Ursula Andress in On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1963)
SpectreOfDefeat
Posts: 404MI6 Agent
I was reading Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service when I spotted an interesting detail.
Consider the following lines on p. 155:
“Irma Bunt…waved a hand towards the crowded tables around them. ‘A most interesting crowd, do you not find, Sair Hilary? Everybody who is anybody…that is Ursula Andress, the film star…”
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was published in April 1963. Eon’s film adaptation of Dr. No had been released the previous year in October 1962, while From Russia With Love was already in production to hit cinemas later in 1963. Ursula Andress’ cameo appearance, therefore, must be intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke on Fleming’s part. Is this the only recorded example of a Fleming novel directly referring to the existence of the film series? In the same book Fleming develops Bond’s Scottish family history, which some have argued is a reference to Sean Connery’s casting as 007, but this backstory might well also have been inspired by Fleming’s own Perthshire family roots. Ursula Andress’ appearance, on the other hand, has to be an unequivocal nod towards Eon’s Dr. No.
Ursula Andress’ cameo, while little more than a sly joke, does lead one to consider a wider point. A number of critical appreciations of the novels take pains to attempt to differentiate Fleming’s literary output from the Eon film franchise. Consider, for example, Ian Rankin’s introduction to the 2014 Vintage edition of For Your Eyes Only:
“The Bond you’ll find in these stories is…quite unlike any screen incarnation, at once more human and more complex…”
The implication is that Fleming’s original body of work and the Eon films are two distinct and separate creative visions of James Bond, and ought to be considered as such. However, Fleming’s OHMSS- written in 1962, published in 1963- undoubtedly must have been written with knowledge of the fledgling film series in mind. The end credits of Goldfinger, released in 1964, originally promised: “James Bond will return in Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Therefore, it can plausibly be argued that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service stands as the only Bond novel written by Fleming with the implicit goal of adapting it into an Eon Productions James Bond film, as part and parcel of the ongoing Broccoli and Saltzman series.
What do others think of this assessment? Was Fleming’s writing in OHMSS heavily influenced by the development of the Eon series? Would more allusions/references to the Eon films, like Ursula Andress, have appeared in book form if Fleming had been able to carry on the series after 1964?
Consider the following lines on p. 155:
“Irma Bunt…waved a hand towards the crowded tables around them. ‘A most interesting crowd, do you not find, Sair Hilary? Everybody who is anybody…that is Ursula Andress, the film star…”
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service was published in April 1963. Eon’s film adaptation of Dr. No had been released the previous year in October 1962, while From Russia With Love was already in production to hit cinemas later in 1963. Ursula Andress’ cameo appearance, therefore, must be intended as a tongue-in-cheek joke on Fleming’s part. Is this the only recorded example of a Fleming novel directly referring to the existence of the film series? In the same book Fleming develops Bond’s Scottish family history, which some have argued is a reference to Sean Connery’s casting as 007, but this backstory might well also have been inspired by Fleming’s own Perthshire family roots. Ursula Andress’ appearance, on the other hand, has to be an unequivocal nod towards Eon’s Dr. No.
Ursula Andress’ cameo, while little more than a sly joke, does lead one to consider a wider point. A number of critical appreciations of the novels take pains to attempt to differentiate Fleming’s literary output from the Eon film franchise. Consider, for example, Ian Rankin’s introduction to the 2014 Vintage edition of For Your Eyes Only:
“The Bond you’ll find in these stories is…quite unlike any screen incarnation, at once more human and more complex…”
The implication is that Fleming’s original body of work and the Eon films are two distinct and separate creative visions of James Bond, and ought to be considered as such. However, Fleming’s OHMSS- written in 1962, published in 1963- undoubtedly must have been written with knowledge of the fledgling film series in mind. The end credits of Goldfinger, released in 1964, originally promised: “James Bond will return in Ian Fleming’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.” Therefore, it can plausibly be argued that On Her Majesty’s Secret Service stands as the only Bond novel written by Fleming with the implicit goal of adapting it into an Eon Productions James Bond film, as part and parcel of the ongoing Broccoli and Saltzman series.
What do others think of this assessment? Was Fleming’s writing in OHMSS heavily influenced by the development of the Eon series? Would more allusions/references to the Eon films, like Ursula Andress, have appeared in book form if Fleming had been able to carry on the series after 1964?
"The spectre of defeat..."
Comments
1963 Novel.
This character
in OHMSS is named as Shaun Campbell, arguably a disguised nod to Sean Connery. Not named as such in the film version for obvious reasons.
In YOLT, both Noel Coward (alleged to have refused the part of Dr No) and David Niven (self-explanatory) get name checks.
Very interesting thought. I guess he wouldn't have been altering his approach to suit the films or anything, but it would be impossible that it wasn't in the back of his mind that it would become a movie, most probably starring Connery.
He was always pretty keen to get them adapted in some shape or form of course.
He helped find locations and got friends of his jobs on the film, including Chris Blackwell.
He and three of his friends were walking along the beach when they interrupted the filming of Ursula Andress's big scene emerging from the water. There must be photos of that incident?
He commented on what was left out of the film (giant squid and migrating landcrabs).
He also visited the set while filming From Russia With love and argued about what was left out of that film (naked gypsy catfight), and I believe even visited the set of Goldfinger but did not live to see its release.
I think he had enough involvement in the first two films, they have to count as Fleming approved, therefor as canonical as the books.
I was watching the False Face show recemtly , radio man Leo Gore could be a reference to singer Lesley Gore - prolly not though
Moonraker, Dr No, most of For Your Eyes Only and Thunderball all began as proposed film or teevee scripts, before being repurposed as Bond novels once the deals fell apart. So they were all written with the goal of being filmed, just not as part of the eventual EON series.
I have no idea if Fleming envisioned a film as he was writing OHMSS (do his letters say anything?), but as there was an actual movie being filmed right outside his window he must have been influenced by that, every day as he sat down to write.
Matthew Parker's book Goldeneye – Where Bond was Born: Ian Fleming's Jamaica describes this period in detail. Fleming was definitely in a good mood at the moment, having finally realised his longterm goal.
The skichases and Piz Gloria are all quite cinematic as written. And Fleming includes Bond's first meeting with Blofeld, culminating the SPECTRE plotthread just being introduced in the Dr No film.
On the other hand, the long romance with Tracy is not the sort of thing that should fit with an episodic thriller series, especially one celebrating casual sex (in the Dr No film Bond's very first onscreen action is to pick up a chick).
Were remaining books written with filming in mind? I dont see how Fleming could have ignored the inevitable adaptation. He travelled to Japan to research You Only Live Twice, and must have understood the appeal of the films at the time was travelogue (and he published Thrilling Cities round this time too). But the travelogue content was virtually the only content that made it into the film, the actual thriller plot proved unfilmable and much of the dialog was Bond and Tanaka debating philosophy and writing haikus. That content seems even more anti-cinematic than the romance with Tracy.
The Man with the Golden Gun I don't think he was even trying, he was so sick by this point. He must have known EON wouldnt be returning to Jamaica so soon after Dr No.
aside from OHMSS, the first thing Fleming wrote after the filming of Dr No was the Octopussy story, again unfilmable as written (nested flashbacks experienced by a man scubadiving to his death)
conclusion: based on his career up til that point, I think Fleming would have to be thinking of how the films would adapt any remaining novels he wrote: a film deal was always his plan, and we can see he nitpicked over relatively minor deviations in the two films released in his lifetime. But, those last couple of things he wrote almost seem written to defy filmability!
...also, this was already written of course, but the newest novel available once Dr No was released was the Spy Who Loved Me, which Fleming specifically refused EON permission to adapt!
The chronology right round this period is interesting:
Saltzman and Broccoli commit to making a six film series with United Artists June 21 1961. At this point they think Thunderball will be their first film.
(Thunderball is most recent book to be published, and always intended to be a film.
The Spy Who Loved Me has already been written but not yet published)
Connery is hired October 1961. Fleming is is not immediately impressed with the casting.
(so when does Fleming decide to make Bond Scottish? as soon as Connery is cast, or later after he changes his mind about his suitability?)
The Living Daylights is written Oct 1961 (see this thread, post 17). Fleming knew the film series was going ahead. So could it too be written with adaptation in mind, or is it too introspective? (there's only one real set: a darkened apartment)
Fleming writes OHMSS in Jamaica Jan-Feb 1962 as Dr No is being filmed almost right outside his window.
The Living Daylights is published Feb 1962.
The Spy Who Loved Me published April 1962, to bad reviews and Fleming's subsequently insisting no paperback reprints and no film adaptation.
Yet when the film deal was established, this was the next book being currently worked on, so if EON did have rights to any future novels, they must have assumed this would be one they would be adapting?
(two of those initial six films were novels not yet written when EON UA and Fleming made their deal, and tMwtGG was considered for adaptation during that period)
Fleming writes Octopussy summer 1962, then hides it in a desk drawer to be discovered after his death. So some doubts about his own writing while the long awaited film is still in production.
Also summer 1962 Fleming travels to Japan to research his next book, which again he ought to be assuming would be adapted by EON. Not sure if this is before or after he writes Octopussy.
Dr No film released Oct 1962.
Fleming writes YOLT Jan/Feb 1963.
OHMSS published April 1963.
Round this time Fleming visited Instanbul to witness the filming of From Russia With Love
Why did Fleming ask this? Because he had a Scottish paternal grandfather. And since Bond shared many of Fleming's attributes, his creator was naturally curious if Bond also had Scottish ancestry.
But there is a big difference between having Scottish ancestry and identifying as a Scot. The facts are that in every Bond book before OHMSS Bond was explicitly identified as English--identified by himself, by the narrator, and by other characters. Anyone who doesn't believe this is welcome to do a text search of the books.
Only after Connery was cast, during the writing of OHMSS, did Fleming suddenly reveal that Bond was half-Scottish and regarded himself as a Scot ("we can be married again in an English church, or Scottish rather. That's where I come from"). The Ursula Andress reference in OHMSS shows how much the upcoming Bond film was in Fleming's mind when he was writing the book.
Before Connery there was no indication whatsoever in the books that Bond had any Scottishness in him. It's possible that without Connery Fleming would have written OHMSS with just a brief reference to Bond's Scottish roots, and we would not have had Bond calling himself a "Scottish peasant" in TMWTGG.
But with Connery's casting, Fleming decided to stress Bond's Scottishness, which he had never before revealed to his readers. Fleming's own Scottish roots made this task even more pleasant. And he also gave Bond a Swiss mother, perhaps because of the book's Swiss setting, Fleming's own experiences in Switzerland, and more likely because he was very fond of giving his characters split-nationalities.
As for whether Fleming envisioned a film while he was writing OHMSS, I think his more immediate aim was to provide a "return to form" after the disastrous critical/commercial reception of The Spy Who Loved Me. By this point Fleming found writing the books increasingly draining and difficult--rather than trying to write in mind for the movies, he simply wanted to keep writing.
I also believe Fleming came around to Connery quicker than many think. In a letter to his mistress Blanche Blackwell, dated Oct. 25, 1961, he writes: "The producer, Terence Young, seems very nice and the man they have chosen for Bond, Sean Connery, is a real charmer – fairly unknown but a good actor with the right looks and physique."
Nevertheless, Fleming was intent on the books having a separate identity from the films. In a letter to an executive at Pan books, dated May 20, 1964, he writes:
"I don’t think much of Harry Saltzman’s new jacket for Goldfinger. The golden girl looks like a man and there is far too much jazz about the film. Why the hell should we advertise Saltzman and Broccoli on one of my books? And on the back I see that Sean Connery gets at least twice the size type as the author. Seriously, although Saltzman is a splendid salesman, do please keep a sharp eye on this tendency of his to use my books for advertising his films."
I've got a looney theory about Snowman, Fanning and Octopussy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdDxv2hRk
Wow, you hit quite a few nails on the head here. -{
Still finding new Fleming rarities?
I've always understood that Bond's Swiss mother, Monique Delacroix, was a tribute to Fleming's early Swiss love Monique Panchaud de Bottones, with whom the young Fleming had a passionate relationship (some sources say they were engaged) though his ever-dominant mother did not approve and brought it to an end.
I'd be very interested in watching that video but unfortunately it's saying that the video is unavailable. I've conducted some research into 'The Property of a Lady' myself so I'd love to hear your theory!
The auctioneer and chairman of Sotheby's at the time, Peter Wilson, also appears in the story.
Here's a valid link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdDxv2hRkZk
I look forward to your comments.
Yes, thank you for adding that. The relation between the Swiss Moniques is a very plausible one. When it came time to flesh out Bond's background in YOLT Fleming obviously couldn't draw on Connery's working class origins, so he put more of his own life into it. He could have made Bond Scottish on both sides, but most of his villains and many of his heroines have mixed nationalities. Why Fleming was so fond of this is hard to pinpoint.
Thanks! Alas, Covid-19 has curtailed my library expeditions and new material is hard to find at home. But if you would like to read some Fleming articles unearthed in 2019, take a look at my thread "Ian Fleming's Adventure Journalism," which was posted to the MI6 board: https://www.mi6community.com/discussion/19540/the-adventure-journalism-of-ian-fleming/p1
Thanks for sharing that video. I found your theory concerning Jim Fanning to he very interesting. It's honestly something I've never considered before but I can see your point. Fanning was also partly based on the character Dr Fanshawe in the short story as well though I think he was a less friendly sort of chap if I recall correctly. I once had a similar theory about Blofeld in the film DAF being a parody of Fleming:
https://ajb007.co.uk/topic/40906/is-charles-grays-blofeld-in-daf-based-on-a-parody-of-ian-fleming/
I remember Pearson's Fleming biography describing the series of articles about Cousteau, and treasure hunts and cave exploration, so that's something I'd long been hoping to read one day.
I think that's a fair analysis. Fleming biographer Pearson (1966) appears to hedge his bets by implying that the existence of the films might have been a secondary factor in Fleming's thinking, but was not the main reason for the course-correction:
"He [Fleming] took as much trouble as ever with the plot of On Her Majesty's Secret Service...although The Spy Who Loved Me was not published in England until that April [1962] he already sensed that his experiment of telling the story in the first person through his heroine and of leaving Bond offstage until well over halfway through was not what his public wanted..." Pearson p. 357-358
Its intriguing, and a bit saddening, that Pearson asserts that Fleming thought that TSPWLM's first-person experiment was something of a failure even before publication. It would have been interesting if Fleming had written a similar novel where the first-person narrator throughout is actually Bond himself, sort of like how Lee Child's novels switch alternately between a first and third person perspective of Jack Reacher.
"The spectre of defeat..."
Cool stuff! I was telling the Missus this week how when we had Tom Mankiewicz as an event guest, to talk with us for hours, I forgot to ask him about Blofeld and similar subjects!!! D'oh!
That would've been great I'm sure to have met him! It would be interesting to know his reasoning in creating a new type of Blofeld in DAF. I know he did write an autobiography. I have a copy of it somewhere. I'm not sure if he goes into any detail on the thought processes behind the DAF Blofeld. I know the idea was to have Gray play Blofeld in the style of a famous gossip columnist of the time.