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A Script Reveals a lot about the movie-DAF and the unfilmed scenes

Hank_ScorpioHank_Scorpio
edited August 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 68
I recently acquired the first draft of the Script for DAF and have been reading it with interest. There were several scenes written that should have been filmed that would have helped flesh out the plot better. An example: one of the biggest plot holes I have always seen was: How did Saxby know to go to Willard Whyte's summer home to kill him? The answer is in the script. In an unfilmed portion, right after Blofeld gets off the phone with Bond while discussing the murder plot, Saxby steps out of the elevator into Blofeld's penthouse. Scene's like this needed to be included, as well as some of the other dialogue. As I continue to read more of the script, I hope that more of the plot holes are closed.
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  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Do keep us updated @Hank_Scorpio, this sounds fascinating.

    Were you able to find it online by any chance?
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    Yes, it would great to see the actual script. Is this the first draft PRIOR to Tom Mankiewicz joining on board? I know that he had done a revision.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,254
    Wow, this is interesting. The scene with Saxby, as described, would have made so much sense!
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    edited August 2011 Posts: 13,356
    There was a film script website, the great @harmsway gave out in a thread on the old forums that had James Bond scripts including the like of Warhead and older drafts of Tomorrow Never Dies, Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.

    I wonder if this Diamonds Are Forever script can be found there.
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    An example: one of the biggest plot holes I have always seen was: How did Saxby know to go to Willard Whyte's summer home to kill him? The answer is in the script. In an unfilmed portion, right after Blofeld gets off the phone with Bond while discussing the murder plot, Saxby steps out of the elevator into Blofeld's penthouse. Scene's like this needed to be included, as well as some of the other dialogue. As I continue to read more of the script, I hope that more of the plot holes are closed.
    ....BUT on the other hand, there is a definite suspicion in Blofeld's voice and in his his eyes when he is talking to Bond over the phone in Saxby's voice. It's kind of like, how does Irma Bundt know Bond is sneaking around with all the ladies in Piz Gloria? Sure, we find out later that Bond slipped up with his geneology details to Blofeld, but I have a feeling they both a had a suspicion earlier on. The same conclusion I think can be drawn for Blofeld and Saxby in Diamonds. It even creates an element of surprise to have Saxby to show up, and most of all, set's up the great Willard Whyte line...you know the one.

  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    I would have liked this scene very much! I always wished that Saxby had had a little more role and character than he ended up with. The only worthwhile scene he's provided with, before his death, is when he informs Wint and Kidd not to kill Shady Tree. And again, here's a scene that was left out. It didn't make things confusing, but why not show it? We saw Dr. Tynan get a scorpion down his back!
  • Hank_ScorpioHank_Scorpio
    Posts: 68
    I got the script off Amazon. Its a copy and the person copies it for you. According to the first page, its written by Mankiewicz.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    edited August 2011 Posts: 2,629
    I wish that was included in the scene, if only long enough for Saxby to walk in after Blofeld hangs up. Not only would that have connected Saxby being there, but it would have made Bambi and Thumper playing front line defense more acceptable. Plus it would have given the viewer some suspense in thinking Bond was walking into a trap.
  • BennyBenny Shaken not stirredAdministrator, Moderator
    Posts: 15,169
    I wish that was included in the scene, if only long enough for Saxby to walk in after Blofeld hangs up. Not only would that have connected Saxby being there, but it would have made Bambi and Thumper playing front line defense more acceptable. Plus it would have given the viewer some suspense in thinking Bond was walking into a trap.
    Yes, but you're forgetting one thing @Kerim. This was a Guy Hamilton Bond film, where lightly, lightly was often the direction. Learning things such as the above only heightens my opinion that he was the worst director of the series. DAF is the most inconsistent, continuity wise of the series. Sloppy, lazy film making that uses Connery in the film as it's only draw card. Story and character wise it's weak and offers little.
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    I wish that was included in the scene, if only long enough for Saxby to walk in after Blofeld hangs up. Not only would that have connected Saxby being there, but it would have made Bambi and Thumper playing front line defense more acceptable. Plus it would have given the viewer some suspense in thinking Bond was walking into a trap.

    Yes, but you're forgetting one thing @Kerim. This was a Guy Hamilton Bond film, where lightly, lightly was often the direction. Learning things such as the above only heightens my opinion that he was the worst director of the series. DAF is the most inconsistent, continuity wise of the series. Sloppy, lazy film making that uses Connery in the film as it's only draw card. Story and character wise it's weak and offers little.
    Agreed. Plot holes was a Hamilton specialty (i.e. TMWTGG)
  • The_ReaperThe_Reaper
    Posts: 1,092
    Interesting. It coulda used plenty of rewrites as it stands.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    Does this script also include the original finale where Bond was to chase Blofeld's bathosub across the ocean hanging on a weather balloon? I read this on Wikipedia, and it'd be interesting to see what the script lays out for us.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited August 2011 Posts: 11,189
    @00Beast I read that too. Another plot hole that was on the cutting room floor concerned Plenty and the reason for her being at Tiffiny Cases's house. Apparently there are deleted scenes on the DVD that explain why she is there.

    @Benny. While I don't think too highly of DAF, LALD or MWTGG I do have to credit Hamilton for directing GF.

    Worst director of the series = Lee Tamahori closely followed by Marc Foster.
  • 00Beast00Beast
    Posts: 4,762
    @BAIN123: Yes, shame on Lee Tamahori for the poor directing of DAD. It could have been great, but was ruined. Anyway, no time for DAD bashing!
  • j7wildj7wild Suspended
    Posts: 823
    I always thought that since Blofeld already met Bond in YOLT, he should had recognized Bond right from their very first meeting at Piz Gloria.

    Come on!

    Bond's attempt at disguising himself was too thin!!

    Blofeld would had recognized him right away!!
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are Forever.
  • j7wildj7wild Suspended
    edited August 2011 Posts: 823
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are Forever.
    that would make sense I guess except that at the beginning of OHMSS, Bond was obsessed with finding Blofeld when M took him off the case;

    so shouldn't it mean that the story didn't ignore YOLT?
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are Forever.
    that would make sense I guess except that at the beginning of OHMSS, Bond was obsessed with finding Blofeld when M took him off the case;

    so shouldn't it mean that the story didn't ignore YOLT?
    I would say OHMSS could be seen as a direct sequel to TB with FYEO's PTS as the direct sequel to OHMSS. Meanwhile, YOLT is an "alternate timeline" sequel to TB with DAF as YOLT's sequel.
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,723
    @Benny Wow ! I have TMWTGG and DAF in my top 3. :-S
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,380
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are Forever.
    that would make sense I guess except that at the beginning of OHMSS, Bond was obsessed with finding Blofeld when M took him off the case;

    so shouldn't it mean that the story didn't ignore YOLT?
    I would say OHMSS could be seen as a direct sequel to TB with FYEO's PTS as the direct sequel to OHMSS. Meanwhile, YOLT is an "alternate timeline" sequel to TB with DAF as YOLT's sequel.
    YOLT (Bond says he has never been to Japan before) could also be argued to be in its own alternate timeline from FRWL (he mentions a time in Tokyo with M).
  • HASEROTHASEROT has returned like the tedious inevitability of an unloved season---
    edited November 2011 Posts: 4,399
    i dont put too much stock into these mixed up and alternate timelines.... it's essentially just trying to connect the dots of plot holes, that don't need to be connected - sometimes it just is what it is...

    like, Blofeld not recognizing Bond right away in OHMSS... I always choose to look at it, as Blofeld knows it's Bond, but decides to keep baiting him on, since Bond thinks he is pulling a fast one over on him.... but in the end, it's just a plot hole... and a big one.

    but I always get tripped up on the mistake that Bond makes about the family tombs... how was he wrong? - i must've watched that scene like 10 times in a row, where Bond mentions the family tombs to Blofeld - and also the scene where Sir Hilary tells Bond about how to 100% confirm that Blofeld is a rightful heir.. i couldn't find where Bond slipped up... unless i completely missed something
  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    edited November 2011 Posts: 2,115
    Does this script also include the original finale where Bond was to chase Blofeld's bathosub across the ocean hanging on a weather balloon? I read this on Wikipedia, and it'd be interesting to see what the script lays out for us.
    Yes it does. HMSS (the parent Web site, not the HMSS Weblog) will have a story about James Bond scripts that includes this.

  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    edited November 2011 Posts: 2,115
    DELETED DUPLICATE COMMENT
  • 00130013
    Posts: 1,817
    @echo
    I have always interpreted that as if Bond lied to Henderson about been in Japan before (like it was classified information). He certainly lies to him about the stirred not shaken martini.
    Nevertheless, it's only my personal interpretation.
  • OHMSS69OHMSS69
    Posts: 2,341
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are

    Forever    .
    that would make sense I guess except that at the beginning of OHMSS, Bond was obsessed with finding Blofeld when M took him off the case;



    so shouldn't it mean that the story didn't ignore YOLT?
    I would say OHMSS could be seen as a direct sequel to TB with FYEO's PTS as the direct sequel to OHMSS. Meanwhile, YOLT is an "alternate timeline" sequel to TB with DAF as YOLT's sequel.
    The plan was to shoot OHMSS after Goldfinger then the mess with Thunderball cleared up and they had to do Thunderball instead. They wanted to do OHMSS after Thunderball but scheduling conflicts made winter shooting unfeasible. Hence they choose YOLT
    In the order of the books, YOLT followed OHMSS but since they reversed the sequence of the books for the films they had to do some serious plot changing to YOLT.
    The decision to keep OHMSS true to the source novel caused some storyline inconsistencies(Bond and Blofeld met in YOLT yet did not seem to recognize each other in OHMSS) but we ignore them and enjoy the movie anyway.

  • AlexanderWaverlyAlexanderWaverly
    Posts: 2,115
    Article about the Diamonds Are Forever script and others:

    http://www.hmss.com/films/bondscripts/index.html
  • JBFan626JBFan626
    Posts: 1,497
    @AlexanderWaverly

    Thanks so much! What a great resource. All I have to say is Wow!...Reading the DAF script that Tom Mankiewicz had polished, the plot actually makes sense the whole way through! I was always confused about the part where the real diamonds and the fake diamonds were switched after the Morton Slumber scene. In Tom M.'s script, it's revealed that Q brought the real diamonds into the US! This is such an important detail, that I can't believe it was left out!

    I also enjoyed the fact that Tom M also included little Fleming references in the re-write, and of course provided so many of the great one-liners like the Sherry bit.

    ^:)^ Tom Mankiewicz
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,380
    @j7wild

    I've always thought that's because On Her Majesty's Secret Service purposefully ignores You Only Live Twice. That story line is continued in Diamonds Are

    Forever    .
    that would make sense I guess except that at the beginning of OHMSS, Bond was obsessed with finding Blofeld when M took him off the case;



    so shouldn't it mean that the story didn't ignore YOLT?
    I would say OHMSS could be seen as a direct sequel to TB with FYEO's PTS as the direct sequel to OHMSS. Meanwhile, YOLT is an "alternate timeline" sequel to TB with DAF as YOLT's sequel.
    The plan was to shoot OHMSS after Goldfinger then the mess with Thunderball cleared up and they had to do Thunderball instead. They wanted to do OHMSS after Thunderball but scheduling conflicts made winter shooting unfeasible. Hence they choose YOLT
    In the order of the books, YOLT followed OHMSS but since they reversed the sequence of the books for the films they had to do some serious plot changing to YOLT.
    The decision to keep OHMSS true to the source novel caused some storyline inconsistencies(Bond and Blofeld met in YOLT yet did not seem to recognize each other in OHMSS) but we ignore them and enjoy the movie anyway.

    Another reason is that the producers thought TB and OHMSS too similar plotwise--"a Thunderball on skis." And I kind of see their point, in that both are about blackmailing the world with nuclear/biological weapons.
  • 00130013
    edited November 2011 Posts: 1,817
    Is there an open discussion about Bond timelines?
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Is there an open discussion about Bond timelines?
    No. I think because many know how it works and the order it is meant to go in but it would be interesting to hear other people's views if they go against the grain.
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