4 replies to this topic

[Navy007Fan]

I was re-reading Casino Royale a few days ago, and I remembered a segment from the Supersizers Eat the '50s (the Bond segment starts at about the 13:40 minute point).  I wonder how much did Fleming's description of food, rather than the sex and violence, led to the popularity of the series?  Thoughts?

[Major Tallon]

I doubt that Fleming's descriptions of food themselves caused the series to be popular, but rather that the food, the drinks, the cars, the merchandise, and the locales all contributed to a sense of style that helped differentiate the Bond books from run-of-the-mill thrillers.  The novels certainly would have been the poorer had we not read about the elegant and frequently exotic meals that Fleming provided for Bond. 

[Navy007Fan]

I doubt that Fleming's descriptions of food themselves caused the series to be popular, but rather that the food, the drinks, the cars, the merchandise, and the locales all contributed to a sense of style that helped differentiate the Bond books from run-of-the-mill thrillers.  The novels certainly would have been the poorer had we not read about the elegant and frequently exotic meals that Fleming provided for Bond. 

 

Concur!  However, the Supersizers' segment on Bond added the fact that Casino Royale came out in a time when the UK was still under wartime food rationing rules.  This put a different perspective on it for me, and made me think that the food, along with the sex and violence, made the fanstasy that much more popular since the British public could not enjoy meals like that at the time.

[Major Tallon]

Absolutely.  It was important to the creation of the Bond mystique that he be seen as a man who enjoyed life and lived well, and that included the meals, about which he ackowledged taking a ridiculous pleasure. 

 

Having Bond move in exotic locales (and the meals were part of the setting) was also key to providing a backdrop to his adventures.  When the adventure was set in Britain, as in Moonraker, the description of the food helped supply the touch of the luxurious that the setting alone wouldn't have provided.  I've seen many photos of London's gentlemen's clubs and attended an event at the Army and Navy ("The Rag"), but Fleming's depiction of Blades in Moonraker described something more opulent.  We once had a thread on Fleming's Bond where a poster far more knowledgeable than I about such matters indicated that the clubland Fleming depicted was not to be found in the post-war years.  It was indeed in the realm of fantasy, designed to create a worthy setting for Bond's critical faceoff with Drax. 

 

When we tour movie locations and observe how the filmmakers change existing locales into spectacular settings, members of our group of Bond travelers often speak of "movie magic."  Fleming employed the comparable technique in print, and his descriptions of food and drink were an important part of it.  Without it, both the character of James Bond and the adventures themselves would be far poorer.

[volante]

Absolutely.  It was important to the creation of the Bond mystique that he be seen as a man who enjoyed life and lived well, and that included the meals, about which he ackowledged taking a ridiculous pleasure. 

 

Having Bond move in exotic locales (and the meals were part of the setting) was also key to providing a backdrop to his adventures.  When the adventure was set in Britain, as in Moonraker, the description of the food helped supply the touch of the luxurious that the setting alone wouldn't have provided.  I've seen many photos of London's gentlemen's clubs and attended an event at the Army and Navy ("The Rag"), but Fleming's depiction of Blades in Moonraker described something more opulent.  We once had a thread on Fleming's Bond where a poster far more knowledgeable than I about such matters indicated that the clubland Fleming depicted was not to be found in the post-war years.  It was indeed in the realm of fantasy, designed to create a worthy setting for Bond's critical faceoff with Drax. 

 

When we tour movie locations and observe how the filmmakers change existing locales into spectacular settings, members of our group of Bond travelers often speak of "movie magic."  Fleming employed the comparable technique in print, and his descriptions of food and drink were an important part of it.  Without it, both the character of James Bond and the adventures themselves would be far poorer.

Well said Major.

In film, we get to see and hear the story. But in print we have to imagine what is being described. "A picture is worth a thousand words"

Had we seen Blades, everyone would have known what it was like. But to describe it conjures up a unique picture in everyone's mind. The reader evokes the ambiance of the locations. Thus the use of ALL our senses is employed to describe the scene.

    We all know what it's like to eat. We simply taste the food...

But to add the sound of steel knife upon china plate. To describe the fizz of the champagne, takes us closer to the action.

Fleming must have known that most of his readers had never been to Jamaica, or New Orleans. And similarly they had never tasted Bollinger or eaten soft shell crabs. If that experience was seen on film we would have just accepted it. But in the magical world of books Fleming let us sample the lifestyle of a spy, eating foods and drinking wines that we could only dream about. Our imaginations work in all five senses. Fleming was able to ignite our imaginations by describing new experiences.

As you say all the elements of a Fleming novel contribute to the style of a Bond thriller.

 

All the best

Paul