What effect does reading Fleming novels have on Bond movie opinions?

chrisisall

Before I read the Fleming novels, I did not take to Dalton's version very strongly, and now he's my go-to Bond.
I used to totally dismiss Dr. No, but now it's one of my favourites.
I always liked Thunderball, but I have a new appreciation for it now because of the book.
I used to hate Moonraker, but since reading the book... I still hate it. Okay, no big change there... 8-) )

So, did reading the novels change your enjoyment of the movies?
Or, did you read the novels before seeing the movies?

Let's go all anecdotal here!

Jimmy Bond

I didn't read the Fleming novels before I watched all the movies at least three times. But, I always found the Dalton-Brosnan Bond, being the contemporary Bond for me, and the ones that got me into the franchise, the most spy-like. Connery too, but to a lesser extent.

Nowadays, having read Fleming, I think every interpretation since Moore has strived to incorporate as much of the literary Bond into their performances as was allowed.

Having said that, I dislike the same movies I disliked before reading the novels, and like the same movies I liked before reading them, too - although I do appreciate the faithful more now, and use the un-faithfulness as another factor for whatever film's failure. For instance, MR is a bad film, but on top of that, a nearly non-existant adaptation. Similarly, as overproduced as DAD is, its AT LEAST faithful to MR the novel, more so than the film of the same name.

DEFIANT 74205

Having read the Fleming novels shortly after I began watching the films, I found that I had to re-evaluate some of my opinions which I had before reading the books.

I used to rate Goldfinger as number 1 and Thunderball as number 2, for instance, and I didn't think much of On Her Majesty's Secret Service. As a result of reading the books, Goldfinger and Thunderball are relegated to 4 and 5 on my list, while the likes of From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Dr No, all of wihch were reasonably faithful adaptations of the novels, occupied 1, 2 and 3 because they were simply closer to the original source material than either Goldfinger.

I find that I rate Bond films differently to non-Bond fans. My criteria is determined by how faithful it is to the original Fleming concept. The more faithful it is, the higher I'll rate it.

superado

I started reading the novels right before AVTAK came out and at that time, that movie emphasized to me how the film and book Bonds were different animals...in fact, AVTAK was the perfect antithesis to the literary Bond. I was perfectly willing to accept that these two very different worlds existed and I was happy to enjoy both. Then Brosnan was announced (after I had enjoyed his stint as Remington Steele) and I was glad. Suddenly he was yanked and Tim Dalton was announced, who I previously knew only from Flash Gordon and who IMO stole the show as Prince Barin making me more than glad, I was ecstatic! Having read all the novels by the time TLD came out, WOW! ...that was extremely mind blowing for at least one Fleming fan, me! James Bond was never like this in the EON series and it was just fantastic to witness and analyze the ways Dalton piece by piece lifted out Bond's literary character and translated it for film (I think I'll go pop in my TLD DVD later tonight).

Please note, however, that Dalton's Bond in TLD was undoubtedly a sincere, intentionally obvious and exceptionally successful attempt in embodying Fleming's Bond, unlike Craig in CR; don't get me wrong, in context, CR was refreshing to watch and Craig delivered the action movie goods, but "intense" did not automatically equated to "Flemingesque" as many...many, I feel tend to mistakenly assume.

Barbel

Being an old fart, I read all of the Flemings before seeing any of the films. A shade precocious since I was about 8 or 10 at the time, but never mind. This was the 60s, and Connery as Bond was inescapable. The notion of another actor playing 007 was laughable. Connery's face, style and above all voice epitomised James Bond as far as several million people (inc me) were concerned, overwriting any other possible interpretation.
Lazenby never stood a chance with the public, dismissed before he started (despite OHMSS's now revered status). Connery came back strictly as a one-off to mass approval, paving the way for a new actor to take the role.....