Bond, James Bond

October 9, 2008

#2 son has to do a comparison/contrast paper on a book and the movie made from it. He asked me if we have a copy of Casino Royale. Of course we have Casino Royale. I was even reading it, although I set it down somewhere and didn’t finish.

In the original book, Vesper is taken prisoner when the villains pull her skirt over her head, rendering her helpless. Early Bond girls have about as much sense as the average canary. When it got suddenly dark, she probably fell asleep.

So this would be an excellent choice for a paper. Especially the part where Bond gets whacked in the privates by a carpet beater. In the movie, it’s a rope. Unless you watch the original movie, where it is a torture of the mind with symbolic carpet beater. But the original movie makes no sense at all.

English teachers love papers on stuff like that. English papers about genital torture. We’ll probably be getting a call from the school about ‘appropriateness.’

But we have several thousand books, if I count everything from Pat the Bunny, upwards. And I set it down ‘somewhere’ as opposed to ‘on the TBR pile’ on the ‘mystery shelf’ or ‘with the pulp fiction’. This book is likely to turn up under a stack of bills, or mixed in with last year’s Christmas cards. I gave up, and am buying a new copy.

Since #2 son needed something to carry to class and show willing, I handed him “You Only Live Twice”.

He came back with a report:

“Do you know what Bond does in this book? He insults the head of the Japanese Secret Service. Then he insults several Geishas. And all of Asia. And plays rock, paper, scissors. And gets roaring drunk.”

Me: “How far have you gotten?”

#2 Son: “Five paragraphs.”

He went on to explain pillow Geishas to me, who apparently, don’t have to know how to write Haikus.

#2 Son: So what I want to know is, when they were making the movies, what made them decide to make James Bond suave?”

Me: “These books were written in the early 60’s. That’s what suave looked like, back then.”

14 responses to “Bond, James Bond”

  1. feklar says:

    Well, to be fair, wasn’t Vesper already collaborating with the bad guys by that point?

    I was actually amazed at the fact that they did show the genital torture in the movie becuase genital torture is such the antithesis to the macho hero.

    • Anonymous says:

      I have not seen the movie (Casino Royale) but I have the original book. For #2 I would loan it.

      • admin says:

        Thanks, but no thanks. I had to make the rounds of the Milw bookstores, signing stock of my Halloween book. So I bought another copy of Casino Royale, complete with lovely noir cover. Eventually, my other copy will turn up, and then I’ll have two.

    • admin says:

      Oh, and Feklar…

      I suppose I can give her some credit for intelligence. But then I have to take a point away from Bond for listening to her.

      Personally, I’m telling my boys if a girl’s excuse for any kind of trouble is “Sorry, I got trapped in my own clothing” they should turn and run. Look what happened to Bond.

      And as far as showing that scene in the movie? That stuff is like catnip for women. Not only did it give us a reason to see naked Daniel Craig, it showed a strong man suffering.

      There is an unwritten romance writing rule (that no one tells real guys): The quickest way to get the girl is by gaining her sympathy. And it’s easier to do that by getting beaten up than by winning a fist fight.

      Of course, I may be biased. I married a guy who got punched in the mouth for me. In 10th grade. It made a lasting impression.

      • feklar says:

        Re: Oh, and Feklar…

        In the book, I think he did lose the point of intelligence…it’s been a couple of decades since I read it, but I seem to remember he was ogling her legs at the time. Or at least, Flemming made a rather salacious description of her legs sticking out of her skirt.

        I’m female, but I’m in the minority among my friends (including Oracne), in that I’ve never been a big hurt/comfort fan. I don’t dislike it, but it also doesn’t do much for me. It is just part of the plot to me.

  2. feklar says:

    Well, to be fair, wasn’t Vesper already collaborating with the bad guys by that point?

    I was actually amazed at the fact that they did show the genital torture in the movie becuase genital torture is such the antithesis to the macho hero.

    • Anonymous says:

      I have not seen the movie (Casino Royale) but I have the original book. For #2 I would loan it.

      • admin says:

        Thanks, but no thanks. I had to make the rounds of the Milw bookstores, signing stock of my Halloween book. So I bought another copy of Casino Royale, complete with lovely noir cover. Eventually, my other copy will turn up, and then I’ll have two.

    • admin says:

      Oh, and Feklar…

      I suppose I can give her some credit for intelligence. But then I have to take a point away from Bond for listening to her.

      Personally, I’m telling my boys if a girl’s excuse for any kind of trouble is “Sorry, I got trapped in my own clothing” they should turn and run. Look what happened to Bond.

      And as far as showing that scene in the movie? That stuff is like catnip for women. Not only did it give us a reason to see naked Daniel Craig, it showed a strong man suffering.

      There is an unwritten romance writing rule (that no one tells real guys): The quickest way to get the girl is by gaining her sympathy. And it’s easier to do that by getting beaten up than by winning a fist fight.

      Of course, I may be biased. I married a guy who got punched in the mouth for me. In 10th grade. It made a lasting impression.

      • feklar says:

        Re: Oh, and Feklar…

        In the book, I think he did lose the point of intelligence…it’s been a couple of decades since I read it, but I seem to remember he was ogling her legs at the time. Or at least, Flemming made a rather salacious description of her legs sticking out of her skirt.

        I’m female, but I’m in the minority among my friends (including Oracne), in that I’ve never been a big hurt/comfort fan. I don’t dislike it, but it also doesn’t do much for me. It is just part of the plot to me.

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