7 Fleming Bond films

Comments

• Hammerfist In my own little worldPosts: 24MI6 Agent

  December 2006 edited December 2006

  Hmm, by LALD do you mean LTK (since, heh, I think that was more like the book than the movie LALD was)
  
  But, I dunno, I think they can still do an 80's style (similar to, say, FYEO, or LTK) "incorporating unused plot elements" movie piecing together enough plot unused by the 70s movies to make it as true to Fleming as possible. Though, yeah, it won't be easy.
  
  But, I mean, take for example the original story of TMWTGG. They could implement that, since it's pretty much 100% unused in the movie.
  MR's book story could be cool as a basis, though that was kinda implemented in DAD already (and plus, two "card-based" movies in a row could be odd to the general public)
• blueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Nope, meant LALD.
  
  I'd be all for a short story expanded into a film (heck you could argue that CR was exactly that!), but (other than CR ) they haven't done a good job of that yet IMO: DAF, TMWTGG, FYEO, even the Daltons don't ring Fleming to me. Attempts noble and otherwise, sure, but they miss the mark too far to be "Fleming." JMHO.
• Jimmy Bond Posts: 324MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  IMO, CR still had that extravaganza feel of the OTT films. Beyond DR.NO and FRWL, none of the films have been COMPLETELY realistic, bare-bones and all. Not even CR.
  
  That said, the most faithful to the novels film remains, to this day, and forever probably, Peter Hunt's OHMSS! The entire novel is there, almost! Its wonderful, really. Fleming's best, and one of the franchise's best.
  
  FRWL, GF and TB are all faithful, too. But with their notable differences. Anyone who read knows what I mean.
  
  Beyond, though, Connery's first four and OHMSS, none of the rest of the films has been translated to the page. CR of course follows very closely, but the first half and the female M quite change the tone of the novel for me. But its quite close.
  
  What really remains, is bits and pieces of Flemings short stories and elements from books that never made it elsewhere. Like in TWINE, the torture scene in a pre-CR day, was an adaptation of that scene. Loose, but an adaptation still.
  
  I must say though, and thats a credit to the producers, there are a number of Bond films that have a certain, "Fleming air" about them. I like to consider all of Dalton and Brosnan's films in the era of "modern Fleming". Even with the obligatory, crowd-pleasing action sequences, those films returned the character from the Roger-Moore-Amusement-Park era to the Fleming style. Basicly, what all Bond fans want from Bond, really.
  
  What do you think?
• Hardyboy Posts: 5,906Chief of Staff

  December 2006

  I want to put in a plug for For Your Eyes Only here--the stories "FYEO" and "Risico" are transported almost intact to the screen, complete with Fleming's dialogue and situations. Of course, there are changes, such as making the Italians Columbo and Kristatos into Greeks and giving Judy Havelock the more Hellenic name of Melina; but they are otherwise faithfully presented. We also get the key-hauling sequence from the LALD novel, though there is no limpet mine to save the keelhauled couple. In my never-humble opinion, FYEO is more of a "Fleming Bond film" than LALD.

  Vox clamantis in deserto
• Hammerfist In my own little worldPosts: 24MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  I do have to say, yeah, LALD always seemed to me like it never got the justice it deserved, its plot scattered over several movies (Leither revenge plot in LTK, keel-haling in FYEO, etc)
• blueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Hardyboy wrote:

  I want to put in a plug for For Your Eyes Only here--the stories "FYEO" and "Risico" are transported almost intact to the screen, complete with Fleming's dialogue and situations. Of course, there are changes, such as making the Italians Columbo and Kristatos into Greeks and giving Judy Havelock the more Hellenic name of Melina; but they are otherwise faithfully presented. We also get the key-hauling sequence from the LALD novel, though there is no limpet mine to save the keelhauled couple. In my never-humble opinion, FYEO is more of a "Fleming Bond film" than LALD.

  
  I can see the Fleming argument in FYEO, figured somebody would chime in with that one. I have a hard time with it due to how poorly the story gets told (Glen ), and Moore looking like Bouchet's father more than her date (eww ). But yep, there's a lot of Fleming in it.
• blueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Hammerfist wrote:

  I do have to say, yeah, LALD always seemed to me like it never got the justice it deserved, its plot scattered over several movies (Leither revenge plot in LTK, keel-haling in FYEO, etc)

  
  Yeah, sad about the bits they left out. But I keep it in the list due to what they left in (a perfect Kanaga, kudos to Yaphet), and what they didn't add to it (space lasers). And that it's a pretty fun ride.
• Thomas Crown Posts: 119MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Michael Vintcore, former writer at the now dormant website, "Her Majesty's Secret Servant" searches for Fleming in the films here:
  
  http://www.hmss.com/amvee/nuggets.htm
  
  Thought this might aid in the discussion!
• zebond DolletPosts: 103MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Pretty humorus his saying that Bond nuggets would be few and far between from here on out and they've just released CR.

  "Guns make me nervous!"
• blueman PDXPosts: 1,667MI6 Agent

  December 2006

  Just watched LALD again after a long hiatus, sad to say I have to nudge out of the Fleming Bonds, just too much adulteration going on in it, despite the great Fleming stuff kept in. Unlike the GUYS AND DOLLS American gangster angle in DAF, and the goofy kung fu stuff in TMWTGG, the whole voodoo/blaxploitation/drug smuggling thing actually hangs together pretty well, even 30-odd years later. The we're-really-not-taking-all-this-seriously tone that seems to suffuse large chunks of the film rankles here, as it does in all the 70s and after Bond films...but it's one of the few of these later era Bonds where sticking to its core idea actually helps it (Kananga not trying to take over the world in some way, or having some variation of a laser gun, are two big pluses ). Really liked Tee Hee, unlike Jaws that guy was simply scary throughout.