Everything or Nothing (2012)

"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.

Over the years, there has been so much media (in all formats) given to the James Bond saga that one would think it would be difficult to approach the matter from a new, fresh perspective. However, that is EXACTLY what "Everything or Nothing" manages to do by focusing on the creative talent behind the creation of Bond.Basically, this documentary tells the "Bond story" from the perspective of those who created the books and films:-It begins with much exposition on Ian Fleming, the book author, and what inspired him to create such an iconic character.-Then, it focuses on the beginning of the films and how the Broccoli/Saltzman relationship became such a dynamite pairing that rocketed the franchise to stardom.-The rest of the show explains how the Bond movies changed over the years due to the ever- changing relationships of the power players behind the scenes.As a huge Bond fan, I very much enjoyed this documentary for its ability to pull back the curtain on the creative side of Bond, exposing some stories I had not heard before and some casting/creative decisions about the franchise that now make a bit more sense once the "backstage" stuff is known.If you are just looking for a "Bond highlight reel", you might be disappointed here. But, if you want some great interviews and all the "dirt" on the creators, this will completely suck you in!

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.

For the dedicated 007 fan, I recommend adding this movie to your Bond collection. I always enjoy a good behind the scenes documentary, especially all the human drama and minutia involved in making Hollywood magic. I have to say as far as movie making documentaries, this one's the best so far. This is a brilliant and methodical collection of interviews and news clips covering the Bond saga from 1962 to 2012's Skyfall. Going far beyond the special features that accompany the DVD/Blu-Ray collections, there are many fresh revelations of the decisions, relationships, litigations, collaborations, betrayals, controversies, successes, and failures that went into the creative processes of Fleming, Broccoli, Saltzman, and many other talents who framed the Bond mythology. The movie begins with an intro from our newest Bond Commander, Daniel Craig. It seems a fitting choice to begin the 50-year anniversary tell all as he grew up with Bond. The interviews include super villains as well. Beginning with Christopher Lee, The Man with the Golden Gun 1973, it's revealed (to me at least) that he's a "distant cousin" of the late Ian Fleming. I'm glad he's still with us to share his knowledge of Ian's real-life WWII Naval Intelligence experiences which was the impetus for the Bond character development. Interviews are not just for the Hollywood elite either. The film makers include the surviving siblings, children, associates, and friends who, in my mind, contribute greatly to the Bond perspective. As the film progresses to interviews with the actors who played Bond, many new facts are revealed in a "he said, she said" style and old facts re-confirmed as well. For example, the reasoning behind choosing Welsh actor, Timothy Dalton, before Pierce Brosnan, is well known by many of us older fans, but maybe not by the newer generation of fans. However, most glaringly absent from the main characters' participation, is the first Bond, Sean Connery. In spite of this, Mr. Connery's pro/con experiences are told in absentia and in a seemingly fair manner carefully avoiding any pre-judgments leaving that privilege to the audience. Harry Saltzman and Albert R. (Cubby) Broccoli were the original Bond producers but died in 1994 and 96. Although not available, many home movies and other footage were carefully edited in to give us a fairly complete perspective of the working and personal relationship between these two men. This part of the story is greatly enhanced by the daughters. Barbara Broccoli and Hillary Saltzman. I'm captivated as they recall loving memories of their fathers, and can't help wondering why they were never "Bond girls." These two women are as beautiful as any of the ladies who've filled the ranks. Then, the story is the "passing of the baton" to the surviving Barbara Broccoli and her step brother Michael. They continue the Bond saga with a set of new challenges, such as, choosing the first "Blond Bond," Daniel Craig, which was very controversial at the time (another new fact to me). Sharing what 007 means to them, the last few minutes are a montage of closing comments and analogies from many of the feature's participants including former Pres. Bill Clinton.For me, I'm always slow in warming up to a change with my favorite characters and Bond is no exception. However, the actors who have holstered the Walther PPK, have done an excellent job in my estimation. I'm not one of those "so and so was the real Bond" type of fans . . . So far.As a companion movie, I recommend "Bond Girls Are Forever." It's a 2002 documentary, ten years before this one. It's done in a different style as Maryam d'Abo, herself a Bond girl, solely does the interviews in "Globe trotter" fashion.