The Introverted Detective: 007 part 3

We know Ian Fleming wrote the first James Bond novels, but who continued the tradition? We have several authors who have, and you may be surprised to hear that the movies are based on more than Fleming's writing. Let's compare the books to the movies!

When it comes to 007's authors we have Ian Fleming, John Gardner, Sebastian Faulks, Jeffrey Deaver, Kingsley Amis, Charlie Higson, Raymond Benson, William Boyd, Steve Cole, Anthony Horowitz, and Christopher Wood. Some only wrote one novel, while others wrote several.

It all started with Casino Royale and Ian Fleming. I have talked about Ian Fleming in 007 part 2, so we're talking about James Bond's portrayal in the books, then comparing it to the movies today.

The books

James Bond is 6 feet with greyish-blue eyes and black hair, according to the books. He is a widower, his deceased wife being Teresa Draco. His parents are deceased, as well, and they are Andrew and Monique Delacroix Bond. He knows martial arts, too, using it to knock out or kill on occasion.

In this Bond novel M questions whether
Bond is too damaged to stay in the field.

He was orphaned at age 11 after his parents had a climbing accident in Aiguilles Rouges. One of the books (spoiler alert) may suggest that Bond's mother was a spy herself. Bond was a Navy Commander by the end of the war, thus he is called Commander Bond in multiple movies and books.

He gets extremely banged up through the whole series, and in some books M questioned whether he should retire. He is sent on breaks between some books. He has a run-in with SMERSH, an organization with a name that means 'death to spies'. They marked his hand in Casino Royale. M insisted that he have skin grafted over it, so they wouldn't keep coming after him upon seeing his mark.

Bond's love life is still very much active in the books, but he isn't obsessed with it. He is more about the mission itself, oftentimes, and he ends up with women once a book. Usually, they are part of the mission itself and he is protective of them. I would describe him as a gentleman that puts work first but is perfectly willing to love afterward, depending on which author you are reading. They are mostly consistent with this, but some give him more emotion than others. They do give him emotions and humanize him.

The movies

We see Bond of the movies as a smooth ladies man that gets laid ever film, all while working dangerous missions and being shown around the villain's entire estate before being nearly killed, then saving the woman and himself by the seat of his pants. Each actor tends to play it differently, though, so let's break this down to the actor portrayals.

Sean Connery

Sean Connery - We see Bond here as kind of intense, with a love for women. He even acts slightly sexist in some of the movies (though Connery will tell you he hated playing this character and he is not anything like him). In Goldfinger we see Bond force himself on Pussy Galore in a barn, a scene that still makes me uncomfortable to this day.

Roger Moore - Bond here is a little less sexist with more wit and humor. He's more British-classy, I'd say, with some respect for women and maybe a few moments of immature humor. He can be tough, though, and as an actor, Moore was doing some of his own stunts. An example of Bond's witty portrayal is when Jaws, a man with metal teeth, shows his teeth and Bond grins back.

Pierce Brosnan - This portrayal is suave Bond, with emotions. It is harder to describe his style, but I'd say he isn't overly sexist, and can even be swayed by women. This Bond has women listed as a definite weakness. He is flirtatious in nature, much like the rest of the portrayals. (Brosnan had to get out of his Remington Steele contract to play Bond, which is why Timothy Dalton got two movies in the first place.) He is a bit of a combination between Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton (in my opinion).

Timothy Dalton

Timothy Dalton - This is one of the most emotional Bonds. He is the nicest to the women, even being unable to shoot a female sniper in Living Daylights, saying she wasn't a professional sniper. He appears more romantic. He is a bit intense, too, but in a different mission-focused way. He also finds himself in revenge situations because he is acknowledged as having emotion. He even cries as Bond once in a film. Dalton also did most of his own stunts.

Daniel Craig - This one is the epitome of intense. He, too, has emotions. He reveals this and Bond's psychological complexity in his portrayal. He can show Bond's dark emotional side. I would not call this one overly romantic in nature. He's a little more realistic about how damaged Bond may actually be. He also did something unique. Quantum of Solace doesn't have a love scene. He is all action and intensity.

George Lazenby - He did one Bond film, On Her Majesty's Secret Service. I have never seen it and it did not get a good review. He is considered the worst Bond of the series by some. He tried to portray a vulnerable, emotional Bond and did not make a hit. He broke the fourth wall during the film, but apparently did a bare-knuckle fight scene that was decently good, just before he broke the fourth wall.

Is one better than the other?

Anyone who has read the books will know that some of the movies have taken scenes from one book to use them in a completely different plotline. One scene in License To Kill and one scene in For Your Eyes Only are actually from the book "Live and Let Die". That is not the only time we have seen a Bond book chopped up in pieces for the sake of a movie, but I think you understand my point. The books are never going to be exactly the same as the films. Whether you prefer the books to the movies, the movies to the books, or just like both is up to you. It seems there is plenty of Bond to go around and he is very much still alive.

In case you're curious about what scenes I'm referring to in License To Kill and For Your Eyes Only I will show you in the pictures below.