27 replies to this topic

[The Dove]

So after watching this again last night, I've still never been able to fully understand who was the real traitor that is putting the Sub tracking plans on the market. I have serious doubts that it really was Stromberg's blonde assistant (who was in my mind perhaps the most useless character, besides Jinx and Christmas Jones!, ever in a Bond film!!

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

[Zorin Industries]

Yes. That's why they were then somewhat lost at sea. Or that's how I remembered it. It's been a while since I saw that one.

[Jim]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

[BoogieBond]

In Christopher Wood's novelization it was the assistant who contacted Max Kalba. I think in the novelization Kalba says something about Stomberg's beautiful but treacherous assistant. Max was thinking of killing her anyway, so Stromberg saved him the bother. I imagine that came over into Christopher Wood's script, but can't be sure of course.

Interesting about Beckman and Markowitz though. Never thought of it that way. Unfortunately, they met their maker as well

[J.C.D'Arc]

"Question about a plot point in The Spy Who Loved Me..."

The Spy Who Loved Me had a plot...?

[Zorin Industries]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

It's all a bit "release the impossibly slow death machine!".

[plankattack]

I have serious doubts that it really was Stromberg's blonde assistant (who was in my mind perhaps the most useless character, besides Jinx and Christmas Jones!, ever in a Bond film!!

Useless yes - but eye candy in soft-focus 70s fashion nonetheless...!

[dogmanstar]

That's interesting about Wood's novelization, Boogie Bond. It always seemed to me that Beckman and Markowitz's handshake right before their demise was for getting away with the double cross and the money. I guess Mr. Wood has something else in mind there.

[Mr. Blofeld]

That's interesting about Wood's novelization, Boogie Bond. It always seemed to me that Beckman and Markowitz's handshake right before their demise was for getting away with the double cross and the money. I guess Mr. Wood has something else in mind there.

They don't get killed in the novelisation, dogma.

[dogmanstar]

Oh, cool! Now that's interesting. Thanks for that!

[Mr. Blofeld]

Oh, cool! Now that's interesting. Thanks for that!

Very welcome.

The novelisation also excludes the train fight scene, but makes up for it with a few more encounters with SMERSH.

[Mr_Wint]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Because the third submarine (USS Wayne) is tracking Liparus. Stromberg cant finish his plan with Bond and his friends so close.

[BoogieBond]

That's interesting about Wood's novelization, Boogie Bond. It always seemed to me that Beckman and Markowitz's handshake right before their demise was for getting away with the double cross and the money. I guess Mr. Wood has something else in mind there.

They don't get killed in the novelisation, dogma.

Thanks Mr. Blofeld forgot about that.

What if Beckman and Markowitz had lived in the film. Stromberg would have thumped the desk and said
"They've got away with the frickin' double cross and the shark has eaten my eye candy"

[MarcAngeDraco]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Jim, the third sub was clearly needed to conveniently fill that third sub docking station inside the Liparus.

[Double-Oh Agent]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Because the third submarine (USS Wayne) is tracking Liparus. Stromberg cant finish his plan with Bond and his friends so close.

I kind of always wondered that point about the third submarine too, but I think you're right Mr. Wint. That's a very plausible scenario.

As for the traitor at Stromberg's Atlantis, it's Kate Chapman (Stromberg's secretary). She gave it to Max Kalba. And as for getting rid of Dr. Bechmann and Prof. Markovitz, Stromberg probably killed them to eliminate any witnesses to his weapon/plan.

[Jim]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Because the third submarine (USS Wayne) is tracking Liparus. Stromberg cant finish his plan with Bond and his friends so close.

Yes, on reflection that must be it as the prospect of two nuclear submarines suddenly emerging out of the tanker one is tracking may look a bit of a rum do all round.

I get it now.

Only taken 31 years, but I get it now.

[Colossus]

That's interesting about Wood's novelization, Boogie Bond. It always seemed to me that Beckman and Markowitz's handshake right before their demise was for getting away with the double cross and the money. I guess Mr. Wood has something else in mind there.

Boogie Bond? Man i gotta read this...

Edited by Colossus, 14 March 2008 - 09:39 PM.

[David Schofield]

I find it interesting (though perfectly logical) that these conclusions are being drawn from Wood's book.

While the book is marketed as a novelisation, it is so very different from the movie, replacing the movie more illogical excess with Flemingesque grit, to such as extent that they barely resemble each other. Indeed, I would suggest that a casual reader picking up the Wood book without any background knowledge could easily conclude that they had seen a film BASED on the book with the usual alterations that come in transfering a novel to the screen.

And the James Bond in Wood's book is clearly not Roger Moore.

[hilly]

Wood does the same with his Moonraker novelisation. Drax resembles Fleming's version far more and, for some reason, Corinne Dufour, the French human dog food becomes an athletic blonde named Trudi Parker.

I'd never really thought about the traitor in Spy before. Maybe Beckman, Markowitz and Stromberg's assistant were all in it together? Or does that just complicate thing further?

[dee-bee-five]

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Surely Scaramanga's fun-house flagged up in the pre-credits of TMWTGG eclipses it?

Given that Stromberg's tanker doesn't appear to have any visible means of firing torpedoes or whatever itself, I assumed the third sub (the one Bond's on) was nabbed because it was tailing the tanker. Or maybe Stromberg just fancied a sub to nip around in after all life above the waves was obliterated.

So I'm wondering if either Dr. Beckman or Prof. Markowitz were the ones who were perhaps double crossing Stromberg by attempting to sell the plans to competing world powers.. Any ideas anyone?

I always took it as him sacrificing the blonde for the hell of it - lunchtime amusement - to scare the fools and let them think they have got away with it and then blowing them up anyway.

What's always bothered me is why Stromberg feels the need to kidnap a third submarine - and thereby bring about the failure of his lickle plan - when he only needs two. Alongside Gustav Graves inexplicably inviting Bond to Iceland, this must rank as the most rampagingly inadequate means of contriving the conclusion of the film in the whole series.

Because the third submarine (USS Wayne) is tracking Liparus. Stromberg cant finish his plan with Bond and his friends so close.

Yes, on reflection that must be it as the prospect of two nuclear submarines suddenly emerging out of the tanker one is tracking may look a bit of a rum do all round.

I get it now.

Only taken 31 years, but I get it now.

Ah, I should have read on before answering as I was beaten to it. But at least you get it now.

[BoogieBond]

I find it interesting (though perfectly logical) that these conclusions are being drawn from Wood's book.

While the book is marketed as a novelisation, it is so very different from the movie, replacing the movie more illogical excess with Flemingesque grit, to such as extent that they barely resemble each other. Indeed, I would suggest that a casual reader picking up the Wood book without any background knowledge could easily conclude that they had seen a film BASED on the book with the usual alterations that come in transfering a novel to the screen.

And the James Bond in Wood's book is clearly not Roger Moore.

Yes, David. It would be difficult picturing Moore in the torture sequence in the book

I guess this sequence is substituted in the film with bond beating up Anya's "guards" in Cairo for "Exceeding their orders"

But Rog's quip is great "Good stuff is hard to find these days"

[BoogieBond]

That's interesting about Wood's novelization, Boogie Bond. It always seemed to me that Beckman and Markowitz's handshake right before their demise was for getting away with the double cross and the money. I guess Mr. Wood has something else in mind there.

Boogie Bond? Man i gotta read this...

Do you have a copy you can get to Colossus ? Its a good read

[Colossus]

Yea i will try, intersted at the differences too. Moonraker too

[Scottlee]

Interesting about Beckman and Markowitz though. Never thought of it that way. Unfortunately, they met their maker as well

Me and my brother always crack up at the way they manically shake hands just before getting blown up.

[Mr. Blofeld]

Interesting about Beckman and Markowitz though. Never thought of it that way. Unfortunately, they met their maker as well

Me and my brother always crack up at the way they manically shake hands just before getting blown up.

"Hee-hee, we just helped an egomaniacal shipping magnate bring chaos to the world! Now, to--"

BOOM!

[PerrysburgGuy]

I never understood what happened to the Russian submarine crew.

[Mr. Blofeld]

I never understood what happened to the Russian submarine crew.

They "disappeared without trace".

[Piz Gloria 1969]

TSWLM = Enter the Dragon....both might not have the best plots but they REALLY deliver action & style-wise