16. Bond Faces Off Against His Own Inspiration - The Man With The Golden Gun
Christopher Lee was inextricably tied to the Bond franchise before he even played The Man With The Golden Gun's villain, Scaramanga. Not just because he was previously considered to play Bond himself in Dr. No, and not just because his step-cousin was Bond author Ian Fleming. No, Lee was actually purportedly part of the inspiration for the character. During WWII, Lee and Fleming fought alongside one another as members of the SOE (Special Operations Executive), Winston Churchill's gadget-packed 'secret army' that gave inspiration to Fleming's Bond novels. To this day, Lee can't even speak about his role as a government agent. So when you're watching James Bond facing off against his 'ultimate nemesis' Scaramanga in The Man With The Golden Gun, you're watching the man pretending to be Bond (Roger Moore) take on the man who was once a real-life Bond.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
