Oscars 2013: James Bond overshadowed by Adele, Bassey
Adele performs the Oscar-winning song "Skyfall" onstage at the 85th Annual Academy Awards. Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP/Getty Images
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Dame Shirley Bassey performing during the 85th Academy Awards. Credit: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
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Dame Shirley Bassey performing during the 85th Academy Awards. Credit: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science
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Dame Shirley Bassey performing during the 85th Academy Awards. Credit: Robyn Beck / AFP / Getty Images
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Adele performs onstage, seen from backstage during the Oscars. Credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images
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The Oscars managed to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of the James Bond film series without a single Bond actor taking the stage.
The Academy Awards brought out a Bond girl, Bond song singers and showcased a montage of the beloved action film franchise – but not a glimpse of Daniel Craig or Sean Connery.
Former Bond girl Halle Berry introduced the montage of Bond moments and called Bond music “a genre all its own.”
Oscars 2013: Complete coverage
Dame Shirley Bassey proved her entirely correct. Not bad for a 76-year-old star. Bassey and Adele were the true Bond stars of the night, with performances of the titular theme songs “Goldfinger” and “Skyfall,” respectively, that brought down the house.
Bassey, backlit by golden columns and wearing (of course) a gold dress, brought a touch of class to her touchstone song. She was followed later in the night by Adele: With a variation of “Skyfall’s” title sequence in the background and a well-populated chorus backing her up, the pop superstar turned in a fantastic rendition of the Academy Award-winning song.
And that was the 50th anniversary celebration: Berry, Bassey and Adele. No past Bonds, no villains sneaking behind the curtains — just music and a montage.
The theme of the night was music, after all, with host Seth MacFarlane falling back on song and dance multiple times, and a fully attended performance by the cast of “Les Miserables.”
Regardless, whether due to scheduling difficulties or a maturation of the series, it was a new experience seeing Bond himself upended by his own songs.
Beyond the Bond commemoration, “Skyfall” became the most successful film in the series at the Oscars, winning for Adele’s song and for sound editing.
It was also nominated for cinematography, original score and sound mixing, topping “The Spy Who Loved Me’s” three nominations, and was the first Bond film to win an Oscar since “Thunderball” in 1965.
Consider it a testament to the series’ longevity that 50 years after its release, the latest entry in the series toppled previous box office records (grossing $1.1 billion worldwide) and broke its own records in Oscar gold.
–Morgan Little
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