Actress Gemma Arterton and perfumer Olivier Cresp talk about Avon's latest fragrance, Bond Girl 007.
And if you've seen the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, please comment!
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I haven't tried it or seen any of the movies.
But aren't Bond girls supposed to be *dangerous*?
“a sexy cocktail of velvety florals, cool freshness and warm woods” doesn't sound dangerous to me
The problem is that thanks to Ian Fleming's incorrigible name-dropping (the man was doing unpaid product placement before it was invented — everything Bond wears, touches or eats in the books has a brand name) we already know exactly what the Bond girl smells like: Vent Vert. It's the first perfume mentioned in the books and the only one mentioned more than once. (Of course nobody knows that — no-one even remembers that there were books any more. Pity.) Now if Mr. Cresp would like to recreate the scent of vintage Vent Vert (since the reformulation is such a bust), I would be thrilled to bits, but somehow I doubt that Avon would be equally gung-ho.
And how wild is it that it's this post that finally brought me out of lurker-dom to register on this blog? But I love James Bond as much as y'all are gradually teaching me to love perfume….
You've never seen a single Bond movie, ever?? That's impressive.
You're right though, it doesn't sound particularly dangerous.
I am guilty as charged, I've never read a single one, and in fact, I'm a longtime Bond fan but Craig's Casino Royale was the first movie that made me think that perhaps I ought to.
Then again, I'm such a philistine that I like the admittedly less daring modern version of Vent Vert 🙂
I've read them, I've read them! Along with P.G. Wodehouse, Ian Fleming is one of my palate cleansers between reading weightier stuff. Great fun, and while I find name-dropping in modern fiction tiresome and tacky, Fleming's name-dropping is fun simply because they're brands from a different era.
Do read them, Robin, but remember that the recent movie version of Casino Royale has absolutely nothing to do with the book.
I adore Wodehouse 🙂
But really? I thought Casino Royale was supposed to be “back to Bond's roots” & all that, so assumed it was closer to the books than the earlier movies?
I thought the Daniel Craig “Casino Royale” was actually surprisingly faithful to the book, except of course for the wacky over-the-top ending. “Anything that Happens in Venice” = Not Book. Until then, pretty close, and the tone is right, which goes a long way.
And hey, no dis on the modern Vent Vert, which is a lovely floral. It's just, ya know, not Vent Vert. To me. The old Vent Vert gives off that dangerous, “you are going to regret picking up this girl at the bar but you can't help yourself” vibe that is befitting of a Bond girl. The new one, in my humble opinion, not so much.
1. I am a HUGE bond fan since I was a little girl — my aspiration was to be an international whatever that Bond was always “running into”.
2. I did not like the new Casino Royale – like JanAlways commented — too many stories at once. I'd felt like I was watching a Bruce Wilis movie…
3. I think Clive Owen is the greatest thing since “Croupier”….gorgeous, intelligent, wow….And yes, Shoot Em Up is the best fun you can possibly imagine. Clive did actually turn down the chance to be Bond so he could keep doing more indie movies.
4. My fav Bond villanesse is Fatima Blush from Never Say Never Again. Now I wonder what frag she wore?
Yeah, I know it's not Vent Vert. I've tried 2 vintage versions — loved one, did not love the other. I'd love to smell a preserved version in the Osmotheque, but that isn't likely to happen. In the meantime, we have Fracas for a “close enough” Germaine Cellier, and actually Fracas would suit a Bond Girl! As would Bandit.
LOL at “long lost cousin”!
I really liked it, but it was certainly different and I can see why many people felt it was “not Bond”. I do miss Q though, and wish they'd put back a little of the humor.
Wow…surprised at the lack of love for Casino Royale…
The old formula was just that: old. I'm glad new life was breathed into Bond.
For Bond's 40th anniversary with the release of Die Another Day, Swatch created a watch for each of the films. They were really cool, but I think a different scent for each movie would have been cool (though likely impractical and overly ambitious). There is also a new set of watches inspired by the villain side of each Bond movie.
Yes, those Swatch “Bond Villain” watches are very cool indeed. But who would want one of the villain from Casino Royale? Or Quantum of Solace?
Don't get me wrong, I felt the format needed updating too, but watching the two latest Bonds, I keep thinking “baby” and “bath water.”
There wasn't even a love interest in Quantum of Solace, never mind gadgets or humour. Every movie needs some humour in it…
One of my favourite Bonds is Thunderball, especially the scene where he returns to his hotel room to discover a light on in the bathroom. He pulls out his gun, creeps across the suite and finds… a gorgeous readhead in his bathtub. (Was it Jill St John?)
(Bond must have had a tough time in hotels, there was always someone waiting in his room, waiting to kill him or boff him…)
She asks him to hand her something to slip on. He says nothing but hands her a pair of slippers!
How cool was that?!
And I can STILL remeember it all these years later. Name one scene in either of the two new ones that is that memorable…
Finally, I took my 12 year-old son and his best friend to see QofS and neither of them liked it very much. Did no one in the Bond-franchise-holders actually bother showing QofS to some teenage boys before releasing it?
Although, as mentioned before, we know exactly what scents Bond and many of the other characters wore thanks to Ian Fleming's name-dropping, I think the current bond probably wears something really dull and ordinary.
Tim, thanks — did not know about the swatch series!
The first series of watches was hit and miss (more miss than hit, as far as I am concerned). With over 20 watches, there were bound to be some stinkers, and there definitely were a few. But the designs on some of the watches were really clever, like the one for Octopussy.
I think the villain watches show a bit more ingenuity in the design that ties them closer to the movies they're supposed to represent. The watch for Die Another Day has markings on the watchband that look like the diamond scars on Zao's face, and the Licence to Kill watch uses the colorings of the villain's iguana.
The thing about the Bond films, for me, is that I've enjoyed every single one of them for one reason or another. Some were better than others for different reasons. Same goes for all the actors who played the character: I appreciate that they each brought something unique to the character.
We don't get QoS here until next week, but what I've been hearing is that CR should be looked at as Acts I & II and QoS as Act III. I'm going into it with an open mind, though. If it isn't as good as CR, I can't imagine I still won't enjoy it.
(As for memorable scenes in CR, the run was pretty memorable. My favorite, though, is the scene of him walking out of the ocean in those square cut trunks of his. Yes, I'm hot for Daniel Craig and that was a nice image, but I liked how the scene managed a nod to Dr. No and Thunderball at the same time!)
Here is the first series:
http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/collecting_swatch1.php3
http://www.mi6.co.uk/sections/articles/collecting_swatch2.php3
If you go to http://www.swatch.com, you can see the new series.
I watched Casino Royale again. Is the bottle in his shave kit Santa Maria Novella?
LOL — the Live & Let Die watch is perfect! Thanks for the links.
Yep!
Quantum of Solace doesn't come out until Nov. 14…. Are you guys going to exclusive sneak previews?
It's already opened in the UK though.
I'm not aware of any sneak previews in Minnesota, but if I get a chance to go to one, I will!
Tim,
Yes, the opening scene of Casino Royale, with the extreme running, is the only memorable part of the whole movie.
The problem is that extreme running has become the latest movie cliche and it is appearing everywhere – and I mean everywhere – even in the Simpsons. Quantum of Solace has more of it.
But that's not enough, and it certainly shouldn't be the most memorable part of a Bond flick.
I find it interesting that all of my female friends who have seen the movie didn't like it. They all miss the glamourous Bond girls, the daft seduction scenes and especially the witty one-liners and arched eyebrows that were a major part of the Bond character.
I think the new Bonds are flat and un-engaging. I liked Daniel Craig in other movies and TV shows I've seen him in, but I don't think he's fitted into this role – or perhaps he's just modeled it too much on Jason Bourne and not on James Bond.
I know that they needed to remodel the franchise somewhat, but again I think “baby” and “bath water.”
Gotta say that I just loved it, and so did everyone I saw it with. To each his/her own! I thought it was the best thing they'd done since Roger Moore left the series.
Clive Owen turned down a chance to play Bond? I never knew.
He's got the intensity + intelligence (and looks) to play Bond.