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You fail to mention that Fleming quickly got fond of Sean Connery. On the sets of DN, FRWL and GF Fleming and Connery were pretty good pals.
But really, calling him a homophobic snob goes too far. For me, as a gay person, I think he did some groundbreaking stuff, making lesbians and gays a bit more well-known in a mid 1950's society, which in the UK was staunchly conservative. Because that's what you tend to forget all of a sudden.
Yes, really. In interviews on the set of From Russia With Love he mentions how good he thought Dr. No was. He turned round to like Connery too.
@Gustav He was homophobic. What about the bit in Goldfinger when he writes about how gays and lesbians were the result of women getting equal rights? Or how Bond makes Pussy Galore straight?
I'm not complaining because it was the 50s and the books were a product of the tims but some bits of the books are a bit cringe worthy reading them now and I think it is homophobic.
EDIT- Here's a few quotes from Goldfinger demonstrating what I mean.
"Bond came to the conclusion that Tilly Masterton was one of those girls whose hormones had got mixed up. He knew the type well and thought they and their male counterparts were a direct consequence of giving votes to women and ‘sex equality’. As a result of fifty years of emancipation, feminine qualities were dying out or being transferred to the males. Pansies of both sexes were everywhere, not yet completely homosexual, but confused, not knowing what they were. The result was a herd of unhappy sexual misfits – barren and full of frustrations, the women wanting to dominate and the men to be nannied. He was sorry for them, but he had no time for them."
"Bond liked the look of her. He felt the sexual challenge all beautiful Lesbians have for men. He was amused by the uncompromising attitude that said to Goldfinger and to the room, ‘All men are bastards and cheats. Don’t try any masculine hocus on me. I don’t go for it. I’m in a separate league.’"
Bond said firmly, ‘Lock that door, Pussy, take off that sweater and come into bed. You’ll catch cold.’ She did as she was told, like an obedient child. She lay in the crook of Bond’s arm and looked up at him. She said, not in a gangster’s voice, or a Lesbian’s, but in a girl’s voice, ‘Will you write to me in Sing Sing?’ Bond looked down into the deep blue-violet eyes that were no longer hard, imperious. He bent and kissed them lightly. He said, ‘They told me you only liked women.’ he said, ‘I never met a man before.’
And that's why they'll do that in the future I'm sure. Same result, but for some reason, people will accept it this way :)
FYI, official China news agencies *ARE* reporting that Skyfall has been censored. It's quite some change from the opinion even mention of censorship is being censored.
When they will be co-producers, there will be nothing to censor, case closed !
I think it's fair to say the character is semi-autobiographical. I'm not suggesting everything Bond thinks and feels is parallel with Fleming, there's some exaggeration and a also a level of toning down, but it's certainly not the polar opposite. @thelivingroyale quotes Bond, not other characters.
You think you can analyze from the first few days because they proceed like this in other markets ? The truth is that China's market is VERY different. New movies are released every day of the week or so. It's not like every Friday a bunch of new movies compete for the first place or so. Also the bookings could be tracked as early as the 19th of Jan. Results : sold out venues, but very few showings. How do you analyze that ?
Also, many early reports you read are from what I'm told probably totally wrong on many levels.
Did you know that LAST WEEK, Skyfall was #9 in China with only the previews ?
You're absolutely right. I was being slightly sarcastic. A lot of people are already whining that it has flopped after day one. I have no idea about the Chinese market, apart from what I read. Who knows, and really, who cares?
Personally it's small potato's and very unlikely to effect the direction of the next film one bit, yes it would have been nice for it to be a hit there but it isn't so lets live with it.
Well said @Shardlake, I'd put it down to most people have probably seen a boot legged copy of SF by now in China.
China isn't exactly a large market. SF had already taken a billion dollars before it opened there. I'm still impressed with the figures it gets. Truly impressive no matter which way you look at it.
More seriously, it seems below 80% satisfaction rates have never been seen though I'm told, and well, the current record breaking "Lost in Thailand" has a reported 98% rate (!).. So I'll let you judge. As for the success, I'm told it will be unknown until next Sunday results come in. Mega success seems unlikely now ok (but people have seen weirder things), but "flop", not sure at all either.
For the anecdote, tomorrow at the Wanda Plaza in Beijing, if you want to see Skyfall, you can choose a viewing at
08:40
09:10
09:50
10:30
11:15
11:50
12:30
13:10
13:50
14:10
14:30
15:10
15:50
16:30
16:50
17:10
17:50
18:20
18:30
19:10
19:30
19:50
20:30
21:00
21:10
21:50
22:10
22:30
23:10
23:40
23:50
(!)
The very first night, it was 20:30 and 0:00 only...
Even if this Wanda cinema I choose for the anecdote, the number of seats go from 1200 to 30 (thirty, no typo there).
You can check online the online bookings here :
http://www.wandafilm.com/trade/movie_times.jsp
Click on the first line of the second column, then click on the 007 and then scroll down, with the mouse on the green icon you'll see the seats that are already taken for the viewings. How many buy their tickets in front of the desk is unknown though, but it was interesting to watch for the premieres...
Btw, Wanda owns USA's AMC :)
One last point : "The Grandmaster", who topped the Chinese Box office last week, has a 78% satisfaction rate, so the 95% rate for Skyfall may be quite significant. I'm afraid all the things you read about Skyfall in China is once again in this country very, very lousy reporting (Google "Looper China error" for a fun one).
I don't claim to have more accurate data, but I know people in the biz mature to be able to say "no one knows yet" (instead of boasting an instant analysis to sound like an expert and gather hits on their page for Google ads money). Box office business is more manipulation than real accountancy, anyway. Even the French box office report where they give you figure like "343,202 viewers this week" are actually just +/-5% estimates, but for some reason reports keeps on using figures that makes it sound like ultra-accurate ballot reports. The true figures are known only one year later, and are not even available for free for the public actually.
I will continue to suis suivez for updates as he's been pretty thorough so far and is trying to bring objective facts rather than merely try and state SF has beaten TB or TDKR.
(*) : and there is a Skyfall link ! Asterix "underperformed" at the French box office (3.5M viewers while 8M and even more were expected). It is the producers of it who lost some money, they say, that launched a bomb in the media explaining French movies are too expensive because the actors are paid too much (the agent of the star is sometimes the 2nd biggest budget of a movie !).
Asterix was actually expected to do so much more that no big blockbuster was released in the weeks after it, only a few French comedies were released the weeks after. Only one big blockbuster was released just the week after, while screens for Asterix were already less than expected. It had 3 weeks as the only "big" movie on the French screens while Asterix was already losing the biggest venues. You know the name...
Can you please tell me what TASM means, for which movie it stands?
China is a very important market for James Bond, but can somebody please help me accurately updating my listing down below? I want to know what the exact box office gross of 'The Dark Knight Rises' was in China
*UPDATED MONDAY JANUARY 24TH 2013*:
001) $1,081,041,287 -- 'Batman 8: The Dark Knight Rises' (2012) IMDB: 8.8 ▪ $1,028,255,953 - 95.1% --> worldwide gross (excl. China)
$0,448,139,099 - 41.5% --> domestic (USA) gross
$0,052,785,334 - 04.9% --> domestic (China) gross
$0,580,116,854 - 53.6% --> foreign (rest) gross[/i]
002) 1,041,214,405 -- 'JAMES BOND 23: SKYFALL' (2012, 92 DAYS IN CINEMAS) IMDB: 8.0 ▪
$1,041,214,405 - 100% --> WORLDWIDE GROSS (EXCL. CHINA)
$0,301,113,921 - 28.9% --> DOMESTIC (USA) GROSS
$.......t.b.d........ - 00.0% --> DOMESTIC (CHINA) GROSS
$0,740,100,484 - 71.1% --> FOREIGN (REST) GROSS
If my above figures are accurate, then 'Skyfall' is surely going to beat 'The Dark Knight Rises' no? Only $40 Million short :-).
As for the box office, well, I won't cure you from your ranking hysteria, but for your info, the Yen/US$ exchange rate change like about 2% each day. That means the 6 last digit of any WW cumulative is meaningless actually :) (and that's only one of the reason)
One would certainly think so. :)
And 'Skyfall' then will most certainly beat 'The Amazing Spiderman', of which the China box office gross was $0,048,818,164, if I'm not mistaken. Less than 'The Dark Knight Rises' $0,052,785,334.
Also, isn't it a bitttt early to say 'Skyfall' is a failure in China? It premiered on a Monday. I guess that's the day where most people start the new workweek no? I am more curious about what 'Skyfall' will do during the upcoming weekend in China.
I also think it's not solely a matter of 'more action' that would give 'Skyfall' more success. 'The Amazing Spiderman' also premiered two months later after its initial premiere, so that movie must have been prone to lots of piracy either. And 'The Amazing Spiderman' is one hell of an action blockbuster.
By the way, did anyone hear what censors did to 'Cloud Atlas' in China? They cut 36 min's (!!) of the film's original 172 min's. As I love the movie, but as it is also a complex interwoven mosaic story, I think that's rather unheard off. I heard that it had become so unwatcheable, that people left the cinema during the movie.
Sjee, off course it will :-D!!