It was thirty one years ago when Lancastrian screenwriter Colin Welland infamously declared “the British are coming!” at the 1982 Academy Awards upon collecting Best Original Screenplay for Chariots Of Fire. It had just scooped up four Oscars – including Best Picture – for being the best film in the 1980s featuring a jog along a beach not involving Bo Derek. Welland’s comment instantly brought at least nearly ten years of bad luck and bad support for the British film industry at the global box office. With the scant exception of the Edwardian obsessions of Merchant Ivory, Nuns on the Run and Michael Winner’s award-ignored Bullseye, it was suddenly down to the likes of James Bond 007 to keep a great many British creatives and crews in work for those cinematically penurious times. Pinewood Studios almost healed over as Vangelis’s Chariots Of Fire theme echoed through empty studios like a Bontempi-powered phantom picking through the carcass of what could have been. Of course it was not Colin Welland or Chariots fault. It is a fine, polished and rare British film about the psyche of sports deserving of its success and musical inclusion every ten minutes during the London 2012 Olympics.

But how life now comes full circle. Not only has 007 producer Barbara Broccoli just produced a stirring West End hit with a stage adaptation of Chariots Of Fire (in partial tribute to the late Dodi Fayed, longtime friend of the Bond producer and executive producer himself of Hugh Hudson’s soaring sprint through British athletics first heyday), but maybe – just maybe – it is not that the British are coming, but possibly some British agents are. Or rather just one.

Skyfall is not only the first Bond film to top a billion dollars at the global box-office. It is now the highest grossing film of all time at UK cinemas and is potentially poised to get nominated at this year’s Academy Awards. The recent Producer’s Guild of America nomination for Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson’s efforts is testament to Skyfall’s creative and financial successes and how the 23rd 007 opus has really clicked with the far reaches of the cinema-going public (not something every Bond film manages to pull off).

With the fiftieth anniversary benchmark looming large in 2012, creative house Eon Productions took a considered decision to cherry pick the best creative team for Skyfall – director Sam Mendes (Best Director Oscar for American Beauty), designer Dennis Gassner (Best Art Direction Oscar for Bugsy and three time nominee), composer Thomas Newman (ten time nominee), writers John Logan (three time nominee), Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, singer Adele (multi Grammy winner), cinematographer Roger Deakins (nine time nominee), editor Stuart Baird (two time nominee) and a truly stellar cast including Daniel Craig, Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love and six nominations), Javier Bardem (Best Supporting Actor Oscar for No Country For Old Men and three time nominee), Naomie Harries, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes (two time nominee) and Albert Finney (Best Actor Oscar for Tom Jones and four time nominee). For no other reason, Bond could do well in Los Angeles’ biggest excuse for a finger buffet as 90% of the 6000 voters all appeared to work on Skyfall.

But let’s not run away with ourselves like Sally Field at an Oscar acceptance speech. Bond HQ did not set out to make an Oscar-bating 007 movie. After twenty-two films and half a century Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson do not need the headlines or increased box office. They simply want to make the best movie with the best artists and skills they admire, respect and want to work with. The process is important to them. Besides, the very word “nominee” can only be said in that mid-Atlantic voiceover voice. It is a both an honour and redundant cliché. Trailer makers love an Oscar nomination. It gives them a chance to use that big bold font with the capability to fade in and out. Maybe Skyfall will ultimately see our man James become the first character to get that treatment. Admittedly, “Academy Award Nominee James Bond 007” slapped over the trailers for Daniel Craig’s next outing is worse than the notion of Denise Richards reprising her role as Festive Smith or whatever from The World is Not Enough. But the Oscars are a vital marketing tool. Not that a billion dollar box office tally (and rising) really needs a marketing push. But perhaps cinema-going itself does. And AMPAS recognises that.

“You like me”, beamed Sally Field, “you really like me!”. Well maybe 2013 is the time for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS for short, empasse for its detractors) to really like James Bond 007. Because as ultimately redundant any award for anything can be, getting Oscar recognition (even at nominations stage) is indeed an honour. Any hat-tipping from the highest body of your chosen industry equals respect and esteem. The Oscars are derided for being a load of old Givenchy-attired tosh. And they are. Of course they are. They give work to bad British entertainment correspondents and allow For Your Consideration adverts to paper the world like Hollywood glory recipe sheets. But cinema itself can be old tosh. I still believe the Academy Awards are still a benchmark of some notion of filmic quality and achievement. Apart from the billion TV viewers and the alleged bong fumes coming from Jack Nicholson’s front row seat, there is a reason folk cry at the Oscars. It’s the biggest Scout badge pinned to any film creative’s sleeve. And whilst it can ring-fence many an acting career to the point of detriment, you find me one actor, editor, writer or art director who did not jump to add “Oscar nominated” to their CV when career-nomination-announcer Mira Sorvino is taken out of storage once more to reveal this year’s Oscars contenders.

Bringing together top artists and talents is something the Bond movies have done since their debut 51 years ago with Dr. No. But the stars of fortune particularly aligned with Skyfall. It has received monumentally good reviews across the world and that vital word of mouth that money – and Oscar campaigns – cannot buy (yet still try to). Twitter is awash with folk saying “I’m not normally a Bond fan but…”. Nans can be overheard chatting about seeing Skyfall “at the pictures yesterday”. Builders are whistling Adele’s theme tune in grocery store queues and a lot of folk’s only annual foray into cinemas to see a Bond has been doubled as non die-hard fans are nipping back again.

As much as the Academy and its voters love a Holocaust and a wheelchair, they really like longevity and box office success. There is no better Oscar-baiting campaign than seeing the dollars swell the allegedly ailing fortunes of The Bank of Hollywood. You can hurl gongs like Frisbees at a hundred Readers, Nazis, Schindler’s and their lists, Iron Ladies, Rain Men, Miss Daisies and Private Ryans if their stories have bought in the cents. The eleven Oscars awarded each to Return of the King (2003) and Titanic (1997) are testament to how big bucks please Hollywood. Titanic did not equal Ben Hur’s Oscar record by being better than Ben Hur. It just made more money at the end of a decade where indie studios and titles ousted the big boys. And more cash implies safer jobs, happier filmmakers and thankful voters checking their Price Waterhouse voting sheets. All this – for good or bad – will work in Skyfall’s favour. Return of the King won for the whole trilogy. Not that Bond needs one (and certainly not if it intends a future) but in terms of awards, why shouldn’t Skyfall be 007’s crowning glory.

Skyfall reminds the audiences why going to movie theatres is still vital and popular in an era of home cinema and diminishing ticket sales. Cubby Broccoli was an ardent supporter of the audience’s experience versus their cash and their time. He saw both had to be rewarded with spectacle, style, sex, glamour and matinee escapism – the basic touchstones of Hollywood’s onscreen origins. But there is also the suggestion that after fifty years of getting audiences into cinemas, Eon Productions and the Bond team maybe deserve a bit of awards recognition. Skyfall’s success has played its part in the US particularly seeing a rise in cinema attendance in 2012 – a trait repeated in the UK with Daniel Craig’s third Bond outing scooping up more than former box-office behemoths like Avatar, Titanic and that boy wizard and his chamber pans of fire or whatever. Whilst no awards body should be obliged to thank anyone (and Cubby himself was very humbled by receiving Hollywood’s ultimate Producers Prize at the 1982 Oscars in the form of the Irving Thalberg Award), the Oscars do like a back pat.

Awards recognition is not sought after by the Broccolis nor is it the end goal when your film has already topped one billion at the world’s box office. But these may not just be technical award gestures for sound and costume editing. Skyfall now stands a solid chance of being nominated for Best Song (Adele), Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Score (Thomas Newman), Best Art Direction (Dennis Gassner) and now – yes – even Best Picture. The latter is buoyed up by how the Producers Guild nominations are usually a good hint at Oscar glory as they share Oscar voters. And of course producers pick the Best Film Oscar contenders which all the 6000 plus Academy voters can mull over with their free DVDs and “pick me” freebies. Bardem has already been earmarked as a Best Supporting Actor in the Screen Actors Guild (the body that allegedly helps vote too for Oscar’s acting gongs), the Grammys love Adele and if the latter is not singing Skyfall with a 007@50 montage ebbing around her to a billion TV viewers come February 25th then I will eat Odd Job’s hat. AMPAS has already announced the 85th Academy Awards show will honour and mark James Bond’s fifty year reign. On the Adele thought, I wonder if its rival at the Oscars and Globes (Hugh Jackman’s Suddenly) will quite cut the French mustard in a category that is always dominated by Glee-friendly songs called Suddenly, Be Mine, Evermore and Suddenly Be Mine Evermore.  Les Miserables’ slightly cynical attempts to get a song gong in a category it shouldn’t really have a look in (all Best Songs need to be original work, not adapted) may just be superseded by the fact that after fifty years the very franchise that has single handedly preserved the old school gesture of a signature song (something Hollywood once did all the time) has never actually won one. It is a travesty that John Barry or Shirley Bassey never got an Oscar for their Bond efforts. It is wrong that designer Ken Adam did not win for You Only Live Twice. And why did A View to a Kill did not beat Out of Africa at the 1986 awards?! Because Meryl Streep was replaced by Tanya Roberts over an accent wrangle, that’s why (possibly).

Yes, Bond has already had a presence at the Oscars. 1964’s Goldfinger won Best Sound Effects Editing and the next year’s Thunderball got Best Visual Effects. Fair enough. Quite right. And the songs for Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me and For Your Eyes Only got earmarked as did Marvin Hamlisch’s composer efforts, Ken Adam’s work on Spy and the Visual Effects prowess of Moonraker. Nominations for Skyfall would be great (and don’t think entertainment headline makers are not crying out for a different angle to covering the Oscars). But does Skyfall have a Blofeld’s cat chance in hell of having a tipsy Goldie Hawn read out its name for any category? Yes. I think it does. Javier Bardem’s take on a Bond villain was literally jaw-dropping. He has been nominated by the Screen Actors Guild and is one of those actors which other actors really like. Adele is one of the world’s biggest selling draws at the moment. Like Bardem, she is fondly regarded by her industry. Judi Dench has won awards for bolder material but performers and voters know it takes a lot to make mainstream fare really work. Both Dench and Bardem also have the curve ball factor. The Oscars love to throw an early shock into the mix. It keeps the all important TV audiences interested and gives presenting work to Marisa Tomei and Alan Arkin. In fact, most of Skyfall’s possible Oscar nominations could turn into real gold because they are not historical, worthy, judicial and tear jerking. Okay, yes Skyfall could be possibly classed as exactly that. But there are no pious life-affirming sports coaches, ex country singers, CIA whistleblowers and drug-addicted teachers in Bond’s latest. It doesn’t have “For Your Consideration” seeping through its very DNA nor does it court headline-grabbing controversy on the very eve of its release like Coke Zero Thirty. It might just be apt to give Best Cinematography to a film that takes its time to make modern-day London and Shanghai look as lush and transluscent as any WWII adaptation of atoned love. Perhaps that underground bunker set, Shanghai skyscraper and Skyfall Lodge were indeed fantastic examples of art direction because they didn’t have the the magnitude and drama of the Civil War or French Revolution doing half the work. Maybe Sam Mendes has actually done a grand job choreographing the Bond production circus whilst maintaining coherent story and emotional arcs without the life-jacket gravitas of an Iranian embassy seige or the slave trade.

With the second album dilemma hanging over each new 007 episode, with Skyfall Eon Productions continued doing what they always have done – to make a decent film that rewards the audiences time and money, showcasing the moviemaking talents they have honed since 1962, but particularly since Barbara Broccoli and Michael G Wilson have been steering the series through newer, revived waters. Founding producers Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman would be most proud. 2013 could well be the year the Academy and Hollywood finally admit “we like Bond, we really like Bond”.

So as we are playing the Oscar punditry game, I [conservatively] prophesize that Skyfall “might” get six Academy Award nominations – Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench), Best Cinematography (Roger Deakins), Best Song (Adele & Paul Epworth), Best Sound Mixing, and Best Picture (Barbara Broccoli & Michael G Wilson).

Goldfingers crossed.

 

The Academy Award nominations are announced on January 10th 2013. Skyfall producer Barbara Broccoli has provided the Prelude to Catching Bullets – Memoirs of a Bond Fan.