Cellular Royale
Tee Hee
CBT Headquarters: Chicago, ILPosts: 917MI6 Agent
Watched Casino Royale again last night and I couldn’t help but become annoyed with the role cell phones play throughout the film. Casino Royale may not have had any gadgets, but cell phones certainly filled the void and received enough screen time to virtually be placed on the cast list. I don’t know if the prevalence of cellular technology had anything to do with Sony, but it sure was frustrating. Normally I neither notice nor am bothered by product placement, but this was just way too much! I have taken the liberty of listing all scenes in Casino Royale involving telephones. As you will see, it is quite lengthy:
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Mbale, Uganda:
1.)After collecting the money from Obanno, Le Chiffre calls his broker via satellite phone to short another million shares of Skyfleet stock.
Madagascar:
2.)Observing a fight between a snake and a mongoose, Mollaka receives a text message from presumably Dimitrios as Mollaka is his first choice to shill for Le Chiffre.
3.)After killing Mollaka and escaping from the Nambutu Embassy with his backpack, Bond obtains Mollaka’s cell phone and views the mysterious text message.
M’s Flat:
4.)Bond breaks into M’s home and uses her computer to trace the text message sent to Mollaka’s cell phone to the Ocean Club in the Bahamas.
Nassau, The Bahamas:
5.)While driving, Bond uses a GPS navigation system installed in his cell phone to locate the Ocean Club.
The Ocean Club:
6.)Bond crashes a Range Rover in order to gain brief access to The Ocean Club security office. Using Mollaka’s cell phone, Bond is able to pinpoint the exact time the text message was sent. Browsing through past recorded camera footage, Bond sees a mysterious man get out of his Aston Martin and fiddle with his cell phone in direct view of the Ocean Club’s cameras. How convenient!
MI6 Headquarters:
7.)Villiers wakes M with a phone call to inform her that 007 is logged into the MI6 secure website using her name and password.
Bond’s Ocean View Villa:
8.)An intimate moment between Bond and Solange is interrupted by a call from Solange’s husband Dimitrios. Dimitrios informs his wife that he is on the last flight to Miami and will not be back until the following day.
9.)Bond orders champagne and caviar “for one” as he is leaving Solange to pursue her husband to Miami.
Body Worlds:
10.)Dimitrios sends the same mysterious text message to Carlos as he has been nominated to replace the late Mollaka.
11.)After a very public and violent confrontation (that nobody saw) that claims the life of Dimitrios, Bond seizes his cell phone and views his most recently sent text message.
12.)Carlos, having slipped out of the exhibit with the black bag unseen, a panicking 007 uses Dimitrios’s cell phone to call and locate Carlos amongst the crowd outside.
Miami International Airport:
13.)Given the slip by Carlos at the airport, Bond calls MI6 headquarters to report his suspicions that a bomb is going to go off.
14.)Having realized the significance of “Ellipsis,” Bond once again views the text message from Dimitrios’s phone and types it in as the password to gain access to airport security.
15.)M phones 007 to inform him that the bomber’s target is the Skyfleet prototype, set to be unveiled that very day.
16.)Carlos’s explosive key ring can be detonated from his cell phone. As we all know, this ultimately leads to Carlos’s demise.
Le Chiffre’s Yacht:
17.)Le Chiffre’s broker calls him with the bad news that he has lost over 100 million dollars.
Hotel Splendide:
18.)Bond receives a parcel at reception containing a shiny new cell phone!
19.)After playing cards for four hours, Bond places a bug in Le Chiffre’s inhaler and uses his cell phone to follow him to his hotel room. (I am still confused as to what a pistol-packing 007 was hoping to accomplish here - with Vesper at his side no less.)
20.)Mathis uses his cell phone to frame one of Le Chiffre’s men for the deaths of Obanno and his lieutenant.
21.)Poisoned, Bond uses his cell phone to send vital health information and communicate with MI6 poison experts.
22.)Eating dinner after Bond’s victory, Vesper receives two text messages that she claims are from Mathis.
Venice, Italy:
23.)Preparing to go to the bank, Vesper receives a text message that she claims is from M.
24.)M calls 007 to inform him that the treasury has not yet received the winnings from the poker game. She wants to know when he is going to make the deposit.
25.)Bond calls Mr. Mendel to try and identify the problem and learns that the money is being withdrawn at that very moment at a bank located in St. Marks Square.
26.)Bond, browsing Vesper’s cell phone, discovers that her latest text message was not from M, but a mysterious “Gettler.” He learns that she is on her way to meet him.
27.)The mission over and Vesper dead, M reveals to 007 via telephone important details about Vesper that were overlooked by MI6 and offers an explanation as to why Bond’s life was spared and Vesper committed suicide.
28.)Just as the trail has gone cold, Bond discovers a message addressed to him in Vesper’s cell phone containing the phone number of a mysterious “Mr. White.”
Mr. White’s Flat:
29.)Bond follows up on Vesper’s message and locates Mr. White. They talk briefly via telephone before Bond shoots Mr. White in the knee.
30.)Crawling to the foot of the steps, Mr. White is greeted by 007, a gun in one hand, and a cell phone in the other.
_________________________________________________
As you can see, never before in Bond history has one single device been so important to driving the plot. It’s ridiculous.
Thanks to cell phones and text messages:
1.) Bond is able to locate Dimitrios at the Ocean Club in the Bahamas
2.) Bond is able to learn of Dimitrios’s trip to Miami
3.) Bond is able to locate Carlos amongst the crowd
4.) Bond is able to gain access to airport security to pursue Carlos
5.) Bond is able to eliminate Carlos
6.) Bond is able to locate Le Chiffre’s room
7.) Mathis is able to frame one of Le Chiffre’s men
8.) Bond is able to combat the poison from his Aston Martin
9.) Bond becomes suspicious of Mathis
10.) Bond learns of Vesper’s treachery
11.) Bond is able to locate and apprehend Mr. White just as the trail had gone cold
Need I go on?
Bond certainly had a large collection of cell phones by the end of the film as he took the cell phone from each victim he killed (Mollaka, Dimitrios). Not to mention Vesper’s cell phone, and we all know of the importance that played to the plot. I can’t help but find it reckless of Dimitrios in the first place to send out the password via text message. You would think he wouldn’t want to start a paper trail in the event that something goes wrong. What ever happened to burning a piece of information after reading it such as Bond did with an address in You Only Live Twice? Bottom line, Mollaka and Dimitrios should have deleted the messages.
With all the attention cell phones received, I’m surprised there was not a cameo by Catherine Zeta Jones, Joan Cusack, or the guy from Verizon Wireless (“Bond, can you hear me now? Good.")
)
I hope Bond, Vesper, and all the others had free long distance and a lot of anytime minutes. Do you think M is in Bond’s “Fave Five?”)
The prevalence of cell phones (among other things) greatly detracted from my enjoyment of Casino Royale. I guess this was just a ploy that only Alexander Graham Bell himself could enjoy.
Am I alone here? Please, my friends, discuss…
_________________________________________________
Mbale, Uganda:
1.)After collecting the money from Obanno, Le Chiffre calls his broker via satellite phone to short another million shares of Skyfleet stock.
Madagascar:
2.)Observing a fight between a snake and a mongoose, Mollaka receives a text message from presumably Dimitrios as Mollaka is his first choice to shill for Le Chiffre.
3.)After killing Mollaka and escaping from the Nambutu Embassy with his backpack, Bond obtains Mollaka’s cell phone and views the mysterious text message.
M’s Flat:
4.)Bond breaks into M’s home and uses her computer to trace the text message sent to Mollaka’s cell phone to the Ocean Club in the Bahamas.
Nassau, The Bahamas:
5.)While driving, Bond uses a GPS navigation system installed in his cell phone to locate the Ocean Club.
The Ocean Club:
6.)Bond crashes a Range Rover in order to gain brief access to The Ocean Club security office. Using Mollaka’s cell phone, Bond is able to pinpoint the exact time the text message was sent. Browsing through past recorded camera footage, Bond sees a mysterious man get out of his Aston Martin and fiddle with his cell phone in direct view of the Ocean Club’s cameras. How convenient!
MI6 Headquarters:
7.)Villiers wakes M with a phone call to inform her that 007 is logged into the MI6 secure website using her name and password.
Bond’s Ocean View Villa:
8.)An intimate moment between Bond and Solange is interrupted by a call from Solange’s husband Dimitrios. Dimitrios informs his wife that he is on the last flight to Miami and will not be back until the following day.
9.)Bond orders champagne and caviar “for one” as he is leaving Solange to pursue her husband to Miami.
Body Worlds:
10.)Dimitrios sends the same mysterious text message to Carlos as he has been nominated to replace the late Mollaka.
11.)After a very public and violent confrontation (that nobody saw) that claims the life of Dimitrios, Bond seizes his cell phone and views his most recently sent text message.
12.)Carlos, having slipped out of the exhibit with the black bag unseen, a panicking 007 uses Dimitrios’s cell phone to call and locate Carlos amongst the crowd outside.
Miami International Airport:
13.)Given the slip by Carlos at the airport, Bond calls MI6 headquarters to report his suspicions that a bomb is going to go off.
14.)Having realized the significance of “Ellipsis,” Bond once again views the text message from Dimitrios’s phone and types it in as the password to gain access to airport security.
15.)M phones 007 to inform him that the bomber’s target is the Skyfleet prototype, set to be unveiled that very day.
16.)Carlos’s explosive key ring can be detonated from his cell phone. As we all know, this ultimately leads to Carlos’s demise.
Le Chiffre’s Yacht:
17.)Le Chiffre’s broker calls him with the bad news that he has lost over 100 million dollars.
Hotel Splendide:
18.)Bond receives a parcel at reception containing a shiny new cell phone!
19.)After playing cards for four hours, Bond places a bug in Le Chiffre’s inhaler and uses his cell phone to follow him to his hotel room. (I am still confused as to what a pistol-packing 007 was hoping to accomplish here - with Vesper at his side no less.)
20.)Mathis uses his cell phone to frame one of Le Chiffre’s men for the deaths of Obanno and his lieutenant.
21.)Poisoned, Bond uses his cell phone to send vital health information and communicate with MI6 poison experts.
22.)Eating dinner after Bond’s victory, Vesper receives two text messages that she claims are from Mathis.
Venice, Italy:
23.)Preparing to go to the bank, Vesper receives a text message that she claims is from M.
24.)M calls 007 to inform him that the treasury has not yet received the winnings from the poker game. She wants to know when he is going to make the deposit.
25.)Bond calls Mr. Mendel to try and identify the problem and learns that the money is being withdrawn at that very moment at a bank located in St. Marks Square.
26.)Bond, browsing Vesper’s cell phone, discovers that her latest text message was not from M, but a mysterious “Gettler.” He learns that she is on her way to meet him.
27.)The mission over and Vesper dead, M reveals to 007 via telephone important details about Vesper that were overlooked by MI6 and offers an explanation as to why Bond’s life was spared and Vesper committed suicide.
28.)Just as the trail has gone cold, Bond discovers a message addressed to him in Vesper’s cell phone containing the phone number of a mysterious “Mr. White.”
Mr. White’s Flat:
29.)Bond follows up on Vesper’s message and locates Mr. White. They talk briefly via telephone before Bond shoots Mr. White in the knee.
30.)Crawling to the foot of the steps, Mr. White is greeted by 007, a gun in one hand, and a cell phone in the other.
_________________________________________________
As you can see, never before in Bond history has one single device been so important to driving the plot. It’s ridiculous.
Thanks to cell phones and text messages:
1.) Bond is able to locate Dimitrios at the Ocean Club in the Bahamas
2.) Bond is able to learn of Dimitrios’s trip to Miami
3.) Bond is able to locate Carlos amongst the crowd
4.) Bond is able to gain access to airport security to pursue Carlos
5.) Bond is able to eliminate Carlos
6.) Bond is able to locate Le Chiffre’s room
7.) Mathis is able to frame one of Le Chiffre’s men
8.) Bond is able to combat the poison from his Aston Martin
9.) Bond becomes suspicious of Mathis
10.) Bond learns of Vesper’s treachery
11.) Bond is able to locate and apprehend Mr. White just as the trail had gone cold
Need I go on?
Bond certainly had a large collection of cell phones by the end of the film as he took the cell phone from each victim he killed (Mollaka, Dimitrios). Not to mention Vesper’s cell phone, and we all know of the importance that played to the plot. I can’t help but find it reckless of Dimitrios in the first place to send out the password via text message. You would think he wouldn’t want to start a paper trail in the event that something goes wrong. What ever happened to burning a piece of information after reading it such as Bond did with an address in You Only Live Twice? Bottom line, Mollaka and Dimitrios should have deleted the messages.
With all the attention cell phones received, I’m surprised there was not a cameo by Catherine Zeta Jones, Joan Cusack, or the guy from Verizon Wireless (“Bond, can you hear me now? Good.")
)I hope Bond, Vesper, and all the others had free long distance and a lot of anytime minutes. Do you think M is in Bond’s “Fave Five?”
)The prevalence of cell phones (among other things) greatly detracted from my enjoyment of Casino Royale. I guess this was just a ploy that only Alexander Graham Bell himself could enjoy.
Am I alone here? Please, my friends, discuss…
"My acting range? Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised..."
-Roger Moore
-Roger Moore
Comments
I hate the damn things and refuse to carry a cell phone (though I will for work if circumstances require it). But in my personal life, there's no one I need to talk to so badly that it can't wait until I get home. It's like e-mail. Did I suffer the first 30 years of my life when there was no such thing? Of course not. In fact, I was better off because I didn't have to plod through 8 bazillion trivial messages that people for some reason feel compelled to send me everyday. People actually waited until they had something to say before they contacted someone.
This bothered me a bit, not so much because of the cell phone but at first I was very confused as to the connection between the cell phone and the security camera. With today's latest atomic 'fountain' clocks, GPS satellites could calculate a position within centimeters. Assuming that Bond has access to the latest GPS technology, he could very well figure out precisely where the call was made. The fact that he never referenced his GPS before stooping to tie his shoe confused me because he had no reason to suspect that the call was made in front of the camera.
The fact the call was made in view of the camera was indeed a stroke of luck for Bond...but then again, Bond's job involves a necessary element of luck.
If this proves not to be the case, I'll be fascinated to see how they get away with it.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Im exactly the same , ive only owned a cellphone for the last 2.5 years, and it definitly does NOT rule my life, i hardly use the thing, but i have to admit it is handy
Your list staggered me. I was aware of the cellphone use but did not realize the extent.
21st century life requires cellphones but does this mean that it should infiltrate practically every scene in a Bond movie?
Call me old-fashioned and romantic, but---
Oh, how I long for the old days where Bond was a million miles away from HQ and COMPLETELY incommunicado.
At the end of DN, Bond and Honey are kissing in the boat. Bond lets go of the rope and the boat drifts in the sea.
I'd like to think that Bond and Honey disappeared for a week or so alone...and without interruption.
Thats 1962.
In 2007...Bond won't get five minutes alone with Honey before the world intrudes.
Bond and technology go hand in hand but it should always be remembered: Bond...in the end...masters and controls technology.
My two-cents?
Reduce the increasing reliance of cellphones and computers in Bond movies.
And secondly never, EVER, NEVER, N-E-V-E-R (did I say never?) EVER plant a microchip on Bond ever again!!!!!
That, fellow Bond-fans, is a betrayal of everything that Ian Fleming and James Bond stands for. And I mean that absolutely sincerely.
Once again, great job, TeeHee.
"Yes...considerably."
I doubt we will see the return of the Microchip, what did it actually do anyway?
Well...it presumably let M know where he was---and it allowed him to directly contact the MI6 situation room when he'd been poisoned.
bigzilcho: I'd love to see Bond get micro-chipped again... :v
...Then, remove the microchip, and plant it on someone not related to the story at all. If Bond is in New York, say, have him plant the chip on a Manhattan cabbie...then, periodically (and briefly) show the cabbie in various mundane situations, whilst M and MI6 desperately try to figure out why Bond is getting drunk in a bar somewhere, watching the Yankees play the Red Sox on the bar's TV
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I jotted them all down as I was watching the film. I may have a good memory, but not to the extent of remembering 30 or so moments.
Thank you bigzilcho. I intended for this thread to be eye opening to the extent that cell phones were used. Like yourself, I too am a bit old fashioned when it comes to the Bonds. I agree that the widespread use of cell phones today is no excuse to have them dominate practically every scene in CR. Those who were staunch supporters of the reboot were excited to learn that in CR Bond would be relying on his instincts and abilities rather than gadgets or technologies. Hate to break it to them, but they didn't exactly get what they were promised.
-Roger Moore
I'd argue that the sheer ubiquitous presence of the so-called 'gadget' known as the cell-phone, in everyday life, takes the curse off its use by Bond in CR---really the first time he's fully availed himself of this tool, other than using it to get out of the Dr. Kaufmann jam and remotely steer his Beemer in TND...
And I hope you're not asserting that Bond did not use his instincts and abilities in applying this now-everyday technology... :v
That said, backing away a bit in #22 would probably be a good thing...the most effective way would be to have Bond end up in a place...possibly wherever the villain's lair is located...where he simply can't get a signal
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
1) The ubiquitous presence of cell phones?
2) That Bond is "over-tethered" to MI6?
3) That Sony Ericsson was such a blatant product placement?
As to (1), we may (or may not) like that everyone has cell phones, but the fact is that many people do. As a guy old enough to remember life without them, I was surprised to learn that many young people, particularly those in urban areas, only have cell phones. Zillions of young people in Manhattan, for example, have no land lines in their apartments. Given this, it's a little hard to say that "a more realistic Bond portrayal" wouldn't include lots of cell phone usage.
As to (2), I hear you zilcho, but sometimes the waxing nostalgic we like to do is nothing more than tilting at windmills. Bond is set in the present day -- we can't expect him or his organization to be luddites.
As to (3), I agree this was OTT, although frankly I did not notice it much in my first viewing.
The real question is, do things like cell phones work in the context of the story? Although Tee Hee makes a very good point about the cell phone basically serving as Bond's electronic Swiss Army knife, I think the story was not compromised.
That said, the plot does revolve around phones with the 'Ellipsis' business, which does make it feel a little like it came from one of those Orange Pitch adverts! As long as the plot isn't so mobile-focused next time, I have no trouble with Bond using his a lot. It's a tool of the modern day.
As for the old days of Bond being out of contact, I think the choice of Montenegro for the location was inspired- that's not an easy place to get to, and Bond really would be on his own if he were there.
The one use of phones that I didn't understand (Apart from the confusion between Dimitrios' phone and the bombers' in Miami!) was the GPS on Bond's one in the Bahamas which appeared to show his Mondeo travelling at a thousand miles an hour!
Actually, I wasn't being entirely truthful. I do own one. I keep it in the bike's saddlebag in case of a breakdown. But honest, that's it. I swear.
I went for many years without a computer and look at me now -- arguing Bond movie trivia in cyberspace as if it was the meaning of life. Like the pods in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the cellphone takes over ... You'll see me tearing down the street on my motorcycle, blathering into my cellphone, "No Dansame ... you're all wrong about the new Bond film ... I'm watching it right now on my cell ... "