LONDON — The James Bond film franchise turned 50 on Friday with the release of a revealing new documentary about its turbulent past and the first listen of the new theme tune performed by Adele.

The premiere of the first Bond film, “Dr. No”, was held in London on Oct. 5, 1962, and starred Scottish actor Sean Connery as the suave and brutal super-spy working for British intelligence to thwart the plans of an evil megalomaniac.

By the time the third movie in the franchise, “Goldfinger,” hit the screens two years later, Bond was a cultural phenomenon generating the kind of public excitement more often associated with British pop group the Beatles.

The character was quickly adopted by the British public and further afield as the embodiment of sophistication and courage, and his dress sense, taste in fast cars and beautiful women and catch phrase “shaken, not stirred” entered mainstream culture.

Not everyone liked Bond. The films have often been dismissed as sexist for the seemingly endless line of scantily clad women who fall into bed with Bond, and several have been panned by the critics.

But Bond's lasting appeal was underlined this summer when actor Daniel Craig, as 007, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth appeared together in a short, comic scene at Buckingham Palace in a highlight of the London Olympics opening ceremony.

Over the last five decades, EON Productions, formed by the central partnership of Albert “Cubby” Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, has made 22 Bond movies, which have amassed around $5 billion at the global box office.

The 23rd film “Skyfall” gets its royal world premiere in London later this month and Adele's theme tune for the movie starring Craig on Her Majesty's secret service hit the airwaves early on Friday to mixed reviews.

Also released on Friday was “Everything or Nothing”, the documentary directed by Stevan Riley that charts Bond's passage through studio collapses, personality clashes and the end of the Cold War, which could have spelled disaster for the series.

Instead it has adapted to the modern era with a female spymaster M, played by Judi Dench, and a tough and serious 007 in the form of Craig.

That constant reinvention has been one of the franchise's greatest strengths, with six actors playing the role in the official Bond movies.

Asked what he thought was the key to Bond's survival, producer Michael G. Wilson, the stepson of Broccoli who now co-produces the films, said it was down to the source material — Ian Fleming's novels.

“It comes first of all from Fleming writing a character that has many aspects, so that when we turned them into film, different actors could take on different aspects of the character,” he told Reuters.

“And it's really been our great fan base we've kept faith with over the years and they've kept coming back. It's really the public that makes it more than anything else.”

Also planned for “Global James Bond Day” is a charity auction at Christie's in London, where among the Bond memorabilia on sale is an Aston Martin car driven in “Quantum of Solace” valued at $242,500.

In the United States, events include a film retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art in New York and a Music of Bond Night hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles.

Who has played Bond?:
• “Skyfall is Daniel Craig's third Bond film. He starred in “Casino Royale,” the 21st in the series, and “Quantum of Solace.” Craig, 44, is the first Bond actor to have been born after the Bond series began.
• The earliest Bond is Sean Connery. He starred in six Bond movies as well as the unofficial “Never Say Never Again” in 1983.
• George Lazenby was an actor/athlete, winning two ski competitions in Australia. He starred in only one Bond movie, “On Her Majesty's Secret Service”.
• Roger Moore, formerly “The Saint” on television, had a 13-year stint as Bond starring in seven adventures.
• Timothy Dalton, starred in two Bond movies — “The Living Daylights” and “License To Kill.”
• Pierce Brosnan is the only 007 actor to have been married to a Bond girl, Cassandra Harris, who starred in Roger Moore's fifth outing as 007, “For Your Eyes Only.” Brosnan made four Bond movies.
• David Niven, who died in 1983, played the character in the spoof original “Casino Royale” in 1967. Agent 007 was also played on U.S. television by Barry Nelson in 1954, although the agent's name in that case was “Jimmy Bond.”
Who is James Bond?: Bond's tastes have entered popular culture. He likes his cocktails shaken, not stirred, and introduces himself as “Bond ... James Bond.” But his frequent flings with glamorous femmes fatale have earned him a reputation as a sexist.
The films:
There have been 22 official Bond films, which according to the-numbers.com have amassed almost $5.1 billion at the box office worldwide.
The most recent, “Quantum of Solace” grossed nearly $600 million.
The first film “Dr. No” grossed almost $60 million.