A Quantum of Solace

[selenak]

The Sueddeutsche Zeitung yesterday had a witty guest column by Roger Moore about the James Bond title songs (from which the title vanished half way through his reign). I don't like the one for A Quantum of Solace very much, but then that was true for a number of Bond films and is actually my worst criticsm. Which isn't to say I loved the film the way I did Casino Royale, but then, I hadn't expected to; you can't repeat an origin story, and to make Casino Royale into a Bond origin story was the most inventive twist of that film. A Quantum of Solace, by contrast, is the franchise's first genuine sequel. Which is to say: if you haven't watched Casino Royale, you can't watch this one, because you'd missing out on several motivations, who-is-who's and wrap-ups. Those of you who are familiar with Joss Whedon might or might not recall his story about feeling completely betrayed when after the first Bond film he watched as a boy, Live and Let Die, Jane Seymour as Solitaire was nowhere to be seen and, like all other Bond girls except Diana Rigg's Tracy (whom Bond marries in In Her Majesty's Secret Service and who gets referenced a few times in later films, though only very briefly; in the books, both Vesper and Tracy get mentioned, but that's a different continuity), was never heard of again. (In the interview I've read, Joss continues by developing his own scenario for a Bond film. This involves Solitaire becoming the biggest bad of them all and putting Bond through hell. As is often the case, I can't tell whether he's kidding.) Anyway, our Mr. W. should be happy on this account with Quantum of Solace: Vesper Lynd is as often referenced as Rose Tyler in the third season of New Who.

Kidding aside, I'm actually happy about this, too. After twenty two films, they need to offer something they haven't done before on occasion, and if that's emotional continuity, all the better! What's more, the use of the supporting cast goes far beyond the pre-Craig era "Bond enters, flirts with Moneypenny, gets orders from M, gets snarked at by Q, exits". Needless to say, Judi Dench as M continues to rock, and the writing treats M as a character - and remembers they have Dench as an actress - rather than as a cypher. At the start of the film, one of her agents, who was with her for eight years, betrays her in what triggers the second action sequence of the film. The next time we see her, she's reacting to that instead of it being ignored, and it plays into the question of trust between her and Bond which is important throughout the movie. The biggest surprise for me was the return of Mathis. Especially since the film used Mathis to fake the audience out on the "who's the double" question. (The novel doesn't.) The Mathis scenes were in turns melancholy and touching, and used to highlight Bond is still capable of feeling deeply, no matter he tries not to feel anything at all anymore. Great interplay between the actors, too. Felix Leiter fans may be frustrated that his role continues to be small - though the scene he gets with Bond is a good one - but honestly, Felix isn't going anywhere, so I'm glad we had Mathis promoted to male-character-to-play off spot one more time.

As for Bond, it bears repeating: Daniel Craig really is the first one since Connery to sell the "dangerous agent/killer" dimension while also projecting emotion (Dalton did that, too, but with a far worse script in his second and last outing). And he really thrives when you give him character scenes with actors like Judi Dench or Giancarlo Giannini (who plays Mathis). His scenes with Olga Kurylenko, who plays Camille, this movie's main female character (the second Bond girl is Gemma Aterton as Fields, but she has a similarly brief role to Solange in Casino Royale), are also good. Incidentally, I missed most of the films of the Brosnan era since I don't like Pierce Brosnan and only saw Golden Eyes and the occasional fragments of scens from other films when switching channels, so I might be wrong, but Camille could be the first "main" Bond girl with whom Bond doesn't have sex with at all, as the script gives them more of a comrades-in-arms type of relationship and parallels Camille's near-suicidal vengeance quest, her literal and metaphorical scars with Bond's. (And I'd like to report that in a scene where I, veteran of 70s tv, thought "but she couldn't walk there with these shoes!", she immediately stifled my protest by taking them off and carrying them, thus being able to walk in a believable way.)

Lastly, this is definitely Bond reimagined not just in the post Le Carré but in the post-Spooks era. If you're not familiar with either: let's just say this particular outing isn't complimentary about American policy in South America, past and present, and relations between agencies are... strained. Now I really want to read that crossover in which M interacts with Harry. But not before astolat or someone else writes fanfic about her and Bond again, based on the juicy new material.

Comments

[altariel.livejournal.com]

I thought that about the shoes too!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

We watched the same tv shows, of course.*g*

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the review! Despite growing up with a total Bond geek for a dad, I never got into the older films (for, among other reasons, the aforementioned lack of emotional continuity) - but I was surprised how much I liked Casino Royale. So I'm pleased to see the sequel is an enjoyable ride too.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Among ourselves, my absolutely favourite Bond is the spoof DS9 did in the episode Our Man Bashir (which got the formula down pat and was way more enjoyable than some of the films). But Casino Royale really revitalized the franchise.

[ladyaeryn.livejournal.com]

Man, it's been years since I've seen OMB - but yes, I do remember enjoying it way more than most of the real Bond I'd seen.

I really need to get on the ball with my Netflix DS9 rewatch, but The West Wing has kind of eaten my brain in the wake of certain real-life events...

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

*scrolls down review*

Ahh, darnit, we don't get this until next week!

Well, I read enough to see that it's closely tied to the first movie, so I'll do my best to rewatch it before then. Not exactly a hardship!

[selenak.livejournal.com]

It started in Europe before the US? Huh. Usually it's the other way around, but maybe the studio didn't want it to clash with the elections.*g*

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

I saw it advertised a lot during election coverage so that may, in fact, be part of the strategy. I know I haven't paid any attention to what was at the box office for a couple months, but I've definitely seen ads for Quantum.

Also, though, in the US, they may be gearing it so that it's still newish on the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which is at the end of November.

[stabbim.livejournal.com]

Got here via frogspace. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I loved the continuity, the paraells between Bond and Camille, the action and the shoes scene, too. And hey, I also thought that a M/Harry crossover would be fantastic! :)

Judi Dench was lovely as always.

I'm glad that the new Bond movies are more of a character piece than a "James Bond takes down an Evil Mastermind's space station." So happy that James Bond will return. :)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Great Judi Dench icon, and yes, hooray for character. I mean, not that I don't enjoy, say, Connery versus Gert Froebe and "no, Mr. Bond, I expect you to die", but that has been done. Often and sometimes well, sometimes not so much. They needed to add something new, and taking the whole "agent who kills on a regular basis" concept seriously in terms of what this implies about the character was a good choice. And hey, how many thrillers do we have where the sign of character growth is for the tough action guy at the end to NOT kill someone the audience despises?

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

Finally saw it!

I think I might actually prefer it to Casino, but that's not surprising because I tend to like the-story-that-comes-after-the-origin- story better. I have to say I agree with your review on all points (though if there was only one Leiter/Bond scene, at least it was ridiculously slashy; I laughed out loud at the "I'll even get in bed with you" line, then realized I was the only one in the theater doing so).

I have to say I'd really love some fic that explains the origin of Bond's obsession with cradling people. I rewatched 'Casino' (more than once over the last couple days, actually) in preparation for this one, and each time the scene with Bond and Vesper seated in the shower seemed more and more like the emotional core of the movie. Here we get him hugging the dying Mathis, and in that long embrace with Camille that looks like it's going to be the end. (We and Bond know it's not, but Camile doesn't).

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Hm, the only background thing that somewhat explain, which Fleming gives him - which of course doesn't mean it's movie canon - is that his parents (Swiss mother, Scots father) died when he was a child, while he was at school. So he never had a chance to say goodbye to them.

Anyway, glad you liked the film! Nobody laughed in my theatre at the "I'll even go to bed with you" line, either. General James Bond audience = not into slash?

[ponygirl2000.livejournal.com]

Did anyone laugh at the Canadian agent's politeness? Because my Toronto audience applauded that bit.

I loved this movie as a bookend to the Bond origin story because in this movie the orphan finds his parents. He has Mathis - who was not a father figure in the last movie but definitely is here - and M. - whose role as mother figure is actually made text - and from both he ultimately finds forgiveness and acceptance. The theme is reinforced with Camille's seeking revenge for her parents. I really enjoyed all of the layers in this movie, especially the imagery of Bond and Camille coming through the fire - a striking contrast to Vesper's death in the water.

[selenak.livejournal.com]

No, sadly the Canadian gag went right over our Teuton heads.

The orphan finding his parents in tandem with Camille aventing hers: yes, and you're right about the fire/water contrast. And this film ends where the first one started (i.e. the black and white teaser before the title sequence in Casino Royale) - Eastern Europe. Back then, Bond earns his 00 licence by killing two people; now he grows up by not killing one he has excellent reason to wish dead.