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Skyfall Shower Scene - Recut and Rescored
I've recently done a fanedit of Skyfall to change stuff I thought could be improved in the movie.
I thought this scene in particular was of interest - the scene where Bond and Severine shower together. The original scene has been criticized for the encounter not seeming consensual, as Bond sneaks up on her in the shower. It's creepy and feels even more so considering Severine's past as an abused prostitute.
How to fix this? Well, just get rid of the implication that she doesn't know Bond is there. This means dropping the entire idea that Bond's arrival on the boat is uncertain, i.e. cutting the casino fight (a Roger Moore-esque scene that didn't suit Craig anyway). I also switched out the music for something that sounds more romantic (unused Skyfall track by Newman called "Old Dog, New Tricks") and cut all the dialogue.
More info on the fanedit: https://ifdb.fanedit.org/skyfall-reborn/
I thought this scene in particular was of interest - the scene where Bond and Severine shower together. The original scene has been criticized for the encounter not seeming consensual, as Bond sneaks up on her in the shower. It's creepy and feels even more so considering Severine's past as an abused prostitute.
How to fix this? Well, just get rid of the implication that she doesn't know Bond is there. This means dropping the entire idea that Bond's arrival on the boat is uncertain, i.e. cutting the casino fight (a Roger Moore-esque scene that didn't suit Craig anyway). I also switched out the music for something that sounds more romantic (unused Skyfall track by Newman called "Old Dog, New Tricks") and cut all the dialogue.
More info on the fanedit: https://ifdb.fanedit.org/skyfall-reborn/
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Comments
She's just told him she was a child prostitute. Jumping in the shower with her naked just doesn't seem like the appropriate response.
;)
She was openly flirting with him and both of them knew what they were doing. Don't overthink it. It's a Bond movie, ffs.
Just because it's in a Bond film doesnt mean I let it pass. I expect a lot from a Bond film. For me this is just another bit of sloppy writing and directing.
It's the child prostitute back story and his entry into the shower that makes it all a bit weird.
The Monica Bellucci 'seduction' in SP is another odd one. Not as bad as this but not really convincing.
Bond does not ask “May I enter the shower with you?”. He just does. And the girl likes it. Such is the wonderful world of James Bond.
What I care about is the plausibility of Bond's actions against an understanding we've gained of his personality traits over the decades and the quality of writing and direction.
The scenes I'm flagging just grate and don't convince me.
Me too. It's hard to get through for me.
Edit: I think in the original film she did know he was there, with the champagne and the glasses, but obviously she didn't see him until he snuck into the shower. That said, I still prefer this edit. It's not necessarily a better idea to show that she was with him before getting into the shower, but it's better executed than what they intended in the original version, which lacked a build up in terms of seduction. Merely showing Sévérine noticing the bottle and the glasses and then cutting to her in the shower just doesn't cut it.
And it's not like Bond himself hasn't been called damaged goods.
A few lines of witty dialogue (some chance) and then they get down to business? I'd have no problem with that.
What we got was perfunctory, lacking in seduction or wit. Classic Mendes.
Sorry to bash SF more generally but it really is symptomatic of the whole film. Lots of perfectly good ideas just badly written or executed. Always something missing or not quite right about the pacing or tone in every scene.
I changed or cut maybe 5% of the movie. Generally, I like the other 95%.
This is just a fun hobby of mine. I do find the original scene uncomfortable and I have since viewing it in cinema. It's one of only a few seduction scenes in the series that make me uncomfortable (other two are Pussy Galore and Patricia Fearing). This one isn't as bad - it's just she doesn't know he's there, and that makes it feel weird IMO. I know not everyone will agree with me.
I completely agree with you. 100% weird. I also felt exactly the same way when I first saw the film. Very much not the Bond character we know. Perfunctory. The scene just misses a beat.
For me there is a running theme in SF and SP which is that despite both films being inordinately long I am constantly left waiting at the end of a scene for something else - an explanation, a punchline, some kind of pay off. Its like a series of paragraphs that are each left hanging without an ending. It's obviously Mendes' style and reflects the way he thinks but for me it just means scene after scene feels deflated and not punching at the right level.
I agree, she obviously was waiting for Bond, or at least hoping he would arrive. Nothing is non-consensual
I don't deny that it's depicted as 'consensual' but given she was a child prostitute perhaps it's not unreasonable to assume her own understanding of what consent means could be a little bit f****d up. I think the Bond we are familiar with would have known this too and the way the 'seduction' unfolds is as someone else said above very weird.
Bond is supposed to have a soft spot for these damaged women but then the scene needs to acknowledge in some way the devastating revelations she's made in the casino.
But if this is how you guys like your Bond, fair enough.
Same, I thought it was just classic Bond getting the girl, I didn't think he was trying to rape her. The score also helped. We know the character, we know he's a gentleman and he would immediately get off her if she rejected him. Moreover we know Babs is a feminist, if she approved the scene she knows this too. I think people read too much in these movies. Like Bond saying "what makes you think this is my first time?", really, anyone who knows Bond is aware of the fact that Bond always tries to put the villains off by saying unexpected things. This is even foreshadowed like 30 seconds earlier when Silva asks Bond "How you're trying to remember your training now. What's the regulation to cover this?" That never ever meant to imply that Bond is bisexual. Again, people only see what they want to see.
Now, going back to the shower scene, yeah, admittedly it was poorly written. @Getafix is right, it is very creepy considering she'd just revealed her prostitute backstory to Bond. I don't think Mendes had any bad intentions when filming the scene, he just wanted to make a classic and sexy "Bond gets the girl" scene, but he put little thought in what the scene looks like and it does look as if Severine were non-consensual. I hope I made myself clear.
I never had a problem with Silva's entrance and his toying with Bond. With hindsight that scene is the highpoint in the film. Although there were lots of things I didn't like in the PTS, overall I felt SF was building quite nicely up until the point they leave Silva's island. That's when it loses its way for me.
The 'what makes you think it's my first time' line was funny. I have no problem with that at all. Given that Fleming's Bond was supposed to have gone to Eton, its highly likely the literary Bond had had some homo-erotic experiences. One for the fanboys to get all worked up about. ;)
Because it's Daniel Craig bond who isn't charming like sean's bond. People are oversensitive these days you can't help it.
She tells him where to find her, and leaves two glasses out. She wants Bond to come.
The GF scene with Pussy hasnt dated well. But it was also made 50 years prior to SF so we have to see it in the context of its times.
SF was made at a time when issues around child abuse, consent etc were major topics. The scene is just not cool or clever on any level.
But if you want me to enjoy a casual seduction scene don't tell me 5 minutes beforehand that the girl was a child prostitute. Any normal adult male's response to this titbit of info would not be to strip off and jump in the shower with the lass. Not because it's not the "PC" thing to do but because its totally f****d up.
I mean, just think about it. For a second.
There was nothing wrong with the shower scene. There was heat between the two the moment they laid eyes on each other in Shanghai, and that continued in the casino. On the surface, her past is a non-issue: she is no longer a child. But on a deeper level, her past allows the scene to work, from a psychological standpoint. What works in the shower scene is that Bond approaches her in a "protective" manner. This is important because she needs to be able to trust him. Both of these people have been using sex (or been used by sex) in abusive ways in their past. In this case, it's not. It's true and tender. It's what she needs: perhaps the first man to ever touch her in the way he does here. And Bond realizes she needs that.