10 Flemingesque moments in Skyfall

[The Sweeney]

I've seen the film twice now, and a few Fleming-type moments jumped out at me more the second time round. Here they are -

1) The obvious one to begin with. Bond dying, Obituary written by M, a depressed Bond going AWOL, and then Bond reappearing again, with health at an all-time low. This whole episode is taken out of Fleming's last few novels - TB (Bond's health), YOLT (Bond being a shadow of his former self, Bond dying) and TMWTGG - Bond resurfacing and being tested and questioned.

2) Severine - she felt like a Fleming girl (a bird with one wing down). The fact that she was used as a young hooker emphasised this even more. There was a sadness about her. I actually felt more sorry for this Bond girl than any previous female, despite her brief appearance.

3) The scene with the glass on Severine's head felt like it was penned by Fleming. It was one of the most disturbing scenes in the entire franchise, and actually genuinely shocked me. The music playing in the background (what was it?) felt like the bizzare elements of Fleming, and Bond looking round feeling uncomfortable before the gun is placed in his hand was Craig's defining moment as Fleming's Bond for me. Here he nailed it.

4) Likewise, helicopters blaring music out as Silva flew towards Skyfall had a touch of the benign bizzare Fleming.

5) The whole casino scene from start to finish literally jumped out of an unwritten Fleming novel, from Bond's tense conversation with Severine, to the bizzare pit fight with dragons.

6) Silva had a touch of the outlandish Fleming villain. His appearance reminded me of how Scaramanga would have looked, and the hints at homosexuality emphasise that further, as I'm sure Scaramanga was attracted to Bond in TMWTGG.

7) M's death, tragic ending was another Fleming masterstroke. He often ended his novels with a shock twist, and only twice have we seen this appear in the films, with CR and OHMSS.

Skyall Lodge, with its tombstone graves. The title itself is very Fleming, and the house itself in Glencoe captured perfectly how Fleming probably imagined where his hero was brought up.

9) Bond asking to be taken to Severine's employer. Gambling his life to get to meet the villain, surrendering himself on the boat so he could face Silva felt very Flemingesque.

10) The Shanghai build-up, spying through glass windows reflecting neon, fighting against the backdrop of moving neon lights was another Fleming touch.

[bjmdds]

Sweeney, most reviews stated Ian Fleming would not even recognize what Eon has done to this franchise. I think you have wishful thinking in your idealistic but unrealistic Bond mind. Good buddy, it's been redefined from Fleming in a bad way.

[The Saint 007]

The thing is, the cinematic Bond is what made the character really popular all over the world. Most people got into Bond through the films, and mostly recognize the cinematic portrayal of him. There are people who are aware of the books, or may have read some of them, and just prefer the cinematic Bond better. But a lot of people who haven't read the books are not going to get all these Fleming-type moments, and will probably get confused, which can easily lead to anger.

I'm not bashing Fleming's work or anything, but more people know Bond for the films than they do the books. And after many years of the cinematic image of Bond being deeply embedded in the minds of audiences world wide, this sudden change will cause some problems.

[The Sweeney]

The thing is, the cinematic Bond is what made the character really popular all over the world. Most people got into Bond through the films, and mostly recognize the cinematic portrayal of him. There are people who are aware of the books, or may have read some of them, and just prefer the cinematic Bond better. But a lot of people who haven't read the books are not going to get all these Fleming-type moments, and will probably get confused, which can easily lead to anger.

I'm not bashing Fleming's work or anything, but more people know Bond for the films than they do the books. And after many years of the cinematic image of Bond being deeply embedded in the minds of audiences world wide, this sudden change will cause some problems.

I think out of Craig's 3 Bond films, Skyfall also contains the most cinematic Bond moments. Many of the one-liners return, Bond gets his swagger back, Q, Moneypenny and a male M return, as does M's old office. The Bond theme makes a welcome return (in a real crowd pleasing moment), as does `Bond, James Bond'.
The gadget concept returns too, with a gadget that saves Bond's life, but the best gadget moment is saved for the old Aston Martin DB5, in a real throwback 60's Bond retro scene.

This is why I think Skyfall works so well, and is so rewarding - the fact that it combines both cinematic and Fleming in one film without ruining either element.

[Napoleon Solo]

I'm not bashing Fleming's work or anything, but more people know Bond for the films than they do the books. And after many years of the cinematic image of Bond being deeply embedded in the minds of audiences world wide, this sudden change will cause some problems.

At this point, I'm not sure you can say it's a sudden change. It has been six years since the reboot. Until further notice, this is the direction.

While I haven't seen the movie, all this talk of "Bond with a capital B" and "magical Goldfinger feel" were talking points, designed to assure the oldsters. Then, after filming was done and just before the premier, Daniel Craig has said he meant "classic Bond" as would be seen as one of the classics of the series, not emulating classic movies of the series, he doesn't like to look backward, etc. Barbara Broccoli says the gunbarrel's placement will vary from film to film. That's just the way it is.

Having said that, there are Flemingesque moments. I saw an interview where Purvis and Wade said they used end of You Only Live Twice/start of The Man With the Golden Gun as their springboard.

[The Saint 007]

I'm not bashing Fleming's work or anything, but more people know Bond for the films than they do the books. And after many years of the cinematic image of Bond being deeply embedded in the minds of audiences world wide, this sudden change will cause some problems.

At this point, I'm not sure you can say it's a sudden change. It has been six years since the reboot. Until further notice, this is the direction.

While I haven't seen the movie, all this talk of "Bond with a capital B" and "magical Goldfinger feel" were talking points, designed to assure the oldsters. Then, after filming was done and just before the premier, Daniel Craig has said he meant "classic Bond" as would be seen as one of the classics of the series, not emulating classic movies of the series, he doesn't like to look backward, etc. Barbara Broccoli says the gunbarrel's placement will vary from film to film. That's just the way it is.

Having said that, there are Flemingesque moments. I saw an interview where Purvis and Wade said they used end of You Only Live Twice/start of The Man With the Golden Gun as their springboard.

From the Brosnan era to the Craig era, there was a sudden change in the direction/tone of the films. I know there's been certain changes throughout the series, but in my opinion, this was probably the most drastic. After Die Another Day, I just thought the series would just continue on, with Brosnan returning in a more down-to-earth Bond film. I was never expecting a whole reboot/reinvention of the series. I read numerous negative online reviews of the Craig Bond films, where people seem confused and upset by the changes, and how the films don't feel familiar or have the same appeal as the older ones. Then they will usually get the "You're stupid! Go read the books!" response in return from some of the Bond fanatics. But as I mentioned before, more people got into Bond through the films than the books, so it's the cinematic image of Bond that they've come to know and love.

The general audience hated Quantum Of Solace, and thought it was a sloppily made mess of a film. Some the nerdy Bond fanatics will again point out that they simply just don't understand all the various symbolic meanings and artistic creativity of it. Most of the general audience doesn't care about all these things, and are not going to take the time to analyse how the gunbarrel placed at the end of the film is a symbol of Bond transitioning into the cool spy we've known him to be. As a Bond fan, even I found that funny when I first heard it mentioned on a forum.

[Napoleon Solo]

My stock question to Quantum fans is what year did it take place?

We were told (hyped) that it took place 2 minutes/30 minutes/2 hours after Casino Royale (the timing varied upon who was commenting). But in CR, the video survelliance at the club says 2006. An invitation to Dominic Greene's party says it's 2008. It couldn't have taken Bond two years to track down Mr. White because he had his cell phone number. Drug gangs are smart enough to use disposable cell phones. If it took two years, either Bond or White was an idiot, or both.

If you walk them through all that, some get defensive and say "You're just being picky! That's not real film criticism!" Never mind that Bond has a different suit, different car, M has totally redecorated her office, they stopped interrogating Mathis and got his a villa, etc, etc.

[Blowfeld]

They sell Goldfinger and the golden age only to find out it is supposed to be a new classic , incomparable to the old standard.

[The Sweeney]

My stock question to Quantum fans is what year did it take place?

We were told (hyped) that it took place 2 minutes/30 minutes/2 hours after Casino Royale (the timing varied upon who was commenting). But in CR, the video survelliance at the club says 2006. An invitation to Dominic Greene's party says it's 2008. It couldn't have taken Bond two years to track down Mr. White because he had his cell phone number. Drug gangs are smart enough to use disposable cell phones. If it took two years, either Bond or White was an idiot, or both.

If you walk them through all that, some get defensive and say "You're just being picky! That's not real film criticism!" Never mind that Bond has a different suit, different car, M has totally redecorated her office, they stopped interrogating Mathis and got his a villa, etc, etc.

Are there any Quantum fans? Most people I know hate the film.

[Kristatos]

Are there any Quantum fans? Most people I know hate the film.

You get the odd hipster pretending to like it and seeing its unpopularity as proof that the great mass of common humanity just doesn't understand the film.

[The Saint 007]

Are there any Quantum fans? Most people I know hate the film.

You get the odd hipster pretending to like it and seeing its unpopularity as proof that the great mass of common humanity just doesn't understand the film.

I do see threads on IMDb and other sites, about how Quantum Of Solace is such a great film, and how it's not as bad as many people say. Some defenders claim that the film will grow on you when you view it multiple times, but I hardly think that's the case.

A couple of weeks ago, my aunt phoned, and we somehow got into a conversation about the Bond films. She mentioned that she saw Quantum Of Solace on TV a while ago, and said that she did not understand the film at all, and that it was pretty forgettable. She said " The only part I can really remember, is some building exploding in the middle of a desert." But funny enough, she was recalling scenes from Moonraker, which she hasn't watched in years. So yeah, most of the general audience sees Quantum Of Solace as a sloppy and forgettable film, while some of the hardcore Bond nerds see it as great and underrated.

[Napoleon Solo]

My stock question to Quantum fans is what year did it take place?

We were told (hyped) that it took place 2 minutes/30 minutes/2 hours after Casino Royale (the timing varied upon who was commenting). But in CR, the video survelliance at the club says 2006. An invitation to Dominic Greene's party says it's 2008. It couldn't have taken Bond two years to track down Mr. White because he had his cell phone number. Drug gangs are smart enough to use disposable cell phones. If it took two years, either Bond or White was an idiot, or both.

If you walk them through all that, some get defensive and say "You're just being picky! That's not real film criticism!" Never mind that Bond has a different suit, different car, M has totally redecorated her office, they stopped interrogating Mathis and got his a villa, etc, etc.

Are there any Quantum fans? Most people I know hate the film.

There are and some of them get *very* defensive about it. Last year, after Daniel Craig said Quantum wasn't as good as it could have been, some opined that it was a shame DC had been "forced" to say that. Forced?

Meanwhile, I've seen others in effect say you're an idiot if you don't appreciate the genius of Quantum.

[Kristatos]

Meanwhile, I've seen others in effect say you're an idiot if you don't appreciate the genius of Quantum.

http://www.cracked.com/funny-4573-hipster/

[shaken not stirred]

The only fleming moment in skyfall is the phlegm in My throat.