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'Quantum of Solace' quenches the 007 revival thirst
(November 18, 2008) – I have been a jamesbondophile since going to a Loew’s Theater in Washington, D.C., in 1962 to see the movie “Dr. No,” starring Sean Connery.
I was instantly hooked on the spy genre (after all, I lived in D.C., the very crux of intrigue and spydom, and survived the threatening Cuban missile crisis by visiting a local rathskeller on a regular basis after leaving work).
At a corner drugstore, I found Ian Fleming’s earlier novels, bought them and began my collection of the adventures of James Bond. In reading Fleming, I found him to be a somewhat tiresome writer – going on for page after page after page just to describe the underwater scenery off the coast of Jamaica or the fine points in winning a game of baccarat. However, when it came to devising an intrinsic plot that combined good guys, bad guys, beautiful women, hot automobiles and insidious organizations bent on world domination, Fleming was a master wordsmith.
Fleming’s first novel, “Casino Royale,” was published in 1953, and introduced the MI6 designation of double-ought agents, who had a license to kill (for queen and country). Thus, Bond’s 007 designation became an immediate addition to every jamesbondophile’s lexicon.
Although “Dr. No” was the first film version for 007, it was No. 6 in Fleming’s series – preceded by “Live and Let Live” (1954), “Moonraker” (1955), “Diamonds Are Forever” (1956) and “From Russia With Love” (1957). One of my favorite novels, “Goldfinger,” followed “Dr. No” to the bookshelf. In all, Fleming wrote 12 novels and nine short stories with James Bond as his 007 protagonist.
After Sean Connery handed the Bond mantle to George Lazenby (whom I liked as Bond No. 2) in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” and then Roger Moore (the ex-Saint), I sort of lost interest in the Bond movies. Instead of remaining true to Fleming’s concept of James Bond, the theater Bond became more of a gimmicky, flashy spy playing with thinly-clad women and delivering a humorous one-liner at some point in the movie.
When “Casino Royale” came to the screen in 2006, the pre-movie hype billed it as a revival of the James Bond franchise. After skipping the Pierce Brosnan- and Timothy Dalton-played Bonds (catching them later on TV), I was reluctant to revive my own 007-less world. I conjured up memories of the “Casino Royale” debacle released in 1967 that starred David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, Charles Boyer and John Huston. As a Bond purist, I absolutely gagged watching the spydom spoof on a VHS tape.
I did go to view the so-called revived “Casino Royale.” And, I was rewarded with an updated script (poker instead of baccarat, however, in Montenegro) and a new, more-like-Ian-Fleming’s-preconceived-007 and craggy-faced James Bond – actor Daniel Craig.
Then, after a two-year wait, came “Quantum of Solace.” I had chill bumps on my arms when I saw the previews to “Q of S,” so I was rewarded with an action-packed, true-to-the-Bond-ideal movie with a plausible plot in today’s “green” environment. “Q of S” wrapped up some loose threads from “Casino Royale,” brought back actors Jeffrey Wright (as Felix Leiter of the CIA), Giancarlo Giannini (as Mathis) and, of course Dame Judi Dench (as the wily M of MI6).
“Q of S” introduced me to the villain Dominic Greene (played by Mathieu Almaric), who, on the surface, seemed to be a regular guy without any particular idiosyncracies or deformities (as in some past villains); the redheaded agent Strawberry Fields (Gemma Arterton), whose demise reminded me of Shirley Eaton’s Jill Masterson role in “Goldfinger”; and Camille (Olga Kurylanko), who shared Bond’s drive to avenge a death of a loved one.
My only mark against “Q of S” is the opening credits. I did not like the cartoon-like opening credits of “Casino Royale,” so I was expecting something more appealing in “Q of S.” However, the song, “Another Way to Die,” (written by Jack White and sung with Alicia Keys) is a bummer and does not fit in with the true Bond theme. (I think some punk rock would’ve been perfect for the “sandy” graphics on screen.)
While some of the reviews I read panned the movie with a couple of stars or had a ludicrous headline like “Bland, James Bland” (Charlotte Observer), it was the No. 1 box office grabber, replacing “Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa” from the previous week. I don’t understand critics who can give four stars to a piece of film junk like “There Will Be Blood,” then pan one of the year’s best non-cartoonish action films destined to earn at least $500 million worldwide.
Some jamesbondophile trivia:
1) Aside from the James Bond series, what other well-known fictional novel did Ian Fleming pen?
2) What two Bond book titles have made it to the silver screen twice?
3) Which two Bond movies did Fleming see on the silver screen before his death?
4) Fleming wrote five short stories – “From a View to Kill,” “For Your Eyes Only,” “Quantum of Solace,” “Risico” and “The Hildebrand Rarity” – that became his eighth published Bond novel. What was the title of the book?
5) What was the title of Fleming’s last full-length Bond novel?
6) What were the titles of Fleming’s last two short stories featuring Bond?
Bond trivia answers:
1) “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”
2) “Casino Royale” and “Thunderball” (the second time as “Never Say Never” with Sean Connery).
3) “Dr. No” in 1962 and “From Russia With Love” in 1963. Fleming died of a heart attack at age 56 on Aug. 12, 1964, in Canterbury, England.
4) “For Your Eyes Only”
5) “The Man With the Golden Gun”
6) “Octopussy” and “The Living Daylights”
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