Barbara Broccoli draws a line in the sand

In the past 10 days, Eon Productions has lifted the veil a bit on Skyfall, with various press interviews. In one of them, Barbara Broccoli, the co-boss of Eon Productions, drew a line in the sand: Skyfall would be the best, or one of the best, entries in the 23-film Eon-produced series.

Barbara Broccoli, daughter of Cubby Broccoli and co-boss of Eon Productrions

She made the comment to the Yahoo! Movies blog. Here’s the quote:

“We all want this to be the best Bond ever,” declares Broccoli. “And I think it’s going to be; I really feel that.” (emphasis added)

Better than Goldfinger, the 1964 007 film that turned the series into a phenomenon? Evidently. Better than Thunderball, which was the highest-grossing 007 film on an inflation-adjusted basis? There’s little doubt in that quote. Better than On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, arguably the 007 film most faithful to its Ian Fleming source material? You saw the quote and the answer would appear to be yes.

Now, some of you may say, “Hey, that’s just P.R.” Perhaps. Still, we tend to take people at their word — at least until there’s evidence to the contrary.

Also, part of this blog is devoted to revisiting what people have said in the past and whether it measures up to later facts. That’s why we remind our readers of statements by Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli’s half brother and the other co-boss of Eon, in posts LIKE THIS ONE or LIKE THIS ONE or THIS ONE

Words mean something. We give people the benefit of the doubt, but we don’t forget how what they say now compares with what they’ve said in the past. Naive? Maybe. Still, we respect the power of the word.

Second, while we give people leeway — to a degree, Eon’s principals and its star actors are the modern-day equivalents of P.T. Barnum — we don’t have amnesia. So when Daniel Craig says naming the 2008 007 film Quantum of Solace was HIS IDEA because Ian Fleming novel and short story titles are “not about anything” while Fleming himself pretty much explained the titles meant, we’re going to note it.

And we’re also going to note when Craig sings the praises of a script in 2008 while disowning it three years later.

So, when Barbara Broccoli promises the best James Bond movie ever, or close to it, that is worth noting. “Best” is a subjective term, of course. Still, if she is going to speak without nuance, we’re happy to take her at her word. If she’s right, nobody will be happier than us.