For Your Eyes Only – Ian Fleming & James Bond exhibition
Over 50 years ago author Ian Fleming created an action character unlike any other. Today, James Bond is a national hero – every man wants to be him and every woman wants to be with him. This year, the Imperial War Museum in London is celebrating the centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth with For Your Eyes Only – the first major exhibition devoted to the life and work of the man who gave us the world’s most famous secret agent.
From 17 April 2008 – 1 March 2009, For Your Eyes Only will look at the life of this great author and examine how much of the Bond novels were imaginary and how far they were based on real people and events. Discover the early life of Fleming, his wartime career and work as a journalist and travel writer and how he drew upon his own experiences to create the iconic character of James Bond.
The exhibition features fascinating material on display for the first time, including Fleming’s desk and chair from his Jamaican home Goldeneye, where he wrote all of the Bond novels; the jacket worn by Fleming on the Dieppe Raid of 1942; a selection of annotated Bond manuscripts; the manuscript for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and a working model of an Aston Martin DB5 made for HRH Prince Andrew in 1966, complete with gadgets from the films Thunderball and Goldfinger.
The ‘blood-splattered’ shirt worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale will be displayed for the first time along with prototypes of Rosa Klebb’s flick knife shoes in From Russia With Love; Halle Berry’s bikini from Die Another Day and Goldfinger’s golf shoes.
As well as all that, you’ll find out how Fleming’s wartime experiences inspired the Bond plots and many of the iconic heroes and villans, such as M and Goldfinger.
Tickets for the exhibition cost £8 for adults, £7 for concessions and groups, £4 for children and £19 for a family ticket. For more information on For Your Eyes Only, or to buy tickets, visit Imperial War Museum – Exhibitions for 2008 (london.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.4600).