Most Saddening and Disturbing Death (SPOILERS)

edited February 2014 in Bond Movies Posts: 18
The James Bond novels and movie spin-offs revel in the Women in Refrigerators and Likable Sidekick Tragically Killed plot devices: being Bond's girl or Bond's contact is as dangerous an occupation as being a relative or girlfriend to Peter Parker. Which supporting character's deaths do you find the hardest to sit through? Here is my shortlist:

Vesper Lynd - Goes without saying, her being blackmailed into working for Quantum, which leads to her eventual suicide, overshadowing two whole movies.

Tracy Bond - Another death that goes without saying and makes you wonder how Bond as a character copes with survivor's guilt, with a meek George Lazenby cradling her corpse in his arms and mumbling having all the time in the world reducing me to tears as a small boy.

Severnaya Staff - Faceless redshirts to be sure, but just regular and likable looking joes doing their job then getting gunned down by a crazed villainess for their trouble. The real emotional effect was from Natalya's saddened reaction to the senseless carnage in her workplace.

Aki - Seeing the sassy, confident Aki getting her lungs constricted by poison (while giving this pleading, frightened gaze) was hard to take. The very creepy and downbeat soundtrack by John Barry doesn't help either.

Strawberry Fields and Mathis - Fields' death was very bizarre and tragically leftfield (with her reception note making you think she was warning about British agents instead of Quantum agents). Mathis comes back after what Bond unintentionally did to him, only to get shot and get respectfully dumped into a rubbish bin.

Ali Kerim Bey - The impact of his death was very severe not only because of the eeriness of Bond stumbling upon Bey's body after Red Grant paid Bey a visit (not witnessing the murder) but (as with Mathis and Aki) he also spent half the story being a very likable and affectionate ally.

Severine - A comparatively recent example from last year's Skyfall and although a henchwoman, she was implied to have a very tragic, squalid past, and when tied to rock and waiting to be shot by Silva or Bond, her zoned out and courageous facial expression is so heart breaking.
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Comments

  • Good list. I'd add the Masterson sisters as well. Two parents lost two daughters.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 11,189
    Having watched OHMSS again fairly recently I can easily say that Tracy's death is the most moving death in the Bond series. Also, the barn scene before it is beautifully played and (IMO) feels more heartfelt than Dan's "I have no armour left" speech in CR (its the only time I have felt myself almost tearing up when watching Bond).

    The only death that comes close for me is M in SF as it feels like a younger man who has lost his mother/grandmother.

    I'd say the most "disturbing" deaths were Della, Andrea and Solange - women who were caught up in another world and died horribly as a result.
  • Posts: 12,506
    Mathis was a real sad one to watch as I thought he was a great character! :((
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited February 2014 Posts: 23,449
    I struggle most with Kerim (because the character's death is so dreadfully meta) and also with Corinne. So painful - I can imagine at least.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 19,339
    The John Barry score throughout Corinne being chased by the dobermans is haunting and very very good - just another victim who died helping Bond,this is one where he didnt even know it had happened ...poor girl.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 2,483
    Vesper's death is No. 1 and all others are a distant second for the simple reason that we actually see her drown. It's rather graphic and to me much harder to watch than the actual torture of Bond in CR.

    Good call, however, on Corinne's death. Rather haunting, that.
  • royale65royale65 Caustic misanthrope reporting for duty.
    Posts: 4,418
    Hmm, I'd go with Kerim; Pedro Armendariz who is the personification of charisma, as Kerim Bey, Head of Station “T”, Turkey. Ian Fleming wrote that Bey had a “face full of vitality”, and Armendariz lives up to that wonderfully. And to see that vitality rubbed out, is rather unsettling.
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Quarrel being burnt to a crisp.

    Sharky being strung up like the big catch of the day
  • Posts: 2,491
    Tracy's #1 for me.
  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Tracy, by a large margin. It is also one of the saddest death scenes in a film IMO.
  • Tracy's death is the saddest for me. It's just so sudden and tragic. Vespers death was sad too but it was very dramatic, I prefer the more low key and shocking death of Tracy.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 1,405
    The James Bond novels and movie spin-offs revel in the Women in Refrigerators and Likable Sidekick Tragically Killed plot devices: being Bond's girl or Bond's contact is as dangerous an occupation as being a relative or girlfriend to Peter Parker. Which supporting character's deaths do you find the hardest to sit through? Here is my shortlist:

    Vesper Lynd - Goes without saying, her being blackmailed into working for Quantum, which leads to her eventual suicide, overshadowing two whole movies.

    Tracy Bond - Another death that goes without saying and makes you wonder how Bond as a character copes with survivor's guilt, with a meek George Lazenby cradling her corpse in his arms and mumbling having all the time in the world reducing me to tears as a small boy.

    Severnaya Staff - Faceless redshirts to be sure, but just regular and likable looking joes doing their job then getting gunned down by a crazed villainess for their trouble. The real emotional effect was from Natalya's saddened reaction to the senseless carnage in her workplace.

    Aki - Seeing the sassy, confident Aki getting her lungs constricted by poison (while giving this pleading, frightened gaze) was hard to take. The very creepy and downbeat soundtrack by John Barry doesn't help either.

    Strawberry Fields and Mathis - Fields' death was very bizarre and tragically leftfield (with her reception note making you think she was warning about British agents instead of Quantum agents). Mathis comes back after what Bond unintentionally did to him, only to get shot and get respectfully dumped into a rubbish bin.

    Ali Kerim Bey - The impact of his death was very severe not only because of the eeriness of Bond stumbling upon Bey's body after Red Grant paid Bey a visit (not witnessing the murder) but (as with Mathis and Aki) he also spent half the story being a very likable and affectionate ally.

    Severine - A comparatively recent example from last year's Skyfall and although a henchwoman, she was implied to have a very tragic, squalid past, and when tied to rock and waiting to be shot by Silva or Bond, her zoned out and courageous facial expression is so heart breaking.

    Tracy's death didn't have the same effect on Sean Connery or DAF scriptwriters since Tracy's name wasn't pronounce even ONCE in DAF, which is a shame. Two other deaths had a big impact on me; those of Corrine Dufour, who wholeheartedly trusted our boy on first sight, and Saunders who, despited being an obvious "by the book" agent, finally found some ground to bend some rules and get the job done for our boy.

    On Corrine's death, I found it a little heartless of Bond not to ask Drax what happened to her, because she very obviously satisfied Drax's requirements to repopulate the earth.
  • Posts: 12,243
    Tracy = saddest. Milton Krest = most disturbing.
  • Bradford4Bradford4 Banned
    Posts: 152
    Luigi in FYEO. Really had the potential to be good friends with Bond.
  • Posts: 5,774
    For me, first is Tracy, second is M, third is Vesper.
  • Posts: 7,653
    barryt007 wrote:
    The John Barry score throughout Corinne being chased by the dobermans is haunting and very very good - just another victim who died helping Bond,this is one where he didnt even know it had happened ...poor girl.

    This one is the worst in the 007 franchise as indeed she played NO role anymore, kudo's to MR for including this bit of ruthlesness of Hugo Drax.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 1,009
    Tracy, Tracy and then Tracy... With a bit of Corinne.
  • Tracy, by a large margin. It is also one of the saddest death scenes in a film IMO.

    Yes, but in no particular order the tragic demises of Tracy, Vesper and the underrated Aki to me felt amongst the most legitimately saddening love interest deaths in a movie or TV show.

  • MayDayDiVicenzoMayDayDiVicenzo Here and there
    Posts: 5,080
    Tracy, by a large margin. It is also one of the saddest death scenes in a film IMO.

    Yes, but in no particular order the tragic demises of Tracy, Vesper and the underrated Aki to me felt amongst the most legitimately saddening love interest deaths in a movie or TV show.

    I too found Aki's saddening. Such a likeable character.
  • Posts: 2,341
    Tracy, by a large margin. It is also one of the saddest death scenes in a film IMO.

    Yes, but in no particular order the tragic demises of Tracy, Vesper and the underrated Aki to me felt amongst the most legitimately saddening love interest deaths in a movie or TV show.

    I too found Aki's saddening. Such a likeable character.

    I have to agree wholeheartily. I kinda knew Vesper was gonna bite the dust but the scene was still difficult to watch.

    Tracy was a jolt. I recall hearing moans in the theater when Bond noticed that she was dead.

    No one expected Aki to die such a horrible and painful demise. She was so pretty and full of life. As far as the women in YOLT she wins hands down. They should have killed Kissy and let Aki live.
  • SuperheroSithSuperheroSith SE London
    Posts: 578
    I was affected by Judi Dench's M the most as she was the only M I saw in all my bond film experiences in the cinema (GoldenEye-Present), she was the first M I ever saw and I had time to know her in films.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 11,189
    [/quote]

    Tracy was a jolt. I recall hearing moans in the theater when Bond noticed that she was dead [/quote]

    Im not surprised. That's pretty much my reaction too everytime Bond does that double take in the car.
  • No more problems.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,729
    No, it just means he died peacefully shortly after telling Q it was Kamal's men that did it. Don't be ridiculous just for the sake of it.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Dragonpol wrote:
    No, it just means he died peacefully shortly after telling Q it was Kamal's men that did it. Don't be ridiculous just for the sake of it.
    I wouldn't say he died peacefully. He was chopped up by a yo-yo blade.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,729
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    No, it just means he died peacefully shortly after telling Q it was Kamal's men that did it. Don't be ridiculous just for the sake of it.
    I wouldn't say he died peacefully. He was chopped up by a yo-yo blade.

    Well, I mean to say he passed away of his own accord; Q did nothing to aid his passing to the other side as far as I'm concerned. That's journalese.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    No, it just means he died peacefully shortly after telling Q it was Kamal's men that did it. Don't be ridiculous just for the sake of it.
    I wouldn't say he died peacefully. He was chopped up by a yo-yo blade.

    Well, I mean to say he passed away of his own accord; Q did nothing to aid his passing to the other side as far as I'm concerned. That's journalese.

    Oh Okay. Yeah your right. I forgot to see mister troll's post.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 17,729
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    Murdock wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    No, it just means he died peacefully shortly after telling Q it was Kamal's men that did it. Don't be ridiculous just for the sake of it.
    I wouldn't say he died peacefully. He was chopped up by a yo-yo blade.

    Well, I mean to say he passed away of his own accord; Q did nothing to aid his passing to the other side as far as I'm concerned. That's journalese.

    Oh Okay. Yeah your right. I forgot to see mister troll's post.

    Hopefully he can be returned under his bridge again soon.
  • edited February 2014 Posts: 317
    Tracy's death was the saddest by far. Comon it was Bond's wife killed on their wedding day !

    Plenty of deaths in the franchise that were a real bummer though, as mentioned by some of the previous posters I was saddened by many ...

    ViJay (No more problems)
    Kerim (Loved his personality, great character sad to see him go)
    Corrine (She was such a hotty, what a waste)
    Severine (Again, what a waste)
    Mathis (Hated how Bond just throws him in the trash)
    Mr. Henderson (We were just getting to know you)
    Sir Godfrey (Loved the back and fourth Bond and Tippet had while under cover)
    Vesper (This is easily the saddest aside from Tracy's death)




  • Posts: 1,817
    Tracy was the saddest because Vesper was in some part guilty of her own fate and she chose to kill herself. But when Tracy says those words "Now I can have what I always wanted: a future", I struggle to not cry.
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