tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post7365320542163165341..comments2024-01-31T18:37:07.424+00:00Comments on The Agitation of the Mind: BOND-A-THON: Quantum of SolaceNeil Fulwoodhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14686296295535235988noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-56407185316811383652012-10-21T02:22:07.146+01:002012-10-21T02:22:07.146+01:00I promised myself that I wouldn't read any of ...I promised myself that I wouldn't read any of these until I'd reviewed the film in question myself, and I'm holding to that, but I sort of... cheated... on the opening paragraph, and you have brought tears to my eyes, sir. Genuine damn tears of sorrow that your idea of how to save the franchise was so much better than anything the actual producers have ever done in 50 years.<br /><br />Anyway, I look forward to reading this one in full in a couple of weeks.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14575780.post-43863366527471351422012-10-20T17:13:18.847+01:002012-10-20T17:13:18.847+01:00Hi Neil,
Another fascinating write-up containing ...Hi Neil,<br /><br />Another fascinating write-up containing information regarding the production that I wasn't aware of. Thanks for filling me in!<br /><br />Yes, there's no question that CR is a far superior piece of work to QoS in virtually every respect. However, having seen QoS a few times now, I've found that for me it actually improves on repeated viewings - there's basically a decent story there buried underneath all the tiresomely edited action sequences which becomes easier to unravel with greater familiarity with the material. That said, a great many people hate the film and I can certainly understand why - it's a messy, totally flawed piece of work, but I find that its many imperfections actually make it one of the more interesting Bonds to revisit, and these days I find myself rather liking it (I have a similar relationship with Hitchcock's somewhat unfairly maligned Topaz). My only complaint with CR was the final action sequence in the sinking building - I felt something quieter and more subtle (like the way the novel ended) would have rounded out the film on a far more satisfying note.<br /><br />You're not alone in imagining the Fleming novels being remade in the correct order, it would be wonderful to see them all redone properly. It seems appalling in retrospect that pulpy but nonetheless quite exciting novels such as Live And Let Die and Moonraker were casually tossed out at the time - one can hardly argue that their cinematic equivalents improved upon their source material. The Diamonds Are Forever novel I nonetheless found a little aimless and it would probably need a lot added to it if it were to be adapted faithfully but effectively.<br /><br />Now that the Bondathon's seemingly coming to an end, many thanks for all the reviews, they've been hugely enjoyable and informative. It's fascinating to see on which films we have agreed and on which we haven't (OHMSS is my personal favourite, so I was surprised to see it getting a bit of lukewarm reception on here - and I've always had a rather a soft spot for Moonraker!) - on the whole though I think you've been pretty spot on with your reviews and there's not a lot here that I would really disagree with.<br /><br />Thanks again,<br /><br /><br />MattAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10742585837649609422noreply@blogger.com