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Stage 1 of alchemy – nigredo (blackening) in Casino Royale
Stage 2 of alchemy – albedo (whitening) in Quantum of Solace
Stage 3 of alchemy – cintrinitas (yellowing) in Skyfall
Stage 4 of alchemy – rubedo (reddening) in Spectre
Stage 5 of alchemy - ??? (???) in No Time To Die
http://bilalhafeez.com/imagine-if-carl-jung-pyschoanalysed-james-bond/
This may’ve be an intent that Bond never changes @Seve, but that’s wholly impossible, isn’t it? Because he was written by a flesh and blood human who, like all of us, grows with each victory or disappointment; changes with a death or new
Love, or overcoming insurmountable odds.
He, James Bond, did change in the books and the author made very conscious decisions (like his heritage and parental upbringing, or lack thereof), and unconsciously (the James Bond of Casino Royale is much more remarkably filled out with each subsequent novel, so that by the end he is very much a flesh and blood human with plenty of characteristics.
James Bond is not a blank slate, in my opinion.
The connection between Fleming and Jung has been documented in his biographies. This 2013 article in The Atlantic also mentions it: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/10/the-inner-life-of-james-bond/309457/
To me, to better understand Craig's Bond is to understand Jung. And I knew this Bond was different from that standpoint almost immediately, in CR, during the PTS and these images right here:
The use of the mirror here is critical and not accidental. In Jungian terms, the mirror is the symbol of man's duality: between the person he is (or wants to be) and his shadow self. Star Wars dealt with this a little bit in TESB, when Luke has to face himself. In CR, the mirror shatters, and this adds further weight to its importance.
Mirrors play a HUGE role in DC's five films, far more than they had in the previous 20.
Bond is continuously battling this duality within himself and explains why, so often, he leaves MI6 or feigns death, only to go back. I could go further into Bond's decisions and choices, but the scene in Jamaica, when Bond is contemplating going to Cuba is key and really demonstrates how Craig's Bond struggles with duty and self. The scene in the bathroom in CR, when Bond cleans and gathers himself after the stairwell fight really demonstrates this, as well.
This duality within Bond is also illustrated when Madeleine is drunk in the hotel room in Tangier in SP. She looks at him and says, "There are two of you. Two Jameses." Right? Indeed.
NTTD works for me because in death, Bond achieves what he likely could not in life. His split selves will go their separate ways. The assassin has died; but the myth lives on in the stories that Madeleine will tell Mathilde.
There is more, but I'll leave it at that, for now.
Well, in this case I am just providing some additional information I found on the topic of the possible Jung / Bond connection, not necessarily endorsing it
I agree James Bond is a more fully rounded character than this commentator is giving him credit for
Perhaps at times he aspires to be as hard as nails and impervious to emotion, traits he believes to be desirable in his chosen profession, but on the other hand Fleming also deals with the man behind the facade, which is why that character is a step up from a character like Sherlock Holmes, who remains unchangeable
We may learn things about Sherlock's past which indicate how he became the Sherlock we know and love, but in the end he always remains the same Sherlock we met in the first story.
James Bond also has that aspect, but he is also shaped by events that occur after we are introduced, as with Vesper in CR the novel. But it happens slowly and he also has many novels where he remains unchanged over the course of the story.
In particular I think you also need to bear in mind this point that was made
"Fleming’s novels, too, skirt the droning vacuum of Bond’s inner life.... he is between missions (traditionally a dangerous moment for Bond)... An immediate and physical ennui, in other words."
Fleming's Bond is an excitement junky, he addicted to the danger of the mission, in-between he is easily bored and finds an office bound job or a "normal" male / female relationship in someway unfulfilling
On the other hand Craig-Bond seems all too ready to throw in the towel at the drop of a hat (another bit of hyperbole there, but you can smell what the Rock is cooking)
That and Safin more or less outlines the whole "we're more or less the same you and me" trope in NTTD.
One is a man hired and paid for murder… and the other meets his fate on the pavement below moments later!
You’re mentioning his decision-making in Jamaica on whether or not he would go to Cuba, and I think it makes NTTD all the more heartbreaking, really. His fate has always been sealed and he never really had the option of leaving his life.
A lot of people say he is motivated by his duty, but I think more fundamentally his motivation is different: to feel. He is numb and that’s why he can only be a 00; the missions are dangerous, as outlined in CR the novel. The orphan angle for characters is very overused nowadays, but for Bond I imagine he was actually very close to his parents, making their death all the more traumatic.
Daniel Craig will return in "Never Say Die Again"?
But IMO that scenario only plays out if Bond 26 bombs, in which case the contradiction becomes even more mind blowing
Craig-Bond dies / New Bond returns and bombs / Geriatric Craig-Bond rises from the grave
But if 1980s Bond fans managed to cope with Connery and Moore both appearing as Bond in 1983 I guess they can handle anything
Yes they could, and that would be terrible. I read somewhere though that the whole thing could be a fever dream before Bond wakes up on Blofelds operating table in Spectre, which was a fun thought.
I also think Amazon would rather move forward a with new actor as that would be the cheaper option. With Craig’s schedule being busy with Knives Out sequels they would have to pay more than it is worth.
As it is, I think Craig is as likely to return for a sixth film as Sir Rog was likely to do an eighth.
First rule of Bond Club;-
Never Say Never Again
I didn't really think this until NTTD, but I agree with you. It appears like Babs pulled out all the stops to allow Craig to return one last time, but it seems she did this from day one, even persuading him for CR, which he was reluctant to do at first even back then.
Fortunately he had no input in the script with CR, which is why it is one of the best films in the franchise. But I'm hazarding a guess Craig has been behind all the personal backstory and family angst ever since - M dying, Bond's family home, Brofeld, Bond being a father, and Bond dying.
In SF it was palatable, but in SP and NTTD they pushed this angle way too far, IMO.
I'm glad I'm not alone in feeling this either.
Thinking about it now, that my have accounted for a fair bit of the drop of in popularity of that film, perhaps just as much as the lack of Connery?
James Bond fails...
It's a fine ending in retrospect, but what did audiences make of it at the time?
I think they wanted Brozza back at the time CR was released. After that they wanted anyone else to replace Craig.
I watched FYEO again yesterday (been a while), and what struck me with it was three things -
1) How down-to-earth it was for a Moore film. And surprisingly relies heavily on Fleming's short stories and unused novel bits, but woven into a new script very cleverly. Maibaum really knew what he was doing when given a direction from Cubby. If only we had more of this in the Craig era.
2) How old Roger looked in this. It really needed a new actor by this time.
3) How upbeat those 80's films ended on. It reminded me again of what it was like to feel good after a Bond movie, instead of being pissed off.
Bond was never a blank slate. It was basically the inner thoughts of Fleming at the time he wrote the books, and this is reflected throughout, including the slow deterioration of his health. It's Fleming's fantasy lived out through the pages, nothing more and nothing less.
Yes, and at the end of NTTD he is motivated by a real duty and not an imagined one.
Nice theory, but I think you are looking too deep into this. Fleming wrote his novels mainly on impulse. He bashed out the words on his typewriter when he was back at Goldeneye, living out his fantasies. What Bond wears, where he travels, how he looks at other people and things. It's almost an auto-biography of Fleming. Sometimes he saw it as a chore, sometimes escapism, but it made him more money, and he got to live out his fantasies.
I don't think Fleming was more concerned about the works of Jung when he wrote the books. He was more concerned with what kind of watch Bond wears, what gun he uses, the brand of his shaver, playing a game of golf, ski chases, cold showers, scrambled eggs, what his hotel room is like, what is on the menu, etc. He aimed the books at warm-bloodied hetro-sexual teenagers on trains, from what I recall.
Now EON may have been using Jung when concocting the scripts. I have no doubt this may have been the case, looking at how much input from different people the scripts have these days. It's all done by committee.
Is it possible to appreciate CR but not NTTD and still be seen as forward thinking...?
New Bond, new actor, same MI6 crew (yes, I shall try to make everybody happy!) and Daniel's Bond returns.
After retro style but updated, fun PTS introducing the new guy (a la Dalton's intro would be a nice touch, clinging to a mountain). New Bond is NOT a rookie 00, but has a couple of missions under his belt (sort that with dialog explained succinctly). THEN somebody mentions 007 Daniel's James Bond (various contexts possible due to his attitude or accomplishments).
-
Cut to bring on a nostalgic bit with some of the MI6 in M's (still Ralph) office explaining, enjoying sharing favorite moments from Daniel's Bond (with humor, then some serious respect).
Maybe that "somebody" who mentions him is in M's office is Q. And the reason why he is brought up is the New Bond is finishing up specific training on a new weapon. And the comparisons are chatted about, of Daniel's Bond being skeptical of the "brand new world" yet doing whatever it took to get the job done (pulling every lever, hitting every button as Q was saying to him "Now listen very carefully, 007"), etc. sort of "old school" brilliant vs. "new" Bond brilliant.
And the new guy must be brilliant, not a rookie, but with a different attitude (at least slightly) to be noticeably different. We get to him in more depth after an interlude to explain Daniel's Bond returning. Because this (Craig's) Bond would be in the movie but in a different capacity.
So a warm, then serious moment of sharing memories (takes shorter on film than for me to type all this; should not be lengthy). And THEN ...
Moneypenny says quietly "Three years now ... is there anything coming back to him yet? Any progress? I mean personally ..."
M replies "Well. I suppose this is as good a time as any. I do have something to share, but only got clearance on it this morning."
"Clearance, Sir?" Tanner almost frowns.
"Yes, because now we are talking about something nobody - doctors, scientists, nobody - could have foreseen. And this ... new gift ... may well involve technical strategic planning for future missions. Bond's recall for his job is quite one-sided. He remembers fights in detail, missions, can quote technical points and studies as though reading from the reports. His grasp of new weaponry - understanding it, mind you, with only limited physical use - is blazing quick and nothing short of astonishing."
"Our old 'blunt weapon' has sharpened now?" Again Tanner, not quite ready to believe this.
M looks Tanner in the eye. "Sharp as a blade, yes. As Q can testify. And as our 009 will soon find out."
He gestures to all of them.
"Yes, Bond is recovering. To a point. And we have Safin's mania about protecting his fortress to thank. That secret submerged chamber. But you were right Q. As soon as his heartbeat showed up on your monitor, there it was: a miracle before our eyes and thank God Bond was pushed down into it from the blast. "
M takes a drink. (as does every audience watching this movie, along with a big grain of salt ...)
"And now three years later, the main progress I can share is that physically he will function quite all right. Never in the field again, of course. But he'll manage to have a life. His mind is another matter. As you all were a little aware about that."
As M talks, slow fade to show Bond in a hospital setting, walking on a treadmill, looking unfit but alive and calm, listening to something via earbud (perhaps music, perhaps audio mission summary).
(M's voiceover) "Three years on, with the most innovative care in the world, it is still extensive memory loss. Though selective. He knows who he is up to a point, he realizes that he was an agent and a damn good one. His recall of weapons and strategic planning for missions is incredible, as we are finding out now. It's mostly just his personal life, his whole background, seems to be ... wiped clean."
Moneypenny: "So he doesn't ... he cannnot yet ... remember his family? At all?" the tenderness in her voice is palpable.
Back to close up on M:
A flicker of different emotions on his face briefly, then simply and curtly:
"He's still in semi-isolation as Q works on finalizing the antidote to the poison that infected him. His family is not safe from that. Yet."
Last drink and puts down his empty glass.
"He knows his name. His job. Or rather what is developing into a new job. The rest will have to surface whenever fate determines that is to be; or he subconsciously allows it to be."
Q gives a little cough. "So 009, does Seamus, know any of this yet?."
M allows a little smile. "He's about to, Q. He's about to find out in a big way."
*******
And on to music cue and new scene ... And NO I have not resolved how to have two agents named James Bond (though I thought Seamus a good idea, as it is Irish version of James. I think.)
Daniel's Bond goes on to be uber, super, charged up trainer of new 00 agents. Just not physically capable of much anymore. But his brain is super charged. This gives Daniel the chance to be his own Bond, just older and have fun with it, in one film or a couple more IF DONE RIGHT and the audiences and EON approve. Whew!
Focus rest of movie on NEW Bond, Seamus Bond (bear with me - I know somehow he must be "James Bond" but hey this my 1st ever attempt at fan fiction, trying to solve the next movie (but I am sure EON already have sort of a plan for that). Focus on NEW Bond, his mission, all about him ... but with Daniel's Bond being the brilliant older guy training him further, pushing him, goading him when need be, to help him be the best he can be.
End of movie could show a glimmer of reunion between Bond and Madeleine and his daughter - but should be brief, after some kind of explainer about neutralizing the nanobots (still has them, they are "eternal" but new nanobot introduced to neutralize them thanks to Q's extreme brilliance and determination). AND the new 009 Bond wining and dining a gorgeous, returning Paloma (yay! Give her another Cuba type scene in this one). That could ALL work except for the problem with the name. Bond, James Bond. Work with a great script (to make my mess cohesive and meaningful) and the same brilliant actors.
Everybody's happy pretty much, right? I got them all together again, including Paloma! Daniel would be awesome as an older mentor kind of guy. With his family at the end. I would not kill Madeleine or Mathilde. I don't want a true YOLT ending. I would have Daniel's Bond directing the action of the new 009 (cos he is still 007 and Nomi took 008) just not in the field. But he could do something great with that role IF he wanted to. (I think he is happy to walk away completely, to be honest.)
Off I go. Now I need a drink. B-)
This is great - thank you. I have an interest in alchemy.
I loved Craig as bond but it's time to go. Sure it's all fun and hypothetical and yep they'd find a way out of the hole... But 'all good things....'