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Comments
He looks cool in the pose though!
Here's another fun "what if". When the series was first started Terence Young had envisioned Sylvia Trench as the girl that Bond would always leave behind for his adventures. First seen in DN and then again in FRWL the original concept was Sylvia would continue to appear in future movies. With a new director for GF that concept was abandoned and Sylvia was only used in the first 2 films never to be seen or heard from again.
But was this the right decision? I find having her in the first two films added some continuity and makes the films stronger cause they are tied together. It gave a glimpse of Bond away from Mi6 and allowed us to see some other parts of his life.
What say you Mi6? Was the right decision made? Could more had been done with dear Sylvia or was the series right to only have her in a couple of films?
What if Sylvia Trench had appeared in future adventures?
GF - girl in the tub in PTS (obviously an unwitting pawn instead of a honey trap)
TB - the woman with Bond at Bouvard's funeral
YOLT - replacing Ling...or perhaps even Aki? The role would have to be rewritten, of course, but seeing the poison drip down her throat would definitely have an impact after 5 films.
For Thunderball, perhaps Trench would have waited for Bond when he left the clinic, and would be angry to see him leave immediately for his urgent briefing. Perhaps she could even have been in the car with him when Lippe tried to attack him. As for YOLT, I imagine that she would have had her role during the PTS. It's easier to see her, rather than Miss Caruso, at the start of LALD, in bed with Bond, even if I doubt that the character would have lasted after Connery's term.
Anyway, I very much regret the the character's dismissal from the series and I really hope that the next era will introduce a similar character that would allow to show Bond's personal life.
It would've been an unnecessary way to slow the films down to include her along with the obligatory office scenes. She would also make the flirtations with Moneypenny redundant. It would also make Bond look like more of a cad to have a steady girlfriend and then go off galivanting all over seducing girls whether it's for the job or not. Better he not be tied down to one woman.
Lastly, can you imagine how to handle a Sylvia Trench scene in OHMSS?
So IF they had kept her for more movies, I see her making a short appearance in TB and OHMSS, when Bond is in the UK, and still be the character we know and love. In GF and YOLT it would really have stretched credibility and hurt her character. Had she been used in DAF I can see Hamilton turning her into a pure ditz, keeping her unaware of Bond's true nature even when it is obvious. And that would have been the end of her.
Yes and given Brosnan a bit more history and context with the character to play off of perhaps. A lot of that drama would have landed better with the fans, and it would have made no difference to those who didn't know her from Dr. No.
Damn, why didn't they do this. :(
Sylvia would have had more impact in this scenario for me than Natalya or Pam. Sylvia felt like a bit more a long term relationship, which is what TND had Paris represent.
True, also would have been cool. Doesn't Case dump Bond for an American in the end?
I feel like I remember Horowitz did the exact same thing with Galore in Trigger Mortis, is that accurate?
I desperately need a re-read of the novels.
While I agree that to have her in every film might have been too much. I would have liked to have seen her in TB. Or maybe have her referenced in some way. The fact she didn't know what James did for a living was also something that was different from his other women.
I LOVE the idea of an Easter Egg with TND and having her named Sylvia Carver. Just leave it for the fans to decide if it's Trench or not. It would play both ways. I would love to see them use a previous actress in this way and have Bond cross paths with the person. The one that makes the most sense for me is Camille from QOS. But I doubt that will happen in this round of films.
ITA. Their scenes and dialogue reminded me of the Bond/Tiffany scenes in DAF. And I could easily picture Tiffany marrying Carver for his millions in order to retrieve the diamonds in Blofeld's laser satellite.
I think the original plan was that there would only be 4 or 5 Bond films. Sylvia was to appear at the beginning of each adventure and then at the last one she would be the primary leading lady. The film and the series would end with Bond marrying Miss Trench and they would live happily ever after(no being murdered by Blofeld and/or any other villain on their wedding day). This idea of course was being proposed in 1961/early 1962. Fleming's OHMSS novel would not be published until 1963 so Tracy didn't exist yet.
Is her surname supposed to be sexy filthy? Because it's kind of horrible! :D
TND suggesting the idea that Sylvia "got too close" would seem rather ridiculous though, considering we only ever really saw them using each other for casual sex and then he'd run off to another country, shag someone else, and not contact Sylvia for six months.