46 replies to this topic

[DamnCoffee]

What is your favorite emotional scene in Quantum of Solace?


Bond and Mathis' final scene was very emotional. For the first time in a Bond movie, I nearly cried. That scene was acted so well by Craig and Giannani. I found it really touching how Bond made small talk with Mathis, when he was in his arms, trying to trick himself into thinking everything would be ok, which it wasn't. Kudos to both of them for creating one of the most touching scenes in the entire series.


Another scene what was quite emotional was Camille's story. What that woman experienced is probably the worst thing anyone could. The thought of her mother and sister being raped infront of her is shocking. I feel for her, I really do.

[DamnCoffee]

Another scene that comes to mind is Bond and Camille's final scene together. There and then, Bond realises he's over Vesper. The look on his face shows that he is strongly considering whether to kiss Camille or not - And he does, and the hold Vesper had over him, has been lifted. Brilliant scene, brilliant movie.

[Ravenstone]

The death of Mathis edges over the unspoken request by Camille to put her out of her misery.

When Bond pauses at the end to consider kissing Camille, I got the strongest impression that something was going through his mind along the lines of, "Why couldn't Vesper be like you?" I can't put my finger on it, but it was a definite impression.

[iexpectu2die]

The death of Mathis edges over the unspoken request by Camille to put her out of her misery.

Which part is this? Is it when she repeats "make it count?"

[Ravenstone]

That's the one. She never actually flat out tells him what to do, but it's obvious that they're thinking the same thing.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Can you guys please chill out on all the new QOS break down threads until we yanks can see the &^%$#@! movie, after Nov 14? I'm going nuts by trying to avoid spoilers here.

[oatesy]

The one I find most interesting is Bond's reaction to Fields' death. It is interesting in the way that Forster has juxtaposed this death to that of Solange in Casino Royale.

In Casino Royale, Solange's death - pre Vesper - is used to emphasise Bond's coldness and lack of emotion. How he regards women as disposal pleasures. M's dialogue to Bond about Solange being a victim of Bond's behaviour is very similiar to her dialogue to Bond about Fields' being a victim of Bond's behaviour, but Bond's reaction is so different. He is visibly distressed by her death and his part in it. It really captures the change Bond has undergone through his love affair with Vesper and her death.

It's also a very shrewd statement about the flippancy of Bond movies and the lack of consequence. Replicating the Jill Masterson death is key to this. Bond films often have the sacrificial lamb, killed off by the villian early on in the film, but these are mostly brushed off. A few angry words and a furrowed brow and then the film moves on to Q handing out the gadgets or whatever. By specifically referencing one of the most iconic of these sequences and focusing not on the glamour of the death but on Bond's distress Forster is showing the shallowness the older films often have.
It's a theme that re-appears throughout the film, such as the focus on deaths on innocent bystanders as mentioned elsewhere in these forums, or juxtaposing the glamour of the Bond world with the grimness of the real world Bond inhabits in this film. such as cutting between M's funky new office with computer screens on glass walls etc. and the grim flat her bodyguard lives in, in a towerblock in South London. Or between the over-the-top design and glamour of Bond's hotel and the party in Bolivia and the more human moments on Bolivia (such as the washing hanging between houses, or the man ironing a shirt on the street). Perhaps it's most strongly made during the rape in the hotel. Often in Bond movies we see villians take back the girl to their futuristic lair, strip them down to a bikini and tie them up (I'm thinking TSWLM mostly here), where rape is implied but never shown. Here, in the exotic Ken-Adam style hotel we see the villian in the middle of the act of rape, and the degradation of it is emphasised through one incredibly graphic shot (for a Bond movie).

[Skudor]

The one I find most interesting is Bond's reaction to Fields' death. It is interesting in the way that Forster has juxtaposed this death to that of Solange in Casino Royale.

In Casino Royale, Solange's death - pre Vesper - is used to emphasise Bond's coldness and lack of emotion. How he regards women as disposal pleasures. M's dialogue to Bond about Solange being a victim of Bond's behaviour is very similiar to her dialogue to Bond about Fields' being a victim of Bond's behaviour, but Bond's reaction is so different. He is visibly distressed by her death and his part in it. It really captures the change Bond has undergone through his love affair with Vesper and her death.

It's also a very shrewd statement about the flippancy of Bond movies and the lack of consequence. Replicating the Jill Masterson death is key to this. Bond films often have the sacrificial lamb, killed off by the villian early on in the film, but these are mostly brushed off. A few angry words and a furrowed brow and then the film moves on to Q handing out the gadgets or whatever. By specifically referencing one of the most iconic of these sequences and focusing not on the glamour of the death but on Bond's distress Forster is showing the shallowness the older films often have.
It's a theme that re-appears throughout the film, such as the focus on deaths on innocent bystanders as mentioned elsewhere in these forums, or juxtaposing the glamour of the Bond world with the grimness of the real world Bond inhabits in this film. such as cutting between M's funky new office with computer screens on glass walls etc. and the grim flat her bodyguard lives in, in a towerblock in South London. Or between the over-the-top design and glamour of Bond's hotel and the party in Bolivia and the more human moments on Bolivia (such as the washing hanging between houses, or the man ironing a shirt on the street). Perhaps it's most strongly made during the rape in the hotel. Often in Bond movies we see villians take back the girl to their futuristic lair, strip them down to a bikini and tie them up (I'm thinking TSWLM mostly here), where rape is implied but never shown. Here, in the exotic Ken-Adam style hotel we see the villian in the middle of the act of rape, and the degradation of it is emphasised through one incredibly graphic shot (for a Bond movie).

Totally agree.

Forster does a great job of giving consequence to all these little acts that are normally brushed aside.

[oatesy]

The odd thing is, I didn't see a lot of this on the first viewing. But a week later, with a second viewing, the film is really opening up when I think about it. I guess this because I went into the film expecting little more than a very well made straight-forward thriller like CR or OHMSS. This film has so much more depth. There are problems, granted, but I don't think we've seen a Bond film like this before.

[MkB]

Very good analysis oatesy!

I'm actually wondering if it could have been a good idea to see Craig-Bond touching Fields body, like Connery-Bond did with Jill Masterson's body. With the oil sticking to his hand, it would have been a kind of Macbeth-like stain.
What do you think?

[oatesy]

Very good analysis oatesy!

I'm actually wondering if it could have been a good idea to see Craig-Bond touching Fields body, like Connery-Bond did with Jill Masterson's body. With the oil sticking to his hand, it would have been a kind of Macbeth-like stain.
What do you think?

It's an interesting idea and would add a macabre touch. What I like about the scene though, is that it isn't overplayed. The reference is clearly there (she is lying in an identical pose), but I'm glad Forster didn't overplay it. Like in a lot of the film he merely provides hints and leaves the audience to think about it.

[Harmsway]

It's also a very shrewd statement about the flippancy of Bond movies and the lack of consequence. Replicating the Jill Masterson death is key to this. Bond films often have the sacrificial lamb, killed off by the villian early on in the film, but these are mostly brushed off. A few angry words and a furrowed brow and then the film moves on to Q handing out the gadgets or whatever. By specifically referencing one of the most iconic of these sequences and focusing not on the glamour of the death but on Bond's distress Forster is showing the shallowness the older films often have.

Interesting suggestion.

[double o ego]

Can you guys please chill out on all the new QOS break down threads until we yanks can see the &^%$#@! movie, after Nov 14? I'm going nuts by trying to avoid spoilers here.

Why are you in the spoiler section?

Edited by double o ego, 05 November 2008 - 08:52 AM.

[Col. Sun]

The one I find most interesting is Bond's reaction to Fields' death. It is interesting in the way that Forster has juxtaposed this death to that of Solange in Casino Royale.

In Casino Royale, Solange's death - pre Vesper - is used to emphasise Bond's coldness and lack of emotion. How he regards women as disposal pleasures. M's dialogue to Bond about Solange being a victim of Bond's behaviour is very similiar to her dialogue to Bond about Fields' being a victim of Bond's behaviour, but Bond's reaction is so different. He is visibly distressed by her death and his part in it. It really captures the change Bond has undergone through his love affair with Vesper and her death.

It's also a very shrewd statement about the flippancy of Bond movies and the lack of consequence. Replicating the Jill Masterson death is key to this. Bond films often have the sacrificial lamb, killed off by the villian early on in the film, but these are mostly brushed off. A few angry words and a furrowed brow and then the film moves on to Q handing out the gadgets or whatever. By specifically referencing one of the most iconic of these sequences and focusing not on the glamour of the death but on Bond's distress Forster is showing the shallowness the older films often have.
It's a theme that re-appears throughout the film, such as the focus on deaths on innocent bystanders as mentioned elsewhere in these forums, or juxtaposing the glamour of the Bond world with the grimness of the real world Bond inhabits in this film. such as cutting between M's funky new office with computer screens on glass walls etc. and the grim flat her bodyguard lives in, in a towerblock in South London. Or between the over-the-top design and glamour of Bond's hotel and the party in Bolivia and the more human moments on Bolivia (such as the washing hanging between houses, or the man ironing a shirt on the street). Perhaps it's most strongly made during the rape in the hotel. Often in Bond movies we see villians take back the girl to their futuristic lair, strip them down to a bikini and tie them up (I'm thinking TSWLM mostly here), where rape is implied but never shown. Here, in the exotic Ken-Adam style hotel we see the villian in the middle of the act of rape, and the degradation of it is emphasised through one incredibly graphic shot (for a Bond movie).

Excellent comments here. Totally with you on this. Forster has made a much more complex film than many realize; there is so much image structure and you've nailed the themes.

BTW, my fav. emotional scene. Bond slightly drunk on the plane with Mathis and then later, Mathis's death scene. Beautifully written, directed and acted by to class actors who share great chemistry. And we've never seen Bond drunk before. It is so Fleming.

QOS is such an intriguing Bond film.

Like anything that pushes things in different directions and dares to explore new angles, it may be miss-understood (even disliked) by many right now, but time will be good to QOS as it was to OHMSS, which was easily dismissed by many at the time.

[NATO Sub]

The one I find most interesting is Bond's reaction to Fields' death. It is interesting in the way that Forster has juxtaposed this death to that of Solange in Casino Royale.

In Casino Royale, Solange's death - pre Vesper - is used to emphasise Bond's coldness and lack of emotion. How he regards women as disposal pleasures. M's dialogue to Bond about Solange being a victim of Bond's behaviour is very similiar to her dialogue to Bond about Fields' being a victim of Bond's behaviour, but Bond's reaction is so different. He is visibly distressed by her death and his part in it. It really captures the change Bond has undergone through his love affair with Vesper and her death.

It's also a very shrewd statement about the flippancy of Bond movies and the lack of consequence. Replicating the Jill Masterson death is key to this. Bond films often have the sacrificial lamb, killed off by the villian early on in the film, but these are mostly brushed off. A few angry words and a furrowed brow and then the film moves on to Q handing out the gadgets or whatever. By specifically referencing one of the most iconic of these sequences and focusing not on the glamour of the death but on Bond's distress Forster is showing the shallowness the older films often have.
It's a theme that re-appears throughout the film, such as the focus on deaths on innocent bystanders as mentioned elsewhere in these forums, or juxtaposing the glamour of the Bond world with the grimness of the real world Bond inhabits in this film. such as cutting between M's funky new office with computer screens on glass walls etc. and the grim flat her bodyguard lives in, in a towerblock in South London. Or between the over-the-top design and glamour of Bond's hotel and the party in Bolivia and the more human moments on Bolivia (such as the washing hanging between houses, or the man ironing a shirt on the street). Perhaps it's most strongly made during the rape in the hotel. Often in Bond movies we see villians take back the girl to their futuristic lair, strip them down to a bikini and tie them up (I'm thinking TSWLM mostly here), where rape is implied but never shown. Here, in the exotic Ken-Adam style hotel we see the villian in the middle of the act of rape, and the degradation of it is emphasised through one incredibly graphic shot (for a Bond movie).

I agree with all of that.

Anyone who finds the violence in QoS shocking is basically ignoring the fact that we are just seeing the violence more explicitly, rather than the implicit violence of so many past Bond films. Violence is unpleasant to watch for most people, and the contrast between the glamour of the world Bond usually inhabits and the outcome of the fights in the film is a welcome change.

My favourite emotional scenes - Bond holding Mathis as he dies, and the bar scene on the airliner.

[Marquis]

Nice thoughts Double o e, Col Sun & Nato.

I also found the Bond/Mathis scenes to be very touching. The exchange at the bar, underscored by a very beautiful piece of music from David Arnold, not only ranks as my QOS highlight, but one of the best moments of the entire series. Wonderful stuff.

Edited by Marquis, 05 November 2008 - 09:02 PM.

[DamnCoffee]

Anyone else notice the helpless look Bond gave Camille, just after she told Bond that there is a hospital nearby for Mathis? It was a brilliant shot, from that point on he new that Mathis hadn't got long left.

[corries2]

Agree with all I've read. Saw it yesterday and said to my husband afterwards that the emotional moments were so short but so powerful. He didn't know what I was talking about! I was beginning to think my emotional reaction to QOS was hormonal!

I also found the scene where M asserts her trust in Bond after he flees having confronted Field's death, wonderful. This was followed closely by Camille returning for him in the car instead of just escaping. These scenes,showing the two women's faith and trust in and loyalty to Bond, are the start of his road back.

Eventually he opts not to personally execute Greene or Vesper's lover and we know he has pulled back from the edge. My heart was in my mouth at the end when he walked away through the snow.

[draxingtonstanley]

All excellent points to which I would like to add the moment when Mathis' girlfriend looks over to see Mathis gone,and Bond draining his glass. Somehow you know she knows he's not coming back. Poignant and understated.

[DamnCoffee]

All excellent points to which I would like to add the moment when Mathis' girlfriend looks over to see Mathis gone,and Bond draining his glass. Somehow you know she knows he's not coming back. Poignant and understated.

Yes. I didn't pick up on that. I think I will pick up on more on my second viewing. I'm sure there's more hidden gems in there somewhere.

[draxingtonstanley]

I'm looking forward to repeat viewings too. I have a feeling this Bond movie,more than most,is going to be more and more rewarding over time.

[BoogieBond]

Yeah, agree with the already mentioned Bond-Camille scene in the burning hotel and the Drunk Bond-Mathis scene on the airliner. But the best one for me was Mathis' death, especially the shot of him in the garbage dumpster as Bond and Camille are leaving. Harsh.

Edited by BoogieBond, 06 November 2008 - 08:47 PM.

[yuta_rule]

Adore the Bond-Mathis scene on the plane. I think their exchange there, along with Bond's lovelorn look really encapsulates the entire heartbreaking lovestory;it works much more effectively than when White talks abt Vesper and when Mathis talks about Vesper to Bond at the villa.

The death of Mathis was really moving too, but there's something I can't quite wrape my finger around- why does Bond dispose of Mathis in the dumpster? I mean, what's the motivation, or maybe i should ask, under what emotional state did he do that?

[Vauxhall]

Anyone else notice the helpless look Bond gave Camille, just after she told Bond that there is a hospital nearby for Mathis? It was a brilliant shot, from that point on he new that Mathis hadn't got long left.

I thought the helpless look was because Camille said the hospital was all the way across the other side of town, and Bond realised that there was absolutely no way of them getting there.

[bondrules]

The death of Mathis above all.

Brilliant!

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

The death of Mathis above all.

Seconded.

"Do we forgive each other?" ...

"Vesper. She gave it all for you. Forgive her... forgive yourself"

[DamnCoffee]

I think the most touching part of that scene is...

Bond: Come here. *holds Mathis*
Mathis: That's better, it doesn't hurt anymore.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Too.
Mathis didn't really wanted to survive, he just wanted to have James on his side in his last minutes.

[I never miss]

Not an emotional scene as such, but I loved the moment when Bond turns the DC3 skywards and, when it threatens to break-up, shouts 'Come on!'. This really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Having been brought up on Roger and Pierce's never-flustered Bonds, seeing Bond in a really aggitated and aggressive state struck a cord with me. It really got the adreneline going in me for some reason.

[Blonde Bond]

Well, I almost cried when Bond didn't bed Camille...

Not really. It was a nice touch. Camille was the emotional tool. Strawberry Fields was for fun.

Although well acted, Mathis dying scene didn't have such a huge impact on me. It all happened so fast. Bond meets Mathis, they take a flight, converse a little, get to a party where they meet with his supposed contact. The next time we see him, Mathis is already in Bond's trunk, beaten to a bloody pulp and he's shot by the 'good olde' police because he moved and then he's in Bond arms, begging him to forgive Vesper for her betrayal. Again, well acted. But lacked the emotional impact. I was like ; was that it? I felt, like when hearing the rumor that Mathis was going to die, a little saddened, that a Fleming character, never before used in the series, bite the dust in the 2nd film we got to see him. I was actually wishing that he wasn't really dead and that he just got up soon after Bond had dumped him with the rest of the junk, so he could live to die another day

The scene with Camille was much better, because it was another scared girl, that Bond needed to protect and thwart her emotional breakdown, which mirrored nearly broken Vesper in Casino Royale's shower scene. Dat I liek. High Five!