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"She paused and smiled up at him. 'Now it's your turn again', she said. 'Buy me another drink and then tell me what sort of woman you think would add to you'.
Bond gave his order to the steward. He lit a cigarette thoughtfully. 'Somebody who can make Bearnaise as well as love', he said.
'Holy mackerel! Just any old dumb hag who can cook and lie on her back?'
'Oh, no. She's got to have all the usual things' Bond examined her. 'Gold hair. Grey eyes. A sinful mouth. Perfect figure. And of course she's got to be witty and poised and know how to dress and play cards and so forth. the usual things'
'And you' marry this person if you found her?'
'Not necessarily,' said Bond.
'She'd get me handing round canapés in an L-shaped drawing room. and there'd be all those ghastly 'Yes you did No I didn't ' rows that seem to go with marriage. It wouldn't last. I'd get claustrophobia and run out on her. Get myself sent to Japan or somewhere.
"It is a wonderful moment in a love affair when for the first time a man puts his hand under the table at a restaurant and lays it on a girl's thigh and she slip her own hand over his and presses it against here. the two gestures say everything that need be said. All is agreed. All the pacts are signed. and there is a long minute of silence during which the blood sings."
"Mister, nothing is forever. Only death is permanent. Nothing is forever except what you did to me"
"Death is forever. But so are diamonds"
"It reads better than it lives"
“Up to 40, girls cost nothing. After that you have to pay money or tell a story. Of the two it’s the story that hurts the most. Anyway, I’m not 40 yet!”
I'll echo what @Dragonpol said, it's great to see you around regularly @Perilagu_Khan.
Oh learned Bondologist, would you be so kind as to enlighten, as to what the "surprise anti-gambling message might be."
Readers digest version is fine
Enquiring minds etc....
It's really the social commentary piece Fleming writes on the old hags who play the slot machines in the Las Vegas The Tiara hotel casino. I find his comments on the audacity of hope in hitting the jackpot in this small-time gambling most fascinating and I want to sculpt an article around this aspect of Fleming's writing in this most literary of James Bond novels. I like to write on the overlooked aspects of Bondology and it seemed to me some time ago that this one fitted the bill perfectly. I also want to include a bit on the relationship between Hollywood and Las Vegas through the years, from an article on DAF the novel and film versions that I've discovered. I hope this has served to further whet your appetite, @timmer!
Plus, on a personal note, I know you were the mod tiffanywint on BaB, and may I say it's great to have you back here on the incomparable MI6 Community. No one ever leaves the MI6. I appreciated your interest in The Bondologist Blog there and on here too! Stick around, friend. This place seems to be going from strength to strength I'm very glad to say!
That Fleming scene, I thought was replicated somewhat in LTK, when Lupe suddenly appears as Bond's new dealer at the Isthmus City casino.
I have witnessed slot-machine drones myself in local casinos.
One night I saw a woman working two machines. She had two buckets of tokens. Each hand was methodically feeding and working the arm of its own machine. She was in a zone. This is probably not an uncommon sight. I just don't frequent the places often.
The slots here are at the racetrack. I prefer to lose my cash on the horses.
Re mi6, thanks, although I do have a history here going back to 2007, so it is familiar territory. BaB is a good crew too. They are almost all old-time Mi6 members.
Well then it's about time they all returned here, isn't it? ;-)
And indeed, good to see you around again @Khaners!
Well, you have a rich field to mine then, because serious criticism of Fleming's work--as opposed to the man himself--is scant. For whatever reason, critics seem not to have taken Fleming seriously, which is an indictment of the scribal class rather than Ian himself.
And thanks, Commander Ross.
Yes, and I intend to mine this area as well as can. As you say, there is still much to be written on the works of Ian Fleming himself and I am to fill that lacuna on The Bondologist Blog in the coming year. There is much work to be done.
I'm sure Casino Royale, Moonraker and Diamonds are Forever will be good source material although I rather think Fleming was more against 'dumb luck' than gambling. He likes more skillful card games as opposed to Blackjack or the slots. Where Roulette figures in I'm not sure. Bridge is a complicated game, poker to some extent and he loved those.
Thanks timmer. Yes, I want to highlight this part from DAF from Fleming in this article! It should be up on The Bondologist Blog as part of the new content soon! You can see my latest article update list on the blog thread here on MI6 Community if you care to comment on it @timmer!
Poker's my game. A good balance of skill, risk, control and luck.
Anyone played Baccarat?
Perhaps I should think of changing the article's title to 'Ian Fleming's Surprising Anti-(Petty) Gambling Message in Diamonds Are Forever (1956)' then, though it doesn't really have the same ring to it. What do we think?
Indeed. I never thought about it in that way, but well-observed. This was going to be a bit of a 'special interest focus' article, but perhaps I should expand it further. I'll look into it. Thank you for your suggestion, @007InVT!
Thank you, loyal reader.
I'm afraid not. For me it was indeed Poker, and in the casino's blackjack and roulette. I do hate the notion in blackjack that you're playing together 'against' the house though. Played my best games when I had the table for myself. I'm playing to win, not to bust a corporation I couldn't crack in a million years.
Playing against the house - who are they kidding, eh?!
I think it's just another trick by the house to come up with such nonsense, so people make the wrong decisions.
Yes, well petty gambling is what I'm going to attack in my article on DAF's anti-gambling message so you may enjoy it.
Once when you're born,
And once when you look death in the face."
A most honorable and sincere effort, Bondo-san!
Indeed. I've used that one too. Can't believe I forgot to mention it when I was banging on so much about Moonraker.
"Look my friend, I've got to commit a murder tonight. Not you. Me. So be a good chap and stuff it, would you?"