A month or so earlier, my good friend Doug Redenius, Vice-President of the Ian Fleming Foundation, had invited me to attend the "Ian Fleming James Bond Golf Classic & Gala Dinner" at Stoke Park Golf Club outside London. I jumped at the invitation, not only because I love the game of golf, but for the opportunity to see and experience London for my first time. Even more fun, Doug was almost conspiratorial in describing several other adventures planned for the trip, adventures that require the fortune of having truly generous friends if one would ever hope to be along for the ride. I am that fortunate, and sitting in my office outside Chicago today, 4000 miles and a couple weeks past, I am still tickled at what is chronicled here .

The seven-plus hour flight was the model of efficiency. I was pleased and more than a touch surprised that our departure was perfectly on time. The huge plane was full but still quite comfortable. New to me, individual screens for the film of choice were built into the seat in-front. A large LCD screen aft displayed constant updates as to miles flown, miles to fly, and approximate location of the plane and arrival time. It was a nice touch for an extended flight. American Airlines' service was impeccable, and included two really good meals. None of the slow and late and apathetic service that plagues domestic flying in the U.S. I should travel to Europe more often.

I was flying with Perrin Spychala, also part of the Foundation group, who had connected out of Minneapolis. He of the wonderful "Alexander Wellington" video series. We spent the hours talking, eating, watching movies and following the tiny illustrated plane as we smoothly made our way over Canada and the North Atlantic. I was pleased that a film I had not seen, "Monster's Ball", with new Bond girl Halle Berry, was one of those offered during the flight. I enjoyed it, though must admit to some disappointment over a revealing scene that had been strategically edited.

We arrived at Heathrow late Monday evening. Perrin and I were met by Doug and his lovely wife Paula. The four of us took the train (instead of the less expensive but more time-consuming London "Tube") to our friendly and comfortable Gower Street B & B. This was to be the base of operations for the Foundation contingent during our time in London. Included in the group were Doug and Paula, myself, Perrin, Dave Reinhardt from Toronto, and the trio of great guys from Texas, George Martin, Brad Franks, and Jeff Kehoe. Colin and Kelly Clark of Chicago were staying at Stoke Park and would meet up with us later in the week. Raymond Benson would be at the gala on Friday, and Saturday was doing a book signing for his recently released novel, "The Man With The Red Tattoo" at Adrian Harrington's London shop. He also would be joining us later in the week.

Tuesday
After a fine "full" English breakfast of cereal, eggs and "streaky" (read "American") bacon at the hotel, I spent Tuesday taking in many of London's sites. I reveled in the opportunity to get up close with Big Ben, Parliament, the Thames, Trafalgar Square, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus, and Carnaby Street. It was great fun to see the building to be used as the exterior of "Blades" in Die Another Day. A private club itself, I was just able to catch a glimpse of its interior (the doorman would not allow non-members any further). The club could very well have been "Blades" as described in Ian Fleming's "Moonraker". Dimly lit with a very high ceiling, I could see the rich oak-paneled walls, one filled with books from ceiling to floor, half a large stone fireplace, a huge and somewhat dusty-looking crystal chandelier, and a couple bored-looking and well-dressed men conversing, reading, playing cards, and smoking. British aristocracy ensconced comfortably in their element.

Lunch at a pub in Soho, a couple pints, more sightseeing, meet up with the rest of the group, dinner, and discussion of the following day. Plans for Wednesday included a visit to the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu and a performance of the stage musical based on Fleming's "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" at the famed Palladium theatre.

Wednesday
Wednesday was a superb day weather-wise, with sunshine and temperatures in the low 80's. The golf outing was two days off, hopefully the infamously mediocre London weather could be staved off for three.

Beaulieu, about 85 miles south of London in New Forest, was originally an abbey built and founded by French monks in the 13th century. Today it is home to Lord John Montagu and his family. Also on the grounds is the National Motor Museum, hailed as one of the world's finest collections of vintage and classic cars. Even I was impressed and I am far from an expert. It was fun to see a vintage Bentley, the car that the literary James Bond drove; it was also shown for a moment in the 1963 film From Russia With Love.

Included this year at Beaulieu is a lavish display of boats and cars from the Bond films, on loan from the Foundation. Wonderfully presented, it is a unique and very popular part of the Beaulieu exhibit.

A train ride back to London, dinner, and on to the theatre.

I had seen the film version of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" years before, and today we had the opportunity to see the stage play at the Palladium. I did enjoy the show and do recommend it, especially for children. When it comes to the U.S., Fleming's fun-filled fantasy with many memorable songs and great special effects of the flying car should do spectacularly well.

Thursday
This was to be a big day. Doug had arranged a tour of Pinewood Studios for the group. To our delight it was again a gorgeous sun-drenched morning, and the wonderful weather would last the entire day. The gods were smiling on us.

I had packed a camera and extra film in anticipation of capturing as much of Pinewood as possible. I noticed everyone seemed to have done the same as we walked the couple blocks to Euston Square. At the station, the delightful and damnably young Jordan Charter joined our group, as we took the tube and then a train to Slough and finally a cab to the venerable studio.

At the gate, Security sternly warned us that any cameras used in unauthorized areas would be immediately confiscated. Drat! There was enough equipment among us that it might reasonably have been assumed that we used the yen as currency. Ahh well...We gathered in the lobby of the main building and through the glass-paneled French doors to the rear, the famous and instantly recognizable Pinewood gardens greeted us. Key scenes in From Russia With Love were filmed here. Absolutely beautiful. It was to be just the first taste of an unbelievable day of James Bond film history. And future.

We were promptly introduced to Gareth Owen, who had graciously agreed to give us a tour of the studio. His production company, Tranzaqua Developments, has been a part of Pinewood since 1994, and Gareth is also a business associate of Roger Moore, managing the former 007's Pinewood office. Gareth's "Roger Moore: His Films and Career" is to be published later this year. Exceedingly friendly and knowledgeable, Gareth gave us an overview of what we would see at Pinewood and then quite casually said, "And after the tour, we'll go on a set or two and watch some scenes being filmed".

Die Another Day scenes you mean, Gareth? Being filmed?

Oh.

This just might be a bit more memorable than that studio tour with the shark and the big ape and the alien then.

Gareth wrote the authorized history of the studio, "The Pinewood Story", so we were more than fortunate to spend the better part of the day with such an expert. We walked down a narrow hall adorned with movie posters from all the James Bond films, and then outside to the production buildings.

Gareth took us through the post-production facilities building, where sound effects, special effects, and film editing is done. Posters of many films were hung on the walls, including one from Casino Royale. Turns out the casino scenes of that renegade Bond picture were done at Pinewood!

We visited the on-site theater, where dailies as well as the finished films are screened. Much like a small multiplex theater, there are about eighty padded chairs complete with (egads!) ashtrays in the arms. The theater has been used for many decades, and all the 007 films are first seen here. We were told that the building itself is to be renovated this year, enlarging and modernizing it. Grand idea. Will ashtrays still be included?

Back outside and through the parking lot stands a huge though rather unremarkable steel corrugated building. Turning a corner, one can read a sign that says "Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage", complete with gun barrel logo. OK, I was wrong... remarkable. Some history: The stage was built in 1976 for The Spy Who Loved Me, and at the time was the largest sound stage in the world. The renovated structure still holds that distinction. It originally cost $1.5 M to build, burned down in 1984 during Ridley Scott's production of Legend, was rebuilt, and except for Licence to Kill, has been and continues to be a primary stage used in the James Bond film series.

In the back-lot behind the 007 Sound Stage, many sets have been built during the Bond series' history, including (most famously) the volcano from You Only Live Twice, the Octopussy Cuba base, and the Goldfinger car chase. Today, a huge blue-white rock-type structure loomed, the exterior of the "Ice Palace" to be used in Die Another Day. Construction workers were busy doing whatever, preparing it for some additional shots. Further along, we came upon an exterior miniatures set from Die Another Day. This set was being dismantled, though many of the props were still on-site, including miniature guard towers, tank barriers, roads and the like. It looked every bit an overly-indulged child's playground, and certainly about as much fun. The detail in the props in terms of paint and markings was indeed impressive. Past the miniatures set, a dusty green Jaguar was parked just behind the sound stage. This gorgeous car is driven by the villain in the new film. Just where does he get those wonderful toys?

The 007 sound stage sits partially over a reservoir in the back lot, and when it was re-built in 1984, a larger exterior paddock tank was added and became part of the stage. Underwater scenes from The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only were shot here, and the caviar factory set from The World Is Not Enough was also built on top of it. To the rear of the stage at this paddock tank, we were able to watch a crew at work, setting up a shot. A huge matte of blue sky was behind the tank. I recognized the close-cropped head of Lee Tamahori on a steel footbridge over the middle of the tank amongst the crew.

Not ever on a studio set before, I suppose I expected more activity. You know, crew scurrying about, shouts of "Action!", "Roll 'em!", and "Cut!" from the director, and actors studiously over their pages trying to find the right "motivation". None of that was happening. For twenty or so minutes, Tamahori worked with lighting guys and sound guys and scuba-gear guys. Off to the side were a few movie-set folding chairs with the requisite names stitched on the back. One said "Pierce Brosnan", but it was indeed, empty. Several trailers were parked nearby, one for costumes, and several wet suits with camouflage markings hung on a rack outside. Tamahori did a lot of laughing and smiling and there was obviously more than a small measure of camaraderie among the crew. But little really, was happening.

We left the paddock tank, Gareth leading us along a path that goes through the Pinewood gardens and back to the main building. Along the way several props sat idle, including the hovercrafts for the new film. Past these and into a wooded area, a group of about fifteen approached from the opposite direction. Walking more quickly and several paces ahead of the rest, a tall dark figure wearing one of the same wetsuits we had just seen walked toward us, apparently on his way to the paddock tank.

Pierce Brosnan smiled warmly, and with a "What have we here?" spent a few minutes with our group, exchanging pleasantries. Looking fit, tan, comfortable, and every bit the part (especially in the wetsuit) it was an unexpected thrill to meet James Bond. Then he was just as quickly on his way. We were later told that he was to fly to Amsterdam to receive the 2002 Cinema Expo International Star award, and was hurried as he yet had some scenes to shoot.

Michael G. Wilson led the rest of the group that then met up with us. Wearing a black leather Die Another Day crew jacket, he looked every bit a hands-on executive producer. Extraordinarily friendly, Mr. Wilson spent a minute or two and told us that he looked forward to the gala of the following evening, and then was also on his way.

We then walked into the truly beautiful Pinewood Studio Gardens. It was here that the pre-titles sequence of From Russia With Love was filmed, where Red Grant stalked and strangled "Bond." The hedges were not as high as I remembered, otherwise the setting was unmistakable. Scenes from other James Bond films have also been shot here, including the very last scene with Sean Connery and Honor Blackman from Goldfinger, with the two depicted on a deserted isle after they had parachuted. Added bonus, a granite memorial to Desmond Llewelyn has been dedicated, just behind the garden's bridge on the same small pond.

Through the garden, we approached the rear of the main Pinewood building. The exterior has been used in many films, notably in From Russia With Love doubling as part of "SPECTRE Island." The Pinewood dining room where we would have lunch is just through these windows.

Inside the main building we spent a few minutes in the office of Roger Moore, which Gareth manages for the retired 007. The office overlooks the sound stages, and its walls display many photographs and Bond memorabilia. In a bookcase I was pleased to see a copy of Raymond Benson's James Bond novel "The Facts of Death". Thanking Gareth, we left Mr. Moore's office and were then introduced to Anne Bennett, head of publicity for EON at Pinewood. She in turn introduced us to another EON executive named Samantha. Sam, as she asked us to call her, was to take us on a couple of the sets to watch filming.

What fun!

Back to the 007 Sound Stage and into the interior of the huge Ice Palace set. The villain's lair in the film, its "ice" walls sparkle blue-white and will undoubtedly look terrific on screen. Peter Lamont has done a great job of creating a truly memorable set. Construction workers were busy as there was yet some filming to be done. Sam shared that the stunt drivers of Bond's Aston-Martin and Jaguar had filmed the week prior. OK cars inside? This I gotta see. "Ice" chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and a pool of water is the centerpiece of the stage, which also plays a key role in the film. A huge matte painting of blue sky and arctic landscape is outside the set. As we left, we noticed some of the set's "ice" (opaque plastic) swept into a pile in the corner, some of which ended up as very cool souvenirs.

Pinewood has many separate stage buildings, and we made our way to "E" stage, which housed the "Blades" set. As we walked, Sam explained that the roads between the buildings were used in Goldfinger during the Aston Martin chase scene. Hasn't changed much in almost forty years. Past another building, a helicopter from Die Another Day was being prepped. A "Special Effects UK" van zoomed by. The sounds of construction and the sweet smell of fresh sawdust filled the air. The place was hopping as we finally reached the "Blades" set stage.

Sam asked us to wait outside a moment as a scene was being set up. We were then led up behind the stage where we were able to view this truly beautiful set. Fleming described Blades in "Moonraker" as "probably the most famous private card club in the world" and it was wonderful to see the club name used in Die Another Day. Though the name of the club is but a small touch, there are other nods to Fleming and "Moonraker" in this new film. Sam casually revealed more of the film's plot than I would have ever considered asking about (or will reveal here), but as a Bond aficionado, (self-proclaimed, but what the hell), I will say that I am very excited and optimistic about this latest film. It has some fantastic elements, though coupled with plot twists and the substantial Fleming influence, it may just rival The World Is Not Enough as the best James Bond film since On Her Majesty's Secret Service. Further, Brosnan is wonderful in the role, the cars are almost as gorgeous as the beautiful women, the scriptwriters, Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, know and respect the series' history, Danny Kleinman's titles are terrific, David Arnold's music a winner, and we get John Cleese, Judi Dench, and Michael Madsen. What's not to be excited about?

All right. Enough editorializing.

Fleming's Blades has been transformed into a fencing club in Die Another Day. Beautifully lit, the comfortable and warm and rich furniture was perfectly balanced (is there some feng shui going on here?), and the oak paneled walls were hung with swords and fencing memorabilia. A suit of armor stands against one wall. Windows look out upon a faux courtyard, amazing in its detail when one considers that it must have very limited screen time. The set does capture the essence and feel of an affluent private club. Again, kudos to Peter Lamont.

As a crew worked in one corner setting up a shot, bright lights and a hushed tone pervade the atmosphere. Our group watches silently while very little seems to be happening, more of that "hurry up and wait" stuff. Just outside the set, I laughed as I read a handwritten sign over a large table, "Do NOT touch! Do not even LOOK AT!!!" which was the only thing protecting the special-effects "glassware" laid out so carefully and to be used in the film. All these elegant glasses and plates and vases were, apparently, to meet their shattered demise in a swordfight at Blades. I took a quick glance at a wine goblet, and I swear, it completely disintegrated. Thinking quickly, I pointed at Perrin, put on my sunglasses, and calmly but quickly walked out.

Back behind the 007 Sound Stage, Tamahori and crew were yet working at the paddock tank. Michael Wilson was also still there. We were told Brosnan had completed his scene and had indeed left for Amsterdam. This set is to be the site for the villain's demise, and as if on cue, Rick Yune appeared, walking the length of the tank. Tall and wiry, with exotic Asian features, his bald head reflected oddly in the sun. Make-up will need to take care of that I thought. But then, something eerie...Yune's head had pronounced dark veins snaking along his skull like they were the trail of the Amazon. As if he were victim of some experiment gone awry. Or something. Anyway, the result was appropriately Bond-villain creepy.

A strikingly attractive woman and her young son walked past and over the footbridge and joined the film crew. Michael Wilson greeted them both with a warm hug. Sam then introduced us to a gray-haired gent with sparkling eyes, Geoff Freeman of the publicity department at EON, and was on her way. Geoff shared that he has been associated with the Bond series in publicity for many years. He answered questions, allowed some photos, and was the perfect host. The woman and her son came back from the set, and we were introduced to Laurie Barry and her son. Delightful and friendly, she told us how much she and her husband John looked forward to the next day's gala. It took a moment of realization. Oh... that John.

Already 2:00 in the afternoon, we headed to the Pinewood dining room (part of the main building) for lunch. Elegant and comfortable, with rich oak-paneled walls and a fireplace, the dining room overlooks the Pinewood gardens, and has been used in many films, notably Batman and A View To A Kill. According to Gareth's book Charlton Heston called it the "best restaurant in the world", and indeed, the meal was probably the best I had while in England. The salad, fresh salmon, and soup were exceptionally delicious.

A final stop in the Pinewood store, and then this wonderful day at Pinewood was done. Ring a cab to the Slough station and then the train to the connection with the tube and a walk to the hotel and we were home. Dinner with Raymond Benson (who had flown in that day) at a terrific Indian restaurant in Covent Garden, a drink in Soho, and we returned to our hotel for the night.

I reflected that evening that it would be inconceivable to top this unforgettable day.

Magically, that is pretty much what happened.

Friday
Weather had been a concern all week, as June in London is typically unpredictable. Eighty golfers were scheduled to play in the "James Bond Celebrity Golf Classic" so good weather was crucial for it to be a successful event. To all of our relief as we arose Friday morning, it was another gorgeous day.

I am convinced Doug paid someone off.

Stoke Park Golf Club is about 35 minutes by train from London, and a short drive from Pinewood Studios. The park's golf course, Stoke Poges, was designed by Harry Shapland Colt in 1908. He designed over 250 of what are considered some of the best golf courses in the world, including St. Andrews, Muirfield, Sunningdale, and Royal St. Georges, where Ian Fleming was a member. More than fitting then, that Stoke Poges was the setting for the epic match between Auric Goldfinger and James Bond in the classic 1964 film.

As our cab approached the main entrance, Perrin and I could see the pitch-roofed stone chapel on the grounds, recognizable as the site of Tracy's grave in For Your Eyes Only. Stoke Park has also been used in Tomorrow Never Dies, and so indeed has a very rich place in Bond history.