Fleming in the Brosnan films?
Charmed & Dangerous
Posts: 7,358MI6 Agent
Connery and Lazenby benefited from being first and having the most Fleming elements (and whole plots) in their screenplays. Moore also had large doses of Fleming throughout his films, to a greater or lesser extent; as did Dalton, particularly in TLD. More recently Craig has everything from a whole plot (Casino Royale) to major Fleming influences (most notably about his parents in SF).
But I'm struggling to think of much -if any - Fleming in Brosnan's films. Have I missed something? And is the lack of Fleming an issue?
But I'm struggling to think of much -if any - Fleming in Brosnan's films. Have I missed something? And is the lack of Fleming an issue?
"How was your lamb?" "Skewered. One sympathises."
Comments
And Blades in DAD (Fencing Club) is a Card Club in the MR Novel.
http://www.ajb007.co.uk/topic/45420/pros-and-cons-the-spy-who-loved-me/page/3/
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Interesting -{
That's right - the short story was called 'The Shameful Dream' (1951) but Harmsway was the early name for the main villain in early drafts of TND script - it later became Elliot Carver.
I also recall that in DAD, the villain is Colonel Moon - a possible nod to Colonel Sun? (Admittedly not by Fleming though).
I don't think they have ever had Bill Tanner right though - Rory Kinnear is an excellent actor and Michael Kitchen good too, but neither are remotely like the tough ex-Sapper described by Fleming, IMO.
The "gun under the pillow line" in TND comes from Fleming's CR - it's also referenced in the film version of TB.
I suppose that one could say that Elektra King's torture device in TWINE was a nod to the torture scene in the CR novel.
There are slim pickings in the Brosnan era when it comes to Fleming sadly.
And to answer your question - yes, the lack of Fleming is always an issue (with me at least).
There wern't much Fleming stuff from the novels
They tried with DAD but the whole thing was bent out of shape. They are not noticeable like the keelhauling, or being fed to the shark in LTK..
To be honest Brosnan's film wern't about Fleming. The producers/directors etc were battling their way through the films.
Some would suggest that DAD's plot was pretty much taken from the Moonraker. You claim Casino Royale was Fleming, I do not recall Bond playing "Texas Hold'em" poker in CR.
I think it is in insult to Fleming to suggest anything about Skyfall is remotely Fleming. We learn in OHMSS that Bond's childhood was normal and that he was happy. In Skyfoolen we get this jiggery-pokery psychobabble that Bond had a unhappy childhood that marred him life.
That's kind of splitting hairs, isn't it?
And yet Fleming mentions Andrew Bond and Monique Delacroix as Bond's parents along with the Glencoe home, so it's a bit disingenuous to suggest that nothing about Skyfall is remotely from Fleming. And Bond seems genuinely happy to see Kincade and IMO seems more wistful about his childhood than 'marred for life'; I don't think the one line "I always hated this place" counts as evidence of psychological scarring...
You forgot when the service psychologist mention "Skyfall" Bond recoiled.
Let me clarify my comments. Yes, his parents name came from YOLT. However, taking names from a James Bond novel does not make it "flemingesque". I am not sure what is wrong Chemin de Fer. Isn't is still played in the world?
Plenty of late night programmes showing games and competitions.
It's also a well established game for film, plenty of movies about
High stakes poker, and everyone knows the rules ( well most of us)
As for Bond's reaction to the word " Skyfall" I think it was more " Anger"
At a private part of his life being exposed, in a simple evaluation test.
Although for an eleven year old boy to lose his parents is bound to have
Had an effect on him, to make him self reliant, and independent but with
some obvious hurt.
I know I lost my Dad when I was in my very early 20s, and it was one hell
Of an emotional kick in the nuts !
Perhaps you should read Casino Royale again. Also, there is symbolic meaning Metasymbology of the Nine of hearts. NB, I don't subscribe to this theory, but Fleming placed a lot of these things in his novel. By the way, what about Bridge?
But I guess all people what to see is explosions and chase scenes through construction sites. I am sure there will be one in Spectre.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
Yes, I lost my Dad at 18 so I agree it really changes your life and makes you grow up a bit quicker. Maybe it's what gives Bond his edge. Don't forget Fleming lost his father Valentine (also an Oxford Conservative MP) at the age of nine in 1917 during WWI.
Himself. -{ If writing a novel our hero would probably be the best
Version of ourselves.
( Although my wife says I am a great lover ! Mind you she is laughing
and giggling, when she says it )
Yup thats the way I saw it.
As for the Poker - had to really didnt they to make it relevant to viewers in todays world.
Didnt realise that. Wonder why they changed it? Save for another (better) film maybe?
As far as the reboot, I thought they updated CR very well. Now, I didn't like that they used poker either as it takes less courage and luck to play than shimmy, which I feel is more of a high class exclusive game than poker. However, I found the card playing was handled well as they focused on the characters conflict and what the actual stakes meant more than the game itself. Though I disliked the weak, rushed script of QOS and the poor directing choices, I felt it further showed the dark side of Fleming's writing and Bond's character, even though only the hotel fire scene was lifted from the cabin fire scene of TSWLM. SF followed the same route, only borrowing the themes from TMWTGG and YOLT. Though not using any of Flemings actual material, I liked how they were able to show hint's of Bond's childhood and how his parent's death affected him and they used this as a way of burying his past (though not all of it as some of it is woven into the next film). It's fair to say that the director and writers and Craig are familiar with Fleming's life and the novels and took elements from his childhood to fill in the bits about Bond's childhood- his death of his father, his rebelliousness of growing up in such a strict Victorian environment and (as his being hinted at in the next film) his past experiences from living in Austria.
Yes, it's a shame they didn't use more of Fleming's material and were not able to balance the fantastic elements with the more serious elements better in Brosnan's films, but it is what it is. Every EON film has it's flaws, but they still retain an element of sparkle and sophistication that a lot of action films could only dream of having.