Barry Niven wrote:Babsy will NEVER relinquish control. If there's one other thing I'm certain of, its that her territorial control-freak issues didn't happen in a vacuum, but were INGRAINED into her by her Father's own difficulties, compromises and conflicts with "others" that left its mark of paranoid bitterness before she rose through the ranks (or rather, had it handed over with a Silver Spoon), which makes it even sadder to realize how old Cubby couldn't have anticipated how badly she'd ruin their EON all in HIS name.
IIRC, Cubby never actually wanted to take on a partner in the first place, but had to accept Harry Saltzman because Saltzman secured the film rights to Ian Fleming's novels FIRST (bar CR & TB). Apparently, as early as the release of FRWL, Terrence Young asked to be made an equal partner alongside Broccoli/Saltzman but was turned down, which was why Young didn't direct GF (but at least returned for TB as a Well-Paid hired-hand). Then, when they halted the threat of competition from Kevin McClory's rival production of TB in '65 by joining forces with McClory for a one-time deal, this supposedly gave Connery the idea that as The Star, he deserved an equal share as an actual partner alongside Broccoli/Saltzman, whose rejection led to Connery's decision to quit after YOLT. Not to mention that Cubby ran afoul of Charles K. Feldman over the latter's rival CR'67 parody version that made just enough money to confuse ignorant moviegoers into thinking they were seeing another actual James Bond movie instead of a counterfeit that ate into the total profits of YOLT (and gave EON the confidence to make a Bond movie without Connery). Most damning were Harry Saltzman's own problems that lead to the end of the partnership with Broccoli in '75, who was forced to accept United Artists as a (not-so) Silent Partner to keep the machine running. Not to mention the constant threat of McClory's latest TB remake before and after the existence of NSNA in which OP barely managed to overcome+
It's also depressing to realize that the 89-95 hiatus was more likely caused by Cubby's stubborn insistence to Preserve the Legacy Value of the OLD James Bond Movies' Television Distribution Rights (and in essence, the Broccoli family's wealth and status), and not the ability to make new movies with Timothy Dalton for as long as he was able. During this period, EON's knee-jerk territorialism had the ugly result in quashing the production of a homemade James Bond FAN Movie by a young English teenager in the early 90's for infringing on EON's property*, whereas a trio of American teens spent a whole decade filming and editing their homemade shot-by-shot recreation of Raiders of the Lost Ark which was not only completed, but praised by Spielberg himself as an affectionate homage. So who's really the greedy, selfish control-freak here?
Ultimately, Babsy is just another tool repeating the eternal cycle of Greed and Selfishness that goes with being part of the vast machine of Film Production as her father was. Only now, she's attempting to justify it as the protection of the Sacred Legacy of EON & James Bond with the basic lesson she learned all too well from Cubby: Never Trust Any Outsiders With The Family Business. And that makes her worse, as she's blind to the FACT that such outsiders might actually be more qualified, experienced and dedicated enough to do BETTER than her, which is what her pride and ego won't accept. The same way that reverting to the "Tall, Dark and Handsome" James Bond would actually be admitting that Danielle Craggy's Non-Bond was all a ghastly mistake. Ergo, Babsy won't quit, therefore the series is done.
+ - James Bond: The Legacy, by John Cork and Bruce Scivally.
* - The Man With The Golden Touch: How The Bond Films Conquered The World by Sinclair McKay, Chapter 23: Bond In Abeyance.
Good post!!
Fans often hail Cubby as the great figure behind Bond, yet he made some fairly bad decisions in his time - some of the silly slapstick moments of the Moore films, allowing Moore to stay in the role longer than MR, the silly change in direction with DAF after OHMSS, disregarding the majority of the Fleming storylines from the novels from YOLT onwards (with the exception of OHMSS).
This is what irks me most with EON ever since. Other than Maibaum cleverly weaving Fleming short stories and previously disregarded scenes from the novels throughout the 80's, Babs and co. have not wanted to do this since. Maybe she hasn't read the novels, because there is still tons of untapped material from the books, and scenes that would really work well on film - the card game in MR, the horse racing and torture scene in DAF, Viv Michel in her gangster-run motel being rescued by Bond, Blofeld's castle of death in YOLT, Bond being brainwashed to kill M, then going undercover as Mark Hazard and the brilliant train ending scenes in TMWTGG......
............"James Bond director Sam Mendes has released information about the upcoming 007 film, saying "Spectre" will answer questions concerning Bond's childhood. The 24th James Bond movie "Spectre" is due out in theaters on Nov. 6, and director Sam Mendes revealed the plot will revolve around the spymaster's childhood and why Bond came to be an orphan. When Sony Pictures first released the "Spectre" behind-the-scenes featurette last month, audiences were treated to action footage shot on snowy mountains, unaware of the film revolving around the the all-important story of the British spy's past, a theme the last 22 Bond films never visited until "Skyfall" in 2012. "Skyfall" hinted at what was supposedly a tragic childhood Bond experienced in his native Scotland after both his parents died. Mendes has hinted "Spectre" will focus on Bond seeking the truth behind his parents' demise. "Spectre," which will be Daniel Craig's fourth 007 film, is also rumored to be his last." (let's hope so) 
