarzan’s Greatest Adventure is a great Tarzan movie and a great Connery movie, well worth seeking out for fans of the actor. It definitely deserves to be on DVD, and it’s a shame Paramount hasn’t seen fit to release it. Perhaps they can use the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as an excuse to dig into their archives for other jungle adventures, and release this and its sequel, Tarzan the Magnificent...

UPDATED: New Spy DVDs Out Today

Mission: Impossible - The Second TV Season comes out today for $49.99 (but available for considerably less most places--see below), and it's another excellent TV set from CBS/Paramount. Like the first season, it comes on seven discs in four clear slimpacks, all wrapped up in a shiny package with very nice artwork! This is one of the standout spy DVD releases of the year, and I'll have a full review up later today...

Additionally, Warner Bros. releases the James Garner/Eva Marie Saint WWII espionage thriller 36 Hours. I've never seen this one, but I'm really curious about it. It sounds interesting, sort of like a Prisoner episode. They also release the Sean Connery movie The Hill, directed by Sidney Lumet. This will come as welcome news for Connery fans, as the gritty black and white war/prison movie contains one of his best performances, and is long overdue on DVD. It should also interest Bond fans in general, as The Hill is the movie that Connery famously plugged instead of Thunderball at every chance he got. The fact that press only wanted to know about James Bond, and wasn't interested in his more "serious" work, was one of the major factors in his decision to leave the role for the first time after You Only Live Twice.

Before They Were Spies

UK distributor Network released the gritty 1957 trucker noir Hell Drivers on Region 2 DVD this week. No, it's definitely not a spy movie (not even close!), but it has more than enough spy connections to warrant a mention here. For one thing, tough-guy star Stanley Baker is supported by a gaggle of future spy stars. Secret Agent Patrick McGoohan, Man From UNCLE David McCallum, Professional Gordon Jackson, and Double-O man Sean Connery round out the ensemble. For another, it's co-written and based on a story by John Kruse, who would go on to write for The Saint, The Protectors, The Persuaders and Return of the Saint, as well as penning the screenplay for Roger Moore's zippy pre-Bond spy flick Crossplot. Like most recent Network releases, this 2-disc affair is packed with bonus material including an audio commentary, interviews with Baker, documentaries, a whole Danger Man episode, and Who Killed Lamb, a well-regarded 1974 teleplay starring Baker.