NO TIME TO DIE - Questions Thread

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  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,959
    That's rich. It's either "Blofield" or Craig is accidentally dipping into Benoit Blanc territory there.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    edited February 2023 Posts: 3,147
    That's definitely 'Blofield'! If he'd called him 'Franz' earlier, I'd head-canon it as Bond being sarcastically undermining, but...no. Oops.
  • Posts: 4,108
    echo wrote: »
    Agreed that Safin's motivations are so much clearer earlier in the film. If the whole plan was to keep Madeleine with him (and also to exact revenge upon Blofeld but he accomplishes that goal so early), and he was kind of crazy a la Blofeld in the YOLT novel, calling Madeleine his wife, wearing samurai armor, literally being willing to kill everyone in the world except for Madeleine...

    Yeah, that probably would have worked.

    The mistake was making Safin too rational and the mirror image of Bond. To which I say, yawn, I'm tired of more or less rational mirror images of Bond. Give me a hothead for once.

    It might have been better if he was simply like: "Hey, I found Madeleine first, and Bond I will destroy you, your daughter, and the world, all to keep Madeleine on this island with me."

    Agreed. They could have even adapted chunks of Blofeld's dialogue from the YOLT novel. It's all about him justifying his actions of the previous novels (including the potential bio-warfare attack in OHMSS, which could have been relevant to NTTD). It's rather melodramatic, and at points Blofeld is prone to those sorts of unhinged claims (ie. that he's some sort of great genius, that Britain would have come together in a sort of WW2 spirit and been better off if his attack on their agriculture had gone as planned), but it essentially gives off the idea of him having a mad God complex and is a man who genuinely believes what he's doing.

    Truth be told I'm not sure how much of Safin's "invisible God" speech is even in the original script. I know Malek and Craig went off and tinkered with the scene because it wasn't working for whatever reason. To me, it really sounds like the sort of thing an actor would come up with off the top of their head though. Like, in isolation it sounds weighty and deep, but when you actually think about it in context it makes no sense.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    Posts: 6,277
    I wonder what the American CIA role was...I suppose it became Paloma.

    "It has not yet been reported who else is on the Bond girl short list, though there are two lead female roles on the table, Variety notes—including an MI6 agent and an American C.I.A. agent. "

    https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/03/bond-25-rami-malek-lupita-nyongo-casting
  • mtmmtm United Kingdom
    Posts: 16,344
    Venutius wrote: »
    That's definitely 'Blofield'! If he'd called him 'Franz' earlier, I'd head-canon it as Bond being sarcastically undermining, but...no. Oops.

    I think his voice is just trembling a bit.
  • edited February 3 Posts: 342
    I've never cone to terms with the title. Do you think the title was meant to be ironic? Or was it meant as a joke?

    I can't understand why you would make a film depicting Bond's death and call it No Time To Die. It feels like Eon were trolling.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    @bondywondy not trolling…

    Check out the wiki page below, please. It’s actually kinda cool:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Time_to_Die_(1958_film)#:~:text=No%20Time%20to%20Die%20(U.S.,during%20the%20Second%20World%20War.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    bondywondy wrote: »
    I've never cone to terms with the title. Do you think the title was meant to be ironic? Or was it meant as a joke?

    I can't understand why you would make a film depicting Bond's death and call it No Time To Die. It feels like Eon were trolling.

    I get your meaning and I have considered the title in some depth myself. The conclusion I have come to is that Bond and Madeleine and their child should have had "All the time in the world" so it was "No time" for Bond "to die".
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    bondywondy wrote: »
    I've never cone to terms with the title. Do you think the title was meant to be ironic? Or was it meant as a joke?

    I can't understand why you would make a film depicting Bond's death and call it No Time To Die. It feels like Eon were trolling.

    I get your meaning and I have considered the title in some depth myself. The conclusion I have come to is that Bond and Madeleine and their child should have had "All the time in the world" so it was "No time" for Bond "to die".

    Nice, and I’d agree with this.
  • FeyadorFeyador Montreal, Canada
    edited February 3 Posts: 735
    Maybe they saw the title as a kind of insurance, insofar as it would sow doubt regarding the veracity of a possible/inevitable pre-release leak regarding Bond's death.

    Thinking that if word got out the public would say ... 'nah, just look at the title,' or something like that. And so it would appear ironic (not simply generic) only after the fact.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    Feyador wrote: »
    Maybe they saw the title as a kind of insurance, insofar as it would sow doubt regarding the veracity of a possible/inevitable pre-release leak regarding Bond's death.

    Thinking that if word got out the public would say ... 'nah, just look at the title,' or something like that. And so it would appear ironic (not simply generic) only after the fact.

    Yes, as a title it certainly works on that level too and there is a pleasingly in-built irony there too.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,147
    Yes, as in 'this is no time for him to die'... Was A Reason To Die in serious contention or just a place-holder?
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,179
    My understanding was that A REASON TO DIE was locked until the very last moment before announcement.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited February 8 Posts: 18,264
    My understanding was that A REASON TO DIE was locked until the very last moment before announcement.

    That's interesting. I'd forgotten/hadn't realised that was an early title. Not sure which one I prefer though A Reason to Die does sound a bit more creative as a title.
  • peterpeter Toronto
    Posts: 9,509
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    My understanding was that A REASON TO DIE was locked until the very last moment before announcement.

    That's interesting. Is forgotten that was an early title. Not sure which one I prefer though A Reason to Die does sound a bit more creative as a title.

    Yeah, but kind of gives away the big reveal, I think.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    peter wrote: »
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    My understanding was that A REASON TO DIE was locked until the very last moment before announcement.

    That's interesting. Is forgotten that was an early title. Not sure which one I prefer though A Reason to Die does sound a bit more creative as a title.

    Yeah, but kind of gives away the big reveal, I think.

    Yes, the other title is much more counterintuitive in terms of the ending we actually got.
  • MakeshiftPythonMakeshiftPython “Baja?!”
    Posts: 8,179
    I would have stuck with it, regardless of fans speculating it’s referring to Bond’s death.
  • Posts: 1,075
    Reason Not To Watch would have worked for me.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    Reason Not To Watch would have worked for me.

    Could've saved you the ticket price.
  • edited February 8 Posts: 1,075
    Hmmm.

    I booked tickets to see it (before Covid), on the opening night. As You know, it never happened, and by the time it did get released, I suspected the daftness. I've got the movie on a memory stick from a dodgy download site. It's great quality but just misses the subtitles on the French bits at the start.

    I did consider buying the DVD for few quid a few months ago, just to keep the collection complete. But jesus, it's a bitter pill to swallow for a fan of the classic era.

    The only money I've spent on NTTD is the CD soundtrack, which came out before the film.

    Even that's not great.
  • FeyadorFeyador Montreal, Canada
    Posts: 735
    File under:

    Cryptic clues I like to imagine are present in the title of the film (but probably aren't really ...)

    Noh Time to Die

    As in, the Japanese traditional theatrical mask worn by Safin in the PTS, whose confrontation with Bond will later lead to his death.

    Dr. No Time to Die

    As in the beginning what shall be in the end, or what was that business with that minion singularly referring to Safin by the "Dr." honorific?
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,264
    I think the "No" in the title further fuelled the rumours that Dr. No was going to be the villain and that Safin was only an alias or a cover name a la Franz Oberhauser in Spectre. Of course, as we know, Eon didn't use the same trick twice in a row.
  • VenutiusVenutius Yorkshire
    Posts: 3,147
    I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Safin had been intended to be Dr. No at some point during development. He wears a Noh mask, he's addressed as 'doctor' and when the young Madeleine shoots him, all the bullet holes are on the left side of his chest - suggesting that he survived because of dextrocardia. Sounds familiar.
  • FeyadorFeyador Montreal, Canada
    edited February 9 Posts: 735
    Venutius wrote: »
    I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Safin had been intended to be Dr. No at some point during development. He wears a Noh mask, he's addressed as 'doctor' and when the young Madeleine shoots him, all the bullet holes are on the left side of his chest - suggesting that he survived because of dextrocardia. Sounds familiar.

    Explains some of the confusion in the characterization of Safin. They just never worked out fully who he was meant to be ....
  • ProfJoeButcherProfJoeButcher Bless your heart
    Posts: 1,711
    Venutius wrote: »
    I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Safin had been intended to be Dr. No at some point during development. He wears a Noh mask, he's addressed as 'doctor' and when the young Madeleine shoots him, all the bullet holes are on the left side of his chest - suggesting that he survived because of dextrocardia. Sounds familiar.

    I would bet he was. Some big things were clearly changed somewhere along the line. Malek hinted at it, and I find it really weird that Safin has a big Noh mask logo on all his screens at his base and everyone acts like they're in a cult or something.
  • RichardTheBruceRichardTheBruce I'm motivated by my Duty.
    Posts: 13,767
    Venutius wrote: »
    I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Safin had been intended to be Dr. No at some point during development. He wears a Noh mask, he's addressed as 'doctor' and when the young Madeleine shoots him, all the bullet holes are on the left side of his chest - suggesting that he survived because of dextrocardia. Sounds familiar.

    I would bet he was. Some big things were clearly changed somewhere along the line. Malek hinted at it, and I find it really weird that Safin has a big Noh mask logo on all his screens at his base and everyone acts like they're in a cult or something.

    His family picture and other things in the film indicate Safin is ethnically Japanese, and the island likely being in the Sahkhalin chain.

    Seems to me that background and as played by Rami Malek created a very interesting and appropriately flawed villain. Then the surprising and welcome ties to WWII and the Cold War further added to it.





    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people_in_Russia#:~:text=Japanese people in Russia form,political figures among their number.
  • echoecho 007 in New York
    edited February 9 Posts: 6,277
    Dragonpol wrote: »
    bondywondy wrote: »
    I've never cone to terms with the title. Do you think the title was meant to be ironic? Or was it meant as a joke?

    I can't understand why you would make a film depicting Bond's death and call it No Time To Die. It feels like Eon were trolling.

    I get your meaning and I have considered the title in some depth myself. The conclusion I have come to is that Bond and Madeleine and their child should have had "All the time in the world" so it was "No time" for Bond "to die".

    My guess is that they wanted to call the film All The Time In The World but knew that that would telegraph the ending. (I mean, they resurrected that phrase from the ending of the SP script and used the original song!)
  • FeyadorFeyador Montreal, Canada
    edited February 10 Posts: 735
    Venutius wrote: »
    I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Safin had been intended to be Dr. No at some point during development. He wears a Noh mask, he's addressed as 'doctor' and when the young Madeleine shoots him, all the bullet holes are on the left side of his chest - suggesting that he survived because of dextrocardia. Sounds familiar.

    I would bet he was. Some big things were clearly changed somewhere along the line. Malek hinted at it, and I find it really weird that Safin has a big Noh mask logo on all his screens at his base and everyone acts like they're in a cult or something.

    His family picture and other things in the film indicate Safin is ethnically Japanese, and the island likely being in the Sahkhalin chain.

    Seems to me that background and as played by Rami Malek created a very interesting and appropriately flawed villain. Then the surprising and welcome ties to WWII and the Cold War further added to it.

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_people_in_Russia#:~:text=Japanese people in Russia form,political figures among their number.
    Interesting ...

    Haven't seen it for two years but I took him to be a Russian or otherwise post-Soviet national (maybe it's the name); however, it would make sense that his ethnicity is, at least in part, Japanese (like Fukunaga himself, who's of mixed ancestry, I think). And certainly Safin has a predilection for Japanese culture.

    While they share the same dress sense and impassive demeanor, Dr. No was Chinese in the film, as I recall, but Chinese/German in the book. So in that sense too he's different from his often presumed progenitor ...
  • Posts: 4,108
    I love how, while informative, none of that explains why his real name is basically Lucifer, haha.

    Anyway, I’m of the opinion that Safin was never intended to be Dr. No (his backstory is far too distinct and him being revealed as the character adds so little). But I do think they consciously tried to evoke Dr. No in Safin - their lairs for instance look very similar, they have similar clothes, they have distinct features like facial scars/metal hands, they both seemingly have East Asian backgrounds etc.

    It makes more sense when you assume that one of EON’s big decisions for this film was giving Craig’s Bond a final ‘big’ villain - a megalomaniac hell bent on world domination with an elaborate lair. Even Boyle’s script seemingly involved a rocket and a villain’s lair in its third act. It makes sense they’d make allusions to Dr. No (the Craig era tended to use/repackage iconic Bondian imagery anyway). I guess the idea was that Safin was a man not born as this evil figure but made into one by his experiences with SPECTRE and his quest for revenge (they flub his character by the end in my opinion, but that’s what they were going for).
  • I actually think Safin reminds me more of Donald Pleasence’s Blofeld with his soft spoken nature, and the fact that he is isn’t much of a physical threat to Craig’s Bond just like how Pleasence’s Blofeld wasn’t to Connery’s Bond. In that retrospect, it’s quite amusing that Malek sticks that landing whereas Christoph Waltz doesn’t even come close, even with that facial scar!
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