CONFESSIONS OF A BONDAHOLIC

15 years ago today I formally became a James Bond fan. So, am I supposed to repeat telling the same story every five or ten years? The answer is probably yes; this is the price you got to pay for all the exclusive stuff I’ve been uploading. No hard feelings, I hope.

Yet, this time I won’t tell you the same story again. You know I became a Bond fan after watching GOLDENEYE on TV when I was seven years old. Oh God! Said it again!

In the Argentinean 2010 Oscar winning film EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES), Guillermo Francella’s character claims “men can change their face, family, girlfriend or God, but not of passion”.  And what I certainly feel is that Bond is my passion. I say Bond is not my life, but a big companion of my life, because it has indeed joined in the most alluring and disgraceful moments in my life: when I was having a hard day on my graduation trip, THUNDERBALL was on TV; when I had a bad week at the office, I won a YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE signed poster; and well, I gave my first kiss by saying repeating the “shared bodily warmth” line Roger Moore and Barbara Bach speak in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. And, of course, the unforgettable moments where daddy rented the Nintendo 64 and the GOLDENEYE 007 game after school.

Original artwork by artist Patricio Carbajal
shortly before my 10th Bond anniversary in 2008

As I write these words, SKYFALL is nominated for five Oscars, has reached more than a billion dollars worldwide and is the eight most successful motion picture in cinema history. My collection is quite big, but of course, not at the scale as my virtual friends. Still, either you can buy the latest Bond on Set book or the Bond 50 BluRay boxset, I feel Bondmanship is not about collecting, it’s about enjoying. It’s about the first time you watch a film on TV or theatre with your friends, girlfriend or alone after waiting for its release for a long period. It’s about waiting hours and hours with your back almost broken to intercept Simon Lebon and get an autograph of the Duran Duran vocalist on your A VIEW TO A KILL soundtrack cover, or about dressing up in a tux for the CASINO ROYALE premiere. These are priceless moments, as was that very first moment where I spotted the image of Pierce Brosnan with his PPK around Santa Fe Avenue back in December ’97. Putting your credit card number on eBay is no match for all of this!

Not sure if I could accomplish the 2.45pm exact schedule of 1998, but during the day I’ll try giving GOLDENEYE a watch… VHS? Special Edition DVD? Ultimate Edition DVD? BluRay? What should I try? Widescreen or Pan & Scan? No matter the format, I cannot reprise watching it with the first time feeling – and that’s, perhaps, what makes reliving that moment even more magic!

Nicolás Suszczyk,

Editor,

THE GOLDENEYE DOSSIER

Patricio Carbajal's artwork can be seen and purchased via his site (patart-pat.blogspot.com). Alan J Porter's upcoming book, The James Bond Lexicon, will contain special commisioned skecthes by the artist.