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James Bond - Die Another Day

He’s cool, clever and dangerous. He never gets old, and he never stops fighting criminals, falling in love, or saving the world. He’s the most popular movie character of the last forty years – and he’s coming to a cinema near you this month. His name is Bond. James Bond.

Die Another Day, the new Bond film, is the twentieth Bond film since the first, Dr. No, was made in 1962. Pierce Brosnan is Bond for the fourth time, and Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry is an American Secret Agent. Another superstar, Madonna, sings the film’s song. The adventure starts in Hawaii and moves quickly across the world to Korea, Hong Kong, Spain, and Iceland. Will British Secret Agent 007, James Bond, save the world – again?

Of course the answer is ‘yes’. Everyone knows that! And everyone knows that the film will have something for everyone: an exciting story, exotic places, evil criminals, beautiful women, funny and clever conversations, interesting and strange science, romance… But if all Bond films are the same, why are they still popular after forty years?

The world was a different place in 1953 when British writer, Ian Fleming, first introduced James Bond to the world. In Fleming’s books Bond fights against Communist criminals. But the filmmakers wanted the films to be more international and less political. They made a small, important change to Fleming’s work: in the films the criminals usually work for their own power and money – not for their countries. This means that the stories are always believable, even as world politics change.

Bond films are not serious, but they often show the important opinions and problems of their time. Sometimes they can make people think about the world they live in. In The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) the British and the Russians work together against the international criminal, Stromberg. People liked this idea. It was different and hopeful at a nervous time in international politics. In the 1990s money was more important than politics. Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and The World is Not Enough (1999) are both about international business. Maybe some people watched these films and thought about the power and danger of money in the real world around them.

Everyone knows that Bond will save the world in Die Another Day this month. But they also know that the film will be modern and fresh. Bond films have changed and stayed the same for forty years. This is the secret of their success. Penguin Dossiers , Copyright © Pearson Education Limited 2002 , Photograph courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

cool: tenang dan tidak gugup

Oscar: Penghargaan yang diberikan setiap tahun untuk film, aktor terbaik, dan lain-lain dalam industri perfilman Amerika Serikat

secret agent: agen rahasia

superstar: bintang terkenal

exotic: kelihatan berbeda, atau menyenangkan yang berasal dari negara asing.

evil: jahat