
Licence to Thrill
A Cultural History of the James Bond Films
James Chapman(Author)
Bloomsbury Academic (Publisher)
3rd Edition
Published on 16. May 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
328 pages
978-1-350-21108-7 (ISBN)
Description
In this new edition of Licence To Thrill, James Chapman builds upon the success of his classic work, regarded as the definitive scholarly study of the history of the James Bond film series from the first picture, Dr No (1962), to the present. He considers the origins of the films in the spy thrillers of Ian Fleming and examines the production histories of the films in the contexts of the British and international film industries.
This edition includes a new introduction and chapters on Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). Chapman explores how the films have changed over time in response to developments in the wider film culture and society at large. He charts the ever-evolving Bond formula, analysing the films' representations of nationhood, class, and gender in a constantly shifting cinematic and ideological landscape.
This edition includes a new introduction and chapters on Quantum of Solace (2008), Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015) and No Time to Die (2021). Chapman explores how the films have changed over time in response to developments in the wider film culture and society at large. He charts the ever-evolving Bond formula, analysing the films' representations of nationhood, class, and gender in a constantly shifting cinematic and ideological landscape.
Reviews / Votes
Over two decades after its initial publication in 1999, Licence to Thrill remains the go-to academic and popular study of the James Bond film franchise. In this third edition, Chapman updates his excellent cultural history and nuanced analyses of the Bond films to include the final Daniel Craig film, No Time to Die. A completely new introduction offers insight into the explosion of Bond criticism in the twenty-first century. -- Oliver Buckton, Florida Atlantic University, USA In this new edition of Licence to Thrill, James Chapman exhibits his keen critical sensibility and capacious knowledge of film history to address the corpus of Bond films, including the most recent of these starring Daniel Craig as Ian Fleming's most famous creation. The result is an indispensable study that every scholar and fan alike will want (and need) to read. -- Stephen Watt, Indiana University, USAMore details
Series
Edition
3rd edition
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
60 bw illus
Dimensions
Height: 232 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
558 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-350-21108-7 (9781350211087)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
04/2024
3rd Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€22.99
Available for download

E-Book
04/2024
3rd Edition
Bloomsbury Academic
€22.99
Available for download
Person
James Chapman is Professor of Film Studies at the University of Leicester, UK. He is the editor of the Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, and his most recent books include Dr No: The First James Bond Film (2022), Contemporary British Television Drama (Bloomsbury Academic, 2020) and Hitchcock and the Spy Film (I.B. Tauris, 2018).
Content
Introduction: (Still) Taking James Bond seriously
1. The contexts of Bond: Ian Fleming and the British spy thriller
2. Snobbery with violence: Dr No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964)
3. Bondmania: Thunderball (1965), Casino Royale (1967), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
4. Bond in transition: Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
5. Keeping the British end up: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979)
6. Cold warrior reborn: For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), Never Say Never Again (1983), A View to a Kill (1985)
7. Continuity and change: The Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989)
8. Millennial Bond: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)
9. Revisionist Bond: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008)
10. Jubilee Bond: Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time to Die (2021)
Coda: James Bond will return
Notes
Filmography
Bibliography
Index
1. The contexts of Bond: Ian Fleming and the British spy thriller
2. Snobbery with violence: Dr No (1962), From Russia with Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964)
3. Bondmania: Thunderball (1965), Casino Royale (1967), You Only Live Twice (1967), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
4. Bond in transition: Diamonds Are Forever (1971), Live and Let Die (1973), The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
5. Keeping the British end up: The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979)
6. Cold warrior reborn: For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), Never Say Never Again (1983), A View to a Kill (1985)
7. Continuity and change: The Living Daylights (1987), Licence to Kill (1989)
8. Millennial Bond: GoldenEye (1995), Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999), Die Another Day (2002)
9. Revisionist Bond: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008)
10. Jubilee Bond: Skyfall (2012), Spectre (2015), No Time to Die (2021)
Coda: James Bond will return
Notes
Filmography
Bibliography
Index