My 007 Aston Martin love at first sight was 50 years ago a boy taken by my dad to watch Gold Finger , third film in the series of James Bond, fascinated by Sean Connery using the magic of triumphant survival introduced by “Q†the 1960s Merlin of HM Intelligence Service “00 programmeâ€.
It was a love affair that grew with the baby-boomer generation. Bond agent 007 whom exasperated HM civil servant Q trying to stop him wrecking his up-to-date gadgets in the DB5 Aston Martin.
Don’t get me wrong, Daniel Craig is a great actor and suited to the part… but I guess it was either a whole 50 years-long reel memories, or the Martini Shaken not stirred ( generously provided by Belvedere and Aston Martin in the reception for the London screening this week) or just eyes being dazzled by the presence of the Aston Martin DB10 bathed in nightlight outside the Curzon Cinema; and were more Bond female fans than chaps touching the glittering magic of the beautiful machine that accompanied 007 in the first half Spectre, this modern politically correct version of Bond. Spectre has the same ingredients that all 007 fans love with the baddy the type of Gold-finger or Dr No power-crazed figure with self righteous madness that holds democracy in contempt as mankind Achilles’ heel.
Like in Skyfall, Q is a modern computer geek. I am risking showing my age prejudice here by saying I was more comfortable with the older wiser humourless chap in white coat, clipboard and battery of pencils and pens in his pocket, which in a way was quite funny… I don’t want to give the plot away…. but I loved sticking to the old tricks which the Aston Martin can still give Bond fans their anticipated doses of fixes. What I liked more is that the Americans are nowhere to be seen, no role for the CIA (there are also some good satire, comic moment without the need to laugh at our cousins from across the pond) .. it is almost like the first three years of World War II the British chaps going it alone to save “our way of life†( here is a phrase just to please our American friends ).
With the usual 007ish reckless driving over-abusing the DB10…. (not my words but that is speechless Q assessment, wondering how this kind of expenses can be justified in his magic-world budget )… Lo and behold….from the dusty underground stores below a secrete Whitehall architecture my very first love at first sight the DB5 has phoenixed restoring my faith in the modern young Q, 21st century Merlin as closing titles leaves me awaiting the next 007 in the next Aston Martin .
With London Film Festival ( nine years older than the DB5 first Bond drive) coinciding with Spectre worldwide screening, questions raised as why wasn’t 007 part of the LFF? Many theories and whether Bond was a too bigger fish for the festival pond? Or organisers didn’t think of it? My own spin would be Bond is a whole cult, different audience perhaps…. or just different ?
Spectre Starring Daniel Craig & Aston Martin DB10Â opened in London on the 26th of October
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