Bring the old comedic Bond back? Yay or nay?

CASINOROYALECASINOROYALE Somewhere hot
in Bond Movies Posts: 1,003

So recently I decided to watch every Bond film starting with Dr. No to Skyfall. I have began to appreciate the older films a lot more! The last time I watched the older films I was around 16-17 and now I am 21 and I am starting to enjoy the humor.

There's a lot of scenes like where you see Bond and Jaws smiling at each other before every fight, those epic one liners and sex jokes, which make Q and M mad. The boat chase in "Moonraker", which turns his boat into a hovercraft, or seeing the lotus in "TPWLM" come out of the water and drive back to the road. Seeing all the civilian looks and gasps... Does anyone miss these types of scenes?? I know it's hard to picture a lot of these comedic scenes in a Bond film now a days but these types of scenes made the movies for me.

I can't imagine a Connery or Moore film without a constant sarcastic Bond. To me I feel like Craig should start to incorporate that a lot more. Make more jokes and act more comedic about certain situations..

I think it would make it more Bond if you saw a car chase with him and Hinx in "SP", and you see Bond turning and winking or smiling at Hinx and Hinx returning the smile.

I know a lot of people dislike scenes like this but to me that's what a Bond movie is...
Bond always finds a way to joke about a certain situation.

Even in "CR", when Craig was getting his balls whacked he was joking around saying "Harder", and when Fields threatened to arrest Bond he made a joke regarding handcuffs. So what do you guys think??
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Comments

  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Bond was never really comedic. He just said more funny quips than normal. I don't really associate that with comedy.
  • Posts: 12,506
    The humour has to be tailored to the actor's style and take on the role?
  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited March 2015 Posts: 3,675
    Daniel said once that he wishes that his Bond was funnier
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    I miss the animal scares.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    I think it's all about context and the quality of the writing. I found the sarcastic humour in CR to be very good. Also QoS and SF. Mature, understated and cutting. That's how I like it and that's how it was in these 3 films.

    Like the gadgets though, it's a fine line. It shouldn't be thrown out there willy-nilly but rather must be carefully incorporated contextually into the scene to be most effective. I think it's similar to making a good meal. Everyone has the recipe, but some people know how to use the particular ingredients for maximum effect, while others go over the top and it's painfully evident to the palate of some.

    I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle it in SP, since I'm hearing there will be more humour and gadgets in it than the last 3 Craig outings.
  • DrShatterhandDrShatterhand Garden of Death, near Belfast
    edited March 2015 Posts: 805
    I actually think Craig's Bond in SF has quite a few funny moments. Rather than the cheesy 'wink wink' gags of the Moore era though, Craig's delivery is more dry and sardonic which fits his portrayal and he delivers it well (e.g. Q introduction). I expect them to build on this further in SP.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    Birdleson wrote: »
    Murdock wrote: »
    Bond was never really comedic. He just said more funny quips than normal. I don't really associate that with comedy.

    In the books he had almost no sense of humor. He was a tragic figure.

    So true. The film Bond seems very fundamentally different than the novel Bond (though admittedly I haven't read all the novels yet). It's why I say Connery really invented the character we see in the films the same way Fleming did for the novels. They collaborated in ways to create two characters, both more fitting for their respective media.
  • Posts: 2,341
    No, the comedy would not work with Craig. He cannot compete with Chris Rock and it would fail as miserably as attempts to make Dalton funny.
  • ShardlakeShardlake Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 4,043
    Birdleson wrote: »
    chrisisall wrote: »
    I miss the animal scares.


    ! (that's as close as you'll ever see me get to using one of those emoticons or smiley faces)

    I thought I was the only one that thought that way on here, I have to concur you won't find me using them as well.

    As for making Bond more comedic, no not really. I'm prepared for SP having more humour but what works for one Bond doesn't necessarily work for another, I mean Moore couldn't do menacing Bond so he went another way.

    Connery, Craig & Dalton could, Craig handles the humour like Connery did, Sardonic and witty, not troweled on and cheesy. Craig does it subtlety "but what if I felt compelled to"

    Rog had great comic timing and was very charming but he lacked in other departments. No sense trying to do something if you can't, that's why we have had a varied bag when it comes to all 6 Bonds.

    If the approach SP is likely to go works with audiences I can see the humour becoming more predominant but no double taking pigeons or blokes looking at their wine again, the bloke and his wife on the tube was enough of a nod to the Moore era as I want to get.



  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,518
    I could handle a guy looking at his wine in the Craig era. I don't mean that sarcastically, I think there's room in his films for that kind of humour. That would be the line, though, for me.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Nothing beats a a good Glen animal scare though.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 1,552
    @CASINOROYALE - I think the example you've listed are definitely more Moore. YOLT had it's humorous moments, but I think Diamonds are Forever was the only "comedic" Bond film from Connery's era.

    I can see Craig pulling off the humour form Connery's era, but wouldn't like to see him work with the more 70s style humour of Moore's.
  • Posts: 1,477
    What we've witnessed from the beginning of the series to the present is everything from wit, sarcasm, cynicism, cleverness, obtuseness, and buffoonery. Much of what passed for humor was juvenile, appealing to schoolboys but cringeworthy to adults.

    For me, the best moments are informed by wit, most notably during the Connery era.

    I agree with an earlier observation that the success or failure of humor in these films is correlated to the quality of the writing. Having one's script accept as the final draft does not mean that writer is a good writer of humor.

    Too often going for the joke diffuses any real tension or danger. I have no problem with Craig upping the wit and cleverness factor, but more comedy? No! If you want comedy, then your cup of tea is Johnny English or Austin Powers.

  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    No, the comedy would not work with Craig. He cannot compete with Chris Rock and it would fail as miserably as attempts to make Dalton funny.

    Ah, but Craig is indeed quite funny, and he doesn't need one-liners to do it. It's facial expression.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    edited March 2015 Posts: 17,687
    Craig isn't good at the funny; that's why (like Dalton) he's good at the funny. :D
  • Posts: 1,310
    I know everyone says Roger Moore was the 'humorous' Bond, but really, I feel that the earlier Connery films (DN-TB) and Casino Royale have the most humorous moments. I personally prefer the dryer, unexpected humor compared to the in-your-face humor of some of the Moore films.
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,328
    Dalton was terrible with the humor.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    Murdock wrote: »
    Dalton was terrible with the humor.
    Which was part of what made him a GREAT Bond IMHO.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,548
    chrisisall wrote: »
    Craig isn't good at the funny; that's why (like Dalton) he's good at the funny. :D

    Oh goodness...the look of "WTF?" between :09 and :13 is priceless. Remember: he has no idea who Q is at that moment: he thinks some weirdo has just sat down next to him and invaded his personal space. That's DC at his best. That's brilliant acting.


  • edited March 2015 Posts: 1,595
    OHMSS69 wrote: »
    No, the comedy would not work with Craig. He cannot compete with Chris Rock and it would fail as miserably as attempts to make Dalton funny.

    I'm assuming this is a joke but Bond isn't Chris Rock. Craig proved his quippy / deadpan delivery chops in SKYFALL.
    So true. The film Bond seems very fundamentally different than the novel Bond (though admittedly I haven't read all the novels yet). It's why I say Connery really invented the character we see in the films the same way Fleming did for the novels. They collaborated in ways to create two characters, both more fitting for their respective media.

    This is why I've never been, and never will be, a Fleming purist. Firstly because most of them are elitist pricks when it comes to Bond fandom and secondly because of your post. Fantastic, good sir. Don't get me wrong, I love Fleming's Bond, but there are definitely differences and I love Cinematic Bond just as much.

    edit: Also @chrisisall you're going to have to explain to me why Dalton being "terrible with the humor" makes him a "GREAT Bond." For the record I thought he handled the funnier bits just fine, but you're going to need to clarify a bit.

    Anyways, to answer the OP (if I haven't done so already) I like my Bond films full of wit and clever dialogue. Some of the funniest Bond films also happen to have plenty of darkness, violence, danger, and thriller elements that the "serious Fleming Bond movies" have. I like a mix. If done right, however, I don't mind films on one side of the spectrum (CR isn't terribly funny and I love it, MR is all fun/comedy/spectacle and I love it as well).
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited March 2015 Posts: 15,686
    Just a hypothetical question: If EON were to write another J W Pepper type character in a future Bond movie, who could portray him today? IMO if Bond ever visits South Africa, I can imagine Sharlto Coplay playing a very obnoxious and irritating S. African police officer.
  • suavejmfsuavejmf Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England
    Posts: 5,131
    I never want to see a return to a John Cleese Q or Roger Moore wearing cowby outfits (MR). The pre-DAF Connery era was a perfect tone.
  • Roger Moore's type of humour was light-hearted, different from Connery's type of humour, which was more sarcastic and sharp. It all depends on the actor and their approach to the role. I really hope Daniel's Bond to deliver more fun moments in SPECTRE (he can do it. CR and SF has some of his great sarcastic moments). Now that the main audience knows so much about his past and his never ending pain, it would be nice to freshen up.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,687
    edit: Also @chrisisall you're going to have to explain to me why Dalton being "terrible with the humor" makes him a "GREAT Bond." For the record I thought he handled the funnier bits just fine, but you're going to need to clarify a bit.
    What I mean is, Dalton never seemed like he was amusing himself (or us) with his lines or reactions, and that's why it worked. Moore & Brosnan tended to be a little too visibly conscious of the absurdity.
  • Posts: 1,477
    A badly written comedy line is a badly written comedy line. There's an episode of Seinfeld in which Jerry forgets the exact wording and blows the joke.

    Humor throughout the Bond series has been uneven at best. When humor doesn't work, it is not because of the actor. It is because of the writing. I don't believe for one minute Dalton was terrible with humor.

    As for Moore and Brosnan, Chrisall, you are absolutely right on. Both actors always seemed to be aware of the joke.

  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited March 2015 Posts: 2,629
    Hell nay!

    Light comedy like in SF is OK. Let's not go back to the Moore Era.
  • edited March 2015 Posts: 11,189
    No more jokes about "tips" or dropping soap in the shower please!!
  • RC7RC7
    edited March 2015 Posts: 10,512
    I can't imagine a Connery or Moore film without a constant sarcastic Bond. To me I feel like Craig should start to incorporate that a lot more. Make more jokes and act more comedic about certain situations..

    I think it would make it more Bond if you saw a car chase with him and Hinx in "SP", and you see Bond turning and winking or smiling at Hinx and Hinx returning the smile.

    I know a lot of people dislike scenes like this but to me that's what a Bond movie is...
    Bond always finds a way to joke about a certain situation.

    Even in "CR", when Craig was getting his balls whacked he was joking around saying "Harder", and when Fields threatened to arrest Bond he made a joke regarding handcuffs. So what do you guys think??

    I don't think DC's Bond should be wise-cracking left, right and centre. It's a waste of decent actor.

    It absolutely comes down to situation. DC and his films are not a tonal fit for the classic written one-liner. It's jarring. Not only in a way that explicitly states it's 'a gag'. but also in a way that undercuts the drama. DC's humour comes from a different place, it's a grounded, natural response, rather than a scripted witticism. Such an example would be when he crashes the Germans' Range Rover in CR, then later on when he sees them in the bar he tosses off a 'Guten Abend'. Or in SF when the psychologist says, 'Day' and Bond replies 'Wasted', or the 'What makes you think this is my first time?' line to Silva. This is the kind of humour that suits DC. Deadpan and flippant, clever, but not over-written. And if it's in a dramatic moment it should compliment rather than undercut it. The worst example in the DC era is at the end of SF and commits both these sins simultaneously. The 'I got into some deep water', is a 'written' line, nobody would say that in such a situation, especially the DC Bond, who is supposed to represent a more human, three-dimnesional character. It's straight out of a Moore film. It totally undercuts the drama. I hate it. One liners, in the traditional sense, should not be part of this era. DC can do humour, though. They just need to tailor it to him, not to the ghost of Connery or Moore.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    Posts: 23,883
    Well said @RC7. Great examples too.

    From my perspective as well, Moore & Connery were one off legends & giants, & one should not attempt to emulate them. Craig has found his own voice for the humour and he should continue in this vein.
  • Posts: 802
    bondjames wrote: »
    I think it's all about context and the quality of the writing. I found the sarcastic humour in CR to be very good. Also QoS and SF. Mature, understated and cutting. That's how I like it and that's how it was in these 3 films.

    Like the gadgets though, it's a fine line. It shouldn't be thrown out there willy-nilly but rather must be carefully incorporated contextually into the scene to be most effective. I think it's similar to making a good meal. Everyone has the recipe, but some people know how to use the particular ingredients for maximum effect, while others go over the top and it's painfully evident to the palate of some.

    I'm looking forward to seeing how they handle it in SP, since I'm hearing there will be more humour and gadgets in it than the last 3 Craig outings.

    Well put and the meeting between the new Q and Bond in SF is a brilliant example of blending humour with drama.

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