Bond Girls Are Forever (2002)

First screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival, the 60-minute documentary Bond Girls Are Forever made its cable TV debut a mere 16 days before the premiere of the newest James Bond theatrical feature, 2002's Die Another Day. (Coincidence? We don't think so) Through vintage film clips of past Bond movie epics, and with the participation of several former "Bond Girls" as interviewees (among them Dr. No's Ursula Andress and Diamonds Are Forever's Jill St. John), the documentary traced the evolution of the typical James Bond heroine from decorative damsel in distress to gutsy (but still decorative) participant in the action. In addition to the provocatively named romantic partners enjoyed by the various movie Bonds over the past 40 years, the viewer is treated with the input of Judi Dench, the most recent actor to play 007's no-nonsense superior officer, M. Bond Girls Are Forever was co-produced and narrated by Maryam d'Abo, who appeared opposite Bond number four, Timothy Dalton, in The Living Daylights. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi