The James Bond novels and movie spin-offs revel in the Women in Refrigerators and Likable Sidekick Tragically Killed plot devices: being Bond's girl or Bond's contact is as dangerous an occupation as being a relative or girlfriend to Peter Parker. Which supporting character's deaths do you find the hardest to sit through? Here is my shortlist:
Vesper Lynd - Goes without saying, her being blackmailed into working for Quantum, which leads to her eventual suicide, overshadowing two whole movies.
Tracy Bond - Another death that goes without saying and makes you wonder how Bond as a character copes with survivor's guilt, with a meek George Lazenby cradling her corpse in his arms and mumbling having all the time in the world reducing me to tears as a small boy.
Severnaya Staff - Faceless redshirts to be sure, but just regular and likable looking joes doing their job then getting gunned down by a crazed villainess for their trouble. The real emotional effect was from Natalya's saddened reaction to the senseless carnage in her workplace.
Aki - Seeing the sassy, confident Aki getting her lungs constricted by poison (while giving this pleading, frightened gaze) was hard to take. The very creepy and downbeat soundtrack by John Barry doesn't help either.
Strawberry Fields and Mathis - Fields' death was very bizarre and tragically leftfield (with her reception note making you think she was warning about British agents instead of Quantum agents). Mathis comes back after what Bond unintentionally did to him, only to get shot and get respectfully dumped into a rubbish bin.
Ali Kerim Bey - The impact of his death was very severe not only because of the eeriness of Bond stumbling upon Bey's body after Red Grant paid Bey a visit (not witnessing the murder) but (as with Mathis and Aki) he also spent half the story being a very likable and affectionate ally.
Severine - A comparatively recent example from last year's Skyfall and although a henchwoman, she was implied to have a very tragic, squalid past, and when tied to rock and waiting to be shot by Silva or Bond, her zoned out and courageous facial expression is so heart breaking.
Comments
The only death that comes close for me is M in SF as it feels like a younger man who has lost his mother/grandmother.
I'd say the most "disturbing" deaths were Della, Andrea and Solange - women who were caught up in another world and died horribly as a result.
Good call, however, on Corinne's death. Rather haunting, that.
Sharky being strung up like the big catch of the day
Tracy's death didn't have the same effect on Sean Connery or DAF scriptwriters since Tracy's name wasn't pronounce even ONCE in DAF, which is a shame. Two other deaths had a big impact on me; those of Corrine Dufour, who wholeheartedly trusted our boy on first sight, and Saunders who, despited being an obvious "by the book" agent, finally found some ground to bend some rules and get the job done for our boy.
On Corrine's death, I found it a little heartless of Bond not to ask Drax what happened to her, because she very obviously satisfied Drax's requirements to repopulate the earth.
This one is the worst in the 007 franchise as indeed she played NO role anymore, kudo's to MR for including this bit of ruthlesness of Hugo Drax.
Yes, but in no particular order the tragic demises of Tracy, Vesper and the underrated Aki to me felt amongst the most legitimately saddening love interest deaths in a movie or TV show.
I too found Aki's saddening. Such a likeable character.
I have to agree wholeheartily. I kinda knew Vesper was gonna bite the dust but the scene was still difficult to watch.
Tracy was a jolt. I recall hearing moans in the theater when Bond noticed that she was dead.
No one expected Aki to die such a horrible and painful demise. She was so pretty and full of life. As far as the women in YOLT she wins hands down. They should have killed Kissy and let Aki live.
Tracy was a jolt. I recall hearing moans in the theater when Bond noticed that she was dead [/quote]
Im not surprised. That's pretty much my reaction too everytime Bond does that double take in the car.
Well, I mean to say he passed away of his own accord; Q did nothing to aid his passing to the other side as far as I'm concerned. That's journalese.
Oh Okay. Yeah your right. I forgot to see mister troll's post.
Hopefully he can be returned under his bridge again soon.
Plenty of deaths in the franchise that were a real bummer though, as mentioned by some of the previous posters I was saddened by many ...
ViJay (No more problems)
Kerim (Loved his personality, great character sad to see him go)
Corrine (She was such a hotty, what a waste)
Severine (Again, what a waste)
Mathis (Hated how Bond just throws him in the trash)
Mr. Henderson (We were just getting to know you)
Sir Godfrey (Loved the back and fourth Bond and Tippet had while under cover)
Vesper (This is easily the saddest aside from Tracy's death)