Blue Wolf Reviews

Tag: James

  • James Bond and the Sixties Spy Craze

    James Bond and the Sixties Spy Craze

    When the first James Bond movie hit the wide screen in the i960’s, Dr No in 1962, it began craze if you like, for more of this farfetched and yet very believable espionage, secret agent spy thriller genre. This was to last from 1962–1969—peaking in 1966–1967.

    The timing was perfect as the world was grappling with the effects of Russia and their Communist philosophies, the very serious threat of nuclear war between the USA and Russia with fear widespread, when along comes James Bond, a man who not only looked handsome, had a very good way with women and had a ruthless personality when came to getting the job done.

    Based on the books by Ian Fleming, who saw James Bond as his alter ego, the pace was fast, the settings exotic and the glamour surrounding Bond made it all the more believable in the cinemas. People needed a hero, even if he was a fictitious fellow.

    The franchise was to go on to great Box Office success and is still alive and well after more than sixty years, the men playing Bond have changed several times with the last Bond, Australian Daniel Craig bringing this man of secrets and talents into the world of today.

    This spawned many other Spy concepts, with In Like Flint being the first one to take a tilt at the Bond franchise, which then lead on to a range of secret agent material for both television and Cinema. Charlies Angels, the Austin Powers series and The Man From Uncle to name a few, are directly related to the original James Bond concept.

    In James Bond and the Sixties Spy Craze, Thom Shubilla looks at the influence James Bond has had on wider range of media productions, the establishment of the ‘franchise’, a little about the very careful selection of who was to play Bond and the men who followed in the footsteps of Sean Connery, Box Office takings and why the concept of James Bond is still popular today.

     For anyone who is an avid James Bond fan, and there are many, James Bond and the Sixties Spy Craze is a must read and a most enjoyable walk back down memory lane.

  • The Familiars

    The Familiars

    Set in the period around the early sixteen hundreds in Lancashire England, The Familiars is an Historical Fiction is based on true events. Many of the characters existed and lived their lives in Gawthorpe Hall. Their stories have been built up to show the political and religious era when King James was on the throne. These were turbulent times and the Politics which divided the Catholic church from the Church of England saw many people accused of witchcraft and hanged. In the Pendle Hill area twelve people were accused of Witchcraft and eleven of them hanged.

    The story is told by the young mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, Fleetwood, who was born in 1595.  As with most of the upper classes, she was quite unaware of the politics and poverty that surrounded her. The young woman was happily married to Richard whose prospects of becoming a leading light in the King’s court were good. Sadly, she had suffered her third miscarriage and had intercepted a letter which mentioned that another pregnancy may cost both the life of mother and child.

    This led Fleetwood to wonder why her husband had not mentioned the warning to her as she was again pregnant. The young woman loved riding in the woods, and it was here that she met Alice, a very poor village girl. When Fleetwood fell off her horse, Alice gave her herbs and bark to help save the baby. Gradually the pregnancy began to normalise, and from being sickly and pale, Fleetwood became healthy and strong.

    As this relationship developed, a friend of Richard’s, who was important at the Court disclosed that he had discovered twelve witches and was bringing them in for trial. This man, Roger, was a warm and helpful mentor to Richard, and although retiring shortly, wanted to bring Justice to the area. Imagine Fleetwood’s horror when she discovered that Alice, who was now her Midwife, was one of those people.

    The true story in the history books documents that twelve people were accused of witchcraft, but one, Alice Gray, was released. The rest were hanged. Fleetwood’s fight to save Alice is cleverly woven around the customs of the times. We read about the inmates of the Hall, their working days, and the clothing they wear. This is a fine immersion into the times, and attitudes in England during a reign of conflict and fear.