James Bond as a living artistic creation...

chrisisall

Fleming wrote it, others optioned it, Fleming changed it because of that, film makers shaped it more, Fleming left but continuation novels came that changed it further, film rights passed on to kids and it changed yet again...

Thoughts off this springboard here?

DEFIANT 74205

Personally, I think there is only one James Bond, and that's the character created by Fleming. I've never bothered reading any of the continuation novels because in my (admittedly prejudiced) view, they would just be a poor imitation of the real thing. The cinematic Bond had changed so much that it was almost unrecognisable as James Bond for a certain period of time until the film makers decided that they need to go back to the original source material recently.

James Bond may be a 'living artistic creation' in the sense that the artistic creation is in how the story lines evolve around the one character that was written by Fleming. They can never lose sight of the original material; of who James Bond really is; and of his character traits and vices that was written into Fleming's novels. Once they lose sight of that, they're not really making 'James Bond' films anymore ...

Charmed & Dangerous

However the cinematic Bond definitely advanced and refined Fleming's creation. Without the films, it's entirely probable that few people would be aware of Bond by now.

After all, how many of us came to read the novels only because we saw the films first and fell in love with the cinematic Bond?

Peppermill

Charmed & Dangerous wrote:

However the cinematic Bond definitely advanced and refined Fleming's creation. Without the films, it's entirely probable that few people would be aware of Bond by now.

After all, how many of us came to read the novels only because we saw the films first and fell in love with the cinematic Bond?

+1

Blackleiter

Charmed & Dangerous wrote:

After all, how many of us came to read the novels only because we saw the films first and fell in love with the cinematic Bond?

I'm definitely in that group. -{