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James Bonds natural instinctive ability to improvise...

JRRJRR
edited April 2013 in General Discussion Posts: 74
There have been countless times when Bond has reached deep inside himself to calculate a way out of what seems the impossible, and may otherwise have cracked lesser mortals.

A scene that springs to mind is when Mayday in A View To A Kill intervenes with Roger Moore whist he is networking with Stacy on the bridge at Max Zorin’s chateau; Mayday advises him that someone would take care of him, and he replied “Oh! You'll see to that personally, will you”?

The close shave that keeps him from getting back to his room, and causes that "essential piece of improvisation" leading him into the arms of Mayday with some surprise on her part, and his recourse to her being, “ I've been waiting for you… to take care of me personally”.

Which of these Bond desperate moments do you relate to and appeal to your sense of humour?

Comments

  • Judi2013fan_MeetBondJudi2013fan_MeetBond Banned
    edited April 2013 Posts: 57
    Bond is indeed resourceful (like odysseus/ulysses in the Odyessy). But how much do we owe to Q? Q got Bond out of many Jams. I remember playing TND on ps1 and you need a night vision googles to take out the bad guys with a sniper.t?

    Edit: Damn this thread went nowhere
  • JRRJRR
    Posts: 74
    Since DC has taken to wearing the tuxedo, Q branch have become quite conservative about the hardware they have been issuing Bond to aid his daily survival, and with less gadgets Bond is further dependent upon his wits to see him through the more unusual states of affairs he is faced with when operating in the field.

    Is there a set of circumstances you would like to see him challenged with escaping from, and how would you like him deal with it, bearing in mind that he can only use what is locally available without the trusty Q branch innovations?
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    I want to see Bond get a gadget from Q, but it breaks when he tries to use it in the field. So then he has to MacGyver his way out of whatever situation he's found himself in.
  • JRRJRR
    Posts: 74
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    I want to see Bond get a gadget from Q, but it breaks when he tries to use it in the field. So then he has to MacGyver his way out of whatever situation he's found himself in.

    That's superb, MacGyver would manage most things with a pack of chewing gum, his character was simply genius...
  • RogueAgentRogueAgent
    Posts: 12,526
    I would like to see more of this in DC's next 2 movies?
  • Perilagu_KhanPerilagu_Khan
    Posts: 2,483
    "Natural instinctive ability to improvise is the secret of genius."

    --Max Zorin
  • MurdockMurdock The minus world
    Posts: 16,357
    Perilagu_Khan wrote:
    "Natural instinctive ability to improvise is the secret of genius."

    --Max Zorin

    Actually it was "Intuitive Improvisation is the secret of Genius." ;)
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    I want to see Bond get a gadget from Q, but it breaks when he tries to use it in the field. So then he has to MacGyver his way out of whatever situation he's found himself in.
    Great idea, @thelivingroyale. It would be a great reversal of all the moments where Bond is saved by one of Q's gadgets and instead must fend for himself, which is more the style of Craig's Bond anyway.
  • DeLancieFan96DeLancieFan96 Banned
    Posts: 15
    That is a betrayal to the series. Q takes his job very seriously and takes obvious pride in his work. Why would one of his gadgets break apart like it was built in Taiwan?
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    DeLancieFan96 wrote:
    That is a betrayal to the series. Q takes his job very seriously and takes obvious pride in his work. Why would one of his gadgets break apart like it was built in Taiwan?

    As Osgood says, "Well, nobody's perfect."
  • Perilagu_KhanPerilagu_Khan
    Posts: 2,483
    Murdock wrote:
    Perilagu_Khan wrote:
    "Natural instinctive ability to improvise is the secret of genius."

    --Max Zorin

    Actually it was "Intuitive Improvisation is the secret of Genius." ;)

    Yeah, I know. I was just pointing up the parallel.

    ;)
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,017
    OHMSS is full of this kind of moments where Bond improvises. In the book, he uses his Rolex as a brass knuckle. In the movie, he protects his hands with his trouser pockets when he tries to escape by the cable car's cable. And in both, he uses a piece of plastic to open the electronic lock on his door.

    FRWL: dump the barrels of petrol in the sea, then light them up using a flare pistol.

    And I'm sure there are other McGyver moments like that.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 15,218
    That's one of the reasons why I want the gadgets to be used sparingly and sometimes to disfunction. If they are too many of them and too high tech, then Bond becomes a middle aged man pushing buttons, not a competent secret agent.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Some other cool improvisational Bond moments:

    Skyfall:
    *Bond shoots the fire extinguishers, making Silva unable to discern anything in the room
    *Bond booby-traps Skyfall
    *Bond uses the briefcase a weapon in Macau

    TB:
    *Bond uses a poker to despatch Bouvar
    *Bond uses a broom? (something like that) to lock the SPECTRE agent in the steamer

    CR: Bond uses the tank to escape after the embassy shootout

    DN:
    *Bond, Quarrel and Honey use reeds to breathe underwater
    *Bond uses the outfit of one of Dr. No's men to sneak into the main room

    FRWL:
    *Bond uses his case and then Grant's own garrote to kill him

    GF:
    *Bond uses his cigarette as a utensil to write out Goldfinger's plan

    TMWTGG:
    *Bond poses as Scaramanga's wax statue to take him out.
  • thelivingroyalethelivingroyale
    Posts: 12,837
    With everything from The A Team to The Sweeney getting a big budget reboot I'm really surprised that nobody's made a MacGyver movie.
  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    With everything from The A Team to The Sweeney getting a big budget reboot I'm really surprised that nobody's made a MacGyver movie.

    If it was well done I would be all for it! I was a huge MacGyver fan back in the day.
  • BAIN123BAIN123
    Posts: 11,189
    Bond jumping on the tank in GE?

    That's improvising. :p
  • TheWizardOfIceTheWizardOfIce 'One of the Internet's more toxic individuals'
    Posts: 9,117
    BAIN123 wrote:
    Bond jumping on the tank in GE?

    That's improvising. :p

    So is launching yourself off a cliff after that plane.

    Which brings me to a question: in TSWLM is Bond planning to jump off the Asgard anyway even without Sergei and his boys popping up? Otherwise what possible reason could there be for carrying a parachute with him as they weigh a ton? Can only assume he was going to do it all along by way of exfiltration from the area but presumably more as a standard base jump rather than skiing which was forced upon him by the intervention of the 'bad bastards in jumps suits with lemon piping'.
  • HappiestinthesaddleHappiestinthesaddle Banned
    Posts: 101
    When Bond pretends to make out with himself while hiding in the alleyway in Diamonds!
    I LOL to imagine people walking past and thinking "Ooh let's steer clear of him!"
    How long was he doing that to himself in the midnight darkness waiting for Peter Francs to arrive? 2 hours? 3 or more?
  • JRRJRR
    edited April 2013 Posts: 74
    Happiestinthesaddle wrote:
    When Bond pretends to make out with himself while hiding in the alleyway in Diamonds!
    I LOL to imagine people walking past and thinking "Ooh let's steer clear of him!"
    How long was he doing that to himself in the midnight darkness waiting for Peter Francs to arrive? 2 hours? 3 or more?

    You seem to have developed a distinctly individual and distorted sense of humour towards this subject; that may be fine in the company of those who share your interests and other topics, but here I believe there is a code of conduct, which many of the members consider a quality within the protocol.

    I know that many fans of the Bond films wouldn’t immediately or even after long consideration connect with the conclusions you draw from these iconic films.

    Ian Fleming’s subject has very classy associations, not attached to the darker and seedier suggestions you may share affinities with; if we collectively don’t share your interest in warping the James Bond image and classic style, don’t take offence, just try, if you can, to be more considerate to others who appreciate the need to enjoy what is an exceptional fictional creation, and one that requires no deviation, and should never be tainted by the inappropriate graffiti of designs manufactured in a moment of complete thoughtlessness.

    “We”, who share this forum try to enjoy like-mindedness and therefore look to encourage interesting and intelligent debate, without the inconsiderate desire to antagonise other members.


  • Suivez_ce_parachuteSuivez_ce_parachute
    edited April 2013 Posts: 2,015
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    I want to see Bond get a gadget from Q, but it breaks when he tries to use it in the field. So then he has to MacGyver his way out of whatever situation he's found himself in.
    In TLD, we see the Aston Martin skis breaking, then Bond has to destroy it and uses the cello case instead. In LALD, we see that the magnetic watch works but that does not help him, he has to jump the crocodiles (probably the closest to what you wish - and more Q-friendly - , and what an iconic scene indeed).
  • JRRJRR
    Posts: 74
    thelivingroyale wrote:
    With everything from The A Team to The Sweeney getting a big budget reboot I'm really surprised that nobody's made a MacGyver movie.

    MacGyver, it is said may be coming back to the big screen, with Richard Dean Anderson currently appearing in the new Mercedes-Benz Citan advert and other interest in the series making a reappearance, this may soon become a reality....


  • JRRJRR
    Posts: 74
    There is another angle to this thread; some of the past adversary’s have had impressive and elaborate escape pods, which Bond ended up taking last minute advantage of, and normally they were designed, with every conceivable luxury, for a villain to make an assured getaway.

    Bond, being Bond who is renowned for enjoying these stolen pleasures, without forgetting his fortunate luck of departing the scene in the company of a gorgeous leading lady. “Well good old Roger Moore was famous for this kind of exploit, in such opportune moments”.

    Perhaps it is time for Bond to once again take advantage of his nemesis intelligence and technology, and maybe even return it back to “Q Branch” for their analysis.

    One of his future missions could be a sort of “Enigma machine” type of coup, where he is tracking a vital game-changing piece of equipment, to prevent a world level disaster.

    Any thoughts?
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,017
    Re-reading Dr. No and I remember that Bond uses the bars from his cell to smash the tarentulas during the "obstacle course" set for him by the villain.

    Then, there's his use of the acetylene torch to get himself free of his restraints in Moonraker. Got his face a first degree burn in the process, and probably a chipped tooth or two, but it did the job.
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