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BOND 25 Theory...The End of Spectre in Bond's Mind?
I just saw this video which I will link, which describes how the end of Spectre was a bit unbelievable in terms of the entire Craig era of the Bond franchise. Is it possible that the end was a dream and Bond has lost his memory? Something along the lines of the end of the YOLT novel?
Would love to hear thoughts!
-ZH
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aB-uzhbrGWE
Would love to hear thoughts!
-ZH
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aB-uzhbrGWE
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It may be the most intriguing ending to any film I've seen ever and at first I hated it cos I didn't initially get it and was grumpy - it felt like a cheap BBC episode production. Now its obvious it couldn't have gone any other way, they filmed that last act very skillfuly. The Guardian newspaper called it 'wilfully obtuse' and thats the only decent reference I've found so far anywhere even though they're not aware why its so 'obtuse'. So - prob all seems mysterious but the film's meant to be. I can share more if anyone's intrigued, and you ought to be (!) because thats exactly what the film-makers have done - sent us - the general public/humanity - a poser, a question, a conundrum to see and 'solve' if we can!!!!! Hats off to them, 11 out of 10. Purvis and Wade are a couple of phenomenal writers, they know exactly what they're doing. This is not a fan film theory or such like - its actually whats been put in this film, they know their stuff! And now I've got square eyes for watching it so much!
I'll smoke what you're smoking.
The end sequence is the start of the culmination of Bond's purpose as a soul on earth. YUP I said it - as a soul. But the personality doesn't always want the same things as the soul. So right from the bat this underpins the creation of Bond in the first place. The ultimate divided self trying to put itself back together again and get with the 'gig' it set itself in incarnating in the first place. Fleming seems to have created the character with esoteric features 'built-in'. Soul purpose, reincarnation, karma by implication, the will of self, the reality of a self generated life experience, etc etc a lot is there. Notice the first thing we see in this film is the statement 'the dead are alive' which is a reference to the immortal nature of the ever-incarnating soul ("I've been here before...the writing's on the wall")
I'm going to be cheeky and leave a few fun questions at the end for anyone who wants to have 'fun' detective work with this movie if that doesn't sound too pompous, but they fairly get the mind thinking! I might run out of steam or ramble as I go so apologies in advance. I'm not used to writing these things, I normally just speak them.
Bond's soul purpose on this earth is all about love. Pure and simple. Coping with a lack of it (childhood loss of parents) and the trauma that creates (why do you think so many Craig villians refer to him as broken goods of one kind or having internal wounds), and the hidden desire to then have love in his life as a result of these problems. Its even more deep than just that, but - to be healed through love. Sound yucky? Well thats how the soul urges. Its simple and honest, it just urges. The complicated bit is the personality, and Bond's is very complicated.
The first question is who is Oberhauser? Bond villians are aspects of his own self. They are aspects of him, thats why they never actually try to kill him efficiently outright but instead put him through tests or horrifying situations. Fleming put clues in names. But Blofeld/Oberhauser is slightly different to the rest. Ober = Upper, hauser = house. Upperhouse, Bond is in his lower house. Oberhauser is actually Bond's Higher Self. (Incidently Fleming really took the p*** with the whole concept because the first villian le Chiffre means 'cipher' or code particularly a number code, cheeky what!!!!) Anyhow Oberhauser exists/intervenes directly to get his bloody wayward lower soul to get with the soul life choice gig instead of perpetrating endless repetitive life choices and behaviours. And by implication repetitive lives. So Oberhauser intervenes.
There's loads more that get us to this point, I can cover what I've found some other time cos its a shame to do the punchline first and then work backwards but this is how its happening so....Bond's torture scene. The strange thing on the window/wall is a gecko. Whats it doing there?? Its a symbol and almost the whole last two Bond films are symbolically driven, though not always so obvious, they can tell you whats happening or even about to happen. The gecko symbolises regeneration, the natural cycle of life, reincarnation, rebirth and self protection. Because Bond has refused to get off the gig of being a polarised sociopathic womanising alcohol danger fuelled individual Oberhauser (the higher self) now directly intervenes to make inner change happen if it can. Bond had previous chances to change, but cannot let go of himself.
Enter the drill and the fascinating dialogue. The dialogue is truly about where the soul and human experience is and starts that way. Well that rings true!! What else would Ober want to talk about. Go back and play the dvd with the subtitles on. He's now going to go where Bond 'is' - inside his head. The script is telling you symbollicaly where the action is - at the internal level because thats where the seat of the soul is. The drill represents Bond's upper self making internal 'adjustments' to Bond, and also doing it through a painful test - go through a life threatening experience to illuminate whats really important in life - LOVE!!!! I should prob write this better than I am right now but this is the crux of it. Bond passes the test - he'd recognise her anywhere he says to her. But its also his 'time' to do this. Another huge theme of the movie. Tempus fugit he says which originally meant that time gone by and not used is time permanently lost. Bond's window in time is up unless he seizes it. Notice he says the latin prase twice - thats for our benefit. Thats his realisation, and it looks like a personal realisation when he says it.
Now - how does he get out of the fix - time. Thats what the watch represents. He's found the right 'time' to reset his life desires finally. The previous rest of the blurb about brothers and cuckoos - thats symbolic talk to show us JB and O are connected on the surface so we can get on that clue to the truth if we want. ('Its about you me and her' - remember Silva saying that? - surface connections to throw down breadcrumb connections to whats really going on underneath) But a film needs to have its surface story to work - HAH - just like life! Now from this point in this film Bond seemsa to be able to do super-Bond things. Like killing everyone and blowing the place up and taking out helicopter with hand gun etc etc. Bond has gone up a gear. Thats good - he has more purpose, thats maybe bad (?) - he has even more power than before? Note this is where people start complaining about the movie losing a real-like edge (myself included). Yeah well Bond's just been adjusted - so there.
I'll need to continue another time, sorry I'm all Bonded-out for now. But try these questions for size
1 In view of O not being of this earth do you now know why he doesn't wear socks?
2 What falls on Bond after he takes his big 'bottoms up' shot at the start of the movie, also whats on it????????? ha ha its all there
3 Spot the deliberate lighting mistake when C tells Bond he's going to take MI6 into the 'light' in M's room
4 Why is Bond holding a light fitting when he lands on a sofa - whats on the walls to the left and right of him at that moment
5 Count how many physical lights and light fittings are actually in that first room he goes into with that woman at the beginning of the film. Really - isn't that overkill for a room of that size! What the freak does that mean?
I think I'm just having crazy fun now, Ya I don't need weed. I'll go more into the film ending if you like, but I'm a slow typer and had long day at work But really look at these fun questions, these guys know exactly what they're doing with Bond in Skyfall and Spectre. They're bloomin genuises. Its great.
Thanks, hope its woth it, I'm not mad.
I like the metafor of light, as in Bond opening his eyes as a Seadog in CR (queen comercial). QOS maintitle, teaser poster of SF and missing light in the gunbarrel of Spectre are other favorites.
In two of my fanart i using a tv.
Bond need a leiter, Felix Leiter. And of course the Bond 25 directer from who there saying he is expert in light.
I've seen your Japanese theme theory, and it's much in "light" with the symbolic interpretations people have been trowing around lately for several films. It's interesting. Who knows if it's Jungian, an active unconscious art thing, ... Still, some guys seem to have dropped out of the carousel, some seem to enjoy the ride. Sometimes, I say, a cigar is just a cigar, and I've been doing objectal cultural analysis for more than a decade.
Having said all that with joy and meaning - light plays a huge part in this film. In SP its really conscious. From the choice of film they use to subtle small stuff too, they're playing around with it for a purpose. See how many references to it you can find in the film, its astonishing. And note too that the extremely important character Bellucci's name is Lucia (meaning light). And this film develops the many earthbound references to light up to a certain point and then changes it to a heavenly type - stars are what we get in the hotel room in L'Americain. Bond heading 'upwards' and in the right direction. These references stop pretty much after this point as Bond is getting much closer to where he needs to be, he doesn't need the clues anymore, and neither do we.
To get back to the relevant subject of this thread, truly not-of-this-world lighting is used at the funeral, and in the torture scene. Both these settings are not real world earth-like. And both have Oberhauser in them.
Its really telling that the last act of the film takes place in the dark, it has to - its a time of massive inner knowing and choice for Bond. A huge contrast visually to what came before. By the way count the lights above the main entrance to Swann's clinic as Bond walks up. Compare that with the number of lights above Bond, Q, and Tanner when looking at the car. Really obvious examples of numbers being used with light. They are no accident.
With reference to the above paragraph - whats the number on the wall of the very first entrance Bond walks through at the beginning of the film, add up the digits on the hotel room he goes into with his lover to get that same number. get that number from the clock time that falls on him when the Mexico City building blows up (you have to be cunning with that one), add up the digits of the time on the watch Q gives him, whats the number of Q's hotel room? They've even used light to show an important number. All no accidents. Thats a lot of the same number for any film!
There are so many different types of analysis in movies. And there's lots I don't know. But I love that you can unwrap the cigar if you want to - when and only when it has been wrapped. Some aren't. This one is.
Whatever pills you are taking, 1. stop taking them, 2. I want to have these, too.
I'm getting mixed up with the threads - this is the one on the final act not the torture scene. OK, here goes. This ending has been impenetrable to all folks I think, and me too for a good while, but the contents are there thematically. I'm probably going to get this a bit not so smooth, and maybe add things in later on, but here it is. And I'm really not trying to ba a clever clogs, I just get the subject and know when its being used. I can't think at the mo of another film thats doing this (apart from Skyfall of course).
In the torture scene OH creates the conditions whereby Bond can act on his life/soul choice for incarnation. He basically does two things. One, he gives him more powers. Two, he gives him the 'kick' he needs to make the right choice and give up the abuse of his powers, through the fear of an upcoming painful loss. The power thing is the adjustments/enhancements he made to Bond's senses and performance ability, and the choice thing is giving up its negative uses for the right reason (Dr Swann/love). Its easier to give something up when its not so powerful - yes? There is the challenge in the choice. Love is going to have to be an even stronger a pull for Bond than being an enhanced agent (or in this film 'assassin' - agent is the term banded about in SF, assassin is the term in SP). So the stakes are being raised a lot here.
Bond gets through that test - instantly using his new powers to kill everyone when leaving Blofeld's 'information palace' - and with Dr Swann. But this no win win. He hasn't let go of his assassin self - "This isn't over" - oops, Bond is still in his fight. That imminent death experience in the chair about not recognising Dr Swann didn't do it, it was supposed to. So on Bond goes, making the wrong choice - again! His OH Higher Self must be mega pissed off.
When we get to London, the first real important thing that happens is that Dr Swann gives him another way out. She leaves him, saying something like "I can't ask you to change" and "you're a good man". He's failed big time here. He should have gone after her. Heck he just got out of dying horribly over her, and he just goes back to doing his duty. MEGA FAIL Bond. Higher Self is really gonna have to pull a major one out of the bag now. So he does.
Now the really big internal stuff happens. (this is why it happens at night, and is weird enough to prompt a thread like this!) Bond goes through a major experience in awakening and self actualisation. This is portrayed very esoterically. This is why we watch these end scenes and can't quite grasp what it is we're seeing. It just looks like 'stuff'. You know what I mean - you can see things going on but what really is it? The film doesn't tell you explicitly, it just shows you, and we don't understand it. It happened to me for several viewings and when the penny finally dropped - my God!!
SF used the portrayal of Bond's house as Bond's self. The self had to change. The classic your-body-is-a-temple you're housed in (thats why we see his eye/face behind or in it in the song sequence). In SP the old MI6 building represents Bond's life choices, this is the house of his life. So - hold that thought. By the way - CR appears to have the end house sinking scene as a portrayal of Bond's ego - that one was about the destruction of his false ego. So - hold this in mind for the stuff that happens in the MI6 place.
He's kind of kidnapped. Seems weird yup, but how else could they set it up in the film? Here is the first MEGA thing we see Bond do. He is taken to the place of his life choices and he does something mega mega symbolically and actually significant. He intiates himself into life's mysteries. I know I know that now means I'm nuts and you'll think the rest of what I'm saying is trash. Its not.
Skip here for a moment. The esoteric and spiritually and occult influenced pathways that are open to people who wish to pursue such a thing as initiates/learners, in the West anyway, have a point of initiation. Several points. But the first in the Western tradition is always the same. It could be the Golden Dawn, or Rosicrucions, or some type of Gnostic sect or maybe more well known the Freemasons (etc etc). But it always always follows a variant on the same physical act(s) (which are symbolic and meant for your subconcious because only your conscious self understands language). The initiate is always 1 blind, and 2 bound in some way - normally with rope in some way. The act requires one to take off the hood or blind, and to remove the binding or rope or whatever which ties. Both these things happen at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its about letting the light in so one can see, stepping out of the darkness and into the light, out of your personal darkness so you can begin.
Its about removing the ties that bind, they could be the restrictions from bad life experiences, but more importantly the restrictions our self imposes on the self. Etc etc.
Bond does this right in front of our eyes, we see it and don't know what it means. He has lifted his self up and out so see he can see more clearly whats being going on in his life. Being intiated into life's mysteries is misunterstood normally, it actually means being intiated into your own life's mysteries. Understanding that neans you start understanding all! Anyhow, this is why he does what he does right in front of MI6 - his 'house' of life, his story. And so he goes in to have a look with his brand new eyes and open self (now, this self initiation is partly achieved by OH powering him up, it wasn't only about making him a more effective killing machine but thats the main context to the torture scene, there were other 'benefits' - its all about the choices Bond can make with his powers too)
Sorry, I've run out of steam - I will continue. I can't just stop here! But rewatching with these ideas in mind is useful. I had to rewatch the film quite a few times. I'm off for a drink, I've just shattered my hand!!!!!!!!!!!
His significant first find is the targets with his face on them. A major awakening about what has been going on in his life. He's not been in charge of it. He's been the blooming target all along. (Craig's facial acting is worth observing throughout all of this because thats where we see the 'action' of theses scenes happening) He's been targetted and played. "Orphans always make the best recruits". His wounds from childhood and his internal divisions have been seized on to get him to do the things he's done for the British Secret Services. He's been exploited all along, his divisions kept in a state of permanent tension. Never allowed to find himself. He's seeing he's never been in charge. (The need for and soul splitting act creating internal division is demonstrated more chillingly in the Jason Bourne movies)
Then his next deep awareness is the roles his antagonists/key players in his life have been. He's understanding what they represent to him. In sequence - Le Chiffre (Bond's ego, which needed to be brought down in order for growth to occur), Silva (Bond's shadow self, where he stored all the things about himself that were too difficult to handle or face - a vital part in the process of inner change which Bond took on and won), Vesper (the cause of his ego/personality crash, and the call to the importance of the feminine in the masculine, remember how before he saw women as irrelevant except M but thats not quite appropriate in the male/female balance for Bond), and then the big one of Mr White on one side and M on the other, and Bond stops and really looks. Here Bond is standing in the middle as he did entering by a middle door. Mr White represents the polarised essence of Bond's moral code about whats 'bad' etc, and M represents the opposite ie what's 'good'. This very basic and divided way of acting in the world is his realisation. That he's been handed down and blindly accepted external concepts of good and bad, right and wrong and blindly gone out there and killed for it. He was caught up all along in the game, and his own game. Incidentally this duality was expressed as 'black and white' (Hm - Mr White!), in the chess board Bond and White confronted each other over.
Bond has just freed himself of all of this at the deep level. This is his awakening. He's mastering himself. And see it in Craig's facial acting over the whole scene.
So, now up and on to Blofeld. "Why are we here?" - Blfld draws a love heart - exactly what he's here for. His last tests. So - fight for it, risk your life for her. He does this, this is what we see happen. Good for Bond - STRIKE ONE.
Then on to the escape - and the exit on the boat. And the incredible gunshot. All made possible by being powered up in the 'torture' sequence.
The final scene on the bridge, this is Bond's last big test. And it has to happen on a bridge, symbolically the middle of two choices. This is it.............. Bond has his decision to make. Kill again for the sake of his function and drive and supposed 'choices' in life, but he'd been played so how much choice did he have. Now he has his new truths on his side, he'd not been a free man (just keep in mind the paragraph above for that one again). Bond has Blfld in his sights, a kill that is morally as easy as sin! Blofeld (who now is in Bond's Higher Self mode) says "finish it". We think that means 'shoot me' and be done. It doesn't. It means 'do it' - complete the test, win your day, make the right decision, choose love over assassination right now, make that call right now with me in your sights, so morally 'easy', so weakened and easy a target. Make the call. Bond looks blank pointing gun at Blfld. "finish it" he says again. Bond looks even more blank, and gives in. We know the decision he makes. But watch that again with the idea that Bond's hearing the "finish it" internally - an inner voice that he hears (looks blank doing so). He hears ('torture' scene in chair OH states will "play with....hearing" !!!!!!! ) And Bond makes his choice. Watch Blfld as Bond walks away. Doesn't he almost look smiling/happy and watching over with concern and care at where Bond is walking?? He only looks grumpy when M talks to him. Anyway, Brilliant for Bond - STRIKE TWO. HE DID IT.
Bond is now on his planned soul purpose - to experience love, and free himself from the chains he was bound in. For the first time ever, Bond is on track!!!!!!
And that is the mysterious meaning to the entire last act of SP. This is esoteric human spiritual growth as process in action, working its way out in the correct sequence, laid down in CR, nowhere in QoS I think (!), picked up again massively in SF, and this part of it dominating SP. This kind of stuff normally remains well hidden because us humans will not normally accept it. So its hidden safely away in plain sight for our subconscious to discover while our conscious self gets on with watching the movie.
The film makers did not need to do that............or did they?
I'm off for a drink.
Sorry its a bit long, but blame those brilliant brilliant scriptwriters and film makers for putting it all in there. Cheers to them.
I firmly hold the idea that this is the answer to the mysterious (and weird/flat) ending of the film. There's a lot more of this stuff driving through the whole film to get to the end.
So the end of Spectre I don't think is in Bond's mind, instead its in his soul.