Why no love for Diamonds Are Forever (Novel)?

perdogg

I have to say that DAF is one of my favorites. I think this novel is pure Fleming. I would love to see a serialized made for TV movie (cable of course) of this retro Bond. I want to hear why people do not like it.

7289

You won't hear anything bad from me, I love it too!

Admittedly it isn't in the top tier of Bond thrillers, but satisfying nonetheless.

002

It's okay but I find it very uneven. There are some sequences that I love (especially those featuring Wint & Kidd or Shady Tree) but other sections leave me bored. I love the treatment of Tiffany Case, who comes across as being very multi-dimensional but others, in particular the two Spang brothers, are either caricatured or too poorly-motivated to believably drive the action.

However, it is probably the finest example (along with FRWL) of a true spy novel, in-so-far as Bond goes undercover to collect intelligence on the diamond-smuggling ring. It's just a shame that Bond, himself, undermines this mission by deliberately disregarding his instructions and picking a fight, thus blowing his own cover.

AlphaOmegaSin

I'd say that the Novels biggest Issue is the Main Set of Villains. They just arnt as strong as Le Chiffre, Mr Big or Hugo Drax.

Barbel

As said above, the weakest point is that the Spang brothers don't compare with Fleming's usual standard of villain. That apart, there's lots to enjoy in DAF and as perdogg says it'd be great to see a faithful screen treatment one day (no breath being held).

Thunderpussy

Agreed, the only problem with DAF, are the weak villains. It has a fantastic
Leading lady and some brilliant scenes. -{

Golrush007

It's one that needs re-reading for me. When I first read all the Fleming novels it was one that stood out as being one of the weakest. I think it was the last one that I read, and it didn't match up to most of the other books in my opinion but after all this time I wouldn't be able to tell you why!

AlphaOmegaSin

The Cannonball Chase is the Highlight of the Story -{

perdogg

Golrush007 wrote:

It's one that needs re-reading for me. When I first read all the Fleming novels it was one that stood out as being one of the weakest. I think it was the last one that I read, and it didn't match up to most of the other books in my opinion but after all this time I wouldn't be able to tell you why!

I would recommend the audiobook by Simon Vance.

AlphaOmegaSin

And David Rintoul.

AlphaOmegaSin

DAF will be the next Radio Play for Radio 4 -{

Thunderpussy

Nice to hear, it will be great to hear an adaptation of it. -{

welshboy78

I really enjoyed - more so then LALD which is prob blasphemy around here

AlphaOmegaSin

I love reading LALD and DAF Back to Back. Fleming really put in so much Effort into describing 1950's America -{

AlphaOmegaSin

If EON decide to adapt the Spangled Mob, they could turn it into a SPECTRE like Organisation. With the Spang Brothers as the Heads.

perdogg

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

If EON decide to adapt the Spangled Mob, they could turn it into a SPECTRE like Organisation. With the Spang Brothers as the Heads.

Unfortunately, if organized crime would be a part of it, the America Mafia has pased its ptime.

AlphaOmegaSin

perdogg wrote:

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

If EON decide to adapt the Spangled Mob, they could turn it into a SPECTRE like Organisation. With the Spang Brothers as the Heads.

Unfortunately, if organized crime would be a part of it, the America Mafia has pased its ptime.

yes, that's true.

002

Personally, I don't see why they can't be adapted as period pieces. Set them firmly in the 1950s and they might work well as TV mini-series. Have get EON to agree though...

perdogg

002 wrote:

Personally, I don't see why they can't be adapted as period pieces. Set them firmly in the 1950s and they might work well as TV mini-series. Have get EON to agree though...

EON is not interested in making movies, only money. Fair enough, The studio today is not going to buy a film if doesn't meet the test. The test is whether they can get people other than fans of genre into movie theatre.

Therefore, the Bond film is no longer going to be trend setter, just a follower.

AlphaOmegaSin

002 wrote:

Personally, I don't see why they can't be adapted as period pieces. Set them firmly in the 1950s and they might work well as TV mini-series. Have get EON to agree though...

I sadly don't see it happening

Silhouette Man

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

002 wrote:

Personally, I don't see why they can't be adapted as period pieces. Set them firmly in the 1950s and they might work well as TV mini-series. Have get EON to agree though...

I sadly don't see it happening

What we will have is a period radio adaptation on BBC Radio 4 later on this year. -{

Thunderpussy

Also the great thing about a radio adaptation, is you can still use your imagination
so you still get the same images in your head as you did from the book.

AlphaOmegaSin

Is it the David Rintoul one?

superado

My 20-year old son, who's reading the books in order, had a hard time getting through DAF. I liked it the first couple of times, but gained a new appreciation for it after taking in the audiobook. Fleming plumbed the depths of international organized crime that includes Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and America, though it was delivered in an abbreviated brush stroke in the begining. Tiffany's dialogue comes to life and although she was too neurotic for my taste, her characterization is one of the more fuller ones depicted by Fleming. Using his own travels as background, I think he did a great job stringing together a coherent diamond pipeline using that material. The dialogue between Bond and Felix was also rich; perhaps what might have been disconcerting to some readers because of too much characterization and background information vs. plot development.

perdogg

AlphaOmegaSin wrote:

Is it the David Rintoul one?

My book was the Simon Vance one. Simon Vance is great, especially when he does Leiter and Shady tree.

AlphaOmegaSin

Tiffany Case is probably my personal favourite of the Women that Fleming created -{

The Wicker Man

I really enjoyed the novel and wished the film would have followed it's plot more closely.

perdogg

I am wondering if Fleming used DAF to address criticism over race and sex. Bond seems to be quite domesticated in the novel.

Napoleon Plural

As with Scaramanga in GG, there's all this build up by M about how we should take these gangsters seriously, but the result is a damp squib and anyway it is mixing two genres really, having Bond take on these types. Not that Fleming can't do that, but he doesn't do it well here.

Still, there is some enjoyable stuff in the book, it just reads like Fleming's travelogue stuff and he has written a book around it. It's a bit obvious in that way I guess.

AlphaOmegaSin

The Thing with Gangsters, is that they don't make for very interesting Villains.

clublos

Has anyone noticed the different editions and how they handle Case's response to Bond asking if he can smoke when the first meet? I first noticed it because I have the MJF editions and in that version she responds, "So long as it's tobacco." However, in the audiobook I heard her respond by saying, "If that's the way you want to die."

I wonder which was in the original?