Twice a Week It's Bond, James Bond

Competing Film Festivals Have 1 Thing in Common

All summer long, area residents can enjoy an exciting, innovative event -- a weekly James Bond film festival offering outdoor screenings of the super-spy's cinematic adventures.

Or, right down the street, area residents can enjoy an another exciting, innovative event -- a weekly James Bond film festival offering outdoor screenings of the super-spy's cinematic adventures.

Seeing double? You're not alone, because two different Bond film festivals are in the area, separated by 3.7 miles.

The Rosslyn Business Improvement District is presenting its festival, "Once is Never Enough," on Fridays through Aug. 22 in Gateway Park.

The Crystal City Business Improvement District is offering its festival, "From Crystal City With Love," on Mondays through Sept. 22 at 18th and Bell streets.

The festivals, which offer the films at sunset, are free and are held rain or shine. Promotional materials encourage viewers to bring picnics and blankets. There are Metro stops a short walk from each festival site.

The festivals seem founded on the same idea, that sitting outside at dusk on a summer evening is nice enough on its own, but it's just plain terrific with an added dose of gratuitous violence, sexual innuendo and improbable gadgetry.

"It's a lovely evening in the city," said Cecilia Cassidy, executive director of the Rosslyn group. "You're sitting there in this lovely green haven in the middle of what is becoming the most urban area in the region. I think they really enjoy sitting out on the grass on a summer's evening and watching these kind of old-fashioned movies."

The people behind the two festivals do not view the dual festivals as a duel because they are on different nights of the week. There are key differences between the Arlington Bond festivals. The Rosslyn festival will air 16 Bond films, while Crystal City will run all 21 official installments, culminating with the most recent film just weeks before the premiere of the new Bond movie, "Quantum of Solace." And by the second week of June, they were no longer showing the same films within three days of each another when Rosslyn skipped the sole George Lazenby movie, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service."

In Rosslyn last week, fans gathered more than an hour and a half before sunset in Gateway Park to watch "Live and Let Die," Roger Moore's inaugural Bond outing.

"You can't go wrong with James Bond," said Lou Mazel of Falls Church, set up on a folding chair in the park. "Even if you've seen the movies, it doesn't make a difference. You can always watch a Bond movie."

Mazel, 57, is a Foreign Service officer with the State Department and a self-described "Sean Connery purist." He planned all week to go to the film and came with his wife and sister-in-law, who was visiting from New Zealand.