Everything or Nothing (2012)

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent but underrated film

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007" (2012 release; 98 min.) is a documentary about the James Bond movie franchise (which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012). After a 'classic' Bond opening, we quickly delve into Ian Fleming's background, and in particular how deeply affected he was by WWII (in which he served) and later the Cold War. It eventually leads him to create the James Bond character, and the first Bond novel "Casino Royal", which some refers to as Fleming's "autobiography of a dream", ha! After this promising start to the documentary, we quickly evolve into the complicated relationship between Albert "Cubby" Broccoli and Harry Saltzman.Couple of comments: this documentary is directed by British film maker Steven Riley. Riley tries to walk a fine line between on the one hand all of the legal issues that have confronted the James Bond franchise over the years (and believe me, there are PLENTY), and giving an overview of how the Bond movies have evolved over the years. There are some tidbits here and there that I found interesting (such as: the budget for the first Bond Movie "Mr. NO" being $1 million--or about $8 million in today's dollars, can you imagine making a Bond movie for just $8 million?; and the interview with one-time Bond actor George Lazenby, on how he talked Broccoli and Saltzman into becoming the new Bond, only then to be kicked out of the Bond franchise after just one movie).I recently stumbled on this while browsing the EPIX on Demand documentary section. When a 50th anniversary celebration movie like this one is put together, you can be assured that it stays on the lighter side when all is said and done, and that's fine. I'm sure one day someone (independent from the Bond film makers) will produce the definitive James Bond documentary.

As a documentary, EVERYTHING OR NOTHING: THE UNTOLD STORY OF 007 attempts to shed new light on the much-loved film and book franchise as well as being a celebration of the topic. It succeeds in the latter part but is noticeably light in offering up anything new in way of material; Bond fans will find this all very familiar stuff indeed.Still, I enjoyed this as a straightforward retrospective, exploring Ian Fleming's life and his original stories before working its way chronologically through the Bond films and their actors. This was made to tie in with SKYFALL and the 50th anniversary of Bond, so it's pretty comprehensive, with lots of clips and interesting reveals about the behind-the-scenes production wrangling with rights issues and the like.The most fun part of all this is the talking head footage of pretty much every important Bond participant, including Barbara Broccoli. The only one missing is the ever-grumpy Sean Connery, but he isn't missed too much. Roger Moore is a delight as ever, and it's nice to see Christopher Lee in what would be one of his last screen appearances. I'm not sure what Bill Clinton is doing here, but he's here nonetheless. EVERYTHING OR NOTHING will do nothing to change your opinion or outlook about the Bond franchise but it whiles away the time readily enough and certainly puts you in the mood for a Bond film or two.

This is the Eon sanctioned documentary on 50 years of James Bond films. The documentary Everything Or Nothing: The Untold Story Of 007 could had been fluffy celebratory piece like many other documentaries but it is rather warts and all approach although I am still sure some of the unedifying stuff has been left out. You still get a lot more behind the scenes information and footage than previous similar documentaries.Five of the six actors who have played James Bond take part. Sean Connery who seems to have had a big falling out with the Bond producers in the past does not take part but instead archive interviews are used. As Roger Moore implies in the documentary the Scots can certainly hold a grudge.There have been several spiky moments for the Bond producers over the last five decades that get a good airing here. The first being getting the rights and bringing the films into fruition. Then Fleming collaborating with Kevin McClory which meant McClory was a thorn for years resulting in the rival film Never say Never again in 1983 with Connery.Then there was the problem when Connery wanted to leave the role and being replaced by George Lazenby who himself left under acrimonious circumstances after one film.We then have Roger Moore who took over Bond and then the parting of the ways between Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, the two producers who started the series and the tangle as to Saltzman's rights which he sold to United Artist.Moore who found the right blend with The Spy who loved me, maybe stayed in the role for too long as the producers were unwilling to replace him in the early 1980s and then could not get Pierce Brosnan and had to got for Timothy Dalton before there was the 6 years hiatus in new Bond films because of litigation and then the relaunch with Brosnan finally in the role and up to the present day with Daniel Craig and the partial reboot of Bond.Its a great primer for those new to Bond and want some juicy behind the scenes gossip and hard information as to what it takes keeping such a successful franchise going for 50 years. Plenty of archive footage (as many of the main movers and shakers have passed on) and scenes from the movies and some humour as well.

To mark the 50th anniversary of James Bond 007 on the big screen, starting with Dr. No in 1962, this special feature length documentary film was released on the same that the first of the spy films came out (the Adele title song for Skyfall was released this day as well), and it would document everything you could think of from the creation of the character and stories up to the present day. It of course begins with the story of how writer Ian Fleming created the character in 1953 and wrote his first of fourteen novels with the famous hero, Casino Royale, and after terrible versions on television how eventually the books caught the attention of filmmakers Albert R. 'Cubby' Broccoli and Harry Saltzman with Eon (Everything or Nothing) Productions and Danjaq brought Dr. No to the big screen. There is discussion about the casting of Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery (sadly not interviewed) as British secret agent James Bond 007, the four films that followed with the star, the sad death of Fleming after From Russia with Love, the legal battle during Thunderball with Kevin McClory trying to get the rights he battled for, new Australian actor George Lazenby becoming the new star (who it would turn out would only film), and bringing Connery back for Diamonds Are Forever. We see how English actor Sir Roger Moore became Bond for twelve years and seven films, Saltzman leaving the series after falling out with Broccoli, the battle between the official Bond film Octopussy and the independent Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again starring Connery and how they fared, how close Irish actor Pierce Brosnan came to becoming the next Bond before his television show Remington Steel was revived and Welsh Shakespearian actor Timothy Dalton was brought in, and how Dalton returned the character to the routes of the novels but became a somewhat controversial and possibly too dark Bond for fans in two films (especially in Licence to Kill). It shows Brosnan getting his second chance six years after the last film and officially becoming the new Bond in GoldenEye and a following three films after, with the Cold War over Bond is given an up to date new image and the actor is replaced by a then controversial choice, blonde actor English actor Daniel Craig who turns out to be an inspired choice in Casino Royale (which shows the origins of the character becoming a double 0 agent, killing two people), and there is a little talk about the upcoming Skyfall. It is fascinating to hear stories from the actors who have played the part of James Bond 007; Lazenby tells how he stormed into an audition and found it easy to get laid, Moore talks about making great friends with cast and crew and trying to resist a Sir Sean Connery impression when saying "My name is Bond. James Bond", Dalton remarks that he wanted to stick with the original works of Fleming and create a more serious character and how enjoyed being the hero, Brosnan remembers how he came close to getting the part and then when he did he mentions the funny side of the job, and Craig talks about how he was happy to be accepted after some controversy and what the future holds for the franchise. Also with contributions from Ken Adam, Barbara Broccoli, Dana Broccoli, Bill Clinton, Robert Davi, Sir Christopher Lee (Ian Fleming's cousin), Mike Myers and Michael G. Wilson. It is clever that the film does not just use photographs and archive footage to tell the stories, it merges clips and behind the scenes footage from all twenty three films: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, GoldenEye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall. The film also features many of the famous music scores from the films, and a few of the songs, including "Thunderball" by Sir Tom Jones, "We Have All the Time in the World" by Louis Armstrong and "Nobody Does It Better" by Carly Simon. It is a very interesting factual film about one of the most successful film franchises in the world, there are many fascinating and insightful stories about the making of the films, all the crew who made them happen, and the events during and after production and screenings, it is everything you could think of if you are a Bond fan, a very watchable documentary. Very good!