JAMES BOND IS BACK - AND SO IS SEAN CONNERY!

THE ELECTRIC CINEMA is to show a series of classic James Bond movies this month to celebrate the centenary of the birth on April 5, 1909 of the legendary 007 producer Albert R 'Cubby' Broccoli.

From Sunday, fans will be able to see Dr No, From Russia With Love, Goldfinger and On Her Majesty's Secret Service on the silver screen again - and all at a marvellously restored theatre which will celebrate its own centenary as Britain's oldest working cinema on December 30 this year.

I'm not convinced the Electric would have been the best place to see Star Trek when you can see that at IMAX in amazing DMR format.

But this is something else. The old Bond movies are a bit creaky now as I found out when I saw From Russia With Love back in January.

Compared with a standard multiplex, though, I think they will surely come alive far more at the Electric, an atmospheric place which will actually make you feel like you are back in the 60s watching them for the first time.

Now how exciting is that!

Each movie is being screened on 59 other screens nationwide via the UK Film Council's Digital Screen Network and the digital release has been Lottery funded through the UK Film Council's Prints and Advertising Fund.

The Bond films in the Broccoli centenary season have been digitally restored frame by frame by world-leading Lowry Digital Images, enabling audiences to enjoy the outstanding picture quality and improved sound offered by this technologically advanced format.

The process involves taking moving pictures that show signs of age and wear, removing the fading, dirt, scratches and other defects that occur over time, and returning them to their original condition.

This Sunday's screening at 4pm is Dr No which will be followed by From Russia With Love (Jun 14), Goldfinger (Jun 21) and OHMSS (Jun 28).
Sunday 28 June.

Never been to the Electric before? Here are the full details... and, given the programme, over the next month, it would be worth the while of enthusiasts travelling 50 miles to see one of their favourite movies in this setting.

The cinema, by the way, is right at the back of New Street Station (next to the Old Rep) so handy for visiting by public transport, too.

www.theelectric.co.uk
nfo@theelectric.co.uk

0121 643 7879

For any last minute offers, deals and film info visit the Electric's Twitter page.
http://twitter.com/ElectricBham

Here, British Film Institute expert Dick Fiddy kindly gives his views of each film:

DR. NO (PG) (1962, 105 mins): Dir. Terence Young.

Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman.
Sean Connery was cast in the lead role and the film featured the usual Broccoli touch of exotic locations: this time Jamaica and surrounding waters, from which a bikini-clad Ursula Andress memorably emerged. A fast-paced colourful romp, the film became an enormous hit worldwide.

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE (PG, 115 mins) (1963): Dir Terence Young.

Cast: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Daniela Bianchi.
Broccoli considered this as one of the best Fleming stories. Connery once again excelled and was well supported by a great cast including Robert Shaw, wonderfully menacing as a brutal killer; and Lotte Lenya as the Russian agent with the famous poison-tipped knife device in her shoe. The film also features many distinctive Bond motifs for the first time and its huge success firmly established the 007 films as a cultural phenomenon.

GOLDFINGER (PG, 109 mins) (1964): Dir. Guy Hamilton.

Cast: Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Gert Fröbe.
To many, the quintessential Bond film and a brilliant third entry in the series. Here Bond gets his Aston Martin, spars with two statuesque British beauties (Honor Blackman and Shirley Eaton) and pits his wits against a memorable villain, Auric Goldfinger. Add the first Shirley Bassey theme song and some exciting action sequences and the result is an explosive cocktail.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (PG, 140 mins) (1969): Dir. Peter Hunt.

Cast: George Lazenby, Telly Savalas, Diana Rigg.
Connery's decision to quit as Bond left Broccoli and Saltzman with a headache. The Press went into overdrive speculating on Connery's successor; while the producers chose good-looking Australian actor George Lazenby after successful screen tests. Avengers' superstar Diana Rigg was brought in as an added lure and the resulting action-packed film ensured that the franchise would continue.