60 hours of 007: a report from the Sky Movies marathon

Ben Williams reports from the Sky Movies' 60 hour Bond marathon:

I received my orders to make my way to the Sanctum, one of London’s finest hotels, in the heart of buzzing Soho. Once there, I descended to the hotel’s private screening room where I met my contact, a stunning blonde who worked for “the agency”. After playfully admonishing me for being late, she showed me to the bar, where I ordered my usual Martini - shaken, not stirred. Not long after, I was slipping into a comfortable leather seat to view the background on one of the country’s most formidable agents…

It might sound like something out of a Bond film, but in reality I was there as a guest of Sky Movies who were screening the entire James Bond catalogue - including the rather excellent documentary “Everything or Nothing”, “Casino Royale” (’67) and “Casino Royale” (’54) - for the first time.

Whilst a back-to-back marathon of the Bond films might seem to be a must for every self-respecting fan of 007, it should not be undertaken lightly. After all, we are talking about twenty-three official films, two unofficial films, and a documentary. To put that into perspective, the marathon started at 6:15pm on Friday 27th September and ended at 2:30am on Sunday the 29th. That’s quite a commitment, even for the most hardened Bond aficionado.

Fortunately, Sky had made my fellow agents and myself quite comfortable. Food and drink were readily available and our view of the big screen from our reclining chairs blissfully was unimpeded. For added comfort, a Bond-inspired onesie (a tuxedo rather than “Goldfinger”’s famous baby blue affair) was provided so that, even curled up in our chairs, we could at least look suitably attired. Despite this, decorum didn’t last and before too long the Bond jokes and the inevitable Sean Connery impressions were flying thick and fast.

However, by the end of the first night, our sense of reality had begun to blur and minds were beginning to fray. However, persistent souls fuelled up with coffee (medium sweet or very black, of course) and steeled themselves for the last twenty or so films.

By the early hours of Sunday, some agents had fallen, whilst others valiantly persisted. However, one tenacious agent refused to be put down: James Bond. After all, a film character that has lasted last for so many films without losing his appeal proves quite simply that nobody does it better.

Thanks to Ben Williams and Sky Movies.

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