40 replies to this topic

[Craig is 007]

There are 6 Fleming titles EON havent used yet.

The Property of a Lady
Quantum of Solace
The Hildebrand Rarity
007 in New York
Berlin Escape
Risico

I hope EON will use Risico for Bond 23 (if they havent used it for Bond 22)...

Edited by Jim, 25 February 2007 - 05:41 PM.

[PrinceKamalKhan]

There are 6 Fleming titles EON havent used yet.

The Property of a Lady
Quantum of Solace
The Hildebrand Rarity
007 in New York
Berlin Escape
Risico

I hope EON will use Risico for Bond 23 (if they havent used it for Bond 22)...

I think The Property of a Lady would make a great title for a Bond film-

http://007art.free.f...e/property1.htm

"The Lady" in the title would need to be played by a Jane Seymour-type caliber incredible Bond girl, i.e. one who is absolutely gorgeous and can act as well as she looks.


Risico would work as well.

[Qwerty]

“The Property of a Lady” would work well in my opinion.

[HildebrandRarity]

The Bond 22 title is a derivative of The Hildebrand Rarity:


Barron Von Hildebrand

[Loomis]

There are 6 Fleming titles EON havent used yet.

The Property of a Lady
Quantum of Solace
The Hildebrand Rarity
007 in New York
Berlin Escape
Risico

Berlin Escape? Never heard of it. Where's it from?

[Andrew]

It's the original title of TLD, IIRC.

[Loomis]

Ah. Thought that might have been the case, but it's the first I've heard of it. Thanks. Just as long as they don't use THE UNDERTAKER'S WIND.

[00Twelve]

Does The Undertaker's Wind seriously draw that many people immediately toward thinking about flatuence? I think it's a good title, myself.

[Vauxhall]

“The Property of a Lady” would work well in my opinion.

Very much agreed. If used for BOND 22, the "lady" in question could very well be Vesper. I'd approve very strongly of that.

[DamnCoffee]

The Property of a Lady for Bond 22
Risico for Bond 23

If Craig still says:
The Hildebrand Rarity for Bond 24
Quantum of Solace for Bond 25

I dont think 'Berlin Escape' would make a good title, it sounds like an old 1950/1960s war movie and as for '007 in New York', i think this short story could be made into a pre-title sequence for a future Bond movie

[the other fellow]

[quote name='mharkin' date='25 February 2007 - 21:40' post='705895']
The Property of a Lady for Bond 22
Risico for Bond 23

Makes sense if B22 and B23 form part of a trilogy.

I prefer "Thrilling Cities" over "007 in New York".

I'd love to see some of Fleming's alternate titles used -
"Death Leaves an Echo"
"The Rough with the Smooth"
or
"The Belles of Hell"

[ComplimentsOfSharky]

Don't forget "The Diamond Smugglers"

African conflict diamonds might be the perfect background for a fresh Bond plot.

[Alter Ego]

There are plenty of chapter titles from the books that would make good film titles. Take one in Live And Let Die, for instance; "Valley of Shadows".

[spynovelfan]

I'd love to see some of Fleming's alternate titles used -
"Death Leaves an Echo"
"The Rough with the Smooth"
or
"The Belles of Hell"

I think HELL IS HERE or TRIGGER FINGER could also work, especially the first (though I don't share the hunger for another MOONRAKER adaptation).

[DamnCoffee]

I love the chaper title 'Slay it with flowers' from YOLT.

[Professor Pi]

I think there's more creative ways to honor Fleming than using any of these titles. I thought "GoldenEye" (a reference to Fleming's Jamaica home AND his unused spy plan from the cold war) was a good title, but that should be it for the metallic body parts! "The World Is Not Enough" was also good in referencing OHMSS (and playing a part of the film's subtext explaining how Bond falls for Elektra so easily), and it has enough of a dichotomy to make it sound Bondian.

On that count, "Risico" fails horribly. Plus its story was already used in the film FYEO. Same could be said for "The Property of a Lady", plus there's no reason to refer to OCTOPUSSY. "Berlin Escape" is too dated, though the other working title "Trigger Finger" could work. "The Diamond Smugglers" isn't a Bond title, nor clever enough to be one, and the same could be said for Ian Fleming's unpublished book about Kuwait, "State of Excitement." LICENCE TO KILL already used the characters and some scenes from "The Hildebrand Rarity", plus the Hildebrand Rarity is itself a fish! "Quantum of Solace" does not sound Bondian, or even action-oriented at all, and indeed, is a short story whereby Bond largely just listens to a woman rant on about her marriage. "007 in New York" is just two pages listing a recipe Bond made.

But I do feel there's some gold to be mined in Fleming's working titles for his other books. There's at least five working titles for the Moonraker novel, I recall. I actually would have preferred TOMORROW NEVER DIES to be called "The Richest Man in the World," Fleming's working title for Goldfinger, and one that would still make sense for Elliot Carver. If you read "Live and Let Die", you wonder why it wasn't called "The Undertaker's Wind." But that'd be tough to market.

Finally, has anyone noticed on this site that the "Death for Breakfast" line in DIE ANOTHER DAY is a reference to a chapter title in OHMSS? That's how they should use chapter titles in future films, just as dialogue, I think.

[RazorBlade]

I like the rough with the smooth. Oh, and as a film title too.

[Craig is 007]

I agree. The rough with the smooth is a great title

[spynovelfan]

"Quantum of Solace" does not sound Bondian, or even action-oriented at all, and indeed, is a short story whereby Bond largely just listens to a woman rant on about her marriage.

Not the version I've read! And I think it sounds very Bondian myself. Sure, nobody will know what it means, especially not 16-year-old boys, but I never knew what Octopussy meant when I was that age, and it does actually mean something, unlike, say, Tomorrow Never Dies. If I were using the title, I'd model the villain on Masters, and reveal at some point in the film that his wife is effectively imprisoned by him as punishment for earlier infidelity, and that she can't afford to get out. Bond, of course, rescues her. A bit like LTK, perhaps, but then a lot of the Bond films have similarities, and if you called him Masters and her Rhoda and made her a former air stewardess, and used the title... If they can make CASINO ROYALE work, they could make this work, surely. QUANTUM OF SOLACE sounds very classy, mysterious and Bond to me.

[plankattack]

I know I'm about to be a heretic, but what about stealing some non-Fleming author titles. I've always liked the sound of "Win, Lose, or Die," and "The Facts of Death." And only the titles are needed (though I will forever live in disappointment that Colonel Sun has been lazily strip-mined - the kidnapping of M should be a major pot point, not wedged into TWINE).

[Zorin Industries]

Well THE PROPERTY OF A LADY should be the Algerian loveknot necklace that I think VESPER has deliberately left as a trail of breadcrumbs for BOND to track down her boyfriend and some answers.

Though the use of the title in OCTOPUSSY sort of cancels out THE PROPERTY OF A LADY, does it not?

[00Twelve]

Well THE PROPERTY OF A LADY should be the Algerian loveknot necklace that I think VESPER has deliberately left as a trail of breadcrumbs for BOND to track down her boyfriend and some answers.

Though the use of the title in OCTOPUSSY sort of cancels out THE PROPERTY OF A LADY, does it not?

I always thought it did.

[Judo chop]

Does The Undertaker's Wind seriously draw that many people immediately toward thinking about flatuence? I think it's a good title, myself.

To minds like mine, yeah I'm afraid so.

Maybe a little literary license could be taken to adjust for the potty-minded population?

The Undertaker's Gale?
The Undertaker's Gust?
The Undertaker's Blow?

aw, nevermind.

[Professor Pi]

I thought it'd be kind of cool if they used Blofeld's alias from the YOLT novel, Dr. Gunthram Shatterhand, as an actual villain name. He could be the ultimate boss behind Mr. White's SPECTRE-like organization. All the Bond fans would get the reference, without confusing the casual fans. It could be the third Daniel Craig film:

SHATTERHAND

I'm sort of resigned to THE PROPERTY OF A LADY being a solid title for the second film if they pursue that Algerian love-knot storyline. And the fan art posters for TPOAL are fabulous too!

(For the record, I do know that someone else on this site had this idea first, but I forgot who.)

[JLaidlaw]

Sorry, you've mentioned so many I thought we deserved a list, hope I haven't left any out:

Unused Fleming Titles:
The Property of a Lady
Risico
Quantum of Solace
The Hildebrand Rarity
007 in New York

Working Titles:
My Enemy's Enemy (13th Novel?)
The Rough with the Smooth (FYEO Collection)
Death Leaves an Echo (FYEO Story)
The Undertaker's Wind (Live and Let Die)
Hell is Here (Moonraker)
Trigger Finger (The Living Daylights)
Berlin Escape (The Living Daylights)
Rough Justice (FYEO Story)
The Deadly Gamble (Casino Royale Reprint)
The Inhuman Element (Moonraker)
The Richest Man in the World (Goldfinger)
The Diamond Egg (TPOAL)
The Infernal Machine (Moonraker)
The Belles of Hell (OHMSS)
The Fabulous Payoff (TPOAL)
Wide of the Mark (Moonraker)
Mondays are Hell (Moonraker)
Out of the Clear Sky (Moonraker)
Man's Work (FYEO Story)
Reminiscences in a Carey Cadillac (007 in New York)
The Wound Man (TV Dr No)
Commander Jamaica (TV Dr No)
Nude Girl Of Nightmare Key (Dr No Serialisation)

Names Adopted by American Publishers:
Too Hot to Handle
You Asked For It

Other Fleming Titles:
The Diamond Smugglers
Thrilling Cities
State of Excitement (Never heard that one before)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I thought Licence to Kill was actually a pretty good title, fitting in to the On Her Majesty's Secret Service vein. So are there any Bondian elements which could be used as titles? The only ones I could think of were Shaken not Stirred and Mr Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, but I'm sure there's others that'll work a lot better.
Personally, I think Fleming titles should be used, but only The Property of a Lady, Quantum of Solace and My Enemy's Enemy. Risico possibly. The Rough with the Smooth would have been great for a Connery film, but it's a very sixties name, like From Russia with Love. There's something about Trigger Finger and Deadly Gamble which leads me not to dismiss them altogether, but the rest are horrible as film titles.
Hell is Here and Death Leaves an Echo however are great as taglines.

Still... Nude Girl of Nightmare Key? What a title for Bond 22

[ShySmile]

Loving 'MY ENEMY'S ENEMY' and 'TRIGGER FINGER'. Not a Fleming related title but a little while back in another forum someone brought up the title 'THE MOURNING AFTER'. Fantastic and very Fleming-esque.

[JLaidlaw]

To be honest, I think we criticise Eon for it's awful titles, but there's something about Fleming titles that's very hard to emulate, the man had a good ear. All the ones he actually used just slip off the tongue so easily, even ones like Live and Let Die or From Russia With Love, which as I said, should be ridiculously cheesy.
Having said that, in reality only two titles weren't in some way from Fleming- Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day, so I suppose given that last one that's quite a bad record overall.

PS Just realised Nude Girl of Nightmare Key isn't a Fleming title, it should come under Names Adopted by American Publishers

[RazorBlade]

I like Nude Girl of Nightmare Key. no reason, I just do.

[Loomis]

Well THE PROPERTY OF A LADY should be the Algerian loveknot necklace that I think VESPER has deliberately left as a trail of breadcrumbs for BOND to track down her boyfriend and some answers.

Though the use of the title in OCTOPUSSY sort of cancels out THE PROPERTY OF A LADY, does it not?

I always thought it did.

I've never understood this view. Why does OCTOPUSSY's use of THE PROPERTY OF A LADY render it ineligible as a future title? Is it not possible that Bond would more than once in his lifetime hear something referred to as "the property of a lady", or use that expression himself?

(Indeed, isn't "the property of a lady" mentioned in OHMSS, too, when Bond asks about the car parked infront of the hotel?)

Anyhow, "the world is not enough" is said in OHMSS, yet that didn't stop Eon using it as a title in 1999.

[spynovelfan]

PROPERTY OF A LADY sounds tellibly Merchant Ivory, though. I'd save that for when Jeremy Northam becomes Bond. Also, how would it fit with Vesper's necklace? Only if you renamed it PROPERTY OF A BITCH, surely?