Bond & Vesper, Book vs Film

Barry Nelson

CR has always been one of my favorite (along with TB) Fleming novels. Having now seen the movie, I was wondering how others would compare the development of the love story in each. Although I greatly enjoyed CR I thought the idea that Bond has fallen in love with Vesper, was not fully developed. In the novel we have the intial physical attraction, dinner together a few times, then the kidnapping and torture. As Bond recovers from the torture Vesper is there everyday (once he agrees to see her) taking care of him, visiting him, handling some things for him. When he checks out of the hospital, Vesper has picked out the beach house, where they spend several days dreaming about the future, etc. I thought Fleming did a gret job of developing the love between the two characters. Which I found to be very believable, especially after Bond's traumatic event.

In the movie, we have the initial, I don't really care for you introduction. The preparation for the card game and the card game, where Vesper assists him in the stairwell fight, but won't bankroll him. Then the torture scene, very little of the hospital, a few shots of Bond and Vesper on the beach, then the Swiss banker scene and the double cross. I didn't feel the emotional attachment between Bond and Vesper as I did in the book. This lack of emotional attachment, I believe took away from the ending a little, because I don't think it was clear to the audience that Vesper is committing suicide, to save Bond. The romance seemed a little rushed in the film and I don't think it is clear that they are madly in love with each other.

Would like to know what others think. i only saw the film once, so maybe I missed something.

highhopes

Barry Nelson wrote:

CR has always been one of my favorite (along with TB) Fleming novels. Having now seen the movie, I was wondering how others would compare the development of the love story in each. Although I greatly enjoyed CR I thought the idea that Bond has fallen in love with Vesper, was not fully developed. In the novel we have the intial physical attraction, dinner together a few times, then the kidnapping and torture. As Bond recovers from the torture Vesper is there everyday (once he agrees to see her) taking care of him, visiting him, handling some things for him. When he checks out of the hospital, Vesper has picked out the beach house, where they spend several days dreaming about the future, etc. I thought Fleming did a gret job of developing the love between the two characters. Which I found to be very believable, especially after Bond's traumatic event.

In the movie, we have the initial, I don't really care for you introduction. The preparation for the card game and the card game, where Vesper assists him in the stairwell fight, but won't bankroll him. Then the torture scene, very little of the hospital, a few shots of Bond and Vesper on the beach, then the Swiss banker scene and the double cross. I didn't feel the emotional attachment between Bond and Vesper as I did in the book. This lack of emotional attachment, I believe took away from the ending a little, because I don't think it was clear to the audience that Vesper is committing suicide, to save Bond. The romance seemed a little rushed in the film and I don't think it is clear that they are madly in love with each other.

Would like to know what others think. i only saw the film once, so maybe I missed something.

Others have remarked on that, so there must be
something to what you're saying. I think it's probably true that the love story could have been developed more. On the other hand, the filmmakers were probably already taking a chance with a Bond love story and probably didn't want it to overstay its welcome.
Speaking for myself, I thought the writers did a pretty skillfull job sketching in that story thread in limited screentime: the banter on the train, Bond's flirtatious teasing with "Stephanie Broadchest," Vesper giving as good as she gets with the dinner jacket, the shower scene, the recuperation and vacationing/yatching.

Barry Nelson

Out of curiousity, I asked my family at breakfast this morninig if they understood that Vesper was basically taking her life to save Bond (they all attended the movie with me) My wife, college daughter and 11 year old son did not know that. My high school son did. So based on that small unscientific sampling I believe it was at least somewhat unclear what Vesper was doing. Which if the love story was drawn out a little bit more may have helped. Just my opinion.

Gassy Man

No one I know felt it was unclear that Vesper was committing suicide to save Bond -- M says so in the movie. But a couple of people, myself included, thought another 10-15 minutes of story could have fleshed things out more. I understood that she and Bond fall in love, and I mostly felt it, but as with nearly all book adaptations, the level of development was less in cinema form.

Barry Nelson

I know M explains things, but should another character have to explain what just happened to the audience. Which basically Dench does when she talks to Bond on the telephone while he is in the hospital.

In Casablanca, someone doesn't come on screen and tell us Bogey and Bergman loved each other, but Bogey let her go because he knew it was best for her. We know that is what happened.

I really enjoyed CR, I am just saying the ending was a little unclear because, in my opinion, the love story isn't drawn out enough.

blueman

I took the differences as signs of the times: Fleming could be horribly schmaltzy with putting Bond in relationships sometimes, they most of them read incredibly dated to me. But could the film have been more explicit? Sure, and I was pretty much expecting a far more hit-the-audience-over-the-head-with-it kinda thing. But I like how they did it actually, it was different for the series, subtle yet moving, and a good balance of not selling the double agent part and keeping Vesper enigmatic, yet hitting key emotional scenes really well (there's one that got left on the cutting room floor that might help with this Barry, maybe we'll see it on the DVD?).

Haven't read the book in a while, but I remember the book Vesper as having a couple interesting exchanges with Bond, and then a lot of stereotypical 50s womanhood-type stuff, typical Fleming female characterization that can get kinda grating...he wrote better female characters later in the series I thought. She was memorable, but almost more for Bond's reaction to her than for herself alone. For how they did it in the film, loved Green and loved the setup/follow-through, very nice moments all along the way that for me did add up to a finished arc. Just a very unique and successful female lead in the Bond film series IMHO.

Great topic Barry. {[]

Gassy Man

Barry Nelson wrote:

I know M explains things, but should another character have to explain what just happened to the audience. Which basically Dench does when she talks to Bond on the telephone while he is in the hospital.

In Casablanca, someone doesn't come on screen and tell us Bogey and Bacall loved each other, but Bogey let her go because he knew it was best for her. We know that is what happened.

I really enjoyed CR, I am just saying the ending was a little unclear because, in my opinion, the love story isn't drawn out enough.

Oh, I'm not saying it was done well, Barry. I don't like expository dialogue in place of actual narrative, but writers and filmmakers today are pretty clueless about how to pull it off, particularly in action films. That's why I think a little more movie could have solved things.

But let's say people were concerned about the long running time and didn't want to add much of anything: a solution would have been to include a voiceover (similar to the letter in the book) from Vesper explaining what she must do while Bond is searching for her through the Venetian plaza. The rest of the scene could be identical.

The voiceover could intercut with her creating the text message or sending an email (perhaps with Bond sleeping in the bed) -- just a few seconds to show us what Bond might find at the end that fully explains things. That would make the action of Bond racing to find her seem even more tragic because we know she is putting herself in harm's way at that moment to save him even if he doesn't.

After she dies, let Bond explain what happened to M, rather than the other way around. When M asks what he feels, he could deliver the "bitch is dead" line. Now, he's the one who puts a lid on his emotions in that scene, proving to M that he's ready to coldly and objectively face whatever mission she has in the future for him.

I generally don't care for voiceovers, but that's because they're almost always used for purely expository reasons. Hearing Vesper's words here, to me, would have amped the emotions of the scene up more.

highhopes

Of course, many of us have the advantage of having read the book, so it's hard to say what we would have thought of Vesper's death otherwise. She clearly kills herself, but the motivation may be unclear. But at the same time, there are other mysteries in the ending and Vesper's is just one more that I'm sure will become clear in Bond 22. Who knows? Maybe there was another reason besides her love for Bond?

Barry Nelson

Gassy Man wrote:

Barry Nelson wrote:

I know M explains things, but should another character have to explain what just happened to the audience. Which basically Dench does when she talks to Bond on the telephone while he is in the hospital.

In Casablanca, someone doesn't come on screen and tell us Bogey and Bacall loved each other, but Bogey let her go because he knew it was best for her. We know that is what happened.

I really enjoyed CR, I am just saying the ending was a little unclear because, in my opinion, the love story isn't drawn out enough.

Oh, I'm not saying it was done well, Barry. I don't like expository dialogue in place of actual narrative, but writers and filmmakers today are pretty clueless about how to pull it off, particularly in action films. That's why I think a little more movie could have solved things.

But let's say people were concerned about the long running time and didn't want to add much of anything: a solution would have been to include a voiceover (similar to the letter in the book) from Vesper explaining what she must do while Bond is searching for her through the Venetian plaza. The rest of the scene could be identical.

The voiceover could intercut with her creating the text message or sending an email (perhaps with Bond sleeping in the bed) -- just a few seconds to show us what Bond might find at the end that fully explains things. That would make the action of Bond racing to find her seem even more tragic because we know she is putting herself in harm's way at that moment to save him even if he doesn't.

After she dies, let Bond explain what happened to M, rather than the other way around. When M asks what he feels, he could deliver the "bitch is dead" line. Now, he's the one who puts a lid on his emotions in that scene, proving to M that he's ready to coldly and objectively face whatever mission she has in the future for him.

I generally don't care for voiceovers, but that's because they're almost always used for purely expository reasons. Hearing Vesper's words here, to me, would have amped the emotions of the scene up more.

I like your idea and I think it would have worked nicely.

HH - Your right that more may be revealed in Bond 22.