34 replies to this topic

[TaoMike]

I was wondering if somebody who has read the script could give a brief outline of the scenes in Venice (particuarly the climactic action setpiece). I'm not asking for dialogue or direct quotes from the script -- I don't want to compromise anyone or stir up any legal issues -- but just a breakdown of what happens. What is this big action scene that has been hinted at (with a "sinking building")? Is this the culmination of a chase sequence? (Boats? On foot?)

I would also love to get some personal reactions. Do you think the sequence will work onscreen? Is it an improvement on the finales of the recent films?

I would greatly appreciate any imput...

[Agent Spriggan Ominae]

WARNING!!!!!!!MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE CLIMAX!!!!!

Spoiler

Bond finds out Vesper has betrayed him and is going to hand the funds recovered from the poker game to White's henchmen Gettler. Bond runs through the city trying to catch up with Vesper who has the money in a metal case. Bond confronts her at the handoff when Gettler takes Vesper hostage and escapes into a building under renovations. Bond gets inside and finds Vesper in an old cage elevator. Gettler tries to kill Bond they fall into the basment and damage an air sac holding up the building causing it to start collapsing. Bond kills Gettler and tries to get to Vesper who locks herslf in the elevator which falls into the water. Bond tries to save her but she drowns herself infront of him. He gets her out of the elevator and brings her to shore as the building tilts and falls in the grand canal. He tries to revive her but she's already gone.

I'll wait till I see it on film before I judge this sequence but I think it has alot of promise.

Edited by Agent Spriggan Ominae, 30 August 2006 - 02:20 AM.

[inSPECTRE]

well, that seems depressing, as the book has such a great ending and I would love to see that kind of Bond ending

[Harmsway]

well, that seems depressing, as the book has such a great ending and I would love to see that kind of Bond ending

Frankly, the end of the book is too subdued for this film. It would fit in a small, ultra low-key drama with a love story as its focus, but not the bigger action thriller EON is trying to make with the material. And ASO's very brief, just-the-bare-minimum description doesn't do it any justice.

I love the screenplay's suitably more cinematic ending.

[JimmyBond]

I think the ending's decent, but ultimately it feels tacked on. No worse than the climax for FRWL though.

[Harmsway]

I think the ending's decent, but ultimately it feels tacked on.

See, I don't. I think the script does a fantastic job of making that ending continue more narrative subplots in the screenplay and comes out for a very satisfying finale.

[I Like Sharks]

Where does this boat chase fit in?

[Agent Spriggan Ominae]

Where does this boat chase fit in?

There is none. That was just a rumor that started from a misinterpataion of the Sunseeker annoucment that one of their boats would appear in Venice. That boat is Le Chiffre's yacht which does show up in Venice but does not involve any boat chase.

And yes my description is very basic and just a general outline of what happens. It is IMO a powerful sequence worth waiting to see.

Edited by Agent Spriggan Ominae, 30 August 2006 - 09:47 AM.

[DanMan]

Considering it's been stated that the set for the finale is one of the most complicated ever built, it should be a sight to see.

BTW...

Spoiler

How do you think they'll portray the building collapse? Will they use models or will they use CGI?

[Vauxhall]

I would hope they use models for the majority of the scene. I hope they've learnt their lesson over botched CGI from DIE ANOTHER DAY.

[DanMan]

They'll probably go with the models, with a little CGI just for cosmetic effect.

[DamnCoffee]

Spoiler

Probably Models

since there doing "everything" for real in CR

[JCRendle]

Well, that isn't exactly the ending ending - which is great in my opinion - but anyway didn't the building have hydraulic lifts or something to make it collapse

[DanMan]

Just the interior was designed to make it look like the building falling apart. The wide shot of the Grand Canal which is described in the script should be pretty amazing. Besides, wasn't there a report a while back that they were filming a scene in Venice where the extras were told to look up and point at a building that really wasn't there?

[Vauxhall]

Spoiler

Probably Models

since there doing "everything" for real in CR

Well that's not strictly true. If they were doing everything for real - then surely they would be actually sinking a building in Venice!!

I suppose it will be a mixture of scenes at Pinewood, scenes shot in Venice, CGI additions and modelwork, that will create the final shots used in the completed movie.

[JimmyBond]

CGI-ing a building is quite different than doing what they did in DAD. I have no problem with this.

[TaoMike]

Well, thanks everyone for your responses. I'm not quite sure how I feel about what I've read. It may well be an impressive setpiece, but it seems to soften the coldness with which Bond (in the novel) reacts to Vesper's betrayal. Why does he still try to rescue her, knowing she's a traitor? The Bond of the novel would have watched her drown. I was rather looking forward to the low-key ending of the novel, with the classic line we all know by heart.

Ah, well, maybe the dialogue helps the scene...

[Dr. Noah]

Well, thanks everyone for your responses. I'm not quite sure how I feel about what I've read. It may well be an impressive setpiece, but it seems to soften the coldness with which Bond (in the novel) reacts to Vesper's betrayal. Why does he still try to rescue her, knowing she's a traitor? The Bond of the novel would have watched her drown. I was rather looking forward to the low-key ending of the novel, with the classic line we all know by heart.

Ah, well, maybe the dialogue helps the scene...

HE WOULD HAVE WATCHED HER DROWN?!?

Jeez, at least he could have pulled her out and arrested her...

[Vauxhall]

Why does he still try to rescue her, knowing she's a traitor?

I believe it's largely because Bond recognises that Vesper is the "big picture" (to quote the script), i.e. realises that they ideally need her alive if they are to get to the larger organisation behind her. And also, his feelings for her become so strong that it is still tough for him to just watch her die.

[TaoMike]

Why does he still try to rescue her, knowing she's a traitor?

I believe it's largely because Bond recognises that Vesper is the "big picture" (to quote the script), i.e. realises that they ideally need her alive if they are to get to the larger organisation behind her. And also, his feelings for her become so strong that it is still tough for him to just watch her die.

Makes sense...

[Bond#9-GeorgeKemp]

Well, that isn't exactly the ending ending - which is great in my opinion - but anyway didn't the building have hydraulic lifts or something to make it collapse

I hope they use hydraulics with the set at Pinewood, I think that'd make it look the best it could. The look they're going for in the movie is to make everything real, so why not this?

Regarding the actualy last scene I think it fits the script perfectly. Bond's reaction is how I would've expected it; he saves Vesper on impulse because of his ememse feelings for her, but in retrospect because he needed her to find out more about who she was working for.

Its a very powerful scene to read and will look great in the cinema, I have real confidence Dan and Eva can pull it off really well.

The 'ending-ending' as JC says is really great and ends the movie on a more upbeat note but also the scene before that with M sorts everything thing out and is a very important scene regarding Bond's character.

[JCRendle]

The last scene will have Bond fans cheering.

[Niwram]

I'm not satisfied with how Vesper kills herself. I wanted her to be suicidal and act all worried and depressed towards the end, and have her telling Bond about her suicidal thoughts ,Bond would comfort her, and after a while she would OD.But not before we see her write the suicide letter. Her death in the movie is really boring.


But the scene after she's dead is a lot like the "Death of Cedric " scene in the latest harry potter movie!

Edited by Niwram, 31 August 2006 - 01:35 PM.

[DamnCoffee]

I totally Disagree there Niwram The Movie Death in Fantastic, IMO, its very moving and very dramatic

[Tuxedo]

Why does he still try to rescue her, knowing she's a traitor?

I believe it's largely because Bond recognises that Vesper is the "big picture" (to quote the script), i.e. realises that they ideally need her alive if they are to get to the larger organisation behind her.

That

[Harmsway]

I'm not satisfied with how Vesper kills herself. I wanted her to be suicidal and act all worried and depressed towards the end, and have her telling Bond about her suicidal thoughts ,Bond would comfort her, and after a while she would OD.But not before we see her write the suicide letter. Her death in the movie is really boring.

I'm thankful they didn't do the whole "Vesper gets worried and depressed" nonsense. Not only would it feel terribly out of place in a Bond film, I always hated how Fleming did that - it didn't endear her to me as a character, in fact, it made me flat-out irritated with her. This way, the revelation is a lot more tragic and unanticipated.

[Dr. Noah]

I'm not satisfied with how Vesper kills herself. I wanted her to be suicidal and act all worried and depressed towards the end, and have her telling Bond about her suicidal thoughts ,Bond would comfort her, and after a while she would OD.But not before we see her write the suicide letter. Her death in the movie is really boring.

I'm thankful they didn't do the whole "Vesper gets worried and depressed" nonsense. Not only would it feel terribly out of place in a Bond film, I always hated how Fleming did that - it didn't endear her to me as a character, in fact, it made me flat-out irritated with her. This way, the revelation is a lot more tragic and unanticipated.

Yeah. There's nothing like a third act full of depression and complaining before a suicide to engage an audience in an action film.

The most important thing is to set up Bond for the series, which Mathis does in dialogue in the book -- which again would be pretty uninvolving in the film. Bond is going to see a LOT of women die over the course of his career, so the main purpose of all this is to set the Bond character. They needed a way to "make Bond fans stand up and cheer" as somebody put it, above, and a speech from a supporting character wouldn't do it.

[Bond#9-GeorgeKemp]

I see what you're saying and I agree and love the ending of the movie. I don't want the whole third act to be full of Vesper's paranoia etc. It makes the ending much more shocking and tragic like Harmsway said.

It did make me wonder though, we don't get any idea of what Vesper's upto until she sees Gettler in Venice and gets worried. I admit shes a strong character and wouldn't spill everything on what shes doing, to protect Bond as much as herself.

But I would've thought that there'd be a moment when we could see that somethings wrong with her before Venice, a 'tell'. Maybe I missed it in the script or maybe the shower scene had a different meaning from the one I read?

Any thoughts?

[Harmsway]

But I would've thought that there'd be a moment when we could see that somethings wrong with her before Venice, a 'tell'. Maybe I missed it in the script or maybe the shower scene had a different meaning from the one I read?

Any thoughts?

Well...

Spoiler

Considering Bond in the script says that he can't really read her, stating that she doesn't have a "tell," I don't think there should be any moment before the end where we really doubt her the first time through the film. I do think though that Eva's performance should be (and will be) so subtle that on a second viewing we'll pick up little moments where stuff comes through.

[Dr. Noah]

Yeah, I mean, at this point all we can do is wait and see.

LOL

At what point were you involved in the production.

The ending's great. It works a hell of a lot better than reading a suicide note.