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…smells like a tart’s handkerchief.
Bond’s habit of addressing animals as though they were sentient confidants (as seen earlier with the shark in Thunderball) reappears in Diamonds Are Forever when he regains consciousness from a knockout kidnapping and finds himself eye-to-eye with a rat. Still in a daze, he detects the lingering scent of perfume… Read More →
Filed Under: Diamonds Are Forever -
No, no. I’ve got a better idea.
In Thunderball, Largo’s barely concealed enthusiasm during the poolside brawl between Bond and one of his henchmen exposes one of the franchise’s most persistent narrative stereotypes: the villain who inexplicably refuses to take the simple shot. When the fight spills into the pool that is conveniently linked to Largo’s shark-infested… Read More →
Filed Under: Thunderball -
Q’s not gonna like this
Bond’s perennial acknowledgment of Q’s inevitable frustration sets the tone for one of the more chaotic moments in The World Is Not Enough. Watching his BMW Z8 sliced cleanly in half by a tree-mounted chainsaw cutter is dramatic enough, but Bond’s oddly theatrical refusal to simply dodge left or right… Read More →
Filed Under: The World Is Not Enough -
Sorry, old chap. Better luck next time.
No, this isn’t a triumphant quip delivered after Bond dispatches a primary villain, nor is it the coda to an explosive showdown. It’s from Thunderball, and (of all things) Bond says it to a shark after narrowly escaping its jaws in Largo’s pool. The line may read as cheeky wordplay,… Read More →
Filed Under: Thunderball -
Peculiar Bond villain/henchmen traits now campy
Once a defining hallmark of classic Bond movies, peculiar villain/henchman traits (think Dr. No’s metal hands, Jaws’ steel teeth, Oddjob’s bowler hat or even Gobinda’s yo-yo saw) have largely drifted into the realm of camp. The franchise has experimented with reviving these traits in the modern era, most notably with… Read More →
Filed Under: General -
Vanity has its dangers
This superb exchange between Bond and Fiona Volpe almost elevates her to the status of Thunderball‘s principal antagonist. Although she serves SPECTRE under Emilio Largo and isn’t among its numbered elite, the power of her presence often suggests otherwise. But when Bond discusses her SPECTRE ring with the line above… Read More →
Filed Under: Thunderball