Reporting For Duty
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Categories
"The Death of James Bond" by Ian Fleming - How Would He Have Handled It?
LucknFate
007 In New York
I was thinking on my criticisms of NTTD again, and all that I would do different, or simply wish was different in some way, and it got me wondering how this forum has yet to seemingly discuss in detail how Fleming would have approached an ultimate end to the character of James Bond, so here we can do that.
Obviously I am aware of the ending of From Russia With Love, perhaps a good starting point for us, where Bond is seemingly left for dead to the reader. Here's the passage:
That's all well and good, but we've seen most of that scene already play out in cinema in 1963, just without the ending of Bond collapsing into the carpet. And of course, that's not how Bond ultimately dies for Fleming, at least permanently. Which leaves room to wonder how Fleming would have ultimately done Bond in?
I encourage anyone who is willing to take a crack at their own "ending" to Bond's story, perhaps with the goal of a Fleming approach, and we can all be nice to each other.
Here's some effort from me, with the caveat that I still can't come up with a valid reason for Bond to be in this position, but I presume if we're going to do it, this could be one way.
Another segment I thought of:
Obviously I am aware of the ending of From Russia With Love, perhaps a good starting point for us, where Bond is seemingly left for dead to the reader. Here's the passage:
‘_Au revoir_, Rosa,’ said Bond.
The yellow eyes blazed briefly.
‘Farewell, Mister Bond.’
The boot, with its tiny steel tongue, flashed out.
Bond felt a sharp pain in his right calf. It was only the sort of pain
you would get from a kick. He flinched and stepped back. The two men
seized Rosa Klebb by the arms.
Mathis laughed. ‘My poor James,’ he said, ‘Count on SMERSH to have the
last word.’
The tongue of dirty steel had withdrawn into the leather. Now it was
only a harmless bundle of old woman that was being lifted into the
basket.
Mathis watched the lid being secured. He turned to Bond. ‘It is a good
day’s work you have done, my friend,’ he said. ‘But you look tired. Go
back to the Embassy and have a rest because this evening we must have
dinner together. The best dinner in Paris. And I will find the loveliest
girl to go with it.’
Numbness was creeping up Bond’s body. He felt very cold. He lifted his
hand to brush back the comma of hair over his right eyebrow. There was
no feeling in his fingers. They seemed as big as cucumbers. His hand
fell heavily to his side.
Breathing became difficult. Bond sighed to the depth of his lungs. He
clenched his jaws and half closed his eyes, as people do when they want
to hide their drunkenness.
Through his eyelashes he watched the basket being carried to the door.
He prised his eyes open. Desperately he focused Mathis.
‘I shan’t need a girl, René,’ he said thickly.
Now he had to gasp for breath. Again his hand moved up towards his cold
face. He had an impression of Mathis starting towards him.
Bond felt his knees begin to buckle.
He said, or thought he said, ‘I’ve already got the loveliest . . .’
Bond pivoted slowly on his heel and crashed headlong to the wine-red
floor.
That's all well and good, but we've seen most of that scene already play out in cinema in 1963, just without the ending of Bond collapsing into the carpet. And of course, that's not how Bond ultimately dies for Fleming, at least permanently. Which leaves room to wonder how Fleming would have ultimately done Bond in?
I encourage anyone who is willing to take a crack at their own "ending" to Bond's story, perhaps with the goal of a Fleming approach, and we can all be nice to each other.
Here's some effort from me, with the caveat that I still can't come up with a valid reason for Bond to be in this position, but I presume if we're going to do it, this could be one way.
Bond always found the notion of a guiding light at the end a funny vision for a spy, whose first sober instinct would probably be to shoot at such a thing. The familiar cover and comfort of darkness, will it be so welcoming forever?
Death had come so easy under his hand in the past. Bond suddenly thought of the time ticking by, he could feel the shudder of the seconds in his chest, like a war drum. The next thought was of the gun, which he pressed against the itchy stubble behind his chin. The barrel still warm, oddly reassuring, and all that's left now is a timed breath between the beats and a bend of a finger to scratch the itch. Life may not be so simple, but then death is.
Another segment I thought of:
Bond climbed out of the blazing building into the cold darkness of the night, disheartened to discover he was still alone. The radio must have gone bad, and he hadn't been able to shake the feeling this entire time that help was not on the way. It must be true now. The explosions tore apart the ground behind him. He looked out into the darkness again, to an empty sea, and an empty sky, where even the moon was missing. A new moon, a dark moon, he suddenly thought of the black moon of Solitaire's death card. Would she appreciate that Bond's cycle ends as a new moon cycle begins? He thought of her smile, and he smiled.
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Without spoiling it, there's a continuation novel which ends on a slight cliffhanger in terms of Bond's survival and I think that's not a bad end, but I do think Fleming might have gone for a bigger, more certain death.
The death wouldn't be brutal, it'd probably be a drowning or something where Bond can it coming as well to set up the chapter of reflection
If Fleming wanted to kill him off properly, I don't think he'd leave much to interpretation. I think the endings of YOLT and FRWL were written to end the series, but not necessarily to kill Bond and finish him off in a satisfying way.
I like this approach, something that gives Bond a moment of reflection, like when he's "drowning" in the title sequence of Skyfall. And yes, I suppose Fleming hedged his bets on ending Bond a few times, but never fully committed. Smart businessman.
I was hoping this thread would attract you, Rev! An interesting take. I do think Fleming must have toyed with the notion even if he ultimately had his reasons for keeping Bond alive, or not completely dead. We must also consider that, for an author to kill his creation, he must face his own mortality, and given the fairly unexpected/premature death of Fleming, I think he may just not have gotten around to it completely yet, imo. But I respect your take and see that approach too. Fleming was a smart guy who seemingly liked an easy check. I do think Fleming might have run out of ideas if he'd kept going, which may have also worked him into a finale.
I plan on fleshing this thread out more with any writings or interviews Fleming may have done on the topic of death/mortality/afterlife etc. just to see if there's anything interesting to add.
Thank you, @mtm @Reflsin2bourbons @Revelator for your comments!
I've yet to read TMWTGG in full (sorry), but here's the snippet of the very end of the last chapter for thread reference:
It's definitely there in YOLT and TMWTGG. Bond slowly recovers from his PTSD in the former novel through his interactions with other characters and his travels across Japan, and with his presumed death/amnesia essentially gets a new life. Obviously though the fate element of Bond always being roped back into the spy game comes into play and he travels to Russia, and TMWTGG is about Bond redeeming himself as an agent.
I suppose it makes sense. From what I understand Fleming was suffering from ill health around this time (not that it matters beyond - nothing does beyond the books themselves).
It seems to me the books would never have resulted in Bond dying. He's always doomed to come back to MI6, never able to get that happy life. One thing I will say about NTTD is that all those Fleming elements were there in regards to Bond's death.
Maybe he would've make it vague or uncertain, just left to audiences imagination, but to kill him like he's clear that he's gone kind of thing, I doubt it, and I don't see Bond giving up either, I know Bond is naive, fragile and emotionally vulnerable, but to have himself just give up? I don't think so.
I mean in that Dr. No obstacle course, we've seen how Bond fought for his life, he always did, he might be bored of his life, but he's the man who didn't want to die, he wanted one thing, and that's to live peacefully with someone, but not to die, even in the From Russia With Love book, even he's close to dying, I've felt in Fleming's descriptions that dying was not in Bond's mind, he's not prepared to die, but it's the death who chases him, if he's going to die, it might be abrupt or unexpected, and again, not as explicit.
He's the man who always finds a way to survive, he did that many times in the books, often sometimes being saved by luck.
James Bond hated his job, but he couldn't escape from it, but that doesn't mean he's going to give up when put in some deadly situations.
Imagine the powerful scene: Bond takes off his jacket, carefully takes out a cigarette, checks the mechanism of the Walther, and lights it to incineration.
That should be how Bond dies in the cinema: it's his choice, and it's to save millions, and even in classy in death
None of it's for sure, no; we're all guessing.
That's nice. I don't think it's a million miles from what we did get, but I can certainly imagine him lighting Felix's cigar at the end, not bad.
It's a complete tangent, but I've been reading about the riches of the Fleming family recently thanks to the bank his grandfather started, and 007 is really peanuts next to the immense wealth generated from that- so I'm not sure he was such a great businessman! :D
Well, he attempted to put an end on Bond many times, in FRWL and in YOLT for example, but none are as explicit as Bond literally being killed off, as in no chance of coming back, like what they've done to Bond in NTTD.
I know you're a fan of NTTD, so I respect that, but based on those books that I've mentioned, I'm not sure Fleming would've explicitly killed him off, maybe in a vague way of leaving it to audiences speculation, but one could see the chance of him being revived for the next novel, a chance for him to survive.
Sure, but he didn't get to the point where he was fully done with it when he wrote those. Who knows, if he'd lived long enough he might well have decided to draw a line under it once and for all.
(And maybe he'd have called it that too :) I can't remember who suggested Once And For All as a title but I still like it!)
Fleming wrote Bond, as for me, a revivable character, sure, he sometimes put a vague end to him, a cliffhanger one, but he make sure that he could able to make Bond return in the next book without any questions regarding what happened to the previous book.
That's why he usually kept it vague, so when Fleming (in case) decided to bring Bond back, he would have no problem on how to revive him for the next book, well, Bond is just a one character in the books, unlike in the films where (cough, cough) Craig is meant to be looked as a separate era from others.