tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post3855087509811567008..comments2023-08-22T13:59:23.795+01:00Comments on Slide23: Codename: BondAlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05140345209343325701noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-42669020731418938152011-04-15T00:37:18.845+01:002011-04-15T00:37:18.845+01:00I'm suitably humbled.
It is only a matter of t...I'm suitably humbled.<br />It is only a matter of time before you are contacted by the Scions of Broccoli - maybe to recruit you or silence you for getting dangerously close to the truth.<br />The absence of Bob Holness and David Niven does nothing to undermine this (actually Holness is a bit of a Man Who Never Was - a radio transmission intercepted from South Africa in 1956 - from someone claiming to be James Bond, is in fact believed to be Holness. No one knows if Holness was part of an earlier Bond programme, but he was linked to Auric Goldfinger and a fledgling gold smuggling operation - that would later become known as The Gold Run.)Xavier Blancmangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15593415135559566667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-59436929235774630382011-04-14T13:28:51.101+01:002011-04-14T13:28:51.101+01:00Of course being a rationalization of the film fran...Of course being a rationalization of the film franchise it is important that where the same person played different parts then those parts must be the same person themselves. <br /><br />'Miss Anders' (real name Smythe) is first seen in the films as the mistress of Scaramanga (more of him below) and apparently killed when she is used as a foil to lure Bond either to his death, or Scaramangas. Her death is clearly a matter of exaggeration since we later encounter her under the even more extravagant sobriquet of 'Octopussy', a renowned smuggler. Or is it so extravagant? The problem here is of not taking very much from the books - as it is the films that this concerns (there are no different actors in the books, per se).<br /><br />Fortunately on checking it seems that in the film (fortunately) it does say that her father was Major Smythe and that Bond made him commit suicide (though in the film over Chinese, not Nazi gold).<br /><br />Step to one side however and let us look at Scaramanga. In the books he is Paco, an enforcer for the Spangled Mob (the ubiquitous Mafia family seen in Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger and, um, GASS). In the films though - importantly - he was British, a hit man for hire. Possibly even and however briefly - he was 'James Bond' too. It was he that visited Major Smythe, seen doing so by Smythe's daughter, Andrea. The gold of course is never recovered.<br /><br />Andrea using the gold, a superb mind and possible contacts we can only allude to becomes a renowned smuggler. As such she is able to manipulate situations such that she becomes Scaramanga's lover. Then she makes her move, set to use SIS and ironically James Bond to hunt down and kill Scaramanga. Her deeper motives are unknown. M ever the gruff, efficient and nasty old fascist is well aware that questions are being asked already and whilst he does not know of the Spycatcher style 'Never Say Never Again' tell-all biography coming out in the next couple of years the chance to remove a former Bond is too good a chance to miss.<br /><br />In Operation Octopussy still clearly enamored of the Moore Bond she orders Khan not to kill him. She harbours strong emotions for Bond still, though even she did not imagine a crocodile submarine. It is whilst Bond is involved in all this that the Never Say Never Again revelations hit an unsuspecting SIS.<br /><br />Whilst as is typical their relationship does not last, it is worth noting that whilst Bond is later engaged on his last mission(Operation A View To A Kill) Smythe/Anders/Octopussy is seen in the fisherman's wharf crowd. Whether there is unfinished business or some deeper meaning is unclear. Shortly thereafter Bond retires apparently in good grace and marries the heiress Stacey Sutton. 'Retires' there is some speculation before he is gotten ride of, his links to CIA rather too close for Dench who shortly thereafter takes over as M.Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140345209343325701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-87566941431995861802011-04-14T13:28:25.996+01:002011-04-14T13:28:25.996+01:00It also makes sense why 'Brosnan' Bond wen...It also makes sense why 'Brosnan' Bond went mad - at the beginning of the suspiciously named Operation Die Another Day he is captured and held for more than a year by the North Koreans, tortured and treated generally pretty badly! Someone betrayed him and when he is exchanged his 007 status is revoked - Dench in effect working to remove the whole Programme once again, setting him up and only agreeing to the exchange due to American pressure and fears over what 'Bond' might say. She cannot afford to be part of another 'Never Say Never Again' fiasco (which is what pout her in power in the first place after all, and she is cleaner than clean - not like that old fascist M who first started all the Bond trouble). <br /><br />Borsnan Bond is to be 'sent to the Falklands' (in house code for killed') but escapes and threafter we can never be sure in the film if what we are seeing is real, or in his head - invisible cars being the most obvious.<br /><br />Indeed next time I watch the film I will make sure I am thinking 'Fight Club' all the way through it. <br /><br />But. If we take it then as said that Dench is stuck with the 007s and wants rid of them there's quite a lot that could be viewed differently. And Bond would be more like Spooks. Which would suit me. Even when she retorts 'doing his job' when Bond is criticized it is not he she is defending, but her own decisions. Dench is a dangerous figure, prickly and for whom is head of SIS really as high as she wishes to go? Does she actually have a long term plan for which a James Bond is needed? Who is it that once suitably conditioned her Daniel Craig 'Bond' will actually be set against? <br /><br />I'll stop now, it's too easy - I could end up doing this all day. The whole franchise can make more sense, be a lot cooler, darker and more deeply layered - and all without refilming so much as a single frame. <br /><br />But behind it all, Dench is the real villain...Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140345209343325701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-60676715924112197742011-04-14T13:28:06.815+01:002011-04-14T13:28:06.815+01:00Also.
Whilst the 'Dalton' Bond seeks to b...Also.<br /><br />Whilst the 'Dalton' Bond seeks to bring down Brad Whittaker (Operation Living Daylights) this reinforces M (Dench) cleaning house - since Whittaker is later shown to actually be Jack Wade (CIA) in Operations Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies. Since the 'Moore' Bond was a CIA double agent, this might all be part of Dench's then brief. An SIS/CIA subplot. Now, I'm sure there's more evidence of that to be found... <br /><br />((Joe Don Baker - Jedburgh from Edge Of Darkness - plays both the above parts, Whittaker and Wade))Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140345209343325701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-77990925573581257592011-04-14T13:27:45.796+01:002011-04-14T13:27:45.796+01:00Top man, he doubtless did too before then recruiti...Top man, he doubtless did too before then recruiting a load of laughably old fools as Wild Geese. When I posted this elsewhere we spiralled off a little further (copied across):<br /><br />The original and actual James Bond produces his Peter Wright style (Spycatcher) memoirs - and Never Say Never Again is the film version of Operation Thunderball. Sean Connery though getting on a bit looks quite like Bond (who always liked him as an actor). Indeed since there is of course still a 'James Bond' on the books (although in India for Operation Octopussy). Things come to light, questions are asked and as a result of which when two years later the current 'Bond' retires it now comes to light that this was partly due to his being under investigation. He does indeed marry Stacey Sutton and settles in America. This adds fuel to the flames however that the then current Bond was actually a double agent for CIA, recruited in Operation Live And let Die and run by his handler 'Felix Leiter', who similarly changed.<br /><br />All this nearly brought down SIS. The person in charge of the investigation (Judy Dench) in the end replaces the former M with a brief to clean house. This explains her long held reluctance to maintain the James Bond Programme. Actually it explain a lot about Judy Dench's portrayal...Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05140345209343325701noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6874013862434397626.post-68010975189735278762011-04-13T23:10:19.762+01:002011-04-13T23:10:19.762+01:00Outstanding. Except for the fate of the Roger Moo...Outstanding. Except for the fate of the Roger Moore character - who surely retires to keep cats in a castle.<br />Britain needs him but one more time (North Sea Hijack) and bearded he answers the call. His reward ? Why, kittens galore.Xavier Blancmangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15593415135559566667noreply@blogger.com