Supposed James Bond purists are up in arms at the news that, as the result of a product placement deal, 007 will be seen quaffing a glass of (let’s not give them more publicity) a popular Dutch beer in the upcoming Skyfall.
The conspicuous placement of trademarks in Bond films is certainly very irritating. But Bondistas are wrong to claim that 007 only ever drank Martinis. Indeed, in several of Ian Fleming’s books, the cigaretting drunk allowed himself a glass of lager and (as was the way with those novels) the brand was always mentioned.
For example, when visiting the West Indies in Live and Let Die, Bond, very sensibly, asked for a glass of Red Stripe.
He drank Löwenbräu in Germany and Miller in the US.
Reel News will now get a life.
dclarke@irish
times.com
