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The Daniel Craig Bond Timeline
BondAficionado
Former IMDBer
The Daniel Craig Bond Timeline is exactly what it sounds like: a conclusive timeline showing the chronology of the entire Craig era. I had this idea a few years ago but it wasn't until the release of No Time To Die that I felt that it had to be done. After all, NTTD perfectly bookends an era that started off just as concretely with Casino Royale. Although not only do we have a clear beginning and end, but Craig's 'universe' is also separate from the other Bond films so it makes this even easier.
I personally find it interesting to document the timeline of his five films and I know some of you do as well based on comments I've read over the past year. Together we can start by creating a list of dates and events for each film and then put these together to make a master timeline. Once that's complete it would be a nice idea to add all the information to a timeline maker (such as https://time.graphics/) because it would help contextualize and visualize every event, while also making it more interactive.
With such an accurate chronology of Craig's era it might make us realize things that we didn't notice before. It can also serve as a future reference for anyone searching for how events relate to each other. So that's why I think it's worth the effort. Any input would be greatly appreciated, in particular there are some events that don't line up and I think it's necessary to discuss these so that the timeline is as accurate as possible.
As a general rule of thumb I would suggest that consecutive scenes where there is a time jump are as close together as possible (where it makes sense). In other words, if a day scene follows a night scene in the same location then it should be assumed that this is the next day. With this logic it should be possible to assign actual dates to many events, since there's usually a given date somewhere in the film and this can then be used as a reference point for other scenes. Another rule should be that we can source dates and events from any official media whether that be the films (CR, QoS, SF, SP, NTTD), making-of books, memorabilia, etc. Although the films must always take priority when there's conflicting information.
I personally find it interesting to document the timeline of his five films and I know some of you do as well based on comments I've read over the past year. Together we can start by creating a list of dates and events for each film and then put these together to make a master timeline. Once that's complete it would be a nice idea to add all the information to a timeline maker (such as https://time.graphics/) because it would help contextualize and visualize every event, while also making it more interactive.
With such an accurate chronology of Craig's era it might make us realize things that we didn't notice before. It can also serve as a future reference for anyone searching for how events relate to each other. So that's why I think it's worth the effort. Any input would be greatly appreciated, in particular there are some events that don't line up and I think it's necessary to discuss these so that the timeline is as accurate as possible.
As a general rule of thumb I would suggest that consecutive scenes where there is a time jump are as close together as possible (where it makes sense). In other words, if a day scene follows a night scene in the same location then it should be assumed that this is the next day. With this logic it should be possible to assign actual dates to many events, since there's usually a given date somewhere in the film and this can then be used as a reference point for other scenes. Another rule should be that we can source dates and events from any official media whether that be the films (CR, QoS, SF, SP, NTTD), making-of books, memorabilia, etc. Although the films must always take priority when there's conflicting information.
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Comments
1. Dimitrios sent the Ellipsis text at 19:12 local time in the Bahamas, yet Mollaka received the text at 19:12 local time in Madagascar. The time difference at that time of year is 7 hours, however. Based on the sunlight in Madagascar it couldn't have been 02:12 local time, yet how could the security system in the Ocean Club be 7 hours off without anyone noticing? So was it 12:12 in Nassau or are both clocks incorrect? I'd lean towards the security footage being correct but then the Madagascar sequence doesn't make sense.
Casino Royale
Breakdown
Life-changing events:
- Making his first documented kill
- Making his second kill = 00 promotion
- Meeting Vesper (10 July 2006)
- Vesper's 'betrayal' and suicide (4 August 2006)
Important firsts for Bond:
- First documented kill (Fisher)
- First time assigned as a 00/007
- First time grounded
- First resignation from active service
- First vodka martini (11 July 2006)
- First time meeting Felix (11 July 2006)
- First time meeting Mr. White (16 August 2006)
- First 'death' (12 July 2006)
- First time his life is saved (Vesper) (12 July 2006)
- First torture (12 July 2006)
- First love (Vesper)
- First time saying goodbye to a loved one (Vesper) (4 August 2006)
Stats:*
- Estimated film time period (main events 6 Jul - 4 Aug): 30 days
- Est. film time period (full events 29 May - 16 Aug): 80 days
- Est. unique days shown in the film: 18 days (= 62 days not shown)
- Est. confirmed dates: 9
- Est. most consecutive days shown: 7 days (6 Jul - 12 Jul)
*All days are unique days i.e. 6 Jul to 8 Jul is 3 days, not 2.
12 09 58/-/Thessaloniki, Greece: Alex Dimitrios is born.
11 Sep 01/daytime/NYC: 9/11.
12 Sep 01/-/-: Profit made on shorted airline stocks.
July 05/-/-: Mollaka is issued his 'Bank of Nambutu' credit cards [Source: props]
Date?/daytime/Lahore, Pakistan: Bond makes his first documented kill - Dryden's contact Fisher.
Date?/night/Prague, CZ: Bond makes his second kill (Dryden) thus giving him 00(7) status.
Date?/daytime/Mbale, Uganda: Mr. White introduces Le Chiffre to Obanno. Shorts Skyfleet stock after receiving the money.
06 July 06/19:12/Madagascar: Mollaka receives the 'Ellipsis' text message from Dimitrios. He is then chased before being shot dead at the Nambutu Embassy.
06 July 06/dusk/unknown: Le Chiffre discovers Mollaka has been killed. Ellipsis is implied to expire within 36h.
07 July 06: House of Commons urgent letter to MI6 regarding 007 storming the Nambutu embassy. [Source: props]
07 July 06: MI6 urgent memo letter to M, Villiers and others regarding 007 storming the Nambutu embassy. [Source: props]
07 July 06 (Friday in New York): Herald Tribune newspaper (NY) is published: 'British government accused of assassination in Madagascar.' [Source: props]
07 July 06/daytime/Palace of Westminster, London: M talks to Villiers about Bond's senseless killing.
07 July 06/night/unknown: Bond snoops around M's home. He is told to take a break from duty.
08 July 06/daytime/Nassau, Bahamas: Bond lands in Nassau and drives to the Ocean Club.
08 July 06/12:16/Nassau: Bond identifies Dimitrios on the CCTV footage and then checks in.
08 July 06/daytime/Nassau: Bond enjoys a swim and sees Solange and Dimitrios.
08 July 06/dusk/Nassau: Bond looks up Dimitrios and known associates (Le Chiffre) on a secure system, which alerts M.
08 July 06/night/Nassau: Dimitrios loses his DB5 to Bond in a poker game.
08 July 06/night/Nassau: Bond drives the DB5 for the first time and seduces Solange.
08 July 06/night/Nassau: Dimitrios recommends Carlos to Le Chiffre, while on his luxury yacht.
08 July 06/night/Nassau: Solange tells Bond that Dimitrios is on the last flight to Miami.
08 July 06/night/Miami: Bond tails Dimitrios to an exhibit where he kills him.
09 July 06/early morning/Miami: Bond follows Carlos into Miami International Airport.
09 July 06/02:13/Miami: Carlos arms the bomb. Chase ensues.
09 July 06/early morning/Miami: Carlos detonates the bomb, killing himself. (Time incorrectly at 02:13)
09 July 06/daytime/Nassau: Le Chiffre discusses his $101,206,000 loss with his broker.
09 July 06/daytime/Nassau: Solange is found dead after being questioned/tortured. M assigns Bond to the poker tournament.
10 July 06/night/Montenegro: Vesper and Bond meet for the first time. Bond pours wine around 20:36.
11 July 06/daytime/Montenegro: They arrive in Montenegro and are driven to the Hotel Splendid where they check in. Bond gets in his DBS and reads M's note.
11 July 06/daytime/Montenegro: They meet their contact Mathis. He framed the Chief of Police who is immediately arrested for bribery.
11 July 06/night/Montenegro: Bond and Vesper discuss what they'll be wearing for the first poker session.
11 July 06/night/Montenegro: Bond enters the Casino Royale and plays a 4h session. He and Felix see each other for the first time and he orders his first vodka martini. [Source: props]
11 July 06/night/Montenegro: Le Chiffre and Valenka are threatened by Obanno and his men. Bond kills them on the staircase while Vesper watches. Then he drinks back at his suite.
11 July 06/night/Montenegro: Poker restarts precisely 1h after the previous session.
12 July 06/early morning/Montenegro: Bond returns to the suite finding Vesper alone in the shower. He comforts her.
12 July 06/morning/Montenegro: Bond watches Vesper sleeping. Mathis frames Le Chiffre's men using the warlords' bodies.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: Poker tournament continues; Le Chiffre ends the game for Bond with four-of-a-kind Jacks.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: Vesper then refuses to stake Bond with $5M rebuy. He tries to kill Le Chiffre but is stopped by Felix who introduces himself.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: Poker restarts precisely 1h after the previous session. Bond continues to win for X hands until poisoned. He goes into cardiac arrest but his life is saved by Vesper.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: Felix is bankrupted by Le Chiffre but Bond returns to the table.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: The final phase of the game begins. Bond wins $115M with a 4-8 straight flush. Vesper points out that he was almost dead an hour ago.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: They celebrate in the dining hall. Vesper is lured and kidnapped but Bond is in close pursuit. He crashes his DBS and is taken captive.
12 July 06/night/Montenegro: Bond and Vesper are tortured and questioned until Mr. White kills Le Chiffre and makes a deal with Vesper to spare Bond's life in return for the money.
July 2006/daytime/Lake Como, Italy: Bond briefly awakens in hospital with Vesper and Mathis at his side.
Date?/daytime/Lake Como, Italy: Bond and Mathis talk about his torture/questioning. Mathis is forcibly detained.
Date?/daytime/Lake Como, Italy: Bond awakens to Vesper. She transfers the funds from the escrow account.
Date?/daytime/Lake Como, Italy: Bond and Vesper make love at the hospital.
Date?/daytime/unknown: They chill on a beach; Bond confesses his love and decides to quit active service.
Date?/daytime/Venice, Italy: They sail into Venice. Bond formally resigns via email.
04 Aug 06/daytime/Venice: They make love in their hotel suite. Vesper checks her phone and offers to get the money. Bond will get supplies.
04 Aug 06/daytime/Venice: Down in the lobby they say their goodbyes. Bond says they'll see each other in half an hour.
04 Aug 06/14:39/Venice: M warns Bond that the winnings are not deposited. He immediately calls Mendel who states the funds are being withdrawn as they speak. Gettler texts Vesper to meet in 30 minutes.
04 Aug 06/15:09*/Venice: Bond hunts Vesper across St. Mark's Square to the *courtyard. He kills Gettler et al. but cannot prevent Vesper from drowning. Mr. White watches Bond fail to resuscitate her and walks away with the money.
04 Aug 06/daytime/Venice: M and Bond discuss the outcome. He is willing to return to duty immediately.
04 Aug 06/16:28/Venice: Bond receives a text on Vesper's phone with Mr. White's personal number.
16 Aug 06/daytime/Lake Como, Italy: Bond calls Mr. White and shoots him in the leg outside a villa.
Early 07/-/-: Skyfleet's new inaugural flight: Sydney to London nonstop. [Source: props]
What I'm trying to say is, good luck, try not to go mad figuring this mess out.
July 2005: Mollaka is issued his 'Bank of Nambutu' credit cards
07 July 2006: House of Commons urgent letter to MI6 regarding 007 storming the Nambutu embassy
07 July 2006: MI6 urgent memo letter to M, Villiers and others regarding 007 storming the Nambutu embassy
07 July 2006 (Friday in New York): Herald Tribune newspaper (NY) is published: 'British government accused of assassination in Madagascar'
11 July 2006: Casino Royale no limits poker game: (according to the invitation)
Early 2007: Skyfleet first/inaugural flight: Sydney to London nonstop, early next year (2007)
I'd not even thought about that. That just raises further questions :))
Skyscrapers can technically be built within weeks so it's more of a planning permission issue. Although with the old MI6 HQ down I'd say they found it an urgent matter.
Nice work. I'd say these are all valid, even if the first and last aren't necessarily noteworthy events within the film. I'll add them to the Casino Royale list for now. If you have any other dates/events from the films let me know!
Edit: Having the start date of the poker tournament is gold. It was kind of frustrating not knowing when in July it happened since so much of the film surrounds it.
12 July 06/morning: Bond watches Vesper sleeping. Mathis frames Le Chiffre's men using the dead bodies.
Date?/night: Poker tournament continues; Le Chiffre ends the game for Bond with four-of-a-kind Jacks.
Also, we now have a date for when Bond and Vesper first met: 10th July 2006. So Bond only knew her for 25 days...
They absolutely can't! :D
(And no links to any cardboard prefab things in China: that's not normal and not what this is!)
If it was built that quickly it would at least explain why we don't see it standing in NTTD... :)
I didn't know that. So can we assume that it took Bond until the 15th/16th to track down Mr. White to the villa at Lake Como? Either that day or the following day he brings him to Siena because I can't imagine Mr. White being held in the car for any longer.
Yeah you could do it that way around but then the emotional stakes don't match, given how raw Bond is about Vesper's death it does make it seem like it's 5 minutes after Casino.
I'm happy to concede the invite is a typo, then if the Palio is on the 16th of August then the party is a week later on the 23rd of August. Actually, this is holding up better up than I thought it would.
If two whole years had passed between Vesper's death and the final scene then I doubt Bond would've been holding her phone. Mr. White's number could've changed in that timeframe as well. Anyways Bond wouldn't have waited two years for MI6 to make a move imo. We saw how enraged he was in QoS so her death had to be very recent. And as you said, according to the filmmakers the film picks up minutes after CR, so QoS has to take place in 2006 instead of 2008. The simplest solution to the Greene invite is that the copywriter in charge of it made a typo with an "8" rather than a "6". It solves everything, no?
Yes Skyfall will be a bit of a mess trying to fit it in with the rest. Might need to first rewatch SP/NTTD to see if either is set in a specific year or not.
16 February 06: Bond's UK passport is issued
27 June 06: Vesper's 'Stephanie Broadchest' UK passport is issued
01 July 06: Bond's 'Arlington Beech' UK passport is issued
Now, note the date of Mollaka's credit card:
This date is set one whole year before the events of CR, to the month, in fact. Within the film it should read July 2006, but it is a belief of mine that the producers often make a point of shifting the date back one year on certain important documents like bank cards, cheques, boarding passes etc. so they cannot be mistaken for a real document and misused. On such documents I also often find odd typos that appear to be intentionally added for the same reason.
I see a lot of fans trying to make sense of the Craig timeline, but it's not something anyone can explain, because the film producers have created their own 'laws of time' for the Craig universe. Let's go deeper for a minute.
Have you ever had a dream, where the laws of physics get thrown out the window? I'm sure most of us have, where the dimensions of time and space are warped and skewed. You can have conflicting measurements that work here. A few years ago I had a dream where I was holding something small in the palm of my hand, a bit smaller than a cola can, and yet at the same time the object was much larger than me. Almost like when you hold a small object right up to your face it appears much larger, and you can't see around it. Was the object two different sizes at once, or had my perception of it been altered? I can't visualize how this contradiction looked, but I somehow remember it happening and didn't question it at the time because it made sense within this dream realm. Upon waking from this dream, I remember thinking, "Wow, I think I'm understanding that weird dimension and how it works! Oh my god, this is a whole new frontier for science and it's my duty to share it with the world - I gotta write this down before I forget - oh wait, no no that doesn't make sense at all - that's impossible! Nooo!" By the time I had opened my eyes the weirdness had faded and the dream all but vague. Attempting to understand what happened in my dream is much like trying to create a working DC timeline. I can't do it because it can't be done. The laws don't apply here.
So, the films are set in their respective years, but are supposed to continue on from the preceding films? There are those conflicting measurements again. What if I told you that the events of QOS begin in July 2006 and July 2008 at the same time? How is that possible? How can Bond fly to Shanghai in November 2012 and yet his boarding pass says November 2011? Well, because the producers have unintentionally created their own laws of time for the Craig universe - laws that don't work in our reality. We see these as law #1: There can be two points in time that also exist as one; and law #2: You cannot rationalize law #1. It can be fun for some of us to try and piece together this timeline, but it's a goal that is ultimately unachievable.
Below is the remainder of my list of 'dates seen on props' for the rest of the Craig films. Again, note the lack of continuity on the boarding pass and train ticket, with their dates of issue shifted back one whole year. Also a confirmation that the events of NTTD (post-PTS) take place after June 2019, which should be a surprise to no one.
23 July - 23 August 08: Tosca Bregenz festival
December 2008: Bond's Virgin Atlantic Flying Club gold member card expires
12 October 09: Mr White's 'Friedrich König' Austrian driving licence is issued
23 October 09: Camille Montes' Bolivian driving licence expires
18 November 11 8:45pm: Bond boards his Virgin Atlantic flight to Shanghai under alias 'John Bryce'
18 November 11 21:25pm: Bond's Virgin Atlantic flight departs London
22 June 12: Bond's UK passport is issued
22 June 12: Bond's 'John Bryce' UK passport is issued
20 October 12: James Bond 'dies' after being shot and falling off a bridge
15 November 12: Bond's evaluation test ends
11 November 14 14:20pm: Bond and Madeleine depart Tangier on the CAM train
10 April 16: Q's MI6 ID card expires
June 2019: blueprints are drawn for Q's 'stealthy bird' glider sub
That's a really interesting observation. So would you say that Mollaka's credit card should definitely be listed as July 2006? Because July 2005 would technically still make sense if he previously lived in this fictional country, but we can go with 07/06 if it's likely a product of the filmmakers being cautious. Furthermore, should this +1 year be done for all documents where it makes sense?
I agree with what you mean about the 'laws of time' that the producers have created. They only needed the continuity to make enough sense and never had to worry about the finer details because that's not important. In my head I've always rationalized these 'laws of time', as well as anything else that occurs, with the fact that Craig's world is set in a parallel universe. It might be 99% the same as ours but it is different. So although it may be impossible to fit everything together perfectly in line with the way time works for us, we can still get close to that 99% accuracy with what we know. That's good enough imo. The IDs and other documents seen off-screen can't be taken at face value like you said, which is why the general rule of thumb that the info from the films takes precedence is so important to making the timeline. In theory we should only be taking info from the 5 films, however there are so many vital background details to be found in other official media that they just have to be included – where it makes sense of course.
I think we'll have to fit these in after watching the films again, just to see what already makes sense and what is 'incorrect' based on the films.
Didn't come across any noteworthy conflicting info during my rewatch of QoS. It seems to align with Casino Royale rather well. Yes there was the invitation saying 2008 but I think we've agreed to view that as an innocent typo.
Breakdown
Life-changing events:
- He's able to find some closure regarding Vesper (after questioning Yusef)
Important firsts for Bond:
- First time going rogue / off the grid (21 Aug 2006 ~ 1 Sep 2006)
Stats:*
- Estimated film time period (main events 16 Aug - 25 Aug): 10 days
- Est. film time period (full events 16 Aug - 1 Sep): 17 days
- Est. unique days shown in the film: 9 days (= 8 days not shown)
- Est. confirmed dates: 8
- Est. most consecutive days shown: 7 days (19 Aug - 25 Aug)
*All days are unique days i.e. 6 Jul to 8 Jul is 3 days, not 2.
13 Apr 68/-/Berlin: James Bond is born.
12 Jun 68/-/unknown: Dominic Greene is born.
1961/-/unknown: Craig Mitchell is born.
3 Mar 1976/-/UK: Edmund Slate is born.
14 Jul 81/-/unknown: Camille Montes Rivero is born. [official video game]
16 Aug 06/daytime/Italy: 10 minutes after shooting Mr. White, Bond is being pursued in his DBS by Quantum's men. He eventually makes it to Siena and lets Mr. White out.
16 Aug 06/daytime/Siena, Italy: Day of the Palio in Siena. M and Bond interrogate Mr. White who later escapes. Bond chases and kills Mitchell.
19 Aug 06/daytime/London, UK: M tells Bond that Mitchell worked 8y (i.e. 1998) for her; 5y (i.e. 2001) as her personal bodyguard.
19 Aug 06/daytime/London, UK: M, Bond and Tanner trace tagged bills to Slate. That morning Slate flew from Heathrow to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
20 Aug 06/daytime/Port-au-Prince, Haiti: Bond arrives in Haiti and kills Slate. Bond meets Camille (Bolivian SS) who nearly shoots him.
20 Aug 06/daytime/Haiti: Camille confronts Greene (when 15y he attacked his mother's piano student). Greene tells Medrano that Quantum can give Bolivia in a week. Bond rescues Camille.
20 Aug 06/daytime/Haiti: Bond tracks Greene to an airfield.
21 Aug 06/night/-: Flight to Bregenz. CIA agree to ignore Quantum/Medrano's planned coup.
21 Aug 06/night/Austria: Beam questions Felix's commitment.
21 Aug 06/night/Bregenz, Austria: Bond interrupts Quantum's meeting at a Tosca performance. He throws Guy Haines' personal bodyguard off of a roof. (19:06 agent in danger, 19:07 agent down, 19:10:48 Tanner tells M and she cancels Bond's cards.)
21 Aug 06/night/Austria: Greene flies to La Paz, Bolivia, while Bond heads to Italy.
22 Aug 06/daytime/Talamone, Italy: Bond visits Mathis at his villa, given to him after being cleared of any wrongdoing. Mathis was stationed in South America for 7 years.
22 Aug 06/night/-: Mathis tries to comfort Bond on the flight.
23 Aug 06/daytime/La Paz, Bolivia: They land in La Paz. Ms Fields informs Bond he will be brought back to London tomorrow morning.
23 Aug 06/daytime/La Paz, Bolivia: Bond and Fields check into a 5-star hotel.
23 Aug 06/-/La Paz, Bolivia: Foreplay interrupted by an invite to Greene's fundraiser. They then have sex.
23 Aug 06/20:00/La Paz, Bolivia: At the fundraiser Bond meets Colonel Carlos and saves Camille.
23 Aug 06/night/La Paz, Bolivia: Mathis dies in Bond's arms after being pulled over by the local police.
24 Aug 06/daytime/Bolivia: Bond and Camille collect a DC3 to survey the desert. They parachute out after a dogfight - 10km south of 'Galera'.
24 Aug 06/daytime/London: M and the Foreign Secretary discuss Bond's behaviour.
24 Aug 06/daytime/Bolivia: Bond and Camille talk about their personal vendettas. When she was a 'small child' she said Medrano killed her family. They find the dam and take a bus back to hotel.
24 Aug 06/night/La Paz, Bolivia: Earlier that morning Fields wrote a note for Bond saying 'Run'. She is found dead covered in oil. M removes Bond from duty and he's suspended, yet he evades capture.
24 Aug 06/night/La Paz, Bolivia: Bond calls Felix who agrees to meet.
24 Aug 06/night/La Paz, Bolivia: Felix informs Bond where to find Greene/Medrano before telling him he has 30s to leave.
25 Aug 06/daytime/Atacama Desert, Bolivia: Bond and Camille check their guns in hiding just as Greene arrives at the Perla de las Dunas hotel.
25 Aug 06/daytime/Atacama Desert, Bolivia: Greene pays off Medrano and the Colonel. In return Medrano gives Quantum over 60% of Bolivia's water supply and they become utilities provider.
25 Aug 06/daytime/Atacama Desert, Bolivia: Bond kills Carlos and Camille kills Medrano. Bond momentarily contemplates mercy killing Camille and himself before finding a way out of the fire.
25 Aug 06/daytime/Atacama Desert, Bolivia: Bond interrogates Greene about Quantum, Vesper and her ex Yusif. Then deserts him.
25 Aug 06/daytime/Bolivia: Bond and Camille say goodbye to each other.
Date?/night/Kazan, Russia: Bond questions Yusif and lets him live.
Date?/night/Kazan, Russia: Bond admits that M was right about Vesper. Leiter is said to be promoted, replacing Beam as section chief of SA. Bond is officially back.
I've always thought something like this... like a longer than expected amount of time between the M phone call and Bond capturing White.
Do you believe it's been two whole years though?
Bond wouldn't wait two years? Oh, I dunno. He understood the bigger picture by the end of CR and he's motivated by his duty in QOS.
Mr. White's unlikely to have the same number two years later? Sure - but if MI6 have had him under surveillance, Bond would know his current number and just ring that.
Bond uses Vesper's phone to call Mr. White? Yeah, he would do. It'd give him a lot of personal satisfaction to do exactly that, no? Deliberate poetic justice.
I do know what you mean, though, and yeh, I'm not keen on it being a whole two years between Venice and Lake Como in CR. But there's nothing on screen (or in the leaked draft script) to demonstrate otherwise. So it could be... ;)
The references to Le Chiffre are all in the past tense:
'I promised them Le Chiffre, they got Le Chiffre.'
'They got his body.'
So, it's not that the CIA won't be happy when they find out that Le Chiffre's dead - because they already know: they've 'got his body.'
Other interpretations are available, though, obvs! ;)
Bond: "Do you want to go to a party?"
Fields: "A party? But I have nothing to wear."
Bond: "That's fine, it doesn't start until half past two-thousand-and-eight."
Fields: "What? You are joking right?"
Bond: "Well, I know how long it takes you women to get ready."
*Bond and Mathis go to the party*
Yes, it could be read like that, I guess. Although, I've always thought it meant simply that the CIA had expected to get Le Chiffre alive and Bond's just indulging a bit of hardnosed black humour when he reminds M that he hadn't specified dead or alive. I never took it to be a direct reference to the CIA literally finding Le Chiffre's body only recently. It easily could be that, though, so you could well be right - there doesn't seem to be anything to definitively rule it in or out either way. I quite like that, though, because it allows us to interact with the storyline and tweak it according to individual 'head canon' rather than just passively take what we're given. That's a good thing!
This film barely featured any dates or times, so its place within the Craig Bond timeline is relatively unclear at the moment. The one date that's notable is the 1962 "50 year old Macallan," which puts Skyfall in the year 2012. Of course, this was the year Skyfall was filmed but it'll be interesting to see if the year aligns with the events of SPECTRE. If it doesn't then we might need to take Silva's words less literally.
Breakdown
Life-changing events:
- His parents' deaths (mentioned)
- M's death
Important firsts for Bond:
- First time Bond is presumed dead
- First time an obituary is written for him
- First retirement
- First time wounded by a bullet
- First time meeting Moneypenny
- First time meeting Mallory / Q (16 Nov 2012)
Stats:*
- Estimated film time period (main events 10 Nov - 24 Nov): 15 days
- Est. film time period (full events 11 Aug 2012 - 5 Jan 2013): 148 days
- Est. unique days shown in the film: 13 days (= 135 days not shown)
- Est. confirmed dates: 3
- Est. most consecutive days shown: 2 days (15 Nov - 16 Nov)
- Est. most consecutive days skipped: 90 days (11 Aug - 10 Nov)
*All days are unique days i.e. 6 Jul to 8 Jul is 3 days, not 2.
Aug 2012/daytime/Istanbul, Turkey: Bond and Moneypenny meet for the first time as they chase Patrice across Istanbul to recover the hard-drive. Bond drives the excavator around 15:39. Bond falls off a bridge into a river unconscious after being shot by MP.
Nov 2012/night/MI6, London: M writes Bond's obituary.
Nov 2012/daytime/London, UK: M is told to resign in 2 months by Gareth Mallory (Chairman of Intelligence and Security Committee). The hard-drive was stolen 3 months ago.
Nov 2012/daytime/London, UK: A cyber attack by Raoul Silva causes the MI6 building to explode.
Nov 2012/daytime/Turkey: Bond and a local woman make love.
Nov 2012/night/Turkey: Bond plays a drinking game involving a scorpion at a beach bar.
Nov 2012/morning/Turkey: Bond discovers MI6 has been attacked.
Nov 2012/daytime/UK: M mourns the victims.
Nov 2012/night/London, UK: Bond reports back for duty directly to M at her house. His flat was sold and his 'things' put into storage as he was presumed dead with no next of kin.
15 Nov 12/daytime/London, UK: Tanner brings Bond to the new MI6 digs. He'll meet M/Mallory tomorrow.
15 Nov 12/daytime/London, UK: Bond undergoes various fitness tests while being debriefed by Tanner. "[M was once] running things in Hong Kong."
15 Nov 12/daytime/London, UK: A psychologist runs a word association test with Bond at 17:45.
15 Nov 12/unknown/London, UK: Bond gives shrapnel fragments found in his chest for analysis.
16 Nov 12/unknown/London, UK: MP admits that she's under temporary suspension from fieldwork and reassigned to a desk job to assist Mallory.
16 Nov 12/unknown/London, UK: M puts Bond back on active service. He meets Mallory for the first time. Bond is ordered to intercept Patrice in Shanghai in 2 days.
16 Nov 12/daytime/London, UK: Meeting for the first time, Q debriefs Bond at the National Portrait Gallery.
18 Nov 12/night/Shanghai, China: Bond goes for a swim.
18 Nov 12/night/Shanghai, China: Bond receives a text message at 19:55 that Patrice's flight lands at 9pm.
18 Nov 12/night/Shanghai, China: Posing as a limo driver, Bond follows Patrice to the upper levels of a skyscraper where the latter falls to his death.
18 Nov 12/night/London, UK: M discovers in a YouTube video that 5 agents' covers have been exposed. The video was uploaded 2 minutes prior. Five more agents every week.
Nov 2012/night/Macau: MP helps Bond shave at his Macau suite.
Nov 2012/night/Macau: Bond redeems a poker chip for €4M at the Macau casino. Bond realizes Sévérine belonged to one of the Macau sex trade houses when she was 12 or 13 years old. Bond offers to help her escape if she brings him to Silva. She sets sail in 1 hour. MP saves Bond's life.
Nov 2012/night/North Harbor, Berth 7, Macau: Aboard the Chimera Sévérine awaits Bond's appearance.
Nov 2012/night/unknown: Shower sex.
Nov 2012/22:00-22:01/UK: Both M and Mallory discuss the news of the 3rd agent's killing.
Nov 2012/daytime/unknown: Bond and Sévérine sail towards Silva's abandoned island and are then split apart.
Nov 2012/daytime/unknown island: Silva fails to turn Bond to join forces. He was in station H, Hong Kong, between 1986-1997 and was 'M's favorite' during this period. One summer Silva went to his grandmother's rat-infested island.
Nov 2012/daytime/unknown island: Silva and Bond toast with a 1962 "50-year-old Macallan scotch" before Silva kills Sévérine. He then surrenders.
Nov 2012/daytime/London, UK: M briefly talks to Mr. Silva (Tiago Rodriguez) in his cell. He was tortured in a room for 5 months after being handed over to the Chinese by M in exchange for 6 agents. He was presumed dead. The Board of Inquiry is said to start in 30 minutes.
Nov 2012/daytime/London, UK: Q gains access to Silva's laptop which in turn hacks MI6's security and opens all doors allowing Silva to escape. Bond tracks him down to the inquiry which is simultaneously taking place. Mallory saves M's life before she is evacuated by Bond.
Nov 2012/night/UK: Bond collects his personal AM DB5 from storage.
Nov 2012/daytime/London, UK: Mallory assists Q/Tanner in sending Silva along their trail.
Nov 2012/daytime/Scottish Highlands: Bond and M discuss his past while driving to his childhood home Skyfall Lodge. She acknowledges that he's an orphan.
Nov 2012/daytime/Scottish Highlands: They meet Kincade (gamekeeper since his childhood) who says they sold the house/belongings after hearing of his presumed death. The guns were shipped out "weeks ago" to an Idaho collector.
Nov 2012/daytime/Scottish Highlands: Bond and Kincade practice firing their weapons as they used to do.
Nov 2012/daytime/Scottish Highlands: Kincade shows M around the Lodge. He states the night he told Bond his parents had died he hid in the tunnel for 2 days.
Nov 2012/daytime/Scottish Highlands: They prepare for Silva's arrival. M expresses guilt for her actions but Bond reassures her.
Nov 2012/night/Scottish Highlands: Bond stands his ground, killing Silva's men. M succumbs to her bullet wound, dying in his arms saying to him that she "did get one thing right." Bond stabs Silva in the back with an old knife.
Date?/morning/London, UK: MP gives Bond the Bulldog paperweight from M who's will had been read that day as well. MP says she declined returning to active service.
Date?/morning/London, UK: MP formally introduces herself to Bond. Mallory as the new M gives Bond his next mission.
Bond evaluation test results on November 15
Bond flies to Shanghai on November 18
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Interesting. How did you find the date for when Bond was shot off the bridge?
About these dates though, I'm already seeing conflicting info with what's in the film. For example, shortly after the PTS Mallory tells M that they lost the computer drive "3 months ago". So there's a gap of 3 months between these scenes. Yet the props make it less than a month between the PTS and the evaluation test, which is even later in the film than the talk between M/Mallory.