Beyond Bond: Spies in Fiction and Film

At a time when the methods and purposes of intelligence agencies are under a great deal of scrutiny, author Wesley Britton offers an unprecedented look at their fictional counterparts. In Beyond Bond: Spies in Film and Fiction, Britton traces the history of espionage in literature, film, and other media, demonstrating how the spy stories of the 1840s began cementing our popular conceptions of what spies do and how they do it. Considering sources from Graham Greene to Ian Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock to Tom Clancy, Beyond Bond looks at the tales that have intrigued readers and viewers over the decades. Included here are the propaganda films of World War II, the James Bond phenomenon, anti-communist spies of the Cold War era, and military espionage in the eighties and nineties. No previous book has considered this subject with such breadth, and Britton intertwines reality and fantasy in ways that illuminate both. He reveals how most themes and devices in the genre were established in the first years of the twentieth century, and also how they have been used quite differently from decade to decade, depending on the political concerns of the time. In all, Beyond Bond offers a timely and penetrating look at an intriguing world of fiction, one that sometimes, and in ever-fascinating ways, can seem all too real.

At a time when the methods and purposes of intelligence agencies are under a great deal of scrutiny, author Wesley Britton offers an unprecedented look at their fictional counterparts. In Beyond Bond: Spies in Film and Fiction, Britton traces the history of espionage in literature, film, and other media, demonstrating how the spy stories of the 1840s began cementing our popular conceptions of what spies do and how they do it. Considering sources from Graham Greene to Ian Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock to Tom Clancy, Beyond Bond looks at the tales that have intrigued readers and viewers over the decades. Included here are the propaganda films of World War II, the James Bond phenomenon, anti-communist spies of the Cold War era, and military espionage in the eighties and nineties. No previous book has considered this subject with such breadth, and Britton intertwines reality and fantasy in ways that illuminate both.

He reveals how most themes and devices in the genre were established in the first years of the twentieth century, and also how they have been used quite differently from decade to decade, depending on the political concerns of the time. And he delves into such aspects of the genre as gadgetry, technology, and sexuality-aspects that have changed with the times as much as the politics have. In all, Beyond Bond offers a timely and penetrating look at an intriguing world of fiction, one that sometimes, and in ever-fascinating ways, can seem all too real.

"Given the recent complications in intelligence-gathering and interpretation, perhaps some in that discipline should take time for a review of how the professionals do it, at least on a soundstage or in paperback. Britton examines the genres within the genres, especially those that rose and fell in response to the events of the time, beginning with such classics as foundational The 39 Steps and the loss of innocence in Maugham, Ambler and Greene. He describes the prelude to the Cold War in the personae of spy heroes on the radio and print and the influence of McCarthyism on television spies, works through the rich pickings of the Reagan years and the influx of action and explosions in recent techno-thrillers. In his conclusion, Britton describes what 9/11 has wrought in the genre, and why even the most casual viewers and readers are paying more attention." -

Reference & Research Book News

"Wes Britton's Beyond Bond is a must buy for any spy aficionado worth the radio in his shoe. (Get Smart, for those youngsters amongst us.) Wes manages to cram more interesting details about spies into his book than one would think possible. Through my music, I have been closely associated with the film spy movement, the James Bond Theme, The Prisoner, and other spy-related entertainment for more than 40 years, and this book proves how little I knew. Buy it and enjoy." < p="">Vic Flick, Guitarist on productions of James Bond, The Prisoner, Pink Panther, and others for composers John Barry, Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Michel LeGrand, and others <>

"[A] stunning achievement. A scintillating, sharp-eyed romp over two centuries of culture and reality, Wesley Britton's book confidently traverses the overlapping spheres of literacy fiction, film, and fact showing how they have combined and interacted over the decades to produce ever-evolving, three dimensional portraits of the spy, his enemies, and his shadowy world. Britton demonstrates a finely-tuned, close acquaintance with the wide array of authors, actors, producers, directors, eccentrics, books, films, and real spies that create and populate this world. And for good measure, drawing on his earlier, equally well-researched work, Spy Television, Britton interweaves his sprightly narrative with allusions to the spy portraits rendered in that medium. A joy to read, it will become the standard reference." < p="">Peter Earnest, Executive Director, International Spy Museum <>

A richly detailed overview of espionage in fiction and film, and of the ways in which actual spy work has been reflected in-and affected by-popular depictions.

At a time when the methods and purposes of intelligence agencies are under a great deal of scrutiny, author Wesley Britton offers an unprecedented look at their fictional counterparts. In Beyond Bond: Spies in Film and Fiction, Britton traces the history of espionage in literature, film, and other media, demonstrating how the spy stories of the 1840s began cementing our popular conceptions of what spies do and how they do it. Considering sources from Graham Greene to Ian Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock to Tom Clancy, Beyond Bond looks at the tales that have intrigued readers and viewers over the decades. Included here are the propaganda films of World War II, the James Bond phenomenon, anti-communist spies of the Cold War era, and military espionage in the eighties and nineties. No previous book has considered this subject with such breadth, and Britton intertwines reality and fantasy in ways that illuminate both. He reveals how most themes and devices in the genre were established in the first years of the twentieth century, and also how they have been used quite differently from decade to decade, depending on the political concerns of the time. And he delves into such aspects of the genre as gadgetry, technology, and sexuality-aspects that have changed with the times as much as the politics have. In all, Beyond Bond offers a timely and penetrating look at an intriguing world of fiction, one that sometimes, and in ever-fascinating ways, can seem all too real.

WESLEY BRITTON is the author of Spy Television (Praeger, 2004), the first book-length study of espionage television series. He is also the author of several articles for journals, encyclopedias, and periodicals, as well as book reviews and poetry.

Preface and Acknowledgements

THE 39 STEPS: Creating a Genre

Maugham, Ambler, and Greene: The Loss of Innocence

On the Air, on the Screen, and in Word-Balloons: Heroes on Radio and Film before the Cold War

McCarthy, Television, and Film Noir: the Russians Arrive

"Cloak and Swagger": James Bond and The Spy Renaissance in the 1960s

From George Smiley to Bernard Sampson: The Counter-Fleming Movement

The Cold War Inside Out: "Whose side are you on?"

From the Evil Empire to The Great Satan: Spying in the Reagan Years

Big Screen Pyrotechnics and Eyes in the Sky: Spies in a Technological World

Conclusion

More Fact than Fiction: Espionage After 9/11

Chapter Notes

Works Cited

Preface and Acknowledgements