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A Moneypenney For Your Thoughts - Lois Maxwell

JB007LTKJB007LTK
edited May 2011 in Bond Movies Posts: 76
Ms. Moneypenney is a recurring character in BOND movies. Although she has a small part in the films, it is always highlighted by the underscored romantic tension between her and Bond.

Will the character survive in this day and age or is it unnecessary today?

Should the character be brought back?
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Comments

  • anotherbondgeekanotherbondgeek
    Posts: 423
    Yes. Like M's office and Q's briefings, the customary Moneypenny/Bond repartee is one of the things that should feature in every Bond film. And none of that groan-inducing 'cunning linguist' tripe please, let's have some real quick wit.
  • jaguar007jaguar007
    edited May 2011 Posts: 638
    Personally the only Moneypenny I ever warmed to was Lois Maxwell. Not fond of Bond or Bliss. Therefore I really don't care if they ever bring her back since essentially she is Maxwell's character. Same goes for Q.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,355
    I agree she should be brought back in time, but unlike @anotherbondgeek, no Bond element is a must have for every film as that just leads to overuse.

    Good topic @JB007LTK!
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    Yes she should be brought back. Along with Q, and keeping M in her office. And of course M's office should be a return to the wooden one, red telephone and big, red, thick door.

    The real question is - how much can they strip from the classic films before the newest Bond films become unrecognizable from other action films? I'm afraid that if Q and Moneypenny don't return, the series will continue it's downwards spiral of stripping the films from traditional elements.
  • saunderssaunders Living in a world of avarice and deceit
    edited May 2011 Posts: 987
    I've always felt the traditional Moneypenny flirting scenes had run out of steam by TB, I don't really care when they bring her back. The character has always had an exaggerated importance in the film series compared to the books where she only appears very occasionally, I would like to see Bond's '00' secretary make an apperance
  • gregdaultongregdaulton
    Posts: 49
    Yes, we do need Bond's 00 secretary in new films.

    I do agree with DaltonCraig007 about the new films becoming plain action films, as I think QoS was pretty much a plain action film with the Bond name attached.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    I'm always in favour of a return to the MP/Q scenes, if done correctly. MP could be an interesting character. I'm not saying she needs half an hour of film or too dramatic involvements with Bond. Those would be extremes in the other direction. However, I do feel like MP could still deliver a couple of fine moments, especially when conversing with Bond in GoldenEye style.

    In my book they have no excuse to not bring back MP, unless they openly admit to not finding a good actress for the part or not having written her in as it should be. Because in the end, I prefer no MP at all to a terrible MP.
  • dragonskydragonsky
    Posts: 2,491
    i agree with everyone MP and Q should be back,i am not saying that Bond 23 without them will be bad but it will be good if they are back
  • ShorelineShoreline
    edited May 2011 Posts: 251
    Didn`t Craig say he wanted her back? I think it would be a good idea to do so. A little bit of light relief is clearly missing from Craigs era so far. I suppose she will be introduced "origin style"....

    Anything is possible, like we have seen. Who knows, maybe Q will turn up again.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    edited May 2011 Posts: 1,699
    If the cinematic Bond survives beyond the Craig era - and there's no reason why it shouldn't; I'm sure it will - who knows what direction it might take? I wouldn't be a bit surprised then if Moneypenny (in some shape or form, maybe not with the same name perhaps) returns.

    I've an increasing feeling, though, that she won't return under Craig, so to speak... ;)
  • 001001
    Posts: 1,575
    It would be good to see her back but i don't think they'll do it.
  • The_ReaperThe_Reaper
    Posts: 1,092
    I want her back. Give it!
  • Tjall_Le_FougueuxTjall_Le_Fougueux
    Posts: 10
    Marion Cotillard would be a great choice for Moneypenny!
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Inevitably MP will return, maybe with a new slant on the relationship with Bond.
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    Marion Cotillard would be a great choice for Moneypenny!
    I sure like the idea, Cotillard is a great actress and would certainly provide better and more believable chemistry with Bond than the last two extremely stale and unsexy Moneypenny actresses. Well Caroline Bliss was a decent looker but a poor written character. Samantha Bond was almost as Bland as Fields.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited May 2011 Posts: 11,189
    Samantha Bond has been the only decent Moneypenny post Louis Maxwell, end of conversation!! I for one found her extremely sexy and warm ;)

    Of course Maxwell will always be the ultimate MP but IMO Bond certainly did the part justice. Bond had one thing - a knowing, English sensability. She understood that the character needed to be playful. That made her great in my book.

    As for bringing her back for the Craig era, I don't really mind.
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    Dont see why she cant return in the next one and it just be buisness as usual. Seeing as Craig has never been to M's office yet (apart from that horrendous Minority Report place for 2 mins in QOS, theres no reason that he cant just walk in a start up the banter as if they already know each other - providing the right actress can be found.

    If they can find the right actress (and knowing Babs' proclivities for getting MI6 staff out of the office) and build the relationship a bit in Bond 23 and 24, for Bond 25 I would love to see a version of Gardeners Nobody Lives Forever with the head of Quantum demanding Bonds head on a plate and kidnapping Moneypenny.
    Or even better mesh that story with Colonel Sun and have them kidnap M as well. As Dench is getting long in the tooth how about ending the Craig and Dench tenures with Bond 25 and have M killed at the end?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Bond was a joke as MP, not to mention part of the tag team effort (along with M) to castrate Bond. "You'll just have to decide how much pump..." *shudder* Then there's the VR incident in DAD. #-O Maxwell was ok when she started, but overstayed her welcome by a number of films/years.
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    Samantha Bond has been the only decent Moneypenny post Louis Maxwell, end of conversation!! I for one found her extremely sexy and warm ;)

    Of course Maxwell will always be the ultimate MP but IMO Bond certainly did the part justice. Bond had one thing - a knowing, English sensability. She understood that the character needed to be playful. That made her great in my book.

    As for bringing her back for the Craig era, I don't really mind.
    Samantha Bond may be a decent actress, she sure wasn't much of a looker.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    I'm not sure Penny should necessarily be a 'looker', should she? Her appeal for Bond is generally in her personality, steadfastness and even homeliness. It's almost a brother-sister relationship for him.

    Moreover, you really don't want Penny potentially to overshadow any flick's Bond Girl(s) in the looks department. I'm not saying she should be unattractive, but she certainly shouldn't really be stunning...
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    edited May 2011 Posts: 15,718
    Samantha Bond was physically appalling. One of the ugliest women ever to appear in a Bond film. Up there, or should I say down there, with Anya Amasova and MayDay. '

    Sure, Moneypenny shouldn't overshadow the main Bond Girls... but with Samantha Bond, a massive improvement should have been made, look-wise, and the Bond girls still wouldn't be overshadowed.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    edited May 2011 Posts: 1,699
    Samantha Bond was physically appalling.
    Hmmm, well, we all have different tastes, but I simply can't agree with that. I found there was something really quite alluring about her in TND. Perhaps because that was one of her earlier Bond flicks (it's probably fair to say she looked like she'd aged by the time the next two rolled around), but it was also the first in which she sported that short haircut and her toe-to-toe act with Bond came off best in that one too, methinks.

    Call me Bwana then, but all in all I felt she was rather sexy in TND.

    Like I said above though, that needn't be a major prerequisite for Moneypenny. It's more about a quiet appeal that's sort of sexy, rather than an overt allure...
  • LudsLuds MIA
    edited May 2011 Posts: 1,986
    Samantha Bond isn't appalling, she's just not a hot babe. She's a professional looking normal woman. There's nothing wrong with that. But compared to a younger Lois Maxwell or Caroline Bliss, doesn't hold a candle. Bliss and Maxwell weren't overly attractive either, Bliss's look was ruined by her "girly with a crush" character's bad glasses, but both are much higher on the attractive scale than Bond. And I should say that Bond did well by cutting her hair.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    Posts: 1,699
    Any appeal Bliss mustered - and there was some owing to her looking attractive in Daylights - was rather undermined by her wooden acting for me, I'm afraid...
  • DaltonCraig007DaltonCraig007 They say, "Evil prevails when good men fail to act." What they ought to say is, "Evil prevails."
    Posts: 15,718
    Maxwell's look was ruined by her "girly with a crush" character's bad glasses.
    Surely you mean Caroline Bliss... :-))
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    @DC: Fixed ;)

    @ SG: No question there, Bliss wasn't the greatest actress or certainly didn't show much acting skills. However, one must question your thoughts as Bliss out-acted a certain Alien a million times and that still didn't make you dislike the inept Barbara ;)

    But seriously, Bond's acting skills are certainly not questioned, in her performances she may have showed just as much as Maxwell. Point being, I found her to be the least appealing Penny. Not that Penny has to be good looking, but a better looker would be welcomed. I've always been for casting Weisz, and would support any good actress with good looks who could look professional for the part. Cotillard was another good idea, she's a good looker and could make Penny quite spicy in attitude.
  • St_GeorgeSt_George Shuttling Drax's lovelies to the space doughnut - happy 40th, MR!
    edited May 2011 Posts: 1,699
    But seriously, Bond's acting skills are certainly not questioned, in her performances she may have showed just as much as Maxwell. Point being, I found her to be the least appealing Penny. Not that Penny has to be good looking, but a better looker would be welcomed. I've always been for casting Weisz, and would support any good actress with good looks who could look professional for the part. Cotillard was another good idea, she's a good looker and could make Penny quite spicy in attitude.
    Yup, I agree with you, @Luds. As I've said, looks shouldn't be the top priority when it comes to Penny, but shouldn't necessarily be, well, non-existent either. ;)
    No question there, Bliss wasn't the greatest actress or certainly didn't show much acting skills. However, one must question your thoughts as Bliss out-acted a certain Alien a million times and that still didn't make you dislike the inept Barbara ;)
    Phu-yuck...! 8-X
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    edited May 2011 Posts: 11,189
    Bond actually reminds me of Rachael weitz. Not only by her v English voice but by her "sexy librarian" quality. She's attractive but in a "plain" kind of way. She also has a sparkle in her eye that I like.

    Also, like Maxwell/Connery/Moore I genuinely believed Bond and Brosnan got on well.

    I simply didn't buy it with Dalton/Bliss.
  • NicNacNicNac Administrator, Moderator
    Posts: 7,582
    Bond actually reminds me of Rachael weitz. Not only by her v English voice but by her "sexy librarian" quality. She's attractive but in a "plain" kind of way. She also has a sparkle in her eye that I like.

    Also, like Maxwell/Connery/Moore I genuinely believed Bond and Brosnan got on well.

    I simply didn't buy it with Dalton/Bliss.
    +1
    Yup @BAIN123, I more or less go along with that.
  • LudsLuds MIA
    Posts: 1,986
    I simply didn't buy it with Dalton/Bliss.
    No question there, Glenn or whoever decided that this new direction for Penny was a good idea was off mark.

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