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That's why I liked Brosnan and Dench. It was something different (the GE scene is probably my favourite Bond/M scene of the series), and M was more of a character than ever before.
But she (excluding TWINE) she wasn't really involved with the story, and at the end of the day she was still there to just give Bond his mission. And that's the way it should be imo.
This is definitely the best Dench - Bond scene IMO. The gradual swell of her role, which began in TWINE and hit it's zenith in SF was driven by their want to use Dench, not specifically 'M'. She was spunky in GE, but by the time she utters the line 'and you know we need you' in SF, it felt a bit like I'd seen it all before. I'm very much looking forward to seeing Fiennes in 24.
She's at her best in GE and TND, I disliked her SF-esque involvement in TWINE and I am relatively ambivalent about her role in DAD.
In both GE and TND she functions as a fresh, interesting take on a staple character. She's clearly in charge but there's a definite chemistry between the two, offset by Bond's Moneypenny, who herself is top of her game in these two films.
I completely disagree that she doesn't care about Bond, there's an obvious relationship there, evidenced beautifully in TND with her 'pump her for information line'. She understands who and what Bond is, she's certainly not keen on his methods but you get the sense there's a mutual respect and a strong sense of levity beneath her hard exterior, a duality if you will, that makes her more interesting to me. I much prefer the cocky, confident M in these two outings to the primarily frustrated M of the previous two entries. Even her lines about 'Your bloody well not sleeping here' and 'your interior decorating tips are always appreciated' don't quite have the same zip or zest. They're amusing, but for me would be better offset with her GE and TND persona where you feel she's a real matriarch, rather than a slightly weakened mother figure.
When she utters the line about 'not leaving until the job's done', I struggle to buy it as over the course of three films I've seen her abilities diminish before my eyes, with no façade to counter this character development. It makes sense that it all leads to her death but I wish I'd seen more of the hard ass 'M' struggling to maintain her leadership.
Which do I like more? I'll say Brosnan's era mostly because of his introduction in GE, the acceptance in the following movies and the tension in DAD. But Craig is very very close (now I'm thinking in reverse my opinion when I recall the conversation in M's flat, the final call in CR, and SF... QOS have to many M moments and emotional ones, it can trivialize the relationship a little.)
So my ranking M-Bond chemistry would be like this:
001 Connery (and Lazenby) and Lee
002 Brosnan and Dench
003 Craig and Dench
004 Dalton and Brown
005 Moore and Brown
006 Moore and Lee
I am not convinced Brosnan had good chemistry with any of his screen ladies
When they meet in GE she's this confident new authority figure that doesn't like Bonds methods and thinks that he's a dinosaur and Bond isn't a fan of the bureaucratic way she runs things. But there is sort of a mutual respect between them and she does learn to trust Bond to get the job done even if she doesn't like his methods.
I reckon that's a fairly meaty relationship, especially compared to the Bond/M scenes before it.
Completely disagree here. I think the "come back alive" line in Goldeneye shows she cares plenty. I think she does care about Bond but she hides it a bit and she doesn't act like his mum.
Craig is a better actor than Brosnan but I think M was written much better in the Brosnan era, especially Goldeneye.
I preferred the sharp new M who didn't like Bonds methods to the old incompetent mummy M who even after all the trust issue bollocks in QOS doesn't trust her best agent enough to do his job.
There are a lot of things I could objectively accept regards Brosnan's shortcomings, but I wouldn't say this is one of them. Acting and scripts aside, Brosnan has a twinkle in his eye that even Craig can't match at times.
M: "His job."
Oh, I *SO* agree with this.
Ditt-motherf***ing-o
I know you're being facetious, but this is actually how I perceive the earlier Bond/M relationships. This is why I like Dench's M, we just get more out of the character... admittedly, maybe too much at times. With that said, I wouldn't mind seeing M take a smaller role in the future.
Wow, that sure is deep! My mind is completely changed on the subject. :-\"
With Fiennes as M, I don't know if that will happen. I won't care regardless, as I love seeing more of M and Bond as their relationship grows. It will be cool to see how Bond acts around and reacts to Gareth now, since they were unsteady and unsure about each other beforehand. I think it will be a great relationship, as both men have a dedication to duty and have been in the thick of the action, very much old relics.
I also love Dench and Craig - so honestly I cannot choose at this time, one over the other. I'm just happy I have gotten to enjoy both pairs working together; wonderful screen chemistry and some of the highlights of the Bond films for me.
A lot deeper than risking Bond's life because she didn't trust him in a certain questionable flick... :))
I don't remember that ever happening, but it wouldn't be the first time you misread Skyfall (which is the film I assume you are talking about).
b-(
Being serious now, are you talking about the meeting with M, Mallory and Bond where M knows he failed his tests (which she tells Tanner after Bond sets off to meet Q)?
No, I meant that "Take the shot" business.
No he means she didn't trust him to 'finish the job' so risks his life by ordering the shot.
At the end of Quantum, M learns to finally trust Bond.
At the beginning of Skyfall, she decides the best course of action is to shoot at Patrice, likely losing the list since he'd probably fall off into the water, instead of trusting Bond (and how many fights has he lost over his career ffs) to finish the job.
Oh, that's right- she's not the SAME M from the Brosnan years...
So, okay, I can wrap my head around that....
Yes, the end of Quantum was very nice from that POV... so with that in mind, is Skyfall a minor reboot AFTER a major reboot?????
OR... are we just back to the historical inconsistency in the Bond movies that began (arguably) in the Seventies?
:-??
To be fair, if Patrice got shot and the list was lost as he fell into the water, it would be a lot better than if Bond was defeated/died and Patrice got away with the list, as we saw. M wasn't being bad at her job, she was weighing options and found that it was better to risk endangering Bond and having a chance at not letting the list get away than to let Patrice get away, list in tow. If it was anyone not doing their bloody job it was Eve.
I remember somebody posting an article on here once where Dench talked about Brosnan and it did seem like she liked him. Hang on a sec.
EDIT: This one http://www.people.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/2011/11/13/daniel-s-fantastic-but-i-do-miss-pierce-says-dame-judi-102039-23557714/
I was trying to remember where I'd seen this. I was going to mention it but thought I'd get slapped down by the Craig fanboys.
:)) =)) 8-} That's so funny!!!
"Remiiiind her..."
B-)