10 replies to this topic

[MHazard]

I have started a thread about how DAF fits in with the continuity of OHMSS (or doesn't). My theory is that any movie made by Sean was only intended to be in continuity with any other movie made by Sean (putting NSNA aside). This got me to wondering if the different movie Bonds, Sean, Moore, Laz, Brosnan, Dalton,Craig are supposed to be playing the same character is sequence. For example is Roger Moore playing the same guy who foiled Dr. No and Goldfinger? Is Brosnan playing the same guy who foiled Stromberg and fooled around with Major Amasova? Laz clearly seems to be playing the same guy as Connery (not the same way but the same guy) based on the scene where he's cleaning out his desk and has trophies from the Sean movies (Grant's watch with garotte wire, etc.). Craig is obviously a re-boot, although, if you ignore anachronisms-presence of cell phones, battling modern terrorists instead of Smersh or Spectre, and the biggest, a female M, you could see Craig's Bond growing into the guy who battled Goldfinger and Dr. No. But what about the others? I would note the reference to Tracy's death in TSWLM, but really is there any continuity between Bond movies, and, if so, are they supposed to be taken as occurring in the order in which released?

[Safari Suit]

Very little. It doesn't concern me much, personally.

Edited by Safari Suit, 09 June 2007 - 04:58 PM.

[Judo chop]

Sometimes there is. Sometimes there isn't. And sometimes both are true within the same film.

Casino Royale may be the first Bond film (after DN) to never look back, and Bond 22 may be the first Bond film to completely look back.

[Santa]

Oh goody - continuity. Again.
Well, my opinion is that all the films are episodes in the life of James Bond and can be watched in almost any order. When the films used to be shown regularly on British TV, I remember them as not being in order and it was only when I became older and more anal that looked up the order. I think each has a continuity only if you want it to - you can watch each film as part of a series but each should be able to stand alone also. At least, that's how I see it. I don't think there is any way of making proper sense of it, as such, everyone has to accept it in their own way.
I do however object to those labelling CR onwards as 2.0, series 2 or whatever - not just because I don't like the idea but because if that were the case, why would Eon call them 21 and 22? They call them 21 and 22 because that's what they are, not 2.0 etc.

[VisualStatic]

The way I look at it, Yes and No. Yes, they are playing the same character, just not the same time line.

Each has had their own version of the mission involved with each movie, we just only see one of the versions.

So Sean, Rog, Laz, Dalton, Pierce and Daniel have all had their own CR type mission. Just this time around we got to see DC's version of it.

My 2 cents.

Edited by VisualStatic, 07 June 2007 - 04:52 PM.

[HawkEye007]

The first 20 Bond Movies in my opinion are in a very loose continuity. Even though technology and dates change, you kind of believe its the same guy, regardless of the actor in the role. CR has specific events and quotes in the movie that make you believe this is a new guy. There are also remarks by the producers that further cement that fact. In my opinion, they call it Bond 22 just due to the fact that its the 22 movie they have made based on this subject matter.

So, to sum it all up, Bond 1-20 is its own continuity, and Bond 21-??? is its own continuity. In my opinion anyway.

[doublenoughtspy]

There were various clues that Sean, George, Roger, and Timothy were all playing the same man.

Pierce could be the same guy (Q, reference to M's predecessor, portrait of Bernard Lee in TWINE) but screenwriters like Bruce Feirstein weren't entirely sure - and for example questioned whether Pierce's Bond lost Tracy. (and there were plenty of places they could have put in a reference to her and never did. The original script to Goldeneye had a powerful reference to her during the 006-007 confrontation scene at the dish.)

The weird thing with Pierce is that they tried to give him a history with all these characters we never saw before - 006, Valentin, Paris Carver, etc.

I think calling the Craig series 2.0 is fine - the continuity has been thrown out the window.

[MHazard]

When I was considering this thread, I considered as a fun game trying to figure out if you could put the Bond movies in an order in which the continuity would make sense or at least better sense-again just for the fun of it. I don't really think you could although the comment someone made on my other thread (or was it this one?) that OHMSS really should be seen as following TB with YOLT just not existing made some sense. I think in general each Bond film has continuity with those that the same actor made, but not with those made by any other actor playing Bond (with the surprising exception of OHMSS, which the producers apparently tried to erase from history, much like the Soviet Union purging history books).

[Cody]

I recently went about the fanboy project of rewatching the films and making notes of any continuity references/issues I noticed. Here's what I got -

DR. NO
Male M (new? makes reference to how things have gone since he got the job) - Bond has used Beretta for 10 years (007 for 10 years?) - "never met" Leiter before - first hears of SPECTRE

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Direct sequel to Dr. No, 6 months later

GOLDFINGER
Bond knows Felix, references Jamaica (though no one actually got close to Felix in Dr. No...) - Bond wants his Bentley but gets Aston Martin

THUNDERBALL
Same Aston Martin - SPECTRE - friend Felix

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Bond is so well known that they have to fake his death - SPECTRE, Blofeld introduces himself

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
Previous films featured in TS - SPECTRE, Bond has been searching for Blofeld for 2 years - souveneirs from DN, FRWL, TB - Blofeld doesn't recognize Bond

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
In pursuit of Blofeld, starting in Japan - Felix - Bond is well known ("You just killed James Bond!")

LIVE AND LET DIE
Felix - Quarrel Jr., Bond worked with his father in DN - meets J.W. Pepper

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
J.W. Pepper and Bond reunited - Bond is well known

THE SPY WHO LOVED ME
General Gogol - reference to OHMSS ("wife killed") - Jaws - Lotus

MOONRAKER
Bond recognizes Jaws - General Gogol

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
Tracy's grave, neckbraced Blofeld - General Gogol - Lotus destroyed

OCTOPUSSY
New M, or same M/new face? - General Gogol

A VIEW TO A KILL
General Gogol

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS
Gogol has moved on up, Pushkin now has his job - Bond has reputation, knows Felix

LICENCE TO KILL
Bond is Felix's best man, was married a long time ago

GOLDENEYE
Bond has been 007 for at least 9 years - "new M is a lady" - Zukovsky - meets Wade

TOMORROW NEVER DIES
Wade returns

THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Q has an assistant and retirement plans - Bond has lost a loved one - death of Zukovsky

DIE ANOTHER DAY
Q's assistant is now Q - gadgets from FRWL, TB, FYEO, OP, AVTAK

CASINO ROYALE
Bond is promoted to 007 by female M - meets Felix - gets the martini for the first time


I was doing this to see if the order of the films could be completely scrambled up to make my own continuity (so fanboy it's embarrassing to admit). Some mixing up and random placement can be done, but there turned out to be more, though small, connections than I thought there would be. Even when they don't follow an ongoing storyline, there are still things like meeting/knowing certain characters and job positions that keep some order in place.

[LadySylvia]

I think that Cody has pretty much summed it up. There is a loose continuity, starting from DR. NO to DIE ANOTHER DAY. Even Lazenby and Connery's Bonds might be one and the same, since it is hinted that Connery's Bond is hunting down Blofeld for personal reasons (Tracy's death?), instead of officially.

[DaveBond21]

I've always enjoyed the moments of continuity.

For example, in FRWL, there is a direct reference to Bond's killing of Dr No in the previous movie. I like that.

And there is a comment about a "Gold Bullion Job" in OHMSS which refers back to Goldfinger.

Obviously there are references to Tracy as a fact in Bond's life in TSWLM, FYEO (her grave) and LTK. This is alluded to in TWINE also.

So to me, every Bond in every film from OHMSS had loved and lost Vesper and Tracy. And every Bond movie features the 007 who met Vesper.