Tanner....important ? not important ? wasted ?

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Comments

  • edited July 2018 Posts: 6,844
    Let's be honest, there never really has been anything notable about Tanner in the films. Even Kitchen, aside from the ONE brief character moment referring to M as "the evil queen of numbers", has mostly been just exposition data dump, and the character has continued to be as such in TWINE and the Kinnear version.

    I'm not sure why EON has tried to include the character since GE if they never bothered to give him a personality. They might as well try to bring in Loelia Ponsonby and have her played as much of blank slate.

    It's all quite odd, because Rory Kinnear has proven to be a good actor in a lot of other non-Bond productions. I recall Sam Mendes saying in the SKYFALL commentary that he hoped to make more use of Kinnear. I guess he couldn't work that out with SPECTRE.

    To be fair, they turned Tanner into a weasly stooge for M to spy on Bond. Which is not Tanner at all, but it’s something.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    edited July 2018 Posts: 8,188
    Another reason it's hard to give Tanner more to do in the films is that the MI6 supporting characters have a very different dynamic in the films than the novels. Here's how it is in the novels:

    M - Pretty much the same in the films, most especially Bernard Lee's.
    Tanner - The guy Bond has lunch with and gives the heads up about a mission before debriefing.
    Loelia Ponsonby - Bond's secretary that he flirts with at the 00-section offices. Gets replaced by Mary Goodnight, who pretty much fills in the same role.

    That's about it. Moneypenny isn't really much of a character in the novels, she's just M's secretary that smiles at Bond as he passes by. I think the only real interaction they get is in the novel Thunderball, which may have actually served as the basis for how Bond and Moneypenny interact in the EON films. And Boothroyd is just a one-off character that gives Bond his PPK.

  • NS_writingsNS_writings Buenos Aires
    Posts: 544
    Michael Kitchen has been by far the best actor to play Bill Tanner. They way he talks about the "Evil Queen of Numbers" with Bond in GoldenEye and the way Bond calls him in TWINE to intercede when he's refused a part in the mission makes me think they DO have a friendship beyond the Service as stated by Fleming.

    With Michael Goodliffe, he's been another white collar boy at M's office. With James Villiers, a bossy M replacement. With Rory Kinnear, some sort of a male secretary.
    It bothers me in SPECTRE how he tips M about Bond's activities. Fleming's Tanner wouldn't do that, he would have turned a blind eye to Bond's rogue mission and let M discover that on his own.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Indeed...Tanner has been turned into a bit of a snitch to M.

    Like a pupil sucking up to a teacher and spying on the class for him/her.
    Not good or how Tanner should be.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    MaxCasino wrote: »
    Let's be honest, there never really has been anything notable about Tanner in the films. Even Kitchen, aside from the ONE brief character moment referring to M as "the evil queen of numbers", has mostly been just exposition data dump, and the character has continued to be as such in TWINE and the Kinnear version.

    I'm not sure why EON has tried to include the character since GE if they never bothered to give him a personality. They might as well try to bring in Loelia Ponsonby and have her played as much of blank slate.

    It's all quite odd, because Rory Kinnear has proven to be a good actor in a lot of other non-Bond productions. I recall Sam Mendes saying in the SKYFALL commentary that he hoped to make more use of Kinnear. I guess he couldn't work that out with SPECTRE.

    I would really Loelia Ponsonby to be in the movies one day. You make it a Moneypenny rivalry as a starting subplot.

    I'll add this to the most stupid ideas I ever read across these boards.
    Michael Kitchen has been by far the best actor to play Bill Tanner. They way he talks about the "Evil Queen of Numbers" with Bond in GoldenEye and the way Bond calls him in TWINE to intercede when he's refused a part in the mission makes me think they DO have a friendship beyond the Service as stated by Fleming.

    With Michael Goodliffe, he's been another white collar boy at M's office. With James Villiers, a bossy M replacement. With Rory Kinnear, some sort of a male secretary.
    It bothers me in SPECTRE how he tips M about Bond's activities. Fleming's Tanner wouldn't do that, he would have turned a blind eye to Bond's rogue mission and let M discover that on his own.

    Same. Mendes proved one more time he doesn't know Fleming at all and we all should be glad he left the franchise, hopefully for good.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,636
    I would really Loelia Ponsonby to be in the movies one day. You make it a Moneypenny rivalry as a starting subplot.
    [/quote]

    I'll add this to the most stupid ideas I ever read across these boards.

    I was joking, about the subplot. I would actually like to see Loelia make a appearance one day on film.

    Same. Mendes proved one more time he doesn't know Fleming at all and we all should be glad he left the franchise, hopefully for good.[/quote]

    It's a shame he went from 007 greatness to 007 averageness. Oh well many people can't pull off a great sequel.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,188
    It bothers me in SPECTRE how he tips M about Bond's activities. Fleming's Tanner wouldn't do that, he would have turned a blind eye to Bond's rogue mission and let M discover that on his own.

    That's the thing, he really isn't Fleming's Tanner, much like Mallory isn't Fleming's M, so it doesn't really bother me that this iteration of Tanner is acting more responsible as the chief of staff.
  • Posts: 12,837
    Let's be honest, there never really has been anything notable about Tanner in the films. Even Kitchen, aside from the ONE brief character moment referring to M as "the evil queen of numbers", has mostly been just exposition data dump, and the character has continued to be as such in TWINE and the Kinnear version.

    I'm not sure why EON has tried to include the character since GE if they never bothered to give him a personality. They might as well try to bring in Loelia Ponsonby and have her played as much of blank slate.

    It's all quite odd, because Rory Kinnear has proven to be a good actor in a lot of other non-Bond productions. I recall Sam Mendes saying in the SKYFALL commentary that he hoped to make more use of Kinnear. I guess he couldn't work that out with SPECTRE.

    Tanner was supposed to fill C's role and then kill himself when Bond found him out (this came after Fiennes vetoed M being the traitor), because with all the change going on at MI6 he feared being pushed out. I actually quite liked that idea because it actually turned how boring and forgettable he is into a plot point (of course the useless exposition guy would be the first to go in a big shakeup), and his ending felt very in keeping with the guy who cowered behind the desk in the courtroom shootout in SF.
  • WalecsWalecs On Her Majesty's Secret Service
    Posts: 3,157
    "MaxCasino wrote:

    I was joking, about the subplot. I would actually like to see Loelia make a appearance one day on film.

    Ah, that's ok then. My apologies :D
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,636
    Apology accepted. Maybe if they did decide to use that idea, Tanner could become useful. He could break up the fight between them, and say he's mine. All joking of course.
  • MaxCasinoMaxCasino United States
    Posts: 4,636

    I would really Loelia Ponsonby to be in the movies one day. You make it a Moneypenny rivalry as a starting subplot.
    [/quote]

    I realize now that sounds like something out of a Guy Hamilton-Tom Mackiewicz script.
  • Posts: 787
    One vote here for 'wasted.' (As, I would argue, is Mathis.)

    In the books he's described as Bond's best (only?) friend in the service. To the extent that Bond has any kind of a social life, he occasionally has a drink or plays a round of golf with Tanner.

    I think the movies could exploit this a bit. As mentioned, he could be more useful as an exposition machine, but also for fleshing out Bond's character and showing us his thought processes more. If Tanner (or Mathis) were used as a foil for Bond to think through ideas during his detective work, we could see him organically working through problems with him rather than having his "of course, Mr White!" moments.

  • Loelia Ponsonby is one Fleming creation I have no burning desire to see put in the films. The one exception I guess would be if they basically turned her into Goodnight from Fleming’s TMWTGG to tell a similar kind of story with the 00 secretary in the field.
  • Posts: 19,339
    Shall we start a petition to get Michael Kitchen back Torg @Torgeirtrap
  • Posts: 17,756
    barryt007 wrote: »
    Shall we start a petition to get Michael Kitchen back Torg @Torgeirtrap

    Yes!!
  • QBranchQBranch Always have an escape plan. Mine is watching James Bond films.
    Posts: 14,584
    When it comes to who should play Tanner, Kitchen really fits the... (wait for it) ...bill.
  • Posts: 19,339
    QBranch wrote: »
    When it comes to who should play Tanner, Kitchen really fits the... (wait for it) ...bill.

    Blimey,you get cornier by the day Q,you would make a great red coat at Butlins.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,433
    Tanner in the films has always been wasted. I would even argue Leiter (in the more recent films) has been wasted too. Tanner is in the novels has a sounding board and friend to Bond. He is the guy who buffers Bond and M and keep their relationship moving through some difficult spots. We can often draw that Tanner and Bond are friendly outside of work.

    We have never seen this relationship in the films. The current version of Tanner is way more loyal to M then to Bond. I would like to see Tanner used as a way to colour in some lines of Bond. But much like the Moneypenny relationship has gone and the Q relationship as gone I don't think we have much of a chance to see the Tanner relationship.

    Course this Bond doesn't decorate his place and makes the apartment look like it was just moved into. While Classic Bond was shown with a sense of decorating and style. It's hard for me to imagine this Bond even having friends. He's the lone wolf who lacks the style of previous incarnations.

    To my mind this is what I would enjoy seeing in terms of relationships from the books and/or films:

    Bond and M back to the book relationship. M the father figure that Bond has lacked in his life. I'd like to see M call Bond double-o-7 except when it's a more personal matter(course every bloody mission seems to have a personal nature since what Goldeneye?)

    Bond and Moneypenny, bring back the flirting. Bring back some playful teasing. I don't care about #metoo feminists. They aren't your target audience anyway. Look at Connery and Moneypenny it wasn't too crazy but you knew there was tension there.

    Bond and Q, I rather like where this relationship is now. Keep it as is!

    Bond and Tanner, lets see Tanner do some buffering for when M has really asked for too much or is too demanding. Lets see Tanner and Bond on a golf course or having a dinner and chatting about life. A short scene would be good here and there.

    Bond and May, most people don't have maids nowadays but damnit I think it could be fun to see a character in Bond's living space putting him through his paces. Give us a strong female character for Bond to occasionally but heads with and show another side to Bond's character. It wouldn't be too far a reach to think Bond would have someone check in on his place why not be her.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,304
    Tanner selling Bond out in SP was the worst, a total betrayal of the character and relationship. Kill Tanner now!
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