66 replies to this topic

[sthgilyadgnivileht]

I agree with the above comments about the bizarre moments to Bond.
R.I.P. John Shirley.

[DLibrasnow]

Very sad news.

I never met him, but listening to the commentaries he provided on some of my favorite movies made me feel like I did know him.

[scaramunga]

I am very bummed to read about Tom's passing. I enjoyed all of the Bond films that he worked on a great deal!! Wow.. Tom contributed to 5 of the official films as well as Never Say Never Again.

Tom also took time for an interview with me about 3 years ago and I will never forget that.

I really respected him for how easy and approachable he was to talk about any number of film subjects.

A huge loss.

[Napoleon Solo]

On top of everything else said here, I think his commentary track on Live And Let Die is one of the best. You can disagree with his choices but you learn why he made them and some interesting insights into screenwriting in general. Also, as noted by others, his comments on the DVD documentaries are entertaining. He was similarly entertaining on a documentary for the 1963 Cleopatra movie, the film that essentially killed his father's career.

[zencat]

Really heartbreaking news. He was one of my true heroes in this business. A man of such wit and imagination and warmth. One of my great thrills was having a luncheon with him in 2007 (I think) and listening to reminisce about all the films and amazing filmmakers he's worked with throughout the years. Seems way to soon for him to go. He needed to live forever. We need more Tom Mankiewiczs in this world. RIP Tom.

[The ides of Mark]

Very sad news... I love his work and it will live on forever. Good for you Zencat that you got to spend some time with him!

He will be missed, r.i.p.

[Mr. Somerset]

RIP to another Bond legend. Great screenwriter and wonderful work on the Bonds as well as Superman.

[B. Brown]

What a shame.

Rest in peace.

[onthetracksof007]

R.I.P.

He gave us some of the best one-liners!

"Speak up or forever hold your piece.."

Classic!

[elizabeth]

RIP Tom.

[Nicolas Suszczyk]

Totally sad news RIP Tommy!

[col_007]

RIP Tom another member of the Bond family no longer with us

[Mr. Du Pont]

Requiescat in pace.

[4 Ur Eyez Only]

wow I didnt know that

[zencat]

It's now been announced officially:

http://www.latimes.c...0,3333676.story

[K1Bond007]

He also had a lot of input on the first BATMAN film, working on the script as early as 1984, IIRC. His take on it was similar to Richard Donner's view of SUPERMAN, which was to keep it faithful and true to the source material without a lot of camp and jokes. I read an interview back from the mid-80's where he was talking about his views on BATMAN and he mentioned he was thinking that Jack Nicholson would be perfect as The Joker. Not sure why his script didn't get picked up, but he was definitely a moving, positive force on the project from the very beginning. He was really a very talented writer and his influence was felt in three different series: James Bond, Superman, and Batman, and I think all for the better.

He'll be missed

His draft isn't bad, but it's full to the brim. I mean he introduced the Joker, Penguin, Robin, and Rupert Thorne all on top of an origin story that's quite similar to Superman's first act. I read it several years ago, somewhere around the lead up to Begins hitting the theater. I never met him, but talking Bond, Batman and Superman would have been awesome. A huge loss

[Ry]

I had the chance to meet him during a Live and Let Die screening a number of years ago. Even though it was only brief, it was a pleasure to speak with him. His insight on the Bond and Superman dvds were amazing. He will be missed.

[Ambler]

The best thing in DAF is the script. Hugely influential yet largely unrecognised outside the industry.

Mankiewicz's fingerprints are all over so many famous films, though more often than not his name was not attached to them. Such is the life of the script doctor...

[Loomis]

The best thing in DAF is the script. Hugely influential yet largely unrecognised outside the industry.

Hugely influential? How so? I'm not having a pop at Mankiewicz (who wrote my all-time favourite Bond film, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN), and I do enjoy DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. I'll concede immediately that its script has some interesting concepts and funny lines, and generally lays a blueprint for an entertaining romp, but I must say that I've never felt that it was influential, let alone hugely so. Which films did it have an effect on?

[Royal Dalton]

He also had a lot of input on the first BATMAN film, working on the script as early as 1984, IIRC. His take on it was similar to Richard Donner's view of SUPERMAN, which was to keep it faithful and true to the source material without a lot of camp and jokes. I read an interview back from the mid-80's where he was talking about his views on BATMAN and he mentioned he was thinking that Jack Nicholson would be perfect as The Joker. Not sure why his script didn't get picked up, but he was definitely a moving, positive force on the project from the very beginning. He was really a very talented writer and his influence was felt in three different series: James Bond, Superman, and Batman, and I think all for the better.

He'll be missed

His draft isn't bad, but it's full to the brim. I mean he introduced the Joker, Penguin, Robin, and Rupert Thorne all on top of an origin story that's quite similar to Superman's first act. I read it several years ago, somewhere around the lead up to Begins hitting the theater. I never met him, but talking Bond, Batman and Superman would have been awesome. A huge loss

I've got a later draft of his Batman script that pares back some of that stuff. The Penguin's no longer in it for one thing, and there's a very good scene where Batman literally scares Joe Chill to death.

Not a lot of his script made it into the final film, though. Only the "how much do you weigh?" bit, I think. Although, some of it turned up later on in Batman Forever (such as the Flying Graysons scene, with Two-Face replacing the Joker from the earlier script).

[Righty007]

Class act. He will be missed.

[Hotwinds]

Of all the deaths reported on this site over the years, this one is the most shocking to me.
A very likeable man and I really enjoyed his comments on the DVD's. I will have to watch one and raise a glass.

Tom Mankiewicz (1942-2010)

[the other fellow]

Thanks Mank....R.I.P

Condolences to family and friends

Probably the most quotable of all the Bond writers..both in script and in person.

[plankattack]

Thanks Mank....R.I.P

Condolences to family and friends

Probably the most quotable of all the Bond writers..both in script and in person.

Seconded. There aren't that many writers who could consistently turn a phrase like Mankiewicz. He could put words into the mouth of the cinematic Bond that were funny and clever, rather than the cheap and crude lines that the character has too often been saddled with. And on DVD or in print his musings and reminisences were consistently enlightening and entertaining. A real loss, and the series has definitely been fortunate to have crossed paths with him.

[Cruiserweight]

RIP Tom

[Zorin Industries]

Just been away and heard this news. Very sad and very premature.

Tom Mankiewicz to me was one of the key players in the Bond evolution. The 007 films he was credited for - and those he was not - steered the series through many waters that could have seen Bond on screen flounder quite dramatically.

He created a narrative canvas that not only allowed an iconic Bond actor to return in DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, but paved a path that supported the actor the world counts as the second Bond actor and onto a run that stretched twelve years. Roger Moore's Bond WAS Tom Mankiewicz's Bond. Mankiewicz is there in A VIEW TO A KILL, his wit is there in OCTOPUSSY and his structural habits keep MOONRAKER propped up on the right side of the ridiculous.

Obviously coming from a cinematic screenwriting heritage that is without equal, Mankiewicz's work on the Bond films remain forever fresh. To this day, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, LIVE AND LET DIE and THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN are crisp, rich, barbed and fluid films. There is a balance to them that some subsequent entries lost sight of. Mankiewicz got Bond on-screen, particularly in that era (which may not have sat well with the Fleming purists, but the survival of the cinematic series never does). Mankiewicz understood what Bond was, what he could be and - more importantly - what he should not be. He endeared himself to the Bond production house and was necessary enough to work behind the screen credits on films he was not credited for.

Through his Bond work, he also demonstrated how he was a highly resourceful, intuitive and considered scribe. He was also witty beyond the boundaries of his homeland - which was key to penning James Bond 007. If you want lessons in screenwriting structure and creative impulses then watch any of the documentaries on the Bond DVDs or the SUPERMAN I and II boxset that feature Tom Mankiewicz.

Tom Mankiewicz was one of my ideal dinner guests. I guess I will have to put his plate in the oven on a low heat for now....

[killkenny kid]

Outstanding, Zorin.

[Ambler]

The best thing in DAF is the script. Hugely influential yet largely unrecognised outside the industry.

Hugely influential? How so? I'm not having a pop at Mankiewicz (who wrote my all-time favourite Bond film, THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN), and I do enjoy DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. I'll concede immediately that its script has some interesting concepts and funny lines, and generally lays a blueprint for an entertaining romp, but I must say that I've never felt that it was influential, let alone hugely so.

Tom Mankiewicz was as important to Bond in the 1970s as Richard Maibaum was in the 1960s. They produced templates that were used both inside and outside the series.

[A Kristatos]

DAF was the first Bond film I saw, back in 1971. I enjoyed LALD and TMWTGG just as much. They coloured my expectations for future 007 films. I even enjoy Hart To Hart, on which Tom Mannkewicz was creative consultant.

RIP indeed, and thanks for the memories. (My signature is from DAF - one of your lines?)

Really sorry to see him gone so soon! I've known too many people with cancer, and it always seems to affect people way too early in life. Hopefully more can be done in the future towards a cure for all cancers, but at least for now more strides are being made, though too late for many.

Regarding Tom's contribution to the Bond franchise, all I can say is that even though many here don't hold the more campy Bond films in high regard, there is no question that his guidence kept the series afloat and thriving throughout the 70's and beyond. He brought the right combination of wit, intrigue and dialogue that resonated with audiences at that time, especially following the somewhat darker OHMSS. DAF was the right movie at the right time, and is actually one of the better Bonds for me. It was well written and it gave the world a chance to see Connery portray Bond in a more light hearted manner, which of course would become the precursor for Moore.

I too do enjoy Hart To Hart, even though I would probably be considerably younger than it's intended target audience! I do remember watching some first run episodes when I was still in grade school and junior high school (I must have had a more mature taste in tv than others my age did at that time! ). And while watching some of the reruns on local tv now, I even more greatly appreciate the great screen chemistry between Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers, due no doubt to Tom's contributions to the series.

No doubt Tom also had a big say in the guest stars throughout the show's run, many of them former Bond actors. Going by character names, I have seen Tiffany Case (Jill St. John who would become the future wife of Wagner), Plenty O'Toole (Lana Wood and sister of Natalie Wood, Wagner's wife at that time), Mr. Wint, Felix Leiter (David Hedison), Sir Hilary Bray, Eric Kregler, Dr. Goodhead and Vijay from Octopussy. And I am sure I am missing a few others. But again, one can credit Tom for taking the template he created for Bond and other movies in creating the successful formula for Hart To Hart.

So regardless of what people feel about his contributions to the Bond series, there is no doubt that Tom left a big mark on it. He definitely will be missed! R.I.P. Tom!

[Dr. Metz]

Co-Wrote one of my favorite bond films (DAF), so i can't say i don't feel sad. Similar to AMC Hornet, Diamonds Are Forever was one of the first Bond films i ever saw. The movie is always a fun ride, no matter how many people say otherwise.