For Your Eyes Only London

Celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming's birth, the For Your Eyes Only London exhibition is a fascination display at Imperial War Museum that examines his life, his work and his wartime experiences.

With many great exhibits from his personal life and from the many James Bond films that have inspired generations with their tuxedo suited star, the For Your Eyes Only London exhibition promises to provide fans of the spy genre with some great thrills.

How many times have you ever quipped, Shaken but not stirred when asked how you like your drink? How often have you attempted the louch relaxed Scots accent of Sean Connery to impress the ladies? And how many times have you wished that you were secretly Miss Moneypenny to Roger Moore's Bond? James Bond is so entrenched in our lives that the figure has become part of out national culture, and the For Your Eyes Only London exhibition celebrates the remarkable man responsible for creating him.

On display at the For Your Eyes Only London exhibition is a range of rare and previously unseen material from Fleming's life and work. His desk and chair from the Jamaican home he called Goldeneye where he wrote all of the Bond novels; the jacket worn by him on the Dieppe raid in 1942; a selection of James Bond manuscripts, the Colt Python revolver presented to him in 1964 and a working model of the Aston Martin made for Prince Andrew in 1966 complete with gadgets from Thunderball and Goldfinger.

Amongst other items from the James Bond films are Daniel Craig's blood spattered shirt from Casino Royale, Halle Berry's bikini from Die Another Day and Rosa Klebb's flick knife shoes from From Russia With Love.

The For Your Eyes Only London exhibition not only looks at the Bond films and novels, but also examines the events that affected Ian Fleming and his writing about the British intelliegence spy. Fleming's wartime experience were hugely influential on the character of Bond and the missions that he was involved in. Heroes and villains of the time, the Cold War and the advancement of spy technology were all influences that created the world of Bond.

Lastly, the legacy of Ian Fleming is the over arching success of the Bond genre and how it has spawned generation after generation of spy films, parodies, games, toys and books. As a nation we are still in love with Bond, and the rest of the world is not far behind us in admiration. A classic British export, Ian Fleming's James Bond is a character that will be a continued presence in film and literary history for many years to come.

the For Your Eyes Only London exhibition is on show at the Imperial War Museum London until the 1st March 2009.

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