I think there is a lot of room between cold, careless cad and vulnerable, wounded brokenheart. Surely a valuable rebound is just what he needs right now? Both Bond and his girl can appreciate each other for what they are, enjoy what each other has to offer and leave with feelings intact. There are women out there for Bond who could have a role other than throwaway one-nighter or love of his life and that's what I'd like to see - someone who is maybe already involved with someone else but who has a lovely affair with Bond but that is all it is, an affair.
Come on, this is all a bit 'Mills&Boon' ships that pass in the night. Sure there's plenty of room for the one night stands, but a good script has conflict and if the relationships are all so pleasent and amicable it would make a bloody boring film! The central relationship should create problems and tension. In CR Bond resolved these problems by choosing the relationship over his mission. In B22 it wouldn't be very engaging if he made the same choices all over again.
The trajectory of Bond's character in a sequel to CR is moving away from a trusting relationship - as M said to him on the phone at the end, "...you don't trust anyone now Bond..." This is the Key to further developing the character and will define Bond's value system; this is where we can now start having fun getting to know 'Bond the ruthless barsted'.
A film needs emotional movement - character development - so Bond can already be in a position of 'non-trust' and the B22 script describes his movement towards trust. But this would be far too close to CR's 'falling-in-love' plot and the audience wouldn't fall for it.
If they keep up the good work in the pre-production of B22 they'll decide against repeating CR. Instead they'll use B22 to portray his movement away from trust - the start of which we left Bond at the end of CR. As you said, there's plenty of room between ruthless and vulnarable and a good writer will exploit this, but the whole script has to have a direction and purpose. Stanley Kubrick subtitled Dr Strangelove 'How I learnt to stop worrying and love the Bomb' and the sentiment could well apply to the end scene of CR and Bond22. There's glee and resolves in Craig as he announces his name in spite of the tragedy. I want to enjoy this ruthless barsted a little before we have to start softening him up again!
I don't think Fleming's rationale for the stark end of CR was to make Bond such a wreck as to need, nor want a relationship thereafter. He was giving his readers an artificail and instant example of what may make a man a good agent - one resistant to emotional baggage. Obviously the reasons in real life are far more complex and start far earlier, but by the end of CR - because of his reaction to the tragedy - we have a reason to believe this man can be ruthless - without the reason he'd be a cartoon.
I must admit that in LALD he's virtually put CR behind him, but it would have been a better book if it had played upon his scars more than just the metaphore of his tatooed hand - which had been repaired by skin graft. Hopefully B22 will not pack away CR with metaphores, and instead give Bond ample opportunities not make the same mistakes twice: his emotion and temper have become resolve and inginuity.
I think many of us want a story arch over 3 films. This means that we don't need the formulaic love affair in each; the love affair was CR, Bond22 is his self imposed emotional isolation and professionalism, e.g. faced with Vesper in the path of his car again, he'd run her over. By B23 it may be interesting to see him stirred and teased back into the deep-end of his emotions, but not to the extent of Vesper. This is just what Fleming did with Gala Brand - who, in another inspired ending, as good as dumped Bond. It was sometime before Bond found Tracy and i suggest the film's continue to follow Fleming's plan.
Edited by Odd Jobbies, 28 December 2006 - 01:07 PM.
I don't see that happening. I'll think he will be back to his ladykilling ways but no emotional attachments.
