The James Bond Questions Thread

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  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited July 2022 Posts: 3,799
    It looks like Bond was the only 00 in the MI6 in the Craig Era isn't it?
    I do wonder where are the other 00 agents.
    That's one of the stupid moments in SPECTRE right at the end when Bond was in the boat while chasing Blofeld in a Helicopter, in the CNS building, there's only M, Moneypenny and Q watching the scene.
    Where are the other 00 agents?
    Was M, Q, Moneypenny and Bond were the only workers at MI6?
    It seems like it's only Bond who's personal issues always taking MI6 to a risk right?
    But not the other 00 agents who were just doing their jobs peacefully.

    I really liked the classic Era in that we at least saw the other 00 agents.
    In the Craig era where are the other 00 agents?
  • Posts: 1,974
    If Licence to Kill did better at the Box office you think Daltons third Bond film would of happened and the stuff with the studios wouldnt have happened?
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,460
    fjdinardo wrote: »
    If Licence to Kill did better at the Box office you think Daltons third Bond film would of happened and the stuff with the studios wouldnt have happened?

    I think the studio stuff was independent of the failure of LTK at the box office. However if Dalton had agreed to do more than one Bond upon return I think we may not have had the Brosnan films or at least some of them.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited July 2022 Posts: 3,799
    What is Felix Leiter's military rank?
    Does he serve in the military, does he have a rank like Bond?
  • Posts: 2,161
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    What is Felix Leiter's military rank?
    Does he serve in the military, does he have a rank like Bond?

    I can find no reference to this. @Revelator or @Dragonpol ?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited July 2022 Posts: 18,324
    Birdleson wrote: »
    MI6HQ wrote: »
    What is Felix Leiter's military rank?
    Does he serve in the military, does he have a rank like Bond?

    I can find no reference to this. @Revelator or @Dragonpol ?

    As I'm sure we know Felix Leiter in the Fleming novels was first seen in Casino Royale aspart of theJpint Intelligence Staff of NATO, then in the CIA and (after his shark mauling in LALD) worked for Pinkertons Detective Agency during DAF. He later returned to the CIA by the time of Thunderball. That much we do know. However, this question got me to thinking about his earlier career and on a hunch I lifted a paperback copy of Goldfinger off my bookshelf to check. Leiter first appears in the novel towards the end of Chapter 21. Fleming introduces Leiter thus:

    "The straw-haired Texan, clad in his wartime Marine Corps battledress was pounding up the platform followed by a dozen men in khaki. He carried a one-man bazooka by the steel hook he used for a right hand."

    So there we have it I guess. Leiter, at least in the original novels, was in the US Marine Corps (the Marines) during World War II. They fight on land and in amphibious operations. The men accompanying Leiter in Goldfinger respond to him as "Cap'n" which is a military rank so I assume that Captain was the highest rank he held in the Marines?

    In Thunderball on boarding a US Navy submarine Leiter confirms to Commander Pedersen, USN that he's never been on a submarine before and his only prior experience of submarines was the one he played with in the bath as a child!
  • Posts: 2,161
    That's good enough! Captain!
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,324
    Birdleson wrote: »
    That's good enough! Captain!

    Yes, I remembered the bit where Leiter comes to try to save the day near the end of Goldfinger and thought it might mention his military past. Thankfully it did, but I must say I'd forgotten that detail.
  • mattjoesmattjoes THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST
    edited August 2022 Posts: 7,050
    In NTTD, when Tanner tells Bond he has "violated the most important rule in the whole bloody playbook", what rule is he referring to?

    a) Don't touch an asset under interrogation.
    b) Don't strangle an asset under interrogation.
    c) Don't kill an asset under interrogation.
    d) Don't carry deadly nanobots on you when talking to an asset under interrogation.
    e) Don't be the foster brother of an asset under interrogation.
    f) Don't tell your colleagues not to lecture you.
    g) None of the above.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited August 2022 Posts: 3,799
    mattjoes wrote: »
    In NTTD, when Tanner tells Bond he has "violated the most important rule in the whole bloody playbook", what rule is he referring to?

    a) Don't touch an asset under interrogation.
    b) Don't strangle an asset under interrogation.
    c) Don't kill an asset under interrogation.
    d) Don't carry deadly nanobots on you when talking to an asset under interrogation.
    e) Don't be the foster brother of an asset under interrogation.
    f) Don't tell your colleagues not to lecture you.
    g) None of the above.

    I think it's A, B, and C, he shouldn't at least strangle an asset, Tanner said that outside when he saw Bond came near to Blofeld inside, "Be careful, Bond", even M didn't allowed Bond to visit Blofeld in Belmarsh, if not for Bond's insistence.

    Blofeld was protected as both witness, and a prisoner, so what Bond did of strangling him was a violation against the rules of interrogation, you should talk to the asset calmly and with professionalism, not being outweighed by your emotions.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    I always took it more as "Don't let them get to you."
    The interrogating officer is supposed to manipulate the asset. They cannot under any circumstances lose control of the situation and of themselves. Whether that means running an interrogation sub-optimally, providing a reason for the asset to sue the state (probably less of a problem for the 00 section, but still) and compromise the entire case, involuntarily providing information to the enemy or worst of all getting turned.

    Or it's a)...
  • mattjoesmattjoes THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST
    Posts: 7,050
    Here's another, less cheeky question:

    I haven't checked it thoroughly, but I got the impression Rami Malek himself played a relative of Safin in the photographs of the Norway house. I'm talking about the guy with the moustache (his father perhaps?). Could there be any truth to that or am I full of baloney?
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    edited September 2022 Posts: 14,643
    That crossed my mind - Malek as Safin's dad. My impression was that he looked like Vince Vaughn. The photos of young Safin is Malek as a boy though.
  • mattjoesmattjoes THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST THE MOONRAKER TAPES ARE LOST
    Posts: 7,050
    QBranch wrote: »
    That crossed my mind - Malek as Safin's dad. My impression was that he looked like Vince Vaughn.
    He does look like Vince Vaughn. But whoever he is, he was well-cast, in terms of the resemblance to Rami Malek.

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    QBranch wrote: »
    The photos of young Safin is Malek as a boy though.
    That makes sense, it really looks like him.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,643
    mattjoes wrote: »
    QBranch wrote: »
    The photos of young Safin is Malek as a boy though.
    That makes sense, it really looks like him.
    Same in SP, with all the photos of young Madeleine on White's notice board in the hidden room. Even the toddler with striped shirt is Lea.
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited September 2022 Posts: 3,799
    Those fight scenes in Moonraker (particularly at the space fight scenes).
    Was it Roger Moore who really did those fight scenes by himself?

    Or was it Jake Lombard? His stuntman who really looked liked him, who bore a strong resemblance to Moore (based on IMDb)?

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    If it's Moore, it's surprising that he did his own fight stunts here, because as we know him, he'd been always using a stunt doubles.

    Can someone confirm me this? Thank you for your answers.....
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,001
    It's hard for me to figure out who's a stunt double sometimes. The sauna bit in GE, there's a double used when Xenia knocks Bond in the back and flips him over on the bench. It's such a random sequence and I can't imagine why they'd elect to use a double there.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,460
    I think this was Moore in MR. He seemed to be hit and miss with the stunt doubles. In Spy he almost was killed or at least seriously injured during the gun fight with Stromberg.

    I think in FYEO you can clearly see when it's not Moore. It undoes a lot of the action as you can clearly see it's not Moore doing some of the stunt work. Compared to TLD when it is the exact opposite with Tim.

  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited October 2022 Posts: 7,584
    Question: which Bond actor do you think had the coolest *stuff*? It's objectively Roger Moore right? I just thought it was interesting because I don't rate Moore as highly as the other Bonds but between the golden gun and the Lotus and everything, man he had some cool stuff, like if I were to put nods to previous films in a Q Lab scene it would be stocked full of Moore stuff.
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,643
    Was just thinking this the other night. Probably Roger, and he probably had the most concealed gadgets too.
  • AgentJamesBond007AgentJamesBond007 Vesper’s grave
    Posts: 2,632
    Question: When Bond strangles Blofeld in NTTD, wouldn't Blofeld have died regardless of whether or not Bond touched Madeleine's arm? He was hit by the SPECTRE-targeting Heracles already during the Cuba party and it was established that Heracles is everlasting.
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    Question: When Bond strangles Blofeld in NTTD, wouldn't Blofeld have died regardless of whether or not Bond touched Madeleine's arm? He was hit by the SPECTRE-targeting Heracles already during the Cuba party and it was established that Heracles is everlasting.

    Yes. But neither her nor Safin could have known, I think.
    It is weird that from that point forward it's played as if Madeleine infected him. Bond also makes no effort to explain this to her later.
    I guess him grabbing her arm and the focus on it is there to show how even if she doesn't want to touch him, at some point it just happens, so there's no way he could later have avoided passing the Madeleine-targeted Heracles on to her and Mathilde?
  • SIS_HQSIS_HQ At the Vauxhall Headquarters
    edited October 2022 Posts: 3,799
    It's still of a headscratcher to me that how Bond killed Blofeld, if they're not relatives, I mean they're just foster brothers right?

    Nanobots could kill a relative by its DNA, it needs to be biologically related (hence the SPECTRE agents and their families, and Bond's fear of infecting both Madeleine and Mathilde).

    So how could Bond killed Blofeld?

    In my belief, it wouldn't work if not biologically related, right?

    So, the passing of the nanobots is really of a headscratcher to me.

  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,714
    Those nanobots were programmed for Blofeld.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,324
    Yes, and Q even reinforces this fact when he explains that it's lucky Bond and Blofeld weren't really brothers or he'd be dead too. I like to think that's Purvis and Wade (or one of the other writers) acknowledging how controversial the whole Brofeld angle was in Spectre.
  • Someone a couple of years ago made a thread I believe in this forum listing how much screentime each location in each Bond film has. Does anyone remember this? I have tried to find it but have not been successful so far.
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,185
    So in SP, when South Africa vetoes against the 9 Eyes proposition M says to C: “Democracy”.

    One vote that gets a proposition cancelled, even though everyone else is in favour, isn’t quite democratic though, is it?
  • ImpertinentGoonImpertinentGoon Everybody needs a hobby.
    Posts: 1,351
    GoldenGun wrote: »
    So in SP, when South Africa vetoes against the 9 Eyes proposition M says to C: “Democracy”.

    One vote that gets a proposition cancelled, even though everyone else is in favour, isn’t quite democratic though, is it?

    Let's just say there isn't one set definition of what democracy entails today. Political scientists publish about 5 books a year about that topic.
    It certainly isn't democracy as in "the will of the majority is what matters". However, we've moved past that definition a long time ago. The "tyranny of the mob/majority" is maybe the major argument against a true direct democracy and the main reason why a system in which it truly only comes down to a majority of the votes from the population exists basically nowhere. There are always some types of checks and balances and generally protections for minorities. Be it through courts, certain seat allocations in parliaments or the constitutional character itself (stuff like the US Senate protectiong small state's positions). We still consider these systems to be democracies.
    Still, I think you are right that the comment is quite ill informed for someone like M, because I don't think a lot of people would describe our system (or any system) of international relations as "democracy" first and foremost. It's basically a category error. Depending on what school of international relations theory you adhere to, we'd more likely talk about "balancing", "cooperation" or "interdependence". That of course isn't good screenwriting and makes little sense to most of the audience.

    What I think he is getting at is that the eight states in favour can't just force South Africa (and therefore the people of South Africa) into something they don't want. The government - democratically elected by the people - has to accept. That's a very strong position in international relations basically since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. States of course screw with each others' sovereignty all the time, but you generally try to avoid doing it in committee. You get someone like James Bond to do it...
  • GoldenGunGoldenGun Per ora e per il momento che verrà
    Posts: 7,185
    Thanks for the very precise reply @ImpertinentGoon , much appreciated.
  • Whirlybird_FanWhirlybird_Fan Sydney, Australia
    Posts: 49
    A couple of questions I have for those who have done the full-on Bond marathon (all 25 films in release order) - did you enjoy the experience, and would you recommend it to those of us who have not done it?
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