James Bond exhibit highlights bold opening sequences

[Blowfeld]

The iconic Aston Martin DB5 from James Bond films is on display at the UK's National Motor Museum. High-tech gadgets Q created for 007 and his designer suits are to be exhibited at London's Barbicon Centre. And in Hollywood, the distinctive title credits from the Bond movies are screening at the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film franchise, the striking opening sequences from each of the 22 films from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace are presented in the ...Is James Bond exhibition, which opened this month and runs through September 9.

As a salute to James Bond's impact on pop culture, the show features title sequences as "a unique and groundbreaking exercise of cinema," states the show's curator Elvis Mitchell, radio host of The Treatment, to "immerse us in the sensibility of 007, filmmaking as daring as the title character."

The stylish graphic look was originally designed by Maurice Binder, who created 14 of the trademark sequences with the now-classic gun barrel image and silhouetted women's figures. Robert Brownjohn also created titles for From Russia with Love and Goldfinger, and Daniel Kleinman succeeded Binder beginning with 1995's GoldenEye.

Forty-inch monitors with audio on headsets play various versions of the James Bond theme and music, and on Thursdays in July and September the museum will screen a double-feature of James Bond films from the archives.

Despite the changes over five decades, from Sean Connery to Daniel Craig, secret organizations to diabolical tycoons, and from M as a man to a woman, the super cool image of Agent 007 has lived on, "shaken but not stirred."

Also in LA, a retrospective screening of all 22 films, hosted by the American Cinematheque, will play at the historic restored Egyptian Theatre and Aero Theatre through June 24. http://www.lacma.org/art/exhibition/james-bond

[Kristatos]

Bond is about the only franchise left that still does proper opening credits. Most films nowadays just stick the title up on screen and then expect you to sit through ten minutes of credits at the end.