Confessions of a bona-fide Bond absurdist lover...

chrisisall

To ME, Bond is an absurd character living in a crazy world. Not reality, but a close approximation. But it can be a delicate balance: too absurd and you get steel-teethed villains toasting to love in an airtight module with a doomed orbit. Not absurd enough and you get a dirty knife fight ending in an all too realistic arterial bleed out.

But I do love me my absurd!
Here we celebrate the off the wall yet plausible in our favourite Bond Absurdist Moments.
A few I love:
Oddjob taking a hit in the face with a gold bar and not showing any effect.
"Mr. Osato believes in a healthy chest." She actually said that. )
"I got a bruddah!" HE actually said that! 8-)
J W Pepper. (In LALD) X-( )
The infamous Steel Delicatessen scene. :007)
"We've nothing to declare." "But a cello!" Whatever; it's funny IMO.
"Who's driving?!?" I love stupid arguments during death-defying escapes! B-)
"We have people everywhere." Then proving it. OMFG.

What are your favourites?
Do you dislike absurdity altogether?
And what about neon-green trainers-?

Agent Lee

Interesting perspective. I like the idea of looking at Bond as an exercise in fantastical absurdism as oppose to fantastical escapism. Looking at it this way allows, or rather demands that "darker" bond films to maintain a certain level of fantasy. The absurd is then the balancing element so to speak (?). Very intriguing, chrisisall {[]

Absolutely_Cart

I love absurdity. Die Another Day is one of my favorite Bond movies.

Matt S

I love absurdity.

"Really? Don't bother showing me the rest. If I get lost I'll take a cab."

chrisisall

Agent Lee wrote:

Interesting perspective. I like the idea of looking at Bond as an exercise in fantastical absurdism as oppose to fantastical escapism. Looking at it this way allows, or rather demands that "darker" bond films to maintain a certain level of fantasy. The absurd is then the balancing element so to speak (?). Very intriguing, chrisisall {[]

When I read Fleming's Dr. No, and the squid part & the bat guano ending I realized that this was a series based on absurdity. And I loved it. The film-makers have experimented with it, taking it too far sometimes & not far enough others, but IMHO it's essential to the Bond formula.
Look at my favourite 'dark' Bond (LTK) and you see totally absurd moments amongst the seriousness. As it should be.
Bourne? Mission: Impossible? Sure they play with absurd. But Bond?
Nobody does it better. :007)

Firemass

chrisisall wrote:

When I read Fleming's Dr. No, and the squid part & the bat guano ending I realized that this was a series based on absurdity. And I loved it. The film-makers have experimented with it, taking it too far sometimes & not far enough others, but IMHO it's essential to the Bond formula.

I agree with this completely and am puzzled by the staunch Fleming purists who regard the novels as 100% serious, gritty thrillers. C'mon, lighten up guys!

Granted there are some fairly serious outings like FRWL and short stories Property of a Lady and The Living Daylights that deal with Cold War spying against the Russians. However, other novels like Goldfinger and OHMSS were faithfully translated to the screen and guess what? They are total fantasy. There's nothing "gritty" about Bond investigating a mountain clinic filled with beautiful women. And a female pilot named Pussy Galore? Again, pure Fleming and pure absurdist fantasy. It's all part of the fun.

IMO Octopussy is the most absurd Bond film and EON took things a bit too far. Elephants catapulting acrobats onto a night raid of a palace while Bond and Q float in on a Union Jack hot air balloon? Whoa!

broadshoulder

Firemass wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

When I read Fleming's Dr. No, and the squid part & the bat guano ending I realized that this was a series based on absurdity. And I loved it. The film-makers have experimented with it, taking it too far sometimes & not far enough others, but IMHO it's essential to the Bond formula.

I agree with this completely and am puzzled by the staunch Fleming purists who regard the novels as 100% serious, gritty thrillers. C'mon, lighten up guys!

a!

Well, thank you for telling me to do this 8-)

Well, we all love absurdity but only if it is balanced.

Goldfinger works not because of Oddjobs hat but Harold Sakatas fighting machine. The problem with the absurdities is due to director/producer foresight they can be ramped up too far. The obvious one is Moonraker, while having Jaws prat around was fine for "Spy" it got out of hand in MR where you cant take any of it seriously.

It was fine under Moore because you had the rock solid production values to back him up. But the better Moores are the ones which mix fantasy (the Octopussy girls) with reality with reality (Cold war plot). As for the novel Dr No the squid scenes are written with absolute conviction so it seems believable. At the end of the assault course Bond is a bloody wreck.

I prefer the Skyfall tonal shift - funny but in the right places.

broadshoulder

Absolutely_Cart wrote:

I love absurdity. Die Another Day is one of my favorite Bond movies.

If you don't mind me asking - how old were you when you saw Die another Day?

Charmed & Dangerous

The most successful Bond films, IMO, are the ones which make you look the other way while they slip in the absurd.

While I love the volcano in YOLT (how much planning permission did you need back in the 60s?) for me it's not as slyly enjoyable as Bond dying then being revived in CR-06... Followed the the immortal line to Vesper, "You ok?" )

AlphaOmegaSin

Bond is about Escapism -{

I can watch any Bond Outing and be taken on an Adventure to Places that I would like to visit myself one Day Or in dangerous Situations that I could only dream of being in.

Firemass is correct about the Novels, even the Books are not 100% serious themselves.

chrisisall

Firemass wrote:

IMO Octopussy is the most absurd Bond film and EON took things a bit too far. Elephants catapulting acrobats onto a night raid of a palace while Bond and Q float in on a Union Jack hot air balloon? Whoa!

That certainly takes it right to the edge, don't it? Still, Jaws in space....

Spoff

A few favourites:

Gondola from Moonraker
Gondola from Moonraker
Gondola from Moonraker
Gondola from Moonraker
Gondola from Moonraker
Double-taking pigeon from Moonraker
Double-taking pigeon from Moonraker
Double-taking pigeon from Moonraker
Double-taking pigeon from Moonraker
Double-taking pigeon from Moonraker

broadshoulder

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

Firemass is correct about the Novels, even the Books are not 100% serious themselves.

I'd say they were pretty close to 99.9% of being serious..

AlphaOmegaSin

Dr No's Death by Bird **** and the Giant Squid are not 100 % serious. Neither is Blofeld's Plan in OHMSS.

But there are the Novels which have more serious Scenes, like FRWL and TMWTGG for instance -{

Gala Brand

The extras in the Junkanoo scene in Thunderball sporting 007 caps.

broadshoulder

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

Dr No's Death by Bird **** and the Giant Squid are not 100 % serious. Neither is Blofeld's Plan in OHMSS.

But there are the Novels which have more serious Scenes, like FRWL and TMWTGG for instance -{

What germ warefare isn't serious..

I know it was written after Dr No came out so I can see how the 'Angels of Death' are seen as ridiculous. What looks better on screen then a bevy of beauties.But the books are 100% serious.He goes into great depth with the 'man from ag and fish' to pinpoint his plan and put a stop to it.

AlphaOmegaSin

I know that the whole overall Story of OHMSS is 100% Grounded, it just makes Blofeld's Plan stick out.

hehadlotsofguts

Gala Brand wrote:

The extras in the Junkanoo scene in Thunderball sporting 007 caps.

Plus at some point at that scene, you can see a dog having a p*ss.

Gala Brand

hehadlotsofguts wrote:

Gala Brand wrote:

The extras in the Junkanoo scene in Thunderball sporting 007 caps.

Plus at some point at that scene, you can see a dog having a p*ss.

And all the extras stop and watch.

With many of the Bond films over the years, the question has been are they intentionally absurd or unintentionally absurd?

Charmed & Dangerous

broadshoulder wrote:

I know it was written after Dr No came out so I can see how the 'Angels of Death' are seen as ridiculous. What looks better on screen then a bevy of beauties.But the books are 100% serious.He goes into great depth with the 'man from ag and fish' to pinpoint his plan and put a stop to it.

I'm not sure I'd agree that the books are 100% serious. Fleming wrote them with his tongue firmly in his cheek, although they are written 'straight' and with, as you note, an incredible amount of detail. Names like Honey Rider, Pussy Galore, and Kissy Suzuki evidence this sly wink at the audience, along with fantastical plots (stealing gold from Fort Knox, anyone? Or stealing two atomic bombs and holding Britain to ransom?) -{

Blackleiter

All James Bond films start with this basic absurdist premise - Bond is supposed to be the world's most effective "secret agent", right? Yet he is repeatedly and consistently sent to handle high-profile missions, often in full view of the public (gambling in high-class casinos, racing through public streets, checking into world famous hotels and resorts, etc.), And no matter how many potentially world-changing missions he completes, by the time he embarks on his next adventure, no one recognizes him (thus the constant introductions - "My name is Bond. James Bond.") Either that or everyone recognizes him ("Ah, Mr. Bond! Your usual suite?") Absurd? Sure, but fun!

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

Absurd? Sure, but fun!

You went right to the heart of it without getting lost in the individual details. {[]

Matt S

Blackleiter wrote:

All James Bond films start with this basic absurdist premise - Bond is supposed to be the world's most effective "secret agent", right?

This was true until Daniel Craig became a Bond who isn't good at his job. And I don't think Craig's Bond is as world-renowned as Bond previously was.

Blackleiter

Matt S wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

All James Bond films start with this basic absurdist premise - Bond is supposed to be the world's most effective "secret agent", right?

This was true until Daniel Craig became a Bond who isn't good at his job. And I don't think Craig's Bond is as world-renowned as Bond previously was.

Give him time! :007)

Blackleiter

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

Absurd? Sure, but fun!

You went right to the heart of it without getting lost in the individual details. {[]

Thank you, my slightly younger brother! {[] )

Agent Lee

chrisisall wrote:

Agent Lee wrote:

Interesting perspective. I like the idea of looking at Bond as an exercise in fantastical absurdism as oppose to fantastical escapism. Looking at it this way allows, or rather demands that "darker" bond films to maintain a certain level of fantasy. The absurd is then the balancing element so to speak (?). Very intriguing, chrisisall {[]

When I read Fleming's Dr. No, and the squid part & the bat guano ending I realized that this was a series based on absurdity. And I loved it. The film-makers have experimented with it, taking it too far sometimes & not far enough others, but IMHO it's essential to the Bond formula.
Look at my favourite 'dark' Bond (LTK) and you see totally absurd moments amongst the seriousness. As it should be.
Bourne? Mission: Impossible? Sure they play with absurd. But Bond?
Nobody does it better. :007)

YES. Exactly. Well put again {[]

chrisisall

Blackleiter wrote:

chrisisall wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

Absurd? Sure, but fun!

You went right to the heart of it without getting lost in the individual details. {[]

Thank you, my slightly younger brother! {[] )

*slightly*

Funny thing is, I always saw Bond as basically impossible to spoof since the root concept is already the equivalent of an adult-oriented comic book. The actual spy business is dark, dirty, and full of boring stretches of surveillance and cold pizza. Violence is quick and unspectacular, and extended chases non-existent ("Argo" added a chase scene that never happened in real life because, movie).

chrisisall

My favourite absurdist parts in fairly serious Bonds:

"Tell me, does the toppling of American missiles really compensate for having no hands?" )
The killing of a man wearing a Bond mask.
"I must be dreaming."
"She's just dead."
A volcano lair. 8-)
A kilt. )
Whittaker. X-(
Salt corrosion. :v
"I hope you don't snore, Q!"

Additions?

Absolutely_Cart

^ Sure. Bond goes on a revenge quest to kill Blofeld and avenge his wife. And suddenly the Diamonds Are Forever movie happens

MooseWithFleas

I was out walking my rat and seem to have lost my way!
Godspeed to the Double Take Pigeon
You killed James Bond?!!?!?
Tiffany going 'EEEEEEEEEE'
Scaramanga's fun house
Boris
Jaws in Love may be my favorite moment in the series )

Love the absurdity in Bond films!

AlphaOmegaSin

And long may the absurdity continue -{