JAMES BOND - GET SHORTY!

AS I predicted earlier this week, the British Board of Film Classification has now certified Quantum of Solace with a 12A and a running time that makes it the shortest Bond movie ever made.

Its official length will be 105m 58s - see earlier note for how this makes it compare with the 21 previous Bond adventures (according to all other times posted by the BBFC).

Here's what the BBFC has to say about QoS.

Quantum of Solace was originally seen by the BBFC in an unfinished version, for advice as to the film's suitability at '12A'. The BBFC advised the company that the film would most likely receive a '12A' as it was, but that care should be taken when finishing the film not to increase the intensity of certain scenes. When the completed version of the film was submitted for classification, reductions to one of those scenes had been made and the film was passed '12A' without cuts.

Out of interest, here's what the BBFC said about Casino Royale so it will be interesting to see who has gone softer since 2006 - the censors or 007.

Casino Royale was originally seen by the BBFC in an unfinished version, for advice as to the film's suitability at '12A'. The BBFC advised the company that the torture scene placed too much emphasis on both the infliction of pain and the sadism of the villain for the requested '12A' category. When the completed version of the film was submitted for classification, reductions to the torture sequence had been made, including the removal of lingering shots of the rope, close shots of Bond's facial reaction and the substitution of a more distant shot of the beating compared to the original version. This re-edited version of the scene was considered acceptable at '12A', where the Guidelines permit violence provided there is no dwelling on detail or emphasis on injuries.

In the meantime, my ticket has just arrived for the world's first public screening of the film on Friday.

It's hardback and the size of a mousemat... which I reckon actually gives me more chance of losing it en route as it won't fit into any pocket that I've got.