128 replies to this topic

[Ace Roberts]

Isn't the more likely scenario that Bond is injured in the fall from the train bridge in the PTS, and has to recoup and undergo psych evaluation before being cleared back for duty?

[Pussfeller]

If Bond had taken a shot at M, I don't think he'd be the one to spirit her to safety. Unless the assassination itself was a put-up job.

But generally speaking, I wouldn't be surprised if little elements from Fleming popped up. Even the original films tend to include something from Fleming.

[Dustin]

Other scenario: Bond was set up and convinced M deserves whatever's coming out of his Walther. Until he realises his mistake and then gets her out of the frontline.

[Vauxhall]

Isn't the more likely scenario that Bond is injured in the fall from the train bridge in the PTS, and has to recoup and undergo psych evaluation before being cleared back for duty?

That's my guess too. This is a much better way of being cleared back to duty than the equivalent procedure in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

[echo]

Does he mean that Skyfall will be based on a book, or just picking some unused elements from several books? There are plenty of unused material, but how many unused "big hooks" are there from the Flemings? I have longed for the beginning of TMWTGG for a long time, could it be used?

Good call, way back in November no less. I definitely flashed back to TMWTGG's opening when I saw the free association clips in the SF trailer.

The filmmakers have categorically stated that SF is an original screenplay and not based on any book.

GE and DAD were original screenplays, but there were clear influences of MR in both of them.

Now someone explain to me where TMWTGG novel is in LTK...

Edited by echo, 22 May 2012 - 03:11 AM.

[Pussfeller]

Indeed. Craig's performance suggests the aftermath of a psychological collapse. I had a strong vibe of PTSD, and the other actors' performances only added to that.

[007jamesbond]

I think some little elements of MR the novel are incorporated in Skyfall
1. Both novel and this film involves London and lots of London!
2. Bond is working outside his usual place where he is foreign not domestic
3. the MR novel has some politics involve and I think this has some politics as well
4. Gala Brand and Eve seems to be very similar in terms of their role

Edited by 007jamesbond, 22 May 2012 - 07:22 PM.

[Walecs]

I think some little elements of MR the novel are incorporated in Skyfall
1. Both novel and this film involves London and lots of London!
2. Bond is working outside his usual place where he is foreign not domestic
3. the MR novel has some politics involve and I think this has some politics as well
4. Gala Brand and Eve seems to be very similar in terms of their role

It would be fantastic to finally see an adaptation from Fleming's novel.

[The Shark]

I think some little elements of MR the novel are incorporated in Skyfall
1. Both novel and this film involves London and lots of London!
2. Bond is working outside his usual place where he is foreign not domestic
3. the MR novel has some politics involve and I think this has some politics as well
4. Gala Brand and Eve seems to be very similar in terms of their role

5. Bond practices his aim in MI6's underground firing range (the first scene in Fleming's MR).

[SecretAgentFan]

6. Bond and Severine enjoy a shower together - as he does with Vivian in "The Spy Who Loved Me"...

[Walecs]

7. The main character has the same name of main character in Fleming's books.

Does he mean that Skyfall will be based on a book, or just picking some unused elements from several books? There are plenty of unused material, but how many unused "big hooks" are there from the Flemings? I have longed for the beginning of TMWTGG for a long time, could it be used?

Good call, way back in November no less. I definitely flashed back to TMWTGG's opening when I saw the free association clips in the SF trailer.

The filmmakers have categorically stated that SF is an original screenplay and not based on any book.

GE and DAD were original screenplays, but there were clear influences of MR in both of them.

Now someone explain to me where TMWTGG novel is in LTK...

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Edited by Walecs, 06 October 2012 - 06:34 PM.

[Guy Haines]

Isn't the more likely scenario that Bond is injured in the fall from the train bridge in the PTS, and has to recoup and undergo psych evaluation before being cleared back for duty?

That's my guess too. This is a much better way of being cleared back to duty than the equivalent procedure in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

We are only three weeks away from the film's release - I may well be proved wrong - but we have Bond falling off the train on the bridge, the scene where M is composing Bond's obituary, and yet Bond is apparently alive and well but in no hurry to come home. And we have the pysch evaluation.

Loss of memory? As in the end of the novel "You Only Live Twice"? But without the intervention of the enemy to persuade Bond to kill M? (Which, given the theme of this film might make sense, as we have a villain who, for whatever reasons, wants revenge on M)

[The Shark]

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Plastic surgery/gene therapy?

[JimmyBond]

Isn't the more likely scenario that Bond is injured in the fall from the train bridge in the PTS, and has to recoup and undergo psych evaluation before being cleared back for duty?

That's my guess too. This is a much better way of being cleared back to duty than the equivalent procedure in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH.

We are only three weeks away from the film's release - I may well be proved wrong - but we have Bond falling off the train on the bridge, the scene where M is composing Bond's obituary, and yet Bond is apparently alive and well but in no hurry to come home. And we have the pysch evaluation.

Loss of memory? As in the end of the novel "You Only Live Twice"? But without the intervention of the enemy to persuade Bond to kill M? (Which, given the theme of this film might make sense, as we have a villain who, for whatever reasons, wants revenge on M)

I think ole James is just a bit disenfranchised with MI6, after being acciendtally shot because M was inpatient. Which is why he takes an extended sabbatical. What I'm curious of, is what causes Bond to want to return in the first place.

[Walecs]

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Plastic surgery/gene therapy?

I can't remember that in the novel - and I read it no more than one month ago. I must read it more carefully next time.

[Vauxhall]

What I'm curious of, is what causes Bond to want to return in the first place.

My (partially informed) speculation is that Bond learns about the attack on MI6 via a television news report, and feels he should return to London to try to help his employer and colleagues at a time when they need him the most. I imagine the shock of the attack shakes him out of his apathy, prompting him to "come back from the dead".

[Shrublands]

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Plastic surgery/gene therapy?

Also…
In Moonraker and DAD, the Blades Club is frequented by the story’s main villain – they show off at the club playing games and winning money they don’t need – both have played a part in fixing said games.

Graves and Drax have changed thier identities, taking the names of a dead man in both stories. They have both gone on to become very rich celebrities and prominent as philanthropic billionaires, beloved and honored by British society. Being a member of clubs such as Blades, is important to this constructed image.

They are both using the funding of a massive, seemingly altruistic project as cover for their true plot – one is a rocket program, the other is space based. Both want to fit in with the cream of British society but actually hate Britain and are trying to bring it down from within.

[JCRendle]

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Plastic surgery/gene therapy?

I can't remember that in the novel - and I read it no more than one month ago. I must read it more carefully next time.

In Moonraker Graf Hugo con der Drache was a German Commando who was disfigured and used this as an advantage to become the "British" Sir Hugo Drax.
In DAD Colonel Moon uses his apparent death to change his features and become the "British" Gustav Graves.

The first meeting between Bond and Drax is in Blades gentleman's club, Bond beats Drax at bridge.
The first meeting between Bond and Graves is in Blades gentleman's club, Bond beats Graves in a sword fight.

Drax uses his knowledge of columbite to become an extremely wealthy and well loved philanthropist.
Graves uses his knowledge and ownership of blood diamonds to become an extremely wealthy and well loved philanthropist

Drax builds a rocket everyone believes it's for the safety of Britain but Drax has other plans
Graves builds a satellite everyone believes is to increase crops, but Graves has other plans

I think there's more, but that's the basic idea. I believe Die Another Day was meant as a modern retelling of Moonraker and was closer to the book than Moore's Moonraker.
----
Surprisingly I started writing this post before Shrublands posted his version, great minds eh?

[The Shark]

Plus there's Gala Brand being part of the inspiration for Miranda Frost.

[Shrublands]

Plus there's Gala Brand being part of the inspiration for Miranda Frost.

That’s another good one. Apparently, in the earlier drafts, she was called Gala and was much more like her. She also was not a traitor or a baddie in anyway. It was when they decided to make her bad, very late in the day and after casting, that they changed the name.

[perdogg]

Isn't the plot to "Skyfall" similar to Benson's Doubleshot?

Does he mean that Skyfall will be based on a book, or just picking some unused elements from several books? There are plenty of unused material, but how many unused "big hooks" are there from the Flemings? I have longed for the beginning of TMWTGG for a long time, could it be used?

Good call, way back in November no less. I definitely flashed back to TMWTGG's opening when I saw the free association clips in the SF trailer.

The filmmakers have categorically stated that SF is an original screenplay and not based on any book.

GE and DAD were original screenplays, but there were clear influences of MR in both of them.

Now someone explain to me where TMWTGG novel is in LTK...

In the novel Bond is hired by Francisco Scaramanga to be his bodyguard like he was hired by Franz Sanchez, same initials, in LTK.

[JimmyBond]

Plus there's Gala Brand being part of the inspiration for Miranda Frost.

That’s another good one. Apparently, in the earlier drafts, she was called Gala and was much more like her. She also was not a traitor or a baddie in anyway. It was when they decided to make her bad, very late in the day and after casting, that they changed the name.

Just to add my two cents, I recall they changed the two characters once Halle was cast, and subsequently won the Oscar.

Edited by JimmyBond, 08 October 2012 - 04:56 PM.

[Shrublands]

Just to add my two cents, I recall they changed the two characters once Halle was cast, and subsequently won the Oscar.

Yes, I remember at the time Berry trying to talk round the issue – as if that wasn’t what had happened, but it so clearly was.

[JimmyBond]

In fact quite early on in production, Halle was on The Tonight Show and I think she was telling Jay she was playing a baddie. Or maybe it was during the "Start of filming" press conference. In any event, I do remember her saying she was a villain.

[Shrublands]

In fact quite early on in production, Halle was on The Tonight Show and I think she was telling Jay she was playing a baddie. Or maybe it was during the "Start of filming" press conference. In any event, I do remember her saying she was a villain.

Yes, me too. She was also on a red carpet, just after the casting leaked, and said how she was looking forward to being a villain in Bond.

Later, there was a lot of backtracking, as if it had never been suggested.

[JimmyBond]

Why though? I'm sure the public is aware that movies are constantly changed all the time before release.

[Shrublands]

Why though? I'm sure the public is aware that movies are constantly changed all the time before release.

Search me – perhaps they thought it looked better and that the script was more set, not being so radically changed as they went along.

[Cabarita Island]

Although the plot is not specifically based on source material it appears that they may have been mining the novels for specific scenes. My apologies if this has been mentioned in other threads.
The underground shooting gallery is taken straight from the first pages of Moonraker, The psychological evaluation from The Man With The Golden Gun, the shower scene with Sevie is taken from the second to last chapter of The Spy Who Loved Me. As a huge fan of the novels its exciting to me that there are still parts that can be translated to the big screen for the first time.

[TheManwiththeWaltherPPK]

Indeed. I don't know if this has been mentioned, but I also think Bond's "enjoying death" is also partly inspired by the beginning of Thunderball (the novel) before Bond goes to Shrublands. In both instances, Bond's indulgences in the soft life really get the best of him. They both give hints of Bond's at times self-destructive nature.

All in all, I'm getting the sense that, despite not having a novel's storyline to use as its base, Skyfall has great potential to be incredibly Fleming-esque. I would draw a comparison to Nolan's Batman films, prior to The Dark Knight Rises. Whether or not one likes Nolan's filmmaking style, on a purely narrative level, they do a very good job of grabbing different ideas and elements from a variety of Batman stories in the comics and combining them together to make a story that is fresh and original, yet extremely faithful to the comics in terms of feel and themes. I feel like Skyfall might be the first Bond film that is not an adaptation of a Fleming story to have successfully achieved such a combination.

It's ironic that the man who seems to have elevated Purvis & Wade's work this time is none other than the man who was responsible for the Star Trek series' own Die Another Day fiasco. John Logan wrote Star Trek: Nemesis and the end result was a horrible film that bombed with critics and the box office, caused a 7-year hiatus before the next Star Trek film, and resulted in the reboot of the series.

[Guy Haines]

Apart from the hate for english men (GE) and Blades club -though I still can't see when it was called Blades in the movie (DAD), I can't see any influence from Moonraker

Plastic surgery/gene therapy?

Also…
In Moonraker and DAD, the Blades Club is frequented by the story’s main villain – they show off at the club playing games and winning money they don’t need – both have played a part in fixing said games.

Graves and Drax have changed thier identities, taking the names of a dead man in both stories. They have both gone on to become very rich celebrities and prominent as philanthropic billionaires, beloved and honored by British society. Being a member of clubs such as Blades, is important to this constructed image.

They are both using the funding of a massive, seemingly altruistic project as cover for their true plot – one is a rocket program, the other is space based. Both want to fit in with the cream of British society but actually hate Britain and are trying to bring it down from within.

One minor point about Drax and Graves. The former took his identity from an orphan from Liverpool. Graves' identity was, it seems, entirely invented. In Raymond Benson's novelisation of DAD we are told that nothing much is known about Graves beyond what the PR people wanted the world to know - no relations, former friends, ex-girlfriends could be found. He had "risen without trace".