Does Bond ever LOL?
Number24
NorwayPosts: 22,364MI6 Agent
Or if I act my age: does James Bond ever laugh out loud? This applies to both the books and the movies. A friend asked me this earlier today. I remember Bond smiling and chuckling, but I don't recall him letting loose and laughing out loud out of joy or a good joke. Who can prove me wrong?
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"You Only Live Twice" by Ian Fleming
Bond laughed. “All right, Tiger. But first, more saké!
Now I know. Are there any examples from the movies?
How about in Casino Royale when he's getting his nutsack smashed in by Le Chiffre.
I thought about that one. He does laugh, but not really out of joy or of a good joke. Good one though.
Isn't that grinning, not laughing? 😁
Yes, a bit like Dalton's crying that Higgins sees all the time. 😂
Speaking of Dalton: there is the scene in LTK in Sanchez' office after he delivers the "problem eliminator" line. I think he's chuckling. Do you agree or are you wrong? 😁
TND, when he's remote controlling the car from the back seat.
Closest I can think of;
@Number24 : Yes, Dalton does let out a chuckle during the scene in Sanchez's office in LTK.
I think the scenes mentioned above from TND, GE and the wedding party in LTK qualify!
Connery has a look of leering amusement during Leila's belly dance at the gypsy camp in FRWL, which I think briefly breaks into a laugh - he's with 'the lads', Kerim and the chieftan.
I actually think Daltons the one most likely to let loose with a laugh, as he's the Bond who can barely keep his emotions in check. The others are all much too cool.
No, Little Higgins. Dalton had a steely performance, but as the actor he is Dalton hinting at the emotions beneath the surface. Only very rarely, such as when Bond finds Felix and Stella he lets the emotions come to the surface. Guten abend! 😁
Dalton did seem to laugh at times - it reminded me a bit of Finch's Farmer Boldwood in Far From the Madding Crowd trying to put on a jolly show for his staff as he celebrated his upcoming nuptials to Bathersheba Everyone.
In the book, Bond laughs out loud in M's office, his boss cuts him short for acting like a 'stupid schoolboy' - it might have been in Goldfinger, as Bond explains to M that only the day before he asked for a file on that guy, and today he's being asked on official business. Was that the one.
As others seem to have observed, it's about control and the one who tells the joke is the one who has it, usually - hence Bond doesn't laugh as it implies someone is funnier than him.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
In TLD when Bond is treating Kara to the sights and sounds of Vienna, they share a good laugh at this concert.
A few examples that i can think of;
The scene in From Russia With Love, when Bond is reading the cable from M, Kerim and Bond laugh when Bond says that all he wants is the Lektor and Kerim asks Bond if that's ALL he wants,meaning Tania.
Bond replies "well...." and they both break into a laugh.
The scene in The Living Daylights, with Bond and Kara are at the funfair.
When Pam Bouvier asks Bond if he could be her secretary in Licence To Kill, Bond laughs and says that it's a man's world. Also in the same film, Bond laughs on the boat with Pam, when he accidentally presses the boats horn, making Pam jump.
Bond has a few chuckles throughout the series, but not full on belly laughs.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
In Casino Royale , at the dinner after game when discussing Vesper The Cocktail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17GqgvlIyQE
-Mr Arlington Beech
Good, Bond laughs more than I thought. 🤣