Hum, I've got a question about that: I'm french, and I really like the title "Quantum of solace" never used by Eon, and one of the last originally imagined by Fleming, with "the property of a lady" and "risico". You "english-languaged" people(
), can you explain why this title has never been used? Is it really bad in english?
I don't think it's really bad, as such, but I don't think most people (non-Bond fans) would read the title "Quantum of Solace" and think: A-ha! That's got Bond movie written all over it! It's a bit of a - for want of a better word - complicated title, and sounds like it belongs to an arthouse flick. I reckon we'd have the same problem with "The Hildebrand Rarity".
Similarly, "The Property of a Lady" sounds too much like a Merchant Ivory effort starring Emma Thompson, although it's sure as heck a much more viable Bond movie title than "Quantum of Solace". I wouldn't be too surprised to see TPOAL used at some point - may be rather more suitable for the supposedly "gritty" and "intelligent" Craig era than as a Brosnan title (along which lines, I remember that, when I first heard of the title "The Property of a Lady" back in the '80s, I thought: that's a Dalton title, not a Moore one [although it would have worked for OCTOPUSSY]).
"Risico"? Pretty blah, and could be a film about anything. The trick, obviously, is not just to find a good title (that fits the movie, of course), but to find a title that instantly screams "new Bond flick". That they're Fleming titles that have been talked about in 007 fandom for many years would be neither here nor there to the general public. A Bond film title must be:
Instantly memorable and catchy (no difficult-to-spell, -pronounce or -understand words) - must flow smoothly,
but at the same time:
Mysterious, exotic and sexy,
and, above all:
Bondian (that is, conjuring up images of our hero on some hugely important mission).
Perfect example (off the top of me head) from the Fleming titles: LIVE AND LET DIE.
Perfect example (again, off the top of me head) from the titles the filmmakers made up: GOLDENEYE.
Coming up with the right title for a Bond film must be a heck of a job - probably one of the most difficult (and important) aspects of the whole enterprise. I'm curious as to who created/selected the titles for the last few films - Broccoli and/or Wilson, the writers, the studios? Does it vary each time out ("Okay, Babs, you picked the title for THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH, so now it's my turn - how about DIE ANOTHER DAY for this one?"/"Nice idea, Mike")? Does Broccoli have final say?
Also, I wonder how many "Eon-created" titles are copyrighted and being kept securely under wraps for possible use in future films.
