JAMES BOND - Original creations

[DGTWoodward]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

The film does in fact borrow very strongly, themes from YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. The two titles are in that canon order, regardless of how they appear in film.

At the end of the book of YOLT, Bond is thought dead and M writes an obituary for him (as seen in the new film) ...only to find that he is in fact alive (again seen the new film), at the start of the book TMWTGG Bond has returned to kill him (transferred over to the character of Silva).

It does not succeed of course, but Bond is a physical and mental wreck (as seen in the film) after months of brainwashing.

So that's when they send him out after Scaramanga (read Silva), who has boasted of killing 00's before (who boasts of a special connection to Bond, referring to their 'mother' M). If Bond fails...(ie, is killed) it will amount to 'no real loss'. But if he succeeds, they may have a once again useful agent back (as seen in the film)

Remove the brainwashing, and shift the focus of wanting to destroy M to Silva...and that's the whole story of Skyfall.

It's great that they still find useful themes from Fleming's books, it adds to the authenticity of Bond as he is today.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

You speak very intelligently about Bond.

Now why was Connery's DB5 "with modifications" referrenced in Skyfall again?

 

[Rogerbee]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I see, I've never really read the books and have only gone by the movies.

Whatever, I liked it and would gladly watch it again.

 

[DGTWoodward]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

You speak very intelligently about Bond.

Now why was Connery's DB5 "with modifications" referrenced in Skyfall again?

 

[Rogerbee]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I'd take a stab at it being because it was Bond's 50th and it's iconic.

 

[Mr.E]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Simply because "James Bond" is a code name...

 

[DeltaForceChung]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

The film does in fact borrow very strongly, themes from YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN. The two titles are in that canon order, regardless of how they appear in film.

At the end of the book of YOLT, Bond is thought dead and M writes an obituary for him (as seen in the new film) ...only to find that he is in fact alive (again seen the new film), at the start of the book TMWTGG Bond has returned to kill him (transferred over to the character of Silva).

It does not succeed of course, but Bond is a physical and mental wreck (as seen in the film) after months of brainwashing.

So that's when they send him out after Scaramanga (read Silva), who has boasted of killing 00's before (who boasts of a special connection to Bond, referring to their 'mother' M). If Bond fails...(ie, is killed) it will amount to 'no real loss'. But if he succeeds, they may have a once again useful agent back (as seen in the film)

Remove the brainwashing, and shift the focus of wanting to destroy M to Silva...and that's the whole story of Skyfall.

It's great that they still find useful themes from Fleming's books, it adds to the authenticity of Bond as he is today.

--

Interesting . . .

 

[GuruAskew]

Simply because "James Bond" is a code name...

Just... no.

1: if "James Bond"is a codename then so is "Moneypenny" and so is "Felix Leiter" and so is "Bill Tanner." Which is absurd.

2: Lazenby's Bond loses his wife Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This causes Connery to go on a roaring rampage of revenge in Diamonds Are Forever but it's Moore who visits her grave in For Your Eyes Only. And she's mentioned in Dalton and Brosnan films too. I guess part of the code name is that you have to pretend some guy's dead wife from the 60's is your dead wife in 1997.

3: In OHMSS Lazenby shows undeniable familiarity with gadgets from the Connery films. In Die Another Day Brosnan does the same thing with items spanning films from all 4 previous actors.

4: Codename Felix Leiter decides to make Codename James Bond his best man but instead of inviting the one he actually worked with 17 years earlier he just invites the current one. And current Bond doesn't think it's weird that its not the Felix Leiter he worked with 2 years before.

5: Moore's old buddy in The Spy Who Loved Me recognizes him from school when he's supposedly only been "using the codename" for 4 years and the beginning of Goldeneye places Brosnan's Bond pre-Dalton. That's on top of the Connery/Lazenby/Connery flip-flop.

6: giving a secret agent a well-known name as a codename is just the dumbest idea ever.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

^^^ Now that's comedy!

Bond is silly. And it should be. Silly fun. Escapism. Trying to 'Bourne' it up, make it gritty and "real" just makes it sillier in the long run.

 

[CelticPredator]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

We've rarely ever agreed over the years, Guru.

But this is one of those rare instances. James Bond is one man. Just go with it.

 

[Mr.E]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I was busting *****. Inhale. Exhale.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Just... no.

1: if "James Bond"is a codename then do is "Moneypenny" and so is "Felix Leiter" and so is "Bill Tanner." Which is absurd.

2: Lazenby's Bond loses his wife Tracy in On Her Majesty's Secret Service. This causes Connery to go on a roaring rampage of revenge in Diamonds Are Forever but it's Moore who visits her grave in For Your Eyes Only. And she's mentioned in Dalton and Brosnan films too. I guess part of the code name is that you have to pretend some guy's dead wife from the 60's is your dead wife in 1997.

3: In OHMSS Lazenby shows undeniable familiarity with gadgets from the Connery films. In Die Another Day Brosnan does the same thing with items spanning films from all 4 previous actors.

4: Codename Felix Leiter decides to make Codename James Bond his best man but instead of inviting the one he actually worked with 17 years earlier he just invites the current one. And current Bond doesn't think it's weird that its not the Felix Leiter he worked with 2 years before.

5: Moore's old buddy in The Spy Who Loved Me recognizes him from school when he's supposedly only been "using the codename" for 4 years and the beginning of Goldeneye places Brosnan's Bond pre-Dalton. That's on top of the Connery/Lazenby/Connery flip-flop.

6: giving a secret agent a well-known name as a codename is just the dumbest idea ever.

--

James Bond's "character" & "history" is not necessarily static, but dynamic.

The previously published novels & stories by Ian Fleming along with the films provide a canon for current & future stories to in film and other media.

I'd rather not debate the canonical aspects or let alone rational of whatever. They're meant to be entertaining to those of us who appreciated the venerable series so far and I believe it's safe to say we'll see revised/updated versions of the character as the years go by in keeping up with the times short of a future Bond film revisiting the periodic style & theme of the 60's/70's . . . which could happen . . . or not.

As for the whole code name thing . . . I don't believe (let alone support) "James Bond" is a code name. It is the character's "name" & "007" is his MI6 designation as a field operative. "00" agents come & go, but Bond has proven himself to outlast the others.

If you want an example of a code name, consider "Matt Helm". In the novels & the Dean Martin films, everyone knows him as Matt Helm even though he may have used the code name "Eric" on occasion.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

--

James Bond's "character" & "history" is not necessarily static, but dynamic.

Is that a fancy way of saying its carelessly inconsistent?

It's OK, whatever the answer, I was never a fan of the linear story for "further Bond adventures". I always thought they worked best when they were separate adventures and not based on one following another. The franchise has been with us for so long of course there's going to be logic issues.

That said, why the DB5?

 

[DeltaForceChung]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

As for a 1:6 50th Anniversary James Bond offering . . . it's not going happen (AFAIK) on any official basis. The closest we'll see is the upcoming 1:6 male base body figure with the "Daniel Craig" inspired head sculpt that is apparently more than $70.00 MSRP and there is a separate tuxedo & accessory set for sale that will compliment the figure accordingly.

After watching Dame Shirley Bassey sing the iconic & best remembered Bond title song of all time "GOLDFINGER" last night on the Oscars, I would be inclined to see a 1:6 female figure of Shirley Bassey from her prime when she sang that song as a one tribute figure outside of the James Bond license.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

What is the separate tux kit? That's excellent, I need that!

I need to bash a good 1/6 Craig. Not sure where to start; there's so many heads out there yet nothing that's really grabbed me.

I'm hoping Leia finishes up her Raoul Siulva sculpt and offers it. I think I could bash an impressive Silva rather quickly if I had the right head.

 

[Mr.E]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Someone needs to buy that Medicom Cowboys and Aliens Craig figure, cast the head, and sell it. Just my two cents.

 

[GuruAskew]

There's really no inconsistency. You basically have pre-Crisis Bond ('62-'02) and post-Crisis Bond (Craig). Before the reboot (and Casino Royale is undeniably one) you simply had a floating timeline in which Bond himself was ageless. Even when an actor like Roger Moore was pushing 60 his age never factored into the plot. He isn't running around saying "I'm getting too old for this ****." His age isn't a plot point so they don't need to say its a rotating code name or that a wizard de-aged him or that Q built a time machine or whatever. They just hire a younger actor.

It's funny, people don't seem to mind that Spider-Man should be pushing 70 and Batman should have been in his 80's when they rebooted him in the 80's but do it in live action and people come up with all these absurd theories.

But make no mistake about it: when Pierce Brosnan is driving an invisible car around in 2002 it was every bit the intention of the producers to remind you that it's the same character from 40 years before.

 

[CelticPredator]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

I tried to explain that in the Skyfall thread. Got nowhere with it.

It's not that hard of a concept to accept.

 

[Mr.E]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

You have to admit though, they made it clear that Bond is an "old dog" this time around.

 

[Wor-Gar]

Re: OFFICIAL JAMES BOND THREAD

Age has nothing to do with it, although Guru's presentation and use of words is beautiful.

My question about the DB5 simply asks when the hell Craig used that car with its array of weapons since the dialogue referenced it? Was it in "his" timeline and we just never saw it, or is it a direct reference to "Goldfinger"... which then confuses the hell out of me whether this is a reboot or not. Does Craig's Bond have all the memories and adventures that I attribute to all other Bonds? Or are we watching new Bond adventures for the first time? "Skyfall" confuses that issue... unless after "Casino Royale" we have leaped forward in time, over all the other Bond films, and are now watching the winding down of an aging Bond.