When does Bond ever interact with the general public?

2

Comments

  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,814
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.
    That's true and not so true. He walks into and inhabits that world, but he's an outsider as well. Fleming even described him as un-English. OO7 is set up to be an outsider from establishment, while committed to supporting it.

    So an interaction with commoners can serve as a reality check for both Bond and the audience. A confrontation feeding good storytelling hopefully.

    Bond knew that there was something alien and un-English about himself. He knew that he was a difficult man to cover up. Particularly in England. He shrugged his shoulders. Abroad was what mattered. He would never have a job to do in England. Outside the jurisdiction of the Service. Anyway, he didn't need a cover this evening. This was recreation.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427

    Fair enough about gamblers, just a weird thing for me I guess.

    Your first two I can agree with, but the angels of death are clearly part of the plot! Same with Plenty, IMO.

    Plenty doesn’t know anyone involved, does she?
  • edited July 2020 Posts: 7,507
    "mtm wrote: »
    jobo wrote: »
    - "Play it again, Sam" to the musicians in Moonraker :))

    Surely 'san'?

    Eh... no. It´s Sam, a Casablanca reference.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2020 Posts: 16,427
    jobo wrote: »
    "mtm wrote: »
    jobo wrote: »
    - "Play it again, Sam" to the musicians in Moonraker :))

    Surely 'san'?

    Eh... no. It´s Sam, a Casablanca reference.

    Yeah, I always thought it was a (borderline racist) pun on that line. 'San' because he's Japanese (it's kind of the equivalent of 'Mr' in Japanese) and it sounds a bit like 'Sam' which is the name in the Casablanca line. Bond tends to go in for puns when he kills people! :)
    Maybe I'm wrong but it sounds like 'San' to me.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)
  • Posts: 2,918
    So an interaction with commoners can serve as a reality check for both Bond and the audience. A confrontation feeding good storytelling hopefully.

    A good example of this is the conversation with the young taxi driver in the novel of Thunderball. Bond proves that he's able to relate to a working class youth.

  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,434
    TripAces wrote: »
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)

    Then you might wish to include hotel staff as his treatment of them varies and in some cases is outright mean. Think of how he treats the bellhop in MR. Or the way he grabs the keys of the woman in GF and pulls her to the door. But then in films like FRWL the bellhop is impressed by the tip given. We don't see this side of the character in the recent films.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,553
    thedove wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)

    Then you might wish to include hotel staff as his treatment of them varies and in some cases is outright mean. Think of how he treats the bellhop in MR. Or the way he grabs the keys of the woman in GF and pulls her to the door. But then in films like FRWL the bellhop is impressed by the tip given. We don't see this side of the character in the recent films.

    True.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    thedove wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)

    Then you might wish to include hotel staff as his treatment of them varies and in some cases is outright mean. Think of how he treats the bellhop in MR. Or the way he grabs the keys of the woman in GF and pulls her to the door. But then in films like FRWL the bellhop is impressed by the tip given. We don't see this side of the character in the recent films.

    Precisely. DC's Bond is known for his polite "thank yous" at every opportunity.
  • GadgetManGadgetMan Lagos, Nigeria
    Posts: 4,247
    Yeah, I think Connery's Bond also liked saying 'Thank You' a lot.
  • Posts: 2,918
    A gentleman is never unintentionally rude.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,553
    Everyone makes mistakes.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,434
    Goldfinger scene

    "Hey, oh That's that's Mr. Golfinger's suite".
    "Yes, I know. You are very sweet."

    From Russia with Love scene

    "Anything else sir?"
    "No just this"
    "Thank you sir!"

    Bellhops are not a thing in the hotels I frequent. But I think the tip he gives in FRWL is so damn cool.

  • Posts: 7,507
    thedove wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)

    Then you might wish to include hotel staff as his treatment of them varies and in some cases is outright mean. Think of how he treats the bellhop in MR. Or the way he grabs the keys of the woman in GF and pulls her to the door. But then in films like FRWL the bellhop is impressed by the tip given. We don't see this side of the character in the recent films.


    You know it is a big tip when the Bond Theme starts playing! ;)
  • edited July 2020 Posts: 2,165
    jobo wrote: »
    thedove wrote: »
    TripAces wrote: »
    Bond is an upper class Etonian. Why TF would he mingle with the mediocre and commiserate with the common?

    He inhabits the best restaurants, shags the most expensive women and consumes the best food.

    That's Bond. If you want a working class hero, watch Selma.


    Aha. You have just hit upon the main reason I am looking into this. I am working on a paper about functionalism. :)

    Then you might wish to include hotel staff as his treatment of them varies and in some cases is outright mean. Think of how he treats the bellhop in MR. Or the way he grabs the keys of the woman in GF and pulls her to the door. But then in films like FRWL the bellhop is impressed by the tip given. We don't see this side of the character in the recent films.


    You know it is a big tip when the Bond Theme starts playing! ;)

    In QoS he does (generously it would seem) tip the bellhop in the hotel in Bolivia, and in CR he does tip the poker dealer at the end.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,306
    mtm wrote: »
    I always get a bit uncomfortable with QoS when members of the public actually get hurt as a result of chases Bond is taking part in (a lorry driver in the opening chase, a woman gets shot in the horse race chase): generally they're careful for that not to hapen.

    Bond also steals 'normal people's cars in AVTAK and OP of course. Countless barmen.

    I read that it was one of Cubby's rules that Bond would never put the public in danger. That was my only gripe with SP's PTS.
  • Posts: 1,917
    echo wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    I always get a bit uncomfortable with QoS when members of the public actually get hurt as a result of chases Bond is taking part in (a lorry driver in the opening chase, a woman gets shot in the horse race chase): generally they're careful for that not to hapen.

    Bond also steals 'normal people's cars in AVTAK and OP of course. Countless barmen.

    I read that it was one of Cubby's rules that Bond would never put the public in danger. That was my only gripe with SP's PTS.

    That's one rule that has certainly been broken time an again over the series' run, even when he was in power.
  • Posts: 5,996
    Bond speaks to the doorman of the Monte Carlo casino in french.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited July 2020 Posts: 7,553
    echo wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    I always get a bit uncomfortable with QoS when members of the public actually get hurt as a result of chases Bond is taking part in (a lorry driver in the opening chase, a woman gets shot in the horse race chase): generally they're careful for that not to hapen.

    Bond also steals 'normal people's cars in AVTAK and OP of course. Countless barmen.

    I read that it was one of Cubby's rules that Bond would never put the public in danger. That was my only gripe with SP's PTS.

    It seems like in SP he was putting in a great deal of effort to keep the public out of danger. Sciarra was planning to kill everyone in the stadium, and Bond pursued him to stop him to every extent he could.
  • Posts: 2,165
    echo wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    I always get a bit uncomfortable with QoS when members of the public actually get hurt as a result of chases Bond is taking part in (a lorry driver in the opening chase, a woman gets shot in the horse race chase): generally they're careful for that not to hapen.

    Bond also steals 'normal people's cars in AVTAK and OP of course. Countless barmen.

    I read that it was one of Cubby's rules that Bond would never put the public in danger. That was my only gripe with SP's PTS.

    It seems like in SP he was putting in a great deal of effort to keep the public out of danger. Sciarra was planning to kill everyone in the stadium, and Bond pursued him to stop him to every extent he could.

    Not sure trying to hijack a helicopter whilst it's spiralling out of control over a crowd of thousands really qualifies as keeping the public out of danger.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2020 Posts: 16,427
    Yeah and he did blow up a building a bit too (and it's not even clear if it was unintentional- he knew there was a bomb in there).

    But then you look at something like the Eiffel Tower car chase in AVTAK: he jumps his car over a coach filled with people! Plus he barely misses quite a few pedestrians as well as actually crashing into someone else's car: he could have killed quite a lot of people! :)

    I guess I find QoS a bit worse because innocent people actually do get hurt and we see it, unlike in Spectre or AVTAK where they just sort of are magically protected :)
  • FatherValentineFatherValentine England
    Posts: 737
    The worst thing he ever does - because he has some, very basic, level of control over the taxi in AVTAK and the chopper in SP - is in TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.
  • Tokoloshe2Tokoloshe2 Northern Ireland
    Posts: 1,175
    TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.

    Yes! This scene has always annoyed me too, because it's so completely unnecessary and dangerous. I know it's supposed to be funny but it just doesn't work for me at all.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    edited July 2020 Posts: 16,427
    The worst thing he ever does - because he has some, very basic, level of control over the taxi in AVTAK and the chopper in SP - is in TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.

    Yes! I do remember watching that at the time and thinking it was a bit out of character for Bond.

    I'm glad they chopped out the scene where he went and inspected the damage and joked "I left the keys in the car" because that would have made it even worse, like he finds it funny that he nearly killed the people who work in the shop and destroyed their business(!).
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,306
    The worst thing he ever does - because he has some, very basic, level of control over the taxi in AVTAK and the chopper in SP - is in TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.

    Exactly. It's a fine line. Bond has so many skills and can presumably control any situation--but the crumbling building and the helicopter spiraling out of control were two steps too far for me.
  • Posts: 2,165
    echo wrote: »
    The worst thing he ever does - because he has some, very basic, level of control over the taxi in AVTAK and the chopper in SP - is in TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.

    Exactly. It's a fine line. Bond has so many skills and can presumably control any situation--but the crumbling building and the helicopter spiraling out of control were two steps too far for me.

    I kinda get the crumbling building as a quick way of getting Bond down to ground level, but again that could've been handled better (and cheaper) by having him either make his way down a fire escape quickly, or giving him a repelling device to get down the side of the building quickly.
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,427
    Mallory wrote: »
    echo wrote: »
    The worst thing he ever does - because he has some, very basic, level of control over the taxi in AVTAK and the chopper in SP - is in TND where he sends his BMW over the top of the car park down into the rental shop.

    Exactly. It's a fine line. Bond has so many skills and can presumably control any situation--but the crumbling building and the helicopter spiraling out of control were two steps too far for me.

    I kinda get the crumbling building as a quick way of getting Bond down to ground level, but again that could've been handled better (and cheaper) by having him either make his way down a fire escape quickly, or giving him a repelling device to get down the side of the building quickly.

    But the sofa gag is one of the best laughs in it! :)
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    edited July 2020 Posts: 7,553
    Mallory wrote: »
    echo wrote: »
    mtm wrote: »
    I always get a bit uncomfortable with QoS when members of the public actually get hurt as a result of chases Bond is taking part in (a lorry driver in the opening chase, a woman gets shot in the horse race chase): generally they're careful for that not to hapen.

    Bond also steals 'normal people's cars in AVTAK and OP of course. Countless barmen.

    I read that it was one of Cubby's rules that Bond would never put the public in danger. That was my only gripe with SP's PTS.

    It seems like in SP he was putting in a great deal of effort to keep the public out of danger. Sciarra was planning to kill everyone in the stadium, and Bond pursued him to stop him to every extent he could.

    Not sure trying to hijack a helicopter whilst it's spiralling out of control over a crowd of thousands really qualifies as keeping the public out of danger.

    His mission was to kill Sciarra, and that led him into the helicopter. Was he meant to just let the Spectre pilot do what he wanted with Bond in the chopper?
    Yes, people in the streets were in danger, but Bond wasn't arbitrarily putting them in danger himself.

    I don't think his job is to ever "keep the public out of immediate danger at all times"... the public will be in danger around Bond, due to the nature of his work. His job is to think and act less in the short term, and more in the long term. Sometimes Bond's job brings him in the realm of the public, and there is always danger involved. It's an occupational hazard.

    Anyways, this is all off topic.
  • thedovethedove hiding in the Greek underworld
    Posts: 5,434
    I believe it was more that civilians weren't to be hurt or killed by Bond. Think to Jaws dropping in on the Italian gentleman through his roof. Or the guy on the ladder who gets wobbled in FYEO.

    I found that rather jarring in QOS was that clearly some police officers died in that car chase in the PTS.
  • TripAcesTripAces Universal Exports
    Posts: 4,585
    Excellent examples of public danger. That was not part of my initial research, but I think it could be.

    For sure, DC's Bond seems to have more of a track record of recklessness, with innocent civilians placed in danger: the Mollaka chase in CR, the forementioned PTS scenes in QoS and SF. There was also potential for casualties in Mexico City. With CR and SP, at least, Bond was reprimanded by M.
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