In the Presence of Greatness

This week has been quite a week and there's more to come. It has been a time of landmark events and life's high points.

As you may have guessed, I am a bit of a fan of the James Bond franchise and this week has been rather heavy on Bond events.

Let's start with today and work backwards. Today Skyfall goes on general release; the 23rd Bond film is released on the anniversary of the release of Dr. No, the first one. My tickets for a screening tomorrow are nestled in my wallet and I can't wait. So far the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive. My own will be going up soon.

But let's go back a few days. On Tuesday it was the Royal World Premier of Skyfall at the Albert Hall. The entire street in front of the front entrance was covered in 007 logos, themes from previous films were being pumped out and one of the most famous characters of all made a guest appearance; the Aston Martin DB5.

Daniel Craig arrived in a Range Rover of all things (unusual in that it is a car I both would and wouldn't associate with Bond) and was greeted by a roar from the crowds. I can't begin to imagine what he was feeling then but to be the recipient of such adoration must be incredible. More so because, at that moment, he knew he was the living embodiment of James Bond (even if his watch was a Rolex rather than an Omega - yes folks, I am that sad). Craig, in my opinion, is a truly magnificent Bond and richly deserves the reception. What impressed me more was the way he ignored the army of pretty PR girls trying to shepherd him up the red carpet and spent time interacting with fans and signing autographs. From interviews he has given, I get the strong impression that he genuinely respects the fans of his films generally and especially Bond fans given the nerdy love most of them have. He also gives the impression of being a genuine Bond fan which is always a good thing.

After Craig's arrival came the rest of the cast and crew in suitable red carpet style. Notable among the attendees were the Rolls Royce from Goldfinger. Another nice touch was the Rolls from View to a Kill being used. The car in the film belonged to the producer Cubby Broccoli and on Tuesday his daughter Barbara, the current producer, was the one to arrive in it. That's just cool!

So was I at this spectacular event? Was I screaming like a teenage girl at a boyband concert? Much as I would have loved to be there, I wasn't. I watched it on youtube. I was at the Albert Hall the next day but sadly for a far less auspicious event. The whole place was cloaked in anticlimax.

On Tuesday night I was in the ultra-glamorous location of Basingstoke. Was I disappointed to be there rather than in London? Apart from the natural disappointment of not being in London generally, not a bit of it. I had a wonderful evening at the one event on the planet that could equal the Royal World Premier of Skyfall. I was at 'An Evening with Roger Moore'.

Roger Moore is the actor with the most Bond films to his name. He has had seven outings ranging from Live and Let Die to View to a Kill and on Tuesday I spent a fabulous evening listening to him tell stories from his illustrious career (although surprisingly little about Bond). More men have walked on the moon than have played the main role in a Bond film and I got to spend the evening in the company of one of them.

Although occasionally showing his age, Sir Roger was on fine form. He was witty, charming, naturally suave and exuded a natural warmth. The evening was aided by a compère asking Sir Roger questions about his life and career. He clearly knew his stuff and never tried to take over the process. What really impressed me was that the whole evening was unscripted. As well as being naturally hilarious a lot of the anecdotes told were extremely risqué however he is one of those men that can say the most outrageous things and still not sound smutty. As well as talking about his film career, Sir Roger talked at great length and with obvious passion about his career as a UNICEF ambassador. It was genuinely touching to hear him talk with such passion and conviction about sharing the gifts that he had been bestowed upon him with others.

The event that sealed the night to perfection was of course when he quoted his line... "My name is Bond. James Bond." Wonderful.

So a bit of a Bond-themed week. I am now counting the hours until I take my seat in the cinema and see the film I have been eagerly anticipating for years.

JR