Believe it or not, it has been 50 years since the suave and sophisticated James Bond first started wowing cinemagoers.
With his tailored suits, fast cars and cool gadgets, James Bond switched effortlessly from literature to film.
Since bursting into cinemas in 1962 with Dr No, the Bond franchise has spawned 22 films in total – delighting fans the world over.
To mark the secret agent’s cinematic anniversary, an exhibition is being put on at the Barbican Centre in London this summer.
Displaying sets, costumes, gadgets and of course cars, the exhibition is a celebration of the longest-running film franchise of all time.
But the Barbican will not be able to house the iconic locations from around the world that have been the setting for Bond’s adventures. So what are the most memorable Bond settings?
St Petersburg, Russia
Bond always seems to be having problems with those pesky Russians – they crop up in The World Is Not Enough, Goldeneye and A View to a Kill to name but a few.
The beautiful city of St Petersburg featured Goldeneye – the first Bond film of the Pierce Brosnan era.
The Bahamas
Bond likes to spend a fair amount of time on the beach, usually with a bikini-clad beauty. So it makes sense that the tropical paradise of the Bahamas has featured in numerous Bond outings.
Switzerland
Not only does he use gadgets and drive fast cars, but James Bond’s a pretty decent skier too. Whether it’s skiing off a cliff edge or chasing bad guys, no one does skiing quite like him. And Bond being the suave guy that he is, the luxury skiing of Switzerland crops up again and again.
Thailand
The South East Asian country has featured in a number of Bond films, and has also been a regular filming location for the franchise. The Man with the Golden Gun was filmed in Phang Nga Bay. And Bangkok stood in for Ho Chi Minh City in Tomorrow Never Dies.
(Images: popculturegeek , Philipp Hienstorfer, lakewentworth, rhoadeecha)
