The James Bond Debate Thread - 336 Craig looks positively younger in SP than he does in SF.

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  • Posts: 11,189
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I was 6 when I first saw DN. It was love at first sight. Trust me, I managed to handle the Bond series quite well growing up. :)

    I saw a bit of GF on tv and remember seeing some woman covered in gold paint. I was like - meh. That all changed in 1995 ;)
  • edited January 2012 Posts: 11,425
    BAIN123 wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I was 6 when I first saw DN. It was love at first sight. Trust me, I managed to handle the Bond series quite well growing up. :)

    I saw a bit of GF on tv and remember seeing some woman covered in gold paint. I was like - meh. That all changed in 1995 ;)

    That explains a lot! You youngun's. Don't know you're born!
  • Posts: 11,189
    Getafix wrote:
    BAIN123 wrote:
    DarthDimi wrote:
    I was 6 when I first saw DN. It was love at first sight. Trust me, I managed to handle the Bond series quite well growing up. :)

    I saw a bit of GF on tv and remember seeing some woman covered in gold paint. I was like - meh. That all changed in 1995 ;)

    Explains a lot!

    Excuse me!! What gives you the right to make fun - seriously!. I've seen the rubbish you write on here and its getting tedious.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Calm down dear. No offence meant.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited January 2012 Posts: 13,978
    DarthDimi wrote:
    Disagree. I was watching Friday The 13th and other horror films when I wasn't that much older than 10. So Bond is nothing in comparison, violence wise I mean.

    Don't you agree then, Major? ;-)

    Oops, I read that wrong. Watching horror films at a young age, does not turn you into a psycho in adult life (as the news would have you believe), but it can affect your eyes. ;)
  • Posts: 1,856
    Watching Bond when you are 10 years old is very dangerous... watching a Bond film at that age can start a very persistent addiction to the world of James Bond... I watched GE when I was 10, and I am totally addicted to Bond now !!

    You to huh?
  • edited January 2012 Posts: 1,817
    Many times there is more violence and sexual content in the news than in Bond films, and the worst part is that the latter is fiction while the former are real. One can only hope that the parents explain that difference and teach some critical criterion to the children.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,173
    <font color=tomato size=4><b>THESIS 021</b></font>

    <font color=blue size=7> <b>M should never have been made a woman.</b></font>
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,715
    I'd prefer if M had stayed male... but my main beef is Dench. She was great in GE and slowly she became more and more painful to watch... Helen Mirren would have played a splendid female M, IMO.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I've never had an issue with M being a female. I'm just not too keen on her "I need to know I can trust you" attitude. It was fine in Royale but I hope it doesn't continue too far into the future.
  • PrinceKamalKhanPrinceKamalKhan Monsoon Palace, Udaipur
    Posts: 3,262
    DarthDimi wrote:
    <font color=tomato size=4><b>THESIS 021</b></font>

    <font color=blue size=7> <b>M should never have been made a woman.</b></font>

    Agreed. Bond's boss should've remained Admiral Sir Miles Messervy regardless of actor playing the role.
  • Posts: 11,425
    Like DaltonCraig, I think Mirren would have been a good M. She's tough enough and hot enough to make you believe that Bond might not only have respected her, but have given more than a moments thought to bedding her, which afterall, is pretty much the only thing he's interested in doing with a woman.
  • Posts: 1,497
    I like Judi Dench and I like the idea of M being a woman in the modern Bond films. Honestly, I can't think of any other women who do the role to the calibre that she brings.

    The problem is, Judi Dench is well-respected actor, and therefore she needs to be written in to a lot of scenes. I prefer when M, man or woman, has the one opening brief scene and THAT'S IT. Beyond that, the M character becomes this omniscient nagging presence in the film, as we've seen particularly in TWINE and QOS.

    On another point, changing the M to a woman was an important step in bringing Bond out of the past. While I'm all for keeping with tradition and to source material, there needs to be some 'updating', so that the series doesn't grow tired. If they had kept with the status quo, there would have still been that "Old Gentleman's Club" post War feel, (which I do admire mind you), but that would have made the movies dated by the time of GE.

    That being said, I think the time is right, where a male M could return for Bond24 (it's actually overdue in fact)
  • Posts: 105
    I happy with M being a woman at the moment, but come time for her to be replaced I hope they don't try to shoe horn another woman into the position and take the opportunity to explore the possibilities with another male (be him older or the same age as bond). I think there is a lot of potential to get away from the mother figure and look down other avenues.
  • Posts: 12,526
    Never had a problem with M being a woman or Dench. What i would say as seeing as this movie plot revolves around her past? I think that this would be a good final swansong for her to say goodbye to the franchise.

    I hope she is not killed off? But obviously we will not know until we see the movie ofcourse? I hope its a case of a replacement M with a Moneypenny too at the very end of the movie with an unknown actress!
  • Posts: 1,310
    I've always thought Dench's M was a strong character...at least earlier on. I think she has worn a bit in the recent Craig affairs (especially Quantum of Solace), and I now believe it is time for her to go. But she should not be killed off! Anyway, I disagree with this thesis.
  • Posts: 11,189
    My dad can't believe she's still M :)) :))
  • Posts: 1,407
    She was great for a new generation of Bond fans and I still like her. But the next M must be male.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    The change doesn't fit the books or proceeding films, but it isn't bad in the slightest. It took the films in a new direction, and offer a woman-man dynamic between M and Bond that was palpable. And we are lucky to get such a great actress as Judi in the role.
  • Posts: 7,653
    No problem with her being M.

    As for the next one we'll see. I have no specific requests when it comes to another M.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    I think it was needed perhaps and wouldn't agree at all that M shouldn't have been a woman. It's the use of M that annoys me but that's a different topic.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I have no problem with a female M. However, the problem lies in the way she's been portrayed/written. It's been soul destroyingly afwul from the start.
  • Posts: 11,189
    I have no problem with a female M. However, the problem lies in the way she's been portrayed/written. It's been soul destroyingly afwul from the start.

    I don't get why people have a problem with the whole "sexist dinosaur" stuff. Yes she called Bond that but she also told him to "come back alive". Its not as if she didn't have respect for him.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I have no problem with a female M. However, the problem lies in the way she's been portrayed/written. It's been soul destroyingly afwul from the start.

    I don't get why people have a problem with the whole "sexist dinosaur" stuff. Yes she called Bond that but she also told him to "come back alive". Its not as if she didn't have respect for him.

    That may be part of it, but I think what others are saying as well is that they dislike her being in the field at Bond's side so much. Bernard Lee ventured past his office, sure, but Dench's M is very much in the field. From GE to QoS thus far.
  • edited January 2012 Posts: 11,189
    BAIN123 wrote:
    I have no problem with a female M. However, the problem lies in the way she's been portrayed/written. It's been soul destroyingly afwul from the start.

    I don't get why people have a problem with the whole "sexist dinosaur" stuff. Yes she called Bond that but she also told him to "come back alive". Its not as if she didn't have respect for him.

    That may be part of it, but I think what others are saying as well is that they dislike her being in the field at Bond's side so much. Bernard Lee ventured past his office, sure, but Dench's M is very much in the field. From GE to QoS thus far.

    If I'm honest I haven't really had a problem with M going outside her office at times. Take TWINE for example, I don't mind the idea of her being involved in the story a bit more. What does annoy me a little though is how she treats Bond a bit like a child in the Craig films. I'm not going to get all urked about it, there's no point. It just gets a bit annoying though I can understand why some may think differently.
  • I'm surprised at all the negativity Judi Dench gets on these forums. I love her as M. I can understand though the frustration at having her constantly in the field. They definitely are trying to give her more screentime, but that's destined to happen if any well-known actor is M (regardless if they're a man or a woman).
  • I don't really mind that we got a female lead as M in 1995, let's face it Robert Brown was the worst M in recent times, dull, bland and lifeless. No-one who took over from Bernard Lee could possibly be as good but the man was a disaster. He was a mainstay throughout the 1980s for the most part but sometimes you wouldn't even notice he was onscreen such as he was so mundane.

    As for Dench, Is she getting to a point now where she's past her time? , Yes and No, on one hand she's still able and welcome to continue, still fitting in the role, but maybe then again the time is getting near when age is becoming a factor and maybe someone else should have a go. If someone had asked me back in '95 after Goldeneye if Dench would still be M in Bond 17 years later I would most likely have answered 'no', but she's continued in the part thus far, done a fine job and I hope to see her in Bond 24 if possible
  • Posts: 11,425
    At least Dench brought a touch of acting quality during the dark days of you know who. But she's looking past it now and the last thing we need are close-ups of her taking her make-up off before bed...
  • During the dark days of Pierce Brosnan, there's no harm to speak out. And I'm guessing there would be little chance of seeing Dench do as you describe in Skyfall. Seeing as the film's plot involves a pivotal part with her character then I think we can expect a good performance from Dame Dench this time around. The spotlight won't necessarily be on her though
  • KerimKerim Istanbul Not Constantinople
    Posts: 2,629
    I'm OK with it, but I do hope Skyfall is Dench's swan song.
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