Peter Fleming

CmdrAtticus

The more I read about Fleming and his life and the more I read about his brother Peter, the more I'm convinced that he was picturing Bond with Peter's physical appearance, but when trying to describe Bond for the first time in CR (through Vesper's eyes) he needed to use someone whose appearance was known to the public but still resembled his brother, so he chose Hoagy Carmichael. He worshiped Peter, which may have been one of the reasons he chose to mold the physical image of Bond using his brother. Is it just me, or does anyone else see this? I've never seen a moving image of Peter, but I can read passages from CR and picture Bond looking like this image of Peter.

7289

Don't forget Ian and Peter were brothers and looked very much alike when younger.

I think it more likely that Fleming based Bond's description on his own.

The Domino Effect

Very good photos, and yes, you're right, Fleming looked up to his brother enormously.

Thunderpussy

When thinking of the Literary Bond, I always see that photo of Fleming in naval uniform standing infront of a fireplace.
( I tried to post the photo, But can't )

CmdrAtticus

After reading the novels repeatedly and studying Fleming's life through all the bios and interviews for many decades, I also always firmly believed that he was just looking at himself in the mirror and describing a tougher, more romanticized version of himself in reference to Bond. However, after looking into Peters bio (he actually had a lot of overseas adventures during the war)and seeing more of his photos than were available in the past (thank you internet!) and becoming more aware of how much Fleming wished he had been like his brother, it makes me lean more towards the theory he was morphing a lot of Peter into Bond. Your right about the uniform pic Thunderpussy. I've including that photo, as well as some of my other favorites of Fleming looking "Bondian", along with another of Peter.

David Schofield

Aways thought that Fleming in the shot by the fireplace has a look of Lazenby.

There are some promo OHMSS shots of Lazenby in his navy double breasted blazer with lots of buttons which remind me of that Fleming pose.

But all these shots of tall, slim dark haired men make you want to kick the cat when you think of DC... Would it really have been too much to ask to put a bit of colouring on Craig's hair, Barbara, and tell him not to spend too much time in theb gym?

superado

CmdrAtticus wrote:

I've never seen a moving image of Peter, but I can read passages from CR and picture Bond looking like this image of Peter.

I vaguely remember a featurette in one of the EON Bond DVDs showing footage of an older Peter Fleming speaking about his brother, but it may be false memory syndrome. If it exists, it might be a featurette about Ian Fleming...or it might have been from some other documentary about Ian Fleming, different from those in the the Bond DVD extras.

CmdrAtticus

David Schofield wrote:

Aways thought that Fleming in the shot by the fireplace has a look of Lazenby.

There are some promo OHMSS shots of Lazenby in his navy double breasted blazer with lots of buttons which remind me of that Fleming pose.

But all these shots of tall, slim dark haired men make you want to kick the cat when you think of DC... Would it really have been too much to ask to put a bit of colouring on Craig's hair, Barbara, and tell him not to spend too much time in theb gym?

I agree, as I said in other posts, he IS an actor and died his hair in other roles. It's not like it's a huge bother.
As far as the "too much time in the gym", I did think he was overdeveloped in CR. He looked better in QOS - not as bulked up and more toned. Moreover, given Bond's history, it does seem appropriate to me personally that he does look like he works out regularly (it would be nice if they showed him in a film working out with one of the service's hand to hand combat trainers). Connery looked to me like a gym rat in No and Thunderball (he was an ex body fitness model). Moore never looked unfit in his early films to me...just not as muscular as Connery or Craig.

David Schofield

CmdrAtticus wrote:

David Schofield wrote:

Aways thought that Fleming in the shot by the fireplace has a look of Lazenby.

There are some promo OHMSS shots of Lazenby in his navy double breasted blazer with lots of buttons which remind me of that Fleming pose.

But all these shots of tall, slim dark haired men make you want to kick the cat when you think of DC... Would it really have been too much to ask to put a bit of colouring on Craig's hair, Barbara, and tell him not to spend too much time in theb gym?

I agree, as I said in other posts, he IS an actor and died his hair in other roles. It's not like it's a huge bother.
As far as the "too much time in the gym", I did think he was overdeveloped in CR. He looked better in QOS - not as bulked up and more toned. Moreover, given Bond's history, it does seem appropriate to me personally that he does look like he works out regularly (it would be nice if they showed him in a film working out with one of the service's hand to hand combat trainers). Connery looked to me like a gym rat in No and Thunderball (he was an ex body fitness model). Moore never looked unfit in his early films to me...just not as muscular as Connery or Craig.

Craig looked fine physically as he was when he was cast: his TOMB RAIDER or LAYER CAKE physique - lean, toned and muscular would have been perfect for Bond; all he had to do was keep on top of it.

Somewhere along the line, I think the "Craig-not-Bonders" got to Babs and DC about his looks and they agreed that between them he would bulk up in the gym and he would be presented as the buffest, biggest Bond yet, all wrapped up in the OTT justification that he'd only just left the special forces. And blue trunks, of course. Conversely, I think there was a bloody-minded determination not to dye Craig's hair, perhaps to show he was a "new" Bond, not Pierce Brosnan cookie-cuuter Bond, or perhaps just because Matt Damon was mousy as Bourne too.

(With his precedecessors, there was the confidence there in the fist place that they embodied Fleming's Bond as they were. Can't say early Connery looked like a gym rat, nor Lazenby for that matter, just similarly fit and toned. Connery aged badly, Moore stayed on to long, or, alternatively, Cubby and EON never let him play to correct age, growing old gracefully. TD and Broz still looked Bondian when they departed)

Craig looks perfect to me in QOS, blond hair aside. I wish that in SKYFALL he had a little more of it!

Mark Hazard

For more on Peter Fleming, read: Peter Fleming by Duff Hart-Davis - a great biography and extremely well written.