Diamonds Are Forever novel
Napoleon Plural
LondonPosts: 10,493MI6 Agent
Just finished reading this. I started back in April, when I visited Vegas on a press trip and was lucky enough to stay at the Bellagio hotel (the one in Ocean's 11) overlooking the Strip.
It's not quite a page turner, then. Bond has to investigate a diamond smuggling pipeline (it's not a literal pipeline like in The Living Daylights film, but a metaphor for a series of contacts leading to the top banana). Bond is undercover so has to do the softly softly catchy monkey thing, ingratiating himself with the gang, rather than go in all guns blazing.
Whereas gangster films like GoodFellas are seared with Scorcese's respect and festishistic liking for the mafia lifestyle, you get none of that here. In fact, Fleming pretty much despises them and their whole existance. It's as if he got an invite to the US and decided he may as well knock a Bond book off the back of it.
Bond is a fish out of water in this book and so is Fleming. Almost similar to YOLT in that respect, as he's grappling with an alternate culture. Descriptions of the casino slots are very well done. But there's some very unwieldy exposition thanks to his ex CIA chum Felix Leiter (when does he return to the CIA then?) now private detective, then later a friendly cabbie in Vegas who has 'dead meat' written all over him. Otherwise, all the info about the city would come courtesy of Fleming the narrator, as in the other books.
There's a good setpiece in which a crooked jockey gets dunked in boiling mud at a steam baths by the mob. The whole horseracing fix is quite topical, I suppose. Otherwise the scope of the novel is a bit timid, more in line with a Leslie Charteris Saint escapade.
Fleming's writing doesn't seem that convincing this time. The Spang fellow is a charicature and nothing more. There's no civilised discussion over dinner about his background or motives a la No or Auric Goldfinger or Mr Big. Of course, he's a gangster and Bond is undercover, but Fleming omits the whole thing that makes these guys deadly in the Scorcese films. They don't really seem to kill anyone much and in the beating of Bond by Wint and Kidd they don't even break anything. Of course, the 'shoot him now' strategy of such wiseguys doesn't mix with the Fleming world at all, but take that away and the gangsters are effectively neutered.
Some bad writing on the cruise ship finale (one of the rare moments that make it into the film), as Bond sort of wonders who the American voice of one of the cruise passengers is and chews it over. Even though he's aware that he and Ms Case may have been followed onto the ship. D'oh! How many Americans has he met of late and in what context?
Tiffany Case is a bit of a pain. The 'we have all the time in the world' phrase works its way in to the text, and marriage is mooted, but she's also a stereotype broad with a wing down.
It's not quite a page turner, then. Bond has to investigate a diamond smuggling pipeline (it's not a literal pipeline like in The Living Daylights film, but a metaphor for a series of contacts leading to the top banana). Bond is undercover so has to do the softly softly catchy monkey thing, ingratiating himself with the gang, rather than go in all guns blazing.
Whereas gangster films like GoodFellas are seared with Scorcese's respect and festishistic liking for the mafia lifestyle, you get none of that here. In fact, Fleming pretty much despises them and their whole existance. It's as if he got an invite to the US and decided he may as well knock a Bond book off the back of it.
Bond is a fish out of water in this book and so is Fleming. Almost similar to YOLT in that respect, as he's grappling with an alternate culture. Descriptions of the casino slots are very well done. But there's some very unwieldy exposition thanks to his ex CIA chum Felix Leiter (when does he return to the CIA then?) now private detective, then later a friendly cabbie in Vegas who has 'dead meat' written all over him. Otherwise, all the info about the city would come courtesy of Fleming the narrator, as in the other books.
There's a good setpiece in which a crooked jockey gets dunked in boiling mud at a steam baths by the mob. The whole horseracing fix is quite topical, I suppose. Otherwise the scope of the novel is a bit timid, more in line with a Leslie Charteris Saint escapade.
Fleming's writing doesn't seem that convincing this time. The Spang fellow is a charicature and nothing more. There's no civilised discussion over dinner about his background or motives a la No or Auric Goldfinger or Mr Big. Of course, he's a gangster and Bond is undercover, but Fleming omits the whole thing that makes these guys deadly in the Scorcese films. They don't really seem to kill anyone much and in the beating of Bond by Wint and Kidd they don't even break anything. Of course, the 'shoot him now' strategy of such wiseguys doesn't mix with the Fleming world at all, but take that away and the gangsters are effectively neutered.
Some bad writing on the cruise ship finale (one of the rare moments that make it into the film), as Bond sort of wonders who the American voice of one of the cruise passengers is and chews it over. Even though he's aware that he and Ms Case may have been followed onto the ship. D'oh! How many Americans has he met of late and in what context?
Tiffany Case is a bit of a pain. The 'we have all the time in the world' phrase works its way in to the text, and marriage is mooted, but she's also a stereotype broad with a wing down.
"This is where we leave you Mr Bond."
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Comments
I would agree with alot of your observations. Fleming often seems a bit "lost" when he hits US shores, but its always a treat to see him cope. I have never been sure what caused his consternation. Which was also evident in the New York part of LALD.
I find the first part of DAF, dealing with the horse racing the best, but once Bond hits Vegas, it turns a bit silly. The Vegas car chase is so impausible it might as well be in a Ray Bradbury Book. As you noted Mr. Spang is a very bland and uninteresting villian.
Still for me the first half of the book saves this from diaster, but DAF place is in the bottom ranks of Fleming's novels.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
But for the mobsters. . .agreed, Fleming had no respect for them, but why would he? I think Fleming was filtering his mobsters through Jimmy Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, and other "mob" movies made in the '30s and '40s. These hoods are sharp dressers, long on muscle, short on brains, and ready with a wisecrack. They're standard-issue movie goons set up for Bond to knock down. You could also argue that they're throwbacks to the real-life mobsters of the 1920s: Fleming was fascinated by Al Capone and the Prohibition-era gangsters, and I think some of that romance rubs off on the Spangled mob. DAF does not present a real depiction of what the Vegas-based Mafia was like in the 1950s; it's what Fleming thought mobsters SHOULD be like.
But, yeah, pity he didn't create a great villain to head this mob!
While I don't really subscribe to the idea that Fleming intended to leave Bond dead at the end of the very realisitic FRWL, his next novels "Dr.No" and "Goldfinger" have more "fantastic" themes. It's not until OHMSS that Fleming buckles down and puts that extra effort into his work, again producing a first rate thriller.
One of the things I like best about Fleming as a writer is the inconsistancy in his work, all of it though is quite good.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
I'd like to see these aspects explored cinematically.
As the cliche goes (paraphrasing): Fleming's worst is better than many's best :007)
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I alway hesitate to critique Ian Fleming. First because I am prejudiced and like him too much and second, it implies he wrote something which is somehow "substandard", he was just too talented. In the thriller genre there just aren't many writers in Fleming's league for pure readability.
It is very sad that DAF never made it to the screen intact. EON has been and continues to amaze me with their STUPDIITY, they own the rights to the best set of thrillers written in the 20th century, but when it comes to making films from them, they cut chop and patch together some of the wierdest c**p imaginable and call it "James Bond". After the sucess of CR'06 you would have thought they'd learn something!!!
The horse race material, the "stomp", the QE killings along with Wint and Kidd were made for the screen, all materials just waiting to be pulled off the shelf and used in a "serious" film.
This reminds me of the very well regarded movie "The Sting" which is nothing more than a total ripoff of the card game with Drax in "Moonraker", When I saw that film I darn near had a stroke, had I been EON I would have sued. Today "The Sting" is still well regarded, and "Moonraker", still waits to be properly brought to the screen!!!!
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Excuse me while I pick up my jaw from the floor. . .
I really don't understand this argument. The Sting concerns an elaborate plan to hoodwink a flamboyant con man. It's all about the setup and the payoff, which makes it more like a Depression-era episode of Mission: Impossible (the TV series, not the Tom Cruise films) than a Fleming novel. Moonraker has a card sequence in a few chapters in the first section of the novel, in which Bond discovers Drax's cheating method and turns it back on him; and the rest of the novel concerns Bond's investigation of Drax's plan to launch a nuclear missile. How on earth is this like The Sting, or vice-versa?
At the core of "The Sting" is the card game, which I believe was directly lifted from the Drax/Bond card game in "Moonraker". All the scriptwriters did was tack on the set up and conclusion.
The point I was trying to make is that clever filmakers, were able to take a sequence out of a Fleming novel, and build a very well recieved film around it. While EON sits on the same material and produces c**p like the space shuttle plot and comic book thugs with steel teeth.
Yes they are very different, but read the Moonraker chapters on the bridge game with Drax, then watch the card game in "The Sting" and the similarities are very apparent.
Sorry Hardyboy, I hope your jaw doesn't hurt too much!!!!
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Since reportedly Fleming rarely watched movies, I think his fascination with American gangsters stemmed from news wires (esp. since he was a journalist) evoking an exciting sense of adventure and raw sophistication in the same way "Red Indians" and Wild West lore touched imaginations across the Atlantic. Then of course there's the influence of the pulp novel evidenced by his writing style, and perhaps by his friendship with Raymond Chandler. On that, several theories came to mind to account for his campy take on American gangsters. Perhaps in Fleming's mind he was making an homage to the pulps; or maybe he preemptively hammed it up as an internal defense mechanism against his worst critic, having felt he was out of Chandler's league.
Anyway, in trying to find something along those lines I came across this surprising editorial review for DAF in Amazon UK: "The remarkable thing about this book is that it is written by an Englishman. The scene is almost entirely American and it rings true to an American. I am unaware of any other writer who has accomplished this." --Raymond Chandler
US culture has changed alot since the 1930's and 40's when the "ganster" became a part of the American crime scene. Its better than half a century out since Fleming did his research and writing. Prehaps the "rose colored glasses" belong to us, filtered through all those FF Coppola and Scorcese flicks????
After all with an impartial endorsement like that from Raymond Chandler ....
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
These days his novels read pretty tame. Fleming certainly could have written gritter material, but maybe he held back just a bit on the violence, and added a touch of humour - just to keep his books in the "mainstream".
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
Yes, if true, Fleming's approach was a precursor to Cubby's sadism for the whole family take on the film series! It's really interesting to speculate on his motivations. Fleming also contended with other pressures, such as his wife and her circle's condenscending view on literature.
Leaving the world at the young age of 56 is such a shame because I am sure that had IF lived longer he would have abandoned the Bond series and written some other really great fiction, and maybe even some fact based books based on his WW2 expierences.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
What a novel yet obvious "what if" that I hadn't considered because of my limited imagination, thinking that Bond was as big as Fleming could have gone. I guess it's a case of the creature outgrowing the creator, yet there definitely was potential for Fleming to have achieved newer levels of excellence, whether through memoirs or a series with a totally new protagonist, as done by Leighton, LeCarre and Forsythe.
Just wasn't in the cards.
Bond’s Beretta
The Handguns of Ian Fleming's James Bond
1. Cowboy gangster
2. It was slower paced.
3. Characterization lacked.
4. Details sucked.
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