69 replies to this topic

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

I'm sorry if this topic has been discussed already, but I'm getting sick of people saying, "What does Quantum of Solace mean?" Seriously people, it's not that hard. Get a dictionary and look it up...

[FLEMINGFAN]

I'm sorry if this topic has been discussed already, but I'm getting sick of people saying, "What does Quantum of Solace mean?" Seriously people, it's not that hard. Get a dictionary and look it up...

Exactly!

Or they could read the original Ian Fleming story.

[Jaws0178]

Hey, what does Quantum of Solace mean? Just joking. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

Hey, what does Quantum of Solace mean? Just joking. Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Just kidding, lol!!!
(Don't take it personally, Jaws0178.)

Edited by danielcraigisjamesbond007, 09 March 2009 - 04:10 AM.

[Jaws0178]

I never do.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

My complaint is that everyone was wondering what it meant. REALLY?! You don't know what it means? Google it, or something.
I mean, at least Quantum of Solace is a Fleming title, not like Licence to Kill. At least Quantum of Solace sounds ten times better than Licence to Kill.
Plus, Quantum of Solace is 100 times better than "007 in New York."

Edited by danielcraigisjamesbond007, 09 March 2009 - 05:13 AM.

[Mr Teddy Bear]

This topic is so 2008.

[Christopher006]

I don't know what Quantum of Solace means, but I don't care. The film is completely forgettable. It is more like Quantum of Boring. I'll call it Quantum of Crap for now on because that is exactly what it is.

I am sure 007 in New York or 007 With His Hand In My Grandmother's Cookie Jar would be better than Quantum of Crap.

Edited by Christopher006, 09 March 2009 - 06:37 AM.

[the doctor]

I don't know what Quantum of Solace means, but I don't care. The film is completely forgettable. It is more like Quantum of Boring. I'll call it Quantum of Crap for now on because that is exactly what it is.

I am sure 007 in New York or 007 With His Hand In My Grandmother's Cookie Jar would be better than Quantum of Crap.

i thought "quantum" meant the smallest possible amount. if so your attempt to parody the name is futile as you are saying there is the smallest amount of "boring" and "crap" in the film. making it the opposite of your intention.

"the smallest discrete quantity of some physical property that a system can possess" is the definition i have

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

[Auric64]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Best

Andy

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Right. I feel the same way that you do. Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

[Santa]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

Quantum of Solace sounds way better than, for an example:
Floccinauccinihilipilification of Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis.
Try THAT for confusing..

[__7]

I don't know what Quantum of Solace means, but I don't care. The film is completely forgettable. It is more like Quantum of Boring. I'll call it Quantum of Crap for now on because that is exactly what it is.

I am sure 007 in New York or 007 With His Hand In My Grandmother's Cookie Jar would be better than Quantum of Crap.

unbelievable

[CaptainPower]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

[HH007]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

We're not talking about "liking" the title, we're talking about the "thick" people who don't understand it.

[Santa]

Thank you.

[level007]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Best

Andy

Well Andy, if i undertand what you are saying, this mean that Anthony Hopkinks should have explained what "Silence of the lambs" means at the end of the movie ?
are people so lazy that moviemaker must explain the title duyring the movie ?
just take 3à second of your life and search the definition of the title or if you can read the book, as someone said.
Sorry but for me this kind of reaction is a direct consequence of too much tv, too much people being only passive and not trying to think by themselves. But that's another story....

[HH007]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Best

Andy

Well Andy, if i undertand what you are saying, this mean that Anthony Hopkinks should have explained what "Silence of the lambs" means at the end of the movie ?
are people so lazy that moviemaker must explain the title duyring the movie ?
just take 3à second of your life and search the definition of the title or if you can read the book, as someone said.
Sorry but for me this kind of reaction is a direct consequence of too much tv, too much people being only passive and not trying to think by themselves...

And too much Internets.

[CaptainPower]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

We're not talking about "liking" the title, we're talking about the "thick" people who don't understand it.

Okay. Take my original comment and replace the word "like" with "understand". I stand by that completely.

As I've said before, people shouldn't have to read a bunch of interviews in order to understand the title of a film. The meaning should be explained in a subtle but firm way within the film itself, and by the amount of confusion even after people had seen it, clearly it wasn't 100% successful.. no matter if myself, you or millions of other people DO understand it.

Edited by CaptainPower, 10 March 2009 - 09:32 PM.

[MajorB]

Let me say first of all that I like the title. It's one of those offbeat Fleming phrases that grabs the ear and makes a kind of sense even if the meaning isn't always obvious.

But to play devil's advocate for a moment: Let's face it, the title is obscure. It's a coinage, rather than a play on an existing phrase (like "Live and Let Die" or "You Only Live Twice"), so its meaning isn't intuitively clear. And the syntax isn't obvious--does it mean "a quantum of solace"? Or does it refer to a guy named Quantum who comes from a town named Solace? Plus, the fact that the evil organization is named Quantum creates confusion because that meaning of "Quantum" doesn't relate to the meaning of the title.

So I don't think it's unreasonable for some people, upon encountering the title, to scratch their heds and go "Wha--?" Nor is it unreasonable for them to comment on their reaction. Those of us that like the film and the title may find it frustrating, but I honestly can't fault anyone for reacting to the title that way.

I do agree that all this would been solved if the phrase could have been worked into the dialogue. But my hunch is that, by the time the title was chosen, it wasn't feasible to do this. Either there were no scenes left to shoot in which such a discussion would have been plausible ("I think you're so blinded by inconsolable rage, Bond, that you can't find even a quantum of solace"), or adding it would have required bending such scenes so far out of their intended shape that they would've been ruined.

But I think that the filmmakers understood all this when they chose the title, and decided to take the bad with the good. They knew some people would be baffled, and they chose to live with that fact.

[Santa]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

We're not talking about "liking" the title, we're talking about the "thick" people who don't understand it.

Okay. Take my original comment and replace the word "like" with "understand". I stand by that completely.

As I've said before, people shouldn't have to read a bunch of interviews in order to understand the title of a film. The meaning should be explained in a subtle but firm way within the film itself, and by the amount of confusion even after people had seen it, clearly it wasn't 100% successful.. no matter if myself, you or millions of other people DO understand it.

Or people should just know what simple words mean without having to look them up.

[HH007]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

We're not talking about "liking" the title, we're talking about the "thick" people who don't understand it.

Okay. Take my original comment and replace the word "like" with "understand". I stand by that completely.

As I've said before, people shouldn't have to read a bunch of interviews in order to understand the title of a film. The meaning should be explained in a subtle but firm way within the film itself, and by the amount of confusion even after people had seen it, clearly it wasn't 100% successful.. no matter if myself, you or millions of other people DO understand it.

Or people should just know what simple words mean without having to look them up.

Thank you, Santa. Although it seems many people couldn't even be bothered to look those few words up. And for those of us who did know what those words meant, the meaning was very well explained in a subtle but firm way.

[Auric64]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Best

Andy

Well Andy, if i undertand what you are saying, this mean that Anthony Hopkinks should have explained what "Silence of the lambs" means at the end of the movie ?
are people so lazy that moviemaker must explain the title duyring the movie ?
just take 3à second of your life and search the definition of the title or if you can read the book, as someone said.
Sorry but for me this kind of reaction is a direct consequence of too much tv, too much people being only passive and not trying to think by themselves...

And too much Internets.

Actually, there are a couple of lines in "Silence of the Lambs" where Lecter, (Hopkins) is talking to Starling, (Foster) about her daddy`s farm, and about silencing the lambs there. So there is a mention of it, and even if there hadn`t been, a title like "Silence of the Lambs" could possibly be interpreted by movie going audiences to be Lecter silencing those that come before him, or even Buffalo Bill silencing those he kills, (his victims literally being lambs to the slaughter).

There are ways of looking at that film`s title and finding it easier to understand than Quantum`s title.

All it would have taken is a line or two in that final scene between Bond and M, where M could have said, "You`ve found your Quantum of Solace" to which Bond replies, "I don`t understand" only for M to tell him, and us (the audience) exactly what it means.

It would have sent a lot of confused (non hardcore Bond fans) home happy.

Not every Bond movie fan is a Bond novel fan. Because of that, things that we Bond fans become aware of, (like first hearing of Quantum`s title and later accepting that title because we can see how it fits in with the film`s story) need to be explained to those that are unaware of this title in a Fleming Bond book.

It`s just a shame that the producers, Forster and Haggis didn`t do this.

Best

Andy

[HH007]

I'm getting sick of the reviews on iTunes that say things like, "The title is sooo confusing." Really? Really? As I said, go find a dictionary (electronic or print) and just type it in. I don't think that it's THAT arduous.

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

If that had happened, then we wouldn`t be discussing this now.

Best

Andy

Well Andy, if i undertand what you are saying, this mean that Anthony Hopkinks should have explained what "Silence of the lambs" means at the end of the movie ?
are people so lazy that moviemaker must explain the title duyring the movie ?
just take 3à second of your life and search the definition of the title or if you can read the book, as someone said.
Sorry but for me this kind of reaction is a direct consequence of too much tv, too much people being only passive and not trying to think by themselves...

And too much Internets.

Actually, there are a couple of lines in "Silence of the Lambs" where Lecter, (Hopkins) is talking to Starling, (Foster) about her daddy`s farm, and about silencing the lambs there. So there is a mention of it, and even if there hadn`t been, a title like "Silence of the Lambs" could possibly be interpreted by movie going audiences to be Lecter silencing those that come before him, or even Buffalo Bill silencing those he kills, (his victims literally being lambs to the slaughter).

There are ways of looking at that film`s title and finding it easier to understand than Quantum`s title.

All it would have taken is a line or two in that final scene between Bond and M, where M could have said, "You`ve found your Quantum of Solace" to which Bond replies, "I don`t understand" only for M to tell him, and us (the audience) exactly what it means.

It would have sent a lot of confused (non hardcore Bond fans) home happy.

Wait, so you would have the filmmakers insult the audience's intelligence with such a lame, on the nose exchange, which would've been stilted and unnecessary? Anyone who is familiar with "Casino Royale", and who has watched QoS, should be able to "understand" the title, period.

[jamie00007]

I agree, having a line explaining the title in the film would have been lame as hell. It would have been as clunky as "So you live to Die Another Day." if not more so.

I still dont know how anyone with a moderate IQ had a problem understanding it. The word "solace" is in common, everyday usage. And anyone who thought about it for more than one second should be able to realise that the word "QUANTum" is derivative of "QUANTity". Its not that hard... And anyone who understood that should have been easily able to put it into context in the film.

Even if it actually was hard to understand, I still dont see the issue. What the hell does "Tomorrow Never Dies" mean?

[CaptainPower]

Had they thrown in a line that said what Quantum of Solace actually means, people wouldn't have been confused. But they didn't, and that's why people are still confused about the title.

That and the fact that many people are a bit thick.

Many thick people don't like the title or the film. But I'm sure just as many intelligent people feel exactly the same way.. so lets play nice.

We're not talking about "liking" the title, we're talking about the "thick" people who don't understand it.

Okay. Take my original comment and replace the word "like" with "understand". I stand by that completely.

As I've said before, people shouldn't have to read a bunch of interviews in order to understand the title of a film. The meaning should be explained in a subtle but firm way within the film itself, and by the amount of confusion even after people had seen it, clearly it wasn't 100% successful.. no matter if myself, you or millions of other people DO understand it.

Or people should just know what simple words mean without having to look them up.

No, sorry.. I strongly doubt that either "quantum" or "solace" are words that your average/ordinary person will use in every day conversation. Suggesting people are idiots by not knowing what they mean is more than a little arrogant.

[Vauxhall]

No, sorry.. I strongly doubt that either "quantum" or "solace" are words that your average/ordinary person will use in every day conversation.

Well, I'd personally have to revise my opinion of what constitutes an "average/ordinary person" because I have many friends from a wide range of backgrounds, and all of them understand the title. They don't necessarily use the words every day, but they at least comprehend them.

Anyway, a bit off-topic, but this whole sort of thing always confuses me. This doesn't apply to this thread, but I never understand why people come on to forums to ask questions which can just as easily be answered by Googling it for themselves.

[danielcraigisjamesbond007]

And would it have been THAT arduous for the producers/scriptwriters to have given a character in the film, (possibly M in the final scene) a line that mentions what the film`s title actually means, particuarly as it`s supposed to reflect how Bond was/is feeling in the film?

I would have loved to see that kind of a scene. I could particularly see that kind of scene at the end, when Bond is with Greene in the desert. Or with Camille and Bond in the car.

Greene: It seems that you have found a quantum of solace.
Bond: A what?
Greene: A quantum of solace. It's like a measure of comfort. I have noticed this in many different relationships. If there is no quantum of solace in a relationship, then that relationship is dead because neither of the two parties love each other.

Or something along these lines...