I wish they had kept Dryden a while longer...

RogueAgent · March 2007

First off, for the brief screen time Malcolm Sinclair had, I absolutely loved his character Dryden - cool under fire and pompous.

I play that sequence over and over on my DVD:

"If you're trying to scare me you've got the wrong man, Bond..." as he's taking off his gloves and he has that cold, snippy stare out of the corner of his eyes. That line is a running joke in my house.

)

Am I the only one who would've liked to have his character extended another film or two and tied in with the plot somewhere down the line? Afterall he was selling government secrets...

Tee Hee · March 2007

Wasn't the line: "If the theatrics are supposed to scare me, you have the wrong man Bond?"

One thing I'll give Casino Royale is that it had a top-notch line-up of villains, Dryden included. What I loved about Dryden's character, aside from what my friend RogueAgent has already mentioned, is his desperateness after realizing that he is unarmed. He continues to chit-chat with 007 even after trying to kill him as if he is hoping for an ounce of sympathy from 007 to spare his life.

RogueAgent · March 2007

Thanks for the correction, Tee. That is what he said. ;%

Dryden to me, was an awesome villian that had potential. His mannerisms during the fact that he's busted are classic.

)

Nightshooter · March 2007

I too thought he was a great character, but I think if they had kept him alive any longer, his character would've been so snide he would overshadow Bond!

Tee Hee · March 2007

Just out of curiosity Rogue, how is this on-going joke in your house being implemented? Is it undermining your authority in your household at all? For instance, if you tell your son to do his homework, does he reply with a personalized version of Dryden's quote?

)

RogueAgent · March 2007

Tee Hee wrote:

Just out of curiosity Rogue, how is this on-going joke in your house being implemented? Is it undermining your authority in your household at all? For instance, if you tell your son to do his homework, does he reply with a personalized version of Dryden's quote? )

Exactly, Tee

) I was about to ground him for something he did last week and he comes out with that line and doing Dryden's motions.

I laughed so hard that I forgot what I was mad about. I was wondering why he was putting on the gloves.

)

My son says it to his mom when she's getting onto him and she doesn't get the joke.

I say it to my wife as well when she up in arms about something. She still doesn't get it.

CR is one of those spur-of-the-moment quote films. Dryden is just my favorite of the lot.

)

i expect u2 die · March 2007

RogueAgent wrote:

Tee Hee wrote:

Just out of curiosity Rogue, how is this on-going joke in your house being implemented? Is it undermining your authority in your household at all? For instance, if you tell your son to do his homework, does he reply with a personalized version of Dryden's quote? )

Exactly, Tee ) I was about to ground him for something he did last week and he comes out with that line and doing Dryden's motions.

I laughed so hard that I forgot what I was mad about. I was wondering why he was putting on the gloves. )

My son says it to his mom when she's getting onto him and she doesn't get the joke.

I say it to my wife as well when she up in arms about something. She still doesn't get it.

CR is one of those spur-of-the-moment quote films. Dryden is just my favorite of the lot. )

Ha! The idea of your family using that phrase in those situations is hilarious

I'll be using it next time I'm in trouble!

As for Dryden - Sinclair managed to make the role 'his own' with those mere minutes of screen time. As for a reappearence, it would mean going back to before Bond was a '00', and I'm not sure whether we need to go there again.

He's one of those characters who us Bond geeks will forever remember though!

One more thing when it comes to Dryden's dialogue. I couldn't help but chuckle whilst watching the film with friends and hearing their almost hysterical outbursts at "if M was so sure I was bent..."

'Bent', of course, meaning homosexual. I'd never even thought of it, but now that line cracks me up

)

Tee Hee · March 2007

RogueAgent wrote:

Exactly, Tee ) I was about to ground him for something he did last week and he comes out with that line and doing Dryden's motions.

I laughed so hard that I forgot what I was mad about. I was wondering why he was putting on the gloves. )

My son says it to his mom when she's getting onto him and she doesn't get the joke.

I say it to my wife as well when she up in arms about something. She still doesn't get it.

) Who's in charge over there Rogue? Next thing you know you're going to tell him to get to bed to which he'll respond: "But daddy, there's plenty of time to sleep when you're dead."

RogueAgent · March 2007

Tee Hee wrote:

RogueAgent wrote:

Exactly, Tee ) I was about to ground him for something he did last week and he comes out with that line and doing Dryden's motions.

I laughed so hard that I forgot what I was mad about. I was wondering why he was putting on the gloves. )

My son says it to his mom when she's getting onto him and she doesn't get the joke.

I say it to my wife as well when she up in arms about something. She still doesn't get it.

) Who's in charge over there Rogue? Next thing you know you're going to tell him to get to bed to which he'll respond: "But daddy, there's plenty of time to sleep when you're dead."

My son shares my sense of humor so it sort of makes parenting for me at least, much smoother. Not my wife. He's a good kid though.

)

Expect brought up another good line"

"If M was so sure I was bent- she'd have sent a double O..."

You cannot be American and deliver that line like that.

)

)

Sinclair is the man!

Gassy Man · March 2007

One of the things that "Casino Royale" rediscovered is that by giving us good character actors in compact but effective moments, the story could move forward quickly while still being rich. Dryden, indeed, is quite good in that scene with Bond, reminding me a bit of the British agent sent to collect Bond in "Licence to Kill." I hope that the next film features minor characters who are at least as interesting, as this is also one of the strengths of the earlier Bonds.

RogueAgent · March 2007

I have no idea whether or not Craig's stint involves a trilogy of sorts or not but if they had retained Dryden for at least a three picture arc, he could've taken on a Palpatine sort of vibe and ended up being the main bad guy in the end. He certainly has the personna for it.

I do agree with what Night said, had Sinclair been given more than the five minutes of screen time, he might've upstaged Craig considerably.

bigzilcho · March 2007

A tip of the hat to Malcolm Sinclair as the first villian of the Craig era.

I love the way he whispers: "Made you feel it, did he?"

By the way, here is a question for my British Bond colleagues:

Do I detect a snobbishness in Dryden's demeanor? Beyond the mere fact that he is higher in rank to Bond is there something deeper in that beautifully spoken sacrcasm?

This is a tricky subject to introduce, but I believe it warrants discussion.

Is it possible that the Drydens of the world do not regard Bond as a class equal? Perhaps something in his background or manner distinguishes 007 from the rest of the British establishment.

Being a Canadian, I can only guess at how subtle the distinctions are made in England about a man's clothes, his dialect, his manner.

Perhaps I have spoken out of turn...but Dryden reminds me of a face in the past: Saunders.

Both Dryden and Sanders (initially) seem to regard Bond as not quite being their cup of tea, as it were.

Did I read too much into it?

Once again, top marks to Sinclair (and come to think of it, he could easily tie into future films with a flashback or two. Remember: we don't know WHAT secrets he sold).

"Yes...considerably."

emtiem · March 2007

Oh I dunno; he'll always be Richard Griffiths' comedy Superindtendant from 'Pie in the Sky' to me!

Napoleon Plural · March 2007

Thought Dryden, or the actor rather, would have made a great Le Chiffre along the lines of Fleming's character. You can imagine him doing the "cowboys and indians" patronising speech omitted from the film.

A bit odd, however, that he hears how Bond got his first kill. We see it of course, but when he says "He made you feel it did he?", well, it doesn't look like Craig is the talkative type.

Omitted dialogue: "Yeah, Drdyen, it was really tough actually. Smashed the bloke about in a loo if I recall, then put his face in a wash basin..."

Barbel · March 2007

bigzilcho wrote:

Do I detect a snobbishness in Dryden's demeanor? Beyond the mere fact that he is higher in rank to Bond is there something deeper in that beautifully spoken sacrcasm?

This is a tricky subject to introduce, but I believe it warrants discussion.

Is it possible that the Drydens of the world do not regard Bond as a class equal? Perhaps something in his background or manner distinguishes 007 from the rest of the British establishment.

Being a Canadian, I can only guess at how subtle the distinctions are made in England about a man's clothes, his dialect, his manner.

Perhaps I have spoken out of turn...but Dryden reminds me of a face in the past: Saunders.

Both Dryden and Sanders (initially) seem to regard Bond as not quite being their cup of tea, as it were.

Did I read too much into it?

I don't think you're speaking out of turn; snobbishness has always been a part of the Bond world with comments on that subject in Fleming's novels being made by reviewers in the fifties. Personally I've never thought much of that aspect beyond sadly noting the patronising tone toward foreigners in the novels, only small echoes of which appeared in the movies (eg Bond telling Quarrel to "Fetch my shoes" in DN, almost the only weak note in their film relationship). A rather feeble line of defence for Fleming would be to point out that he was in line with his times and far less offending in this regard than many of his contemporaries.

However, since Dryden isn't a Fleming character he must be laid at the feet of the filmmakers. Part of Connery's success as Bond was that he stood outside the English class system- his accent, to take the most obvious aspect of his presentation, was unclassifiable by their standards. To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, the moment one Englishman speaks he makes another one despise him- accents and mode of speech being an instant method of detecting whether an individual was/is "one of us". Sir Sean's splendidly Scots speech stresses sounded sufficiently strange that he stood separated from such subtle segregation (and I'd surely smile to survey him saying that sentence

).
To a large extent I believe that Daniel Craig follows this model, although from a different angle, in contrast to the Bonds that lay between.

"You must excuse me, gentlemen. Not being English..." As a Scot, I'm only slightly more familiar with the English class distinctions than you are. Hope the above helped!

RogueAgent · March 2007

bigzilcho wrote:

I love the way he whispers: "Made you feel it, did he?"

Well...I'm glad that I didn't do this but at work a few days ago, I was in the breakroom with another guy as we listened to these two women talking abit too loudly about a "one night stand" one of them encountered the previous weekend.

When she got to "explicits", I wanted to say that line just like Dryden so bad but I refrained although my buddy could see it coming and started to snicker.

)

Now we're quoting Dryden althrough the office. I think I've created a monster here...

)

bigzilcho · March 2007

Thanks for your reply, Barbel.

That expression "one of us" is the one I was trying to articulate with my post.

Its seems that snobbery is alive and well in the series and I believe Fleming, wherever he may be, would like to have it no other way.

"Red wine with fish. That should have told me something."

RogueAgent · March 2007

Napoleon Plural wrote:

Thought Dryden, or the actor rather, would have made a great Le Chiffre along the lines of Fleming's character. You can imagine him doing the "cowboys and indians" patronising speech omitted from the film.

Yes and no for me; I mean he was so great with that sinister stare and presence he exibited in the PTS that he could be more convincing than Mads was who just looked like a creepy child molester and just didn't pose a threat throughout the length of his screen time.

But when Sinclair speaks in that (I presume) "upper crest" English accent and he's too confident for his own good, Dryden was a character with potential to come full circle had the writers deemed so and for me at least, it's unfortunate.

Like a poster said, he does look down his nose at Bond as if he were a charity case or something.

).

Moore Not Less · March 2007

RogueAgent wrote:

First off, for the brief screen time Malcolm Sinclair had, I absolutely loved his character Dryden - cool under fire and pompous.

I play that sequence over and over on my DVD:

"If you're trying to scare me you've got the wrong man, Bond..." as he's taking off his gloves and he has that cold, snippy stare out of the corner of his eyes. That line is a running joke in my house. )

Am I the only one who would've liked to have his character extended another film or two and tied in with the plot somewhere down the line? Afterall he was selling government secrets...

Made you feel it, did he, Rogue?

The PTS is one of my favourite highlights of Casino Royale and Malcolm Sinclair's Dryden is an integral part of it. He is indeed cool under fire and pompous. He's one of those characters that (if he had more screen time) you could grow to hate. Which would make his ultimate demise all the more satisfying.

emtiem · March 2007

RogueAgent wrote:

But when Sinclair speaks in that (I presume) "upper crest" English accent and he's too confident for his own good, Dryden was a character with potential to come full circle had the writers deemed so and for me at least, it's unfortunate.

Well, it's best that Bond is surrounded by characters who seem as if they could last all through the movie- better that than weak paper thin rubbish characters!

Leave them wanting more!

A7ce · March 2007

We'll all remember Dryden as he was the first person to feature in the new Bond film, that we had been waiting for, for four years.

It was also because of him the James Bond earned 00 status, so we got a lot to thank him for.

I think he would have made a better Mr White with that attitude and hence a bit more screen time.

I wish they had kept Dryden a while longer...

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