'Casino Royale' actor found dead near English cliffs, by
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper Today
Paul Bhattacharjee, who had roles in "Casino Royale" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," has been found dead at age 53. Bhattacharjee's body was found near the Splash Point cliffs in Seaford, East Sussex, England on July 12, the BBC reports.
(Amazing how beautiful Shakespeare can sound, when it's done right! Paul Bhattacharjee and Meera Syal in Much Ado About Nothing)
Bhattacharjee had last been seen leaving rehearsal for the London play "Talk Show" on July 10. His death is not being treated as suspicious, although authorities would not reveal the cause of death.
Paul Billington, theater critic for the London Guardian, wrote that "Bhattacharjee was one of those actors whose name on a programme gave you the reassuring sense that you were in safe hands."
Bhattacharjee is survived by his son and his mother.
Dame Judi Dench has been nominated as best supporting actress for her role as M in James Bond, receiving one of the eight nominations for Skyfall announced at a ceremony this morning.
It is the first time she has been recognized by Bafta for playing M, and comes as she finally finishes her 17 year stint in the role. Skyfall will be her final appearance in the James Bond franchise.
Her nomination is one of eight received by the film this year, including Outstanding British Film and Cinematography.
Javier Bardem was announced as a contender for best supporting actor, with potential accolades also including prizes for original music, editing, production design and sound.
Casino Royale has previously received nine nominations; a record high.
This year, Skyfall was narrowly pipped to the most nominations by Lincoln, which received ten, Les Miserables and Life of Pi which both received nine.
The award for best film will come from a short list of Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty.
Judi Dench was first recognised by Bafta in1966 as "most promising newcomer", and has gone on to receive and impressive 26 nominations.
She has already won ten times, including best leading actress for Iris and Mrs Brown.
DANIEL Craig is set to become the third longest-serving James Bond after signing on to play 007 in another two blockbusters.
The British actor has already agreed to make one more Bond movie after upcoming film Skyfall, which will tie him with Pierce Brosnan - who also starred in four 007 adventures.
That will take his tally to six - one behind both Roger Moore and Sean Connery.
Daniel first played Bond six years ago in Casino Royale.
GoldenEye and Casino Royale director Martin Campbell has said that Henry Cavill could potentially play James Bond in the future.
Man of Steel star Cavill auditioned for the 007 role in 2005, eventually losing out to Daniel Craig. Campbell told The Express that Craig had the edge thanks to his turn as a gangster in Layer Cake.
"Henry did a great screen test for Bond. So did Daniel, although he arrived for his looking really tired after a night flight from America where he was finishing up a movie called The Invasion," Campbell said.
"None of us making the casting decision were 100% sure. I needed a couple of days to think about it. Over that weekend I saw Daniel's film Layer Cake and he showed such terrific charm in that that it convinced me he should get the part."
Campbell suggested that Cavill could follow in the footsteps of Pierce Brosnan, who screen tested to play Bond for The Living Daylights but lost the role to Timothy Dalton when his TV series Remington Steele was renewed.
“Bond. James Bond.” It’s the most famous introduction in movies, of course, establishing Sean Connery as Bond and his special mixture of danger and sex. Yet our first real intro to 007 is the more iconic gun barrel teaser by title designer Maurice Binder, which has become an indispensable part of the cinematic ritual.
White dots move across the screen and expand into the swirling rifling of a gun barrel, and then a silhouetted Bond walks, turns, and fires directly at us, causing blood to crawl down the screen and the barrel to wobble and fall. It’s pure Pop Art and symbolic of Bond always in motion and always in danger, according to Binder (better known for creating the erotically silhouetted girls in the main titles as further stylization). Bond is actually portrayed by stunt double Bob Simmons instead of Connery in the first three films (shot in black and white). But the trope has obviously been tailored for each actor while also becoming a reassuring sign of Bond’s return. That’s why fans were thrilled at the gun barrel’s deconstruction in “Casino Royale” but horrified when it was missing from the opening of “Quantum of Solace” (2008). Better late than never, though: the gun barrel appeared at the end to signal the completion of Bond’s rite of passage.
But, as Connery suggested, he had to create Bond on the spot. So when we discover him playing chemin de fer, his face is obscured, dealing cards, winning, and flirting with the tantalizing Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) to raise the stakes. Interestingly, our full glimpse of Bond in a tux, smoking a cigarette and looking self-satisfied, is both refined and rough (you can never take the Scot out of Connery). This makes Bond uniquely appealing and unpredictable.
James Bond might be making an appearance at the 2012 Summer Olympics, but he won't be competing for any gold medals.
The London Evening Standard, citing Buckingham Palace sources, reported that Ian Fleming's iconic character was "knighted" by the actual Queen of England. Actor Daniel Craig, in character as Bond, is believed to be participating in a video segment that will be part of the 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremonies, according to the Evening Standard.
The Games of the XXX Olympiad will take place in London from July 27 through Aug. 12.
"Daniel Craig was here in black tie one morning in early April," a source said, the Evening Standard reported. "Judi Dench was also here, and the talk of the Palace was that Bond was going to be knighted that morning." The story has widely circulated throughout England and the U.S., and all of the duplicate stories appear to be citing the Evening Standard report as their primary source.
Craig has played the sauve British spy (and ladies' man) in three Bond films -- "Casino Royale," "Quantam of Solace," and "Skyfall." "Skyfall" hits U.S. theaters in November. Dench is known for her role as M, Bond's boss. She's played the part since the 1995 Bond film "GoldenEye," back when actor Pierce Brosnan was still in the leading role.
With the US release of the espionage thriller Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy tomorrow, I thought I would look back over the years and bring together a list of my top ten favorite British spy movies.
Take a look at the list of films I have chosen then let me know if you agree with my choices in the comments section below.
10. Goldfinger
When you think of British spy films, who else could possibly spring to mind before James Bond? With his dapper suits and alluring charm he’s a man who oozes with cool. Never has this been more apparent than in Goldfinger in which Sean Connery is at his very best as the iconic agent. Perhaps it’s dated a little bit, but that trademark look and those classic scenes will never grow old.
09. The Deadly Affair
The recently deceased Sidney Lumet, director of Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men, adapted this John Le Carre story for the big screen in 1966. It’s hardly his greatest work, but it’s nonetheless a tremendously engaging portrait of British intelligence’s battle with communism. It’s got all the mystery, intrigue and political undertones you would want in a Le Carre plot excellently handled by Lumet and well performed by its cast.
08. The Ipcress File
A young Michael Caine stars in this mystery movie about a spy trying to discover why scientists are being kidnapped and brainwashed. It all sounds a bit silly, but in practice this is a wonderfully low-key, suspenseful little spy flick and the best of the Harry Palmer series. Caine is predictably excellent in the lead role too.
07. Contraband
This early film from legendary Powell and Pressburger is as smart, wry, sexy and engaging as anything Alfred Hitchcock made during his prime. Set in the early days of wartime Britain during the blackouts, it’s a film that few have seen but really deserves to be discovered. It’s an incredibly entertaining flick.
06. The Man Who Knew Too Much
It may only run over an hour in length, but The Man Who Knew Too Much is the film that put Alfred Hitchcock on the map. It was this film that got him recognized by Hollywood and set the master of suspense firmly on his path to success. It’s fast, witty and a perfect example of the world’s greatest film-maker finding his feet.
05. Casino Royale
The finest of all the James Bond films, Casino Royale finally decided to ditch the traditional, by-the-book approach to how you make a Bond film and instead aspired to just be a terrific piece of action cinema. And my goodness, does it succeed. The story is top-notch with an excellently unique performance from Daniel Craig giving what was previously a tired franchise a huge boost of adrenaline.
04. The Lady Vanishes
Still one of the finest films Alfred Hitchcock made, The Lady Vanishes displays great dialogue, excellent acting and a fantastic sense of humour in a way that makes the film impossible not to adore. It will never be recognized in the way that Vertigo and North By Northwest are, but it really does rival them for entertainment.
03. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Anyone off to see the latest adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy this weekend is in for a treat as it’s easily one of the finest British spy films ever made. Its stunning cast all bring their A-game to the table in this suspenseful tale of a retired agent trying to find a mole at the top of MI5. But the most interesting aspect is how it switches the gloss of James Bond to uproot the murky underbelly of British espionage, painting its story on a canvas of mistrust, deception and double-crossing. It’s mesmerizing stuff from beginning to end. Our review is here.
02. The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
Like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, there is little fun to be had in this early John Le Carre adaptation. There is no spectacle, glamour or excitement here. Instead, what you get in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is a bleak insight into Cold War espionage; a colourless world void of warmth and charm that will inevitably drain you as you consume it. Nonetheless, though it’s tough to watch, this Oscar nominee was a profoundly brave step in a new direction during an era in which James Bond was at its most popular. It, therefore, makes for one of the most accomplished spy movies ever.
01. The 39 Steps
Film history was made in 1935 when Alfred Hitchcock, at the time a little known, run of the mill film director, received a contract to bring a low budget spy thriller to the big screen. He launched himself at the film and used the opportunity to provide his studio with a masterpiece of the genre, establishing his reputation as the master of suspense. From motifs and MacGuffins to dark comedy and intriguing characters it’s a quintessential Hitchcock movie that remains among his finest work ever.
