To "Sir James" forgive me for generalising, which is what Im about to do. But have you read Fleming's novels? The American influence you speak of is an underlyling tone throughout any of Fleming's novels set in America. Raymond Chandler went so far as to say Diamond's Are Forever read as if it was written by an American and he was unaware of any other writer capable of adapting the influences and cultures of other countries to his stories so well.
The further point that LTK lacks class because it contains swearing and overall gorrness I can't help but totally disagree with. LTK borrows heavily from Fleming's novel Live And Let Die. The shark sequence involving Felix and the "he disagreed with something that ate him" are pulled straight from Fleming's novel. As is Bond's fight in the warehouse and his feeding to the shark of "the robber" (in the novel) and Leiter's pal in LTK.
The novels and Fleming's view further point toward what was said above by the amount of physical pain OO7 is put in, and the use of swearing in Fleming's novels. It's usually handled with the gentlemanly attitude of a Scottish gentleman but it's there. Bond tells Drax in Moonraker to "go ---- yourself." Which Drax responds, "even I am not capable of that."
He spit's out "a four letter word" quite frequently and cannot under stand how Tiger in You Only Live Twice can make it through the day without his barrage of offensive words (Tiger told Bond there were no swear words in the Japanese language) and OO7 is kind enough to point out "Freddie Uncle Charlie Kate". Or something simular to it as an example. So I'd say LTK accuratly portrays the spirit of Fleming's blunt government instrument
"LTK has no class and style," I think I've answered this above, but give John Glen 120 million+ and see what he comes up with. Better still, give LT and the DAD crew 32 million.
If licence to kill doesn't symbolise Bond being disguisted and revolted at the world he is surrounded in I don't know what does. Dalton brings a real world edge to it and it does affect him, look at the shark tank scene and Felix's "He disagreed with something that ate him."
"He is also able to still enjoy the finer things, and still act like Bond."
I think most people in generally can enjoy ten year old Tattinger or Krug or Bollanger in exotic surroundings and see themselves as Bond
Let alone the guy playing him."But he dons the tux becuase its many layers prevent that "weak" 007 from showing. The trick to a good Bond is to have him show you that tux while never taking it off. In other words, bringing you into the darkness of his inner real self, while still mantaining the suave, smooth, and charming 007 front."
I think you nail it here. Really, the difference between Dalton and Brosnan. I think your looking a little to symbolic at Brosnan's tux, it was just a tux no three piece. Dalton's Bond doesn't hide behind his clothing, he's at his most dangerous when he's challanged and in danger, as is Fleming's Bond and we see this on screen in Doctor No.
By this I mean Connery in the "torture chamber." And Bond beaten and wrecked at the end of LTK.
I just don't see the symbolism behind it. Maybe if he put it on as soon as arriving in Hong Kong, but I myself think its a bit of a stretch, maybe others make the connection?
"Dalton could just never get the hang of this, and neither does LTK, which is why the film suffers for it."
I myself don't see why Bond needs to wear a tux every single movie, but anyway eh.
I think the point a lot of people are making is that licence to kill works on many levels because its a great film, has a good story, the action doesn't remove the plot, the characters are developed, it borrows HEAVILY from Fleming's previous novels and there is depth and subtext in the characters and story, something absent from the second hour of DAD.
