Bond girl Marguerite Gordon writes novel on Caribbean intrigue

DOMINIC KALIPERSAD

MARGUERITE Gordon has lived a life many women can only dream of, but she still holds on to a dream few can ever achieve. She envisions her latest novel being turned into a movie.

Gordon is no stranger to films. She had a feature role in the very first James Bond film, Dr No, which was shot in Jamaica.

How she landed the role of Agent 007’s first-ever female nemesis is almost just as intriguing as the 1962 film.

Fresh from her reign as Miss Jamaica 1961, when she was known as Marguerite LeWars, a chance meeting with Dr No’s director Terrence Young led to an offer to read for the part of henchwoman Miss Taro.

Fearing her parents' disapproval of the risqué role, the 22-year-old beauty queen turned down the offer.

“He (Young) had me reading for a part where I was supposed to be wrapped in a towel, lying on a bed, kissing a strange man,” Gordon recalled in an interview with Sunday Newsday.

That “strange man” was Hollywood heartthrob Sean Connery. But the role was not what the Jamaican aristocracy would accept from the would-be actress.

Young then offered LeWars another role —the Afro-Asian freelance photographer (and Dr No operative) Annabelle Chung— which, although smaller, had prominent screen time.

Although the neophyte actress appears on the big screen, the character's voice in the film is not hers.

“It’s not my voice. I had a bit of a disagreement with, God rest his soul, Terence Young,” Gordon said, explaining how the director wanted to fly her to London for dialogue overdubs.

“I felt that he felt that I would be willing to go the casting couch way, so I was extremely annoyed with him at the wrap party. Then he wrote me from London and asked me to come up, and I said, ‘No, I’m not coming.’ And he said, ‘Well we can take out your scene,’ and I said, ‘You’ve already paid me so take it out’”— she laughs heartily — “but he never did, so it’s somebody else’s voice overdubbed."

Fastforward 57 years, Gordon, now 79, has just released a suspense novel with all the intrigue and drama deserving of a screenplay.

Empires of the Caribbean is a self-published, romance story with political and international intrigue taking place in four countries – Jamaica, TT, Guyana and Venezuela.

First written in 1990 as Caribbean Cartels, Gordon told Sunday Newsday, the original storyline was plagiarised and turned into a television series. But, she said, the TV version did not explore the full breadth of the Caribbean tale which, prophetically, foresaw Guyana’s new oil wealth, human trafficking from Venezuela, and TT leading the cosmetics and fashion industries.

“After the trauma of getting your work stolen,” Gordon said, “I wrote it over­ – better; 276 pages, 51 chapters. It’s about love, hate, secrecy, blackmail, political and international intrigue, brutal violence, evil, romance, and love.”

Gordon is no novice writer. She spent 25 years as a weekly newspaper columnist, establishing herself as a Trinidad-based etiquette guru. She has authored two previous books – Dancer, the Little Dog from Mayaro Beach (a children’s book that was turned into a musical play in 1992) and Manners and Entertaining with Marguerite Gordon: A Guide to Caribbean Life and Style.

Married to business magnate Ken Gordon, she runs her own human resource training company (trading as Marguerite Gordon), has conducted more than 200 courses across the Caribbean, and remains available for related lectures.

Giving an insight into her Empires of the Caribbean, Gordon wrote the following on her Facebook page:

“...what is going on in the important boardrooms of some countries? Like the boardroom of the powerful Eastern Caribbean Aqutana Ltd in Trinidad and Tobago?

Damn it!” roared the chairman. “We are a serious company making a good living in fishing, packaging and selling to the world market! Why do you want to diversify NOW? This is NOT the right time !"

There was tension in the air and outright anger between father and son.

At the same time in the well known boardroom of the rich family in Jamaica, there are breathless moments as a sinister woman has manipulated a board member to introduce casinos in their new hotels. Will she succeed?

The Amerindians in Guyana are very nervous about their gold, diamonds and emeralds. Just whom are they to trust? The Venezuelans are waiting, watching and plotting...."

In a foreword to Empires of the Caribbean, former English professor Kenneth Ramchand, arguably the most prominent living critic of Caribbean fiction, noted that Gordon’s novel was almost prophetic about issues that have come to pass.

He wrote, “This is an unusual novel in some ways, as for example, in the use of multiple settings in the Caribbean and Europe. Although it is aware of Empire and History, it is not a historical novel. Nor for that matter, is it a philosophical or sociological one. It seems to be closest to the romance genre.

“This does not prevent it from showing a keen awareness of exploitation, greed, corruption and the machinations of capitalism and commerce.

“The introduction of a sinister Chinese mafia among the intriguers is interesting and predictive. Is it coincidental that the intrigue over Guyana gold reads like an early version of the current angling for Guyana’s oil?"

Gordon told Sunday Newsday it would be a dream come true if Empires of the Caribbean is one day adapted into a full-length big screen movie.

“I am hoping that HBO or Netflix would pick this up,” she said.

Gordon's position in the pantheon of Bond girls is still recognised by film industry. In 2013, the Vancouver International Film Festival had her help launch its Bond retrospective, 007 Reloaded: Bond vs Bond, a 20-film programme.

If her dream comes true, her position as a novelist could very well expand to screenplay/filmmaker.

Empires of the Caribbean by Marguerite Gordon is available at RIK Bookstores.