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James Bond Gadgets DVD Review |
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By courtesey of Silva Screen Ltd. we have been able to bring you this James Bond Gadgets DVD Rewiew. RELEASE DATE: 15th May 2006 DVD facts:
Reviewed by Maciej Szymanski, BMT 216A Team
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The BMT 216A team received an offer from Silva Screen to make a review of their new DVD release - We accepted it gladly. When the DVD arrived in my mail - I was more than excited.... The package contains one DVD with around two hours of running time - The whole packacge is nicely designed. Not a typical colour, but keeping the general style of the Bond headers. Certainly recognisable on the shelf with Bond collection movies. I instantly put the DVD into the player and watched, watched, watched... and got a headache after the two hours session. A lot of information in a short time :) . "Grow up 007..." as Q would have said ... I had to cool my blood to the temperature of typical English secret agent and revise the show. 
The DVD contains two episodes from the TV Serie "Modern Marvels" prepared for History Channel which were produced and transmitted in 2002. As a bonus we can watch an interview with Cubby Broccoli and his wife Diana. So the Bond fans, who are waiting for totally new facts concerning Bond movies and equipment, might not be satisfied... But for the general audience - it surely satisfies the "technical" hunger and fills the eyes with Bond equipment running for real. Both episodes are interesting. They mainly present the original gadgets and has interviews with the constructors, owners of the equipment, as well as representatives and F/X notables from the Eon Productions. The interviews are sparsely merged with pictures or movies from the Bond backstage - or old presentations of the Equipment. The documentary benefits from the 2001 exhibition of Bond cars in Beaulieu Motor Museum. As I stated - My first impression was very positive. But watching it through the technically engaged Bond enthusiast lenses, it's not so positive... it gets a more negative reflection. I can understand that a documentary episode has other and different economical rules as million dollar movies - But they are still a kind of movie and some decisions may be crucial for its success. Here we have few examples, where some decisions can't be explained in other way that cost cuts or lack of ideas. 1. Aston Martins - a big mistake and dissapointment. Having interviewed Dave Worral - author of "The most famous car in the world" - Why didn't they take the opportunity to go to Tennessee and show us the real James Bond DB5? It's a pity, greater even due to their journey in USA... Fortunately we can see the Silver Birch DB5 BMT 214A on show in the Beaulieu Museum, as well as in the International Spy Museum, Washington D.C. short looks on the car using machine guns. The most "recent" AM V12 Vanquish wasn't better treated. Who cares about aerospace technology used to protect the engine parts against the heat - even presented by AM marketing manager - when this car was impressively overloaded with gadgets? No off-scenes, no photos, no backstage shots or pictures... I got the impression that no one in the producer team was able to get closer to the latest Bond sources and pull out some extra stuff - either they didn't care for that, being hypnotised by the shape of V12 and beauty of the Marketing specialist... 
2. The whole material concerning Special Tactical Services is in my opinion only a time filler. This is off-topic story, more adequate to another documentary context than James Bond Gadgets. But the episode is not long, so other scenes are succesfully driving this off-topic sensation away. But the taste of the DB5... How dare they?... It really takes me sad.At the end is an interesting interview showing the personality of Albert Broccoli. The program was recorded probably in 1979-1980 shortly after "Moonraker". So it's quite old but brings us closer the man who started the whole James Bond Phenomenon and business. Conclusion - The documentaries and the Broccoli interview are interesting for a Bond fan generally interested in the Bond phenomenon. - But for me as a technical Bond enthusiast, this is not the documentary hit, which can be compaired with discovery of the "Titanic" wreck: Fantastic episodes supported by interviews with very interesting people, merged with some pictorial "fast-food" to calm the senses. Rare old photos from the movie plans and original spectacles, merged with awesome presentations of the machines in reality. On a scale of 1 - 5 I rate the James Bond Gadgets DVD 3,5 and will wait impatiently for the next episodes, or other separated programs concerning 007 equipment. Four years is a long time, and many things have changed. Many new things has been discovered - and people once engaged gets older and wants to revoke some stories from the past ... There is room for improvement. Need support? - you know already where to ask ..:) Maciej Szymanski
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Related linksBuy the James Bond Gadgets DVD at www.amazon.co.uk |
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