What Kind of Film Character is Bond?

[Commander 0077]

blonde hair, and no personality.

The Bond of the novels wasn't exactly a bundle of laughs either, so no personality fits the bill perfectly.

Sorry if I sound like a broken record too ...

But the Bond of the books was a pretty funny guy .... not stand-up funny, but he usually had a sardonic, wry point of view.

Also, Fleming had fund poking fun at him. Example : YOLT ...
Tiger is taking Bond to dinner, and the lobster crawls off Bond's plate.

"My God, Tiger! I'ts alive!"

And Tiger goes on to berate him, "Really, Bondo san, you must get over your Western sqeemishness." (or something like that).

To me, that's splitting the sides funny.

And then again, Bond has genuine affection for his friends. This is reciprocated... again, see Tiger's reaction when Bond changes in seeing the photo of Blofeld. Tiger is shocked to see his quote "friend" unquote who has been for the past month a likeable, funny guy morph into a cold avenger.

Yuyp! A Bond near the end of his life (or Fleming's life). Check out his very last novel too - TMWTGG. Bond is even more mellow than this.

Whereas you check out the earlier novels, Bond is hardly Charlie Chaplin.

Live and Let Die and Moonraker followed Casino Royale. In both, Bond is a pretty likeable guy. He has a sense of fun. Fleming 'obviously' has his tongue in cheek. Note Moonraker, when Bond sits down to dinner with M at Blades. Bond makes a big show of sprinkling his drink with pepper. M is saying to himself, What the hell?

Take a peek at the villains. Drax and Mr Big are bib bib bigger than life, just like the villains in the 'better and best Bond films. More in common with Fu Manchu than the nameless guy in the film CR.

Yes, CR the book featured a cold cypher. In that sense, the film succeeds. But it introduces a dangerous precedent. Will the next film featuring DC have the Bond of the next two books, etc.? If Eon 'wants to get it right' then Bond will suddenly develop a sense of fun.

If Fleming had wanted Bond to remain a machine, that's what we would have seen. We haven't seen that in ALL the other books. So, the films certainly are faithful to Fleming's vision. His novels were filled with fantastic villains and situations. Looking back, I conjecture that he would have enjoyed YOLT with its sneering Blofeld and volcano. He probably would have cackled, This is truly silly stuff! But I like it, Cubby.

[The Sweeney]

Live and Let Die and Moonraker followed Casino Royale. In both, Bond is a pretty likeable guy. He has a sense of fun. Fleming 'obviously' has his tongue in cheek. Note Moonraker, when Bond sits down to dinner with M at Blades. Bond makes a big show of sprinkling his drink with pepper. M is saying to himself, What the hell?

Hardly a side-splitting Charlie Chaplin moment. In that case, you could say Bond had a sense of fun smashing the Land Rover in CR, tossing the keys away casually, and then smiling to himself when he sees the men on the security camera stressing about.

Yes, CR the book featured a cold cypher. In that sense, the film succeeds. But it introduces a dangerous precedent. Will the next film featuring DC have the Bond of the next two books, etc.? If Eon 'wants to get it right' then Bond will suddenly develop a sense of fun.

I think we will see more of the lighter side in Bond 22. But who knows for sure. I can't wait to find out.

If Fleming had wanted Bond to remain a machine, that's what we would have seen. We haven't seen that in ALL the other books.

No, but we've hardly seen double-taking pigeons, invisible cars, slide-whistle sound effects, slapstick humour, OTT gadgets in the novels either. The books (ALL of them) were pretty dark, broody, sometimes gloomy, quite nasty, sadistic, extremely violent tales. This very much overshadows any attempt at comedy that Fleming threw into the mix, which was at an absolute bare minimum.

So, the films certainly are faithful to Fleming's vision.

Dr. No, FRWL, GF, TB, OHMSS, FYEO, TLD, LTK and CR - yes, I agree completely. The rest of the films (especially YOLT, DAF, MR, DAD) I couldn't disagree with you more.

His novels were filled with fantastic villains and situations. Looking back, I conjecture that he would have enjoyed YOLT with its sneering Blofeld and volcano. He probably would have cackled, This is truly silly stuff! But I like it, Cubby.

This is one situation sadly none of us will ever know. I personally think he would have hated it, judging by the down-to-earth, serious, almost realistic tone of the novels. What was Fleming's attitude again - `Take the reader to the improbable, but not the impossible'.