James Bond - Movies and Money

NEWS LESSONS / Making a killing: why James Bond is forever / ElementaryP

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SITE Macmillan Publishers Ltd 2015

Making a killing: why James Bond is forever

Level 1 l Elementary

Key words2

Warmer 1

Fill the gaps in the sentences using these key words from the text. The paragraph numbers will help you.

1. How many James Bond films can you name?2. Which is your favourite Bond film?3. Which is your least favourite Bond film?4. Who was the best James Bond actor? Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton,

Pierce Brosnan or Daniel Craig?

Find the information 3

Find the following information in the text as quickly was possible.

1. How much have the Bond films earned at cinemas around the world?2. When was the film Skyfall released?3. What will the 24th Bond film be called? 4. Which actor played Bond in Skyfall?5. Who was the first actor to play James Bond?6. When was Goldeneye released?

6. ____________________ is when prices increase so that money becomes less valuable. (para 8)

7. If someone is ____________________, they have skill at something because they have done it a lot. (para 9)

8. An ____________________ production is very detailed and complicated. (para 9)

9. A ____________________ is something dangerous, such as jumping from a building, that entertains people, often as part of a film. (para 9)

10. A ____________________ is a part of a film. (para 9)

1. A ____________________ is a set of television programmes or films that are all about the same subject or person. (para 1)

2. ____________________ things are like clothes, music, films etc from the recent past. (para 3)

3. If you feel ____________________, you remember happy times in the past. (para 3)

4. A ____________________ is the written words of a film. (para 4)

5. ____________________ are all the people who watch a film in the cinema. (para 7)

audiences nostalgic retro script series

experienced scene stunt inflation elaborate


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Level 1 l ElementaryMaking a killing: why James Bond is forever Andrew Pulver 5 December, 2014

1 James Bond films are one of the worlds oldest and most successful film series. Twenty-three Bond films have been made so far. They have earned more than $6 billion at cinemas around the world. James Bond is not slowing down. In fact, the films are more popular than ever Skyfall, which broke all records and became the biggest ever film at UK cinemas in 2012, earned a total of $1.1 billion.

2 So, there was a lot of interest when they announced more details about the 24th Bond film especially its title, Spectre. The number one question is: can Spectre be as successful as Skyfall?

3 Charles Gant, film editor for Heat magazine, thinks it can. They were very clever when they made Skyfall, he says. It was both modern and retro. Daniel Craig fans liked it and, also, older, more nostalgic Bond fans, who lost interest over the previous few films. With the new title, he adds, it is certain to be a success.

4 Eon Productions is the company, started in 1961, that made Dr No and all the official Bond films. The company really wants the next film to be successful so it is using the same people that worked on Skyfall in the new film. Daniel Craig will play Bond and the same people have written the script. Most importantly, Sam Mendes will again be the director. According to Gant, Mendes is the best Bond director. Gant says: Mendes attracted top actors like Ralph Fiennes. Actors like Fiennes will only be in a film if they like the director.

5 The Bond series was not in trouble before the arrival of Mendes and Craig but the films were becoming a bit boring towards the end of Pierce Brosnans time as Bond. There were no longer any more original Bond stories to adapt and the films no longer had enough energy.

6 This was nothing new: the history of the Bond series has been one of constant change, especially of the lead actor: first, Sean Connery; then, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Brosnan and, now, Craig. Each new actor has been different and some have been better than others.

7 Lazenby only did one Bond film. Daltons two films, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill,

were during a period in the late 80s when more aggressive Hollywood action movies were more popular. According to Gant, the period of Roger Moores last films and Daltons films didnt excite audiences. Brosnan was more successful but Craig is the best. On the other hand, the early Bond films were sexy and exciting.

8 Skyfall made more money than all the other Bond films. But some of the 1960s Bond films were almost as successful. With figures adjusted for inflation, the 1965 film Thunderball is only a little bit below Skyfall. And Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice both did better than the other Craig films. Licence to Kill made the least money of all Bond films and Moores final film, A View to a Kill, the second least.

9 Martin Campbell is an experienced British director and he planned one of the most elaborate stunts in Bond history. In the famous first scene of Goldeneye (released in 1995), Bond falls into a light aeroplane without a pilot. This scene helped to make the Bond series more modern and popular. Also, a very successful Goldeneye video game created new, younger fans of Bond and made people think that the Bond film was no longer boring and old-fashioned.

Guardian News and Media 2014

First published in The Guardian, 05/12/14


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Match the words in the left-hand column with the words in the right-hand column to make phrases from the text.

1. film

2. Bond

3. constant

4. action

5. first

6. lead

Comprehension check4

a. scene

b. movie

c. fan

d. actor

e. editor

f. change

Chunks5

Two-word phrases6

Rearrange the words to make phrases from the text.

1. a interest lot there of was

2. this nothing new was

3. on hand other the

4. the films few previous

5. famous the scene first

6. more six than dollars earned billion

Match the beginnings and endings to make statements about the text.

1. A lot of people are wondering if

2. Skyfall was popular because

3. The same people that worked on Skyfall

4. Six different actors

5. Licence to Kill

6. The famous first scene of Goldeneye

a. earned less money than any of the other Bond films.

b. Spectre can be as successful as Skyfall.

c. helped to make the Bond series more modern and popular.

d. both Daniel Craig fans and older Bond fans liked it.

e. have played the role of James Bond.

f. will also work on Spectre.


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Do you go to the cinema? Why? Why not?

What kind of films do you like? Why do you like these films?

Do you like James Bond films? Why? Why not?

Word-building7

Discussion8

noun adjective

1. experience

2. success

3. popularity

4. fame

verb adjective

5. bore

6. excite

Complete the table using words from the text.


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KEY

2 Key words

1. series 2. retro 3. nostalgic4. script 5. audiences 6. inflation 7. experienced 8. elaborate 9. stunt10. scene

3 Find the information

1. $6 billion2. 20123. Spectre4. Daniel Craig5. Sean Connery6. 1995

4 Comprehension check

1. b2. d3. f4. e5. a6. c

5 Chunks

1. there was a lot of interest2. this was nothing new3. on the other hand4. the previous few films5. the famous first scene6. earned more than six billion dollars

6 Two-word phrases

1. e2. c3. f4. b5. a6. d

7 Word-building

1. experienced2. successful3. popular4. famous 5. boring6. exciting

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James Bond - Movies and Money