Lieutenant Sidney George Reilly was a Russian-born adventurer and secret agent employed by the British Secret Intelligence Service. He was debonair, spoke many languages and was said to be as charismatic as he was brilliant. He was a compulsive womaniser (married four times – without ever divorcing); he loved the high-life, casinos, and fast cars. His missions took him, amongst other places, to Russia to help bring the Czar back to power after the Revolution, and to Japan where he was involved in smuggling secret documents. Sharing a mutual friend with Ian Flemming, he was to become the basis for James Bond.
Along with Sidney Reilly there are a number of other factors included in the films that have also been taken from real life. Many of the gadgets are based on new technology, some of which we have access to and will dust down and demonstrate. Some of the Bond Girls are also based on real people. Vesper Lynd, from Casino Royale, is believed to be based on Christine Granville, a real-life agent in the British Secret Service, who had an affair with Ian Flemming. Some of the villains are even inspired by reality. The real Scaramanga was two years below Fleming and was known to be an intimidating character.
Using photos, film footage, personal affects, dramatic reconstruction and clips from the Bond movies, we bring Reilly to life and reveal the origins of some of the key Bond girls and Bond villains.
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