Bring Me Barbel

chrisisall · February 2015

The fellows at Absolutely James Bond gave me the okay to share this here, it made us laugh a bit & we hope it’s appreciated here. Sir Barbel did-ith the heavy lifting in this group effort.

Here it is collected together, with a few additions. (Don’t take the act/scene numbers too seriously)
Act 1, Scene 1. High above a sea.
Sir Miles: Honoured soldiers, though to our secular lords our present endeavour be no more than a mere plaything, a bagatelle for gaining that experience held high in our conscience, so from our spring I hold it as a matter of mine honour that thee, furbished with the O’s redoubled, will disdain fortune in pursuit and shall cause no discomfort to fall upon me.
(Exeunt three soldiers. A strong wind blows)
Oh a thousand damnations be upon thee!
Act 1, Scene 2. A rock in the sea.
1st Sentry: In truth, sirrah, out of this merriment you are.
2nd Sentry: Cry hold! You live no more.
Act 1, Scene 5. A boat in the sea.
Bored Maiden: Of the life herein I do weary. I seek merely a man who is strong and true, and plays not of the tennis.
(Enter Sir James)
Sir James: I am he who is called Bond, James Bond. To Sir Miles in one hour I must make report.
Bored Maiden: I prithee, leave me not.
Sir James: Forsooth, one hour shall become two.
Intermission. Maidens dance, a Norseman sings.
Act 2, Scene 1. An opera house.
Saunders: I am Saunders, he who commands Vienna. Your tardiness is reprehensible.
Sir James: Of the essence time holds no sway. Yonder maiden sweet music upon her cello doth make, yet no more sweet than her own fair charms.
Saunders: Thou must take leave of the fairer sex, Double Naught Seven, thine duty precedence must take.
Sir James: To the border thou must make haste, I prithee in what manner?
Saunders: Thy pardon must I crave, unknown to thee shall be my route. Scroll the six-and-twentieth, paper the fifth. Thine understanding I am certain of.
Act 2, Scene 3. A cave.
Old Wizard: To the depths in this swine of base metal must thee journey, or as with borscht shalt thou boil.
Koskov: I know not of swine or borscht or sweetmeats!
Act 2, Scene 4. A carriage.
Saunders: Report must I make of thy shortcomings, Naught Naught Seven.
Sir James: Get thee to Sir Miles and disclose unto him that which pleases thee. Should he but terminate my employ, I shall upon him heap great praise in reciprocation! One endpiece of a flintlock from the other knowest the fair damsel not. Verily, whomsoever she may be, the light of day which survives in her has been sent to flight.
Act 3, Scene 2. Throne room of Sir Miles Messervy.
Sir James: Of thy choice in caviar have I differed, my liege, and in truth the fair damsel doth live still.
Sir Miles: Then, marry, from Hong Kong shall Double Naught Eight be summoned. His pursuance of orders doth exceed thine, whose disposition lends favour to instinct, wherefore Pushkin he knows not. Four-and-ten days of leisure shall be given to thee.
Sir James: Nay!… Sire. If this deed is decreed to come to pass, let me endeavour to make it so.
Act 3, Scene 4. The old wizard’s lair.
Old Wizard: In my crystal ball I see the woman you seek, whose humour it is to take the life of men with her thighs.
Moneypenny: Sir James, thine type she most surely ist!
Sir James: Nay, thou art mistaken, my type thou art.
Old Wizard: Thine attention I crave, Naught Naught Seven. For those across the sea I have laboured long and weary, in the creation of this blaster of ghettos.
Moneypenny: ‘Twas unknown to me your fondness for the muse, Sir James. I entreat thee, should happenstance in the twilight hour thou be unencumbered, thou should attend my domicile for perusal of my Barry Manilow collection.
Old Wizard: Take care with thine carriage, Naught Naught Seven- new livery it doth have!
Act 5, Scene 4. Another carriage, fashioned by the DB5th Earl of Aston and the Viscount Martin.
Sir James: Verily this modern safety glass doth astound! In truth, installation of those accessories named as optional I have caused.
Lady Kara: To the distant constables thou canst listen- be this witchcraft?
Sir James: Nay, sweet lady, ’tis but an anomaly of the air that surrounds us.
Act 6, Scene 4. A foreign place of amusement.
Sir James: Balloon, I have no quarrel with thee
and yet you in my angry embrace be;
Your inflator I must surely stop
forgive my tightening grip that you must…
*pop*
Tall German man weeping in background: ajb007/crap
Act 7, Scene 2. A boudoir.
Pushkin: Dost thou call on me with social intent?
Sir James: Lilies of the field should thee have brought. Faith in Koskov have I none, lest thy death be upon thee.
Pushkin: Then die I must.
Act 7, Scene 7. Another boudoir. Lady Kara sits with her cello.
Lady Kara: Sir James, Sir James, wherefore art thou Sir James?
(Enter Sir James)
Sir James: Lady Kara, ’tis the hour when all deceit laid aside must be. No friend of Georgi’s am I; whence Albion, where my duties lie, I journeyed seeking his atonement for the betrayal of all. ‘Twas I, none other, that with aim true shot the flintlock from your sweet hands.
Act 8, Scene 2. High above another sea.
Koskov: A thousand pardons, Sir James, my love for thee is boundless, yet the ancients shall proclaim that no sweethearts hath duty.
Sir James: Thou art replete with it, those ancients in my land shall proclaim.
Lady Kara: A fool have I been.
Sir James: No more than I, my lady.
Act 8, Scene 4. A gaol.
Warder: Long and weary have I waited for a captive woman.
Bearded Man: Oh free me from this captivity! Innocent am I!
Warder: Thy death shall await thee in the dawn hour, though shot shall take precedence over the rope.
(He strikes Sir James, who falls)
Warder: To descend I did bid thee not!
(Sir James rises and is struck once more)
Warder: Neither were thou bidden to ascend!
(Sir James overcomes the Warder in battle)
Lady Kara: Oh most magnificent thou art! Our freedom has been granted!
Sir James: Yet in a fortress in a foreign citadel we remain.
Bearded Man: For this boon I thank thee.
Act 9, Scene 3. Still another boudoir.
Lady Kara: Oh fool thou art! Nothing more than a steed’s hindermost quarters!
Sir James: Verily shrew, doth thee compare mineself to the posterior of a beast of thy fields!
Act 11, Scene 4. In the lair of a villain.
Koskov: Honoured Pushkin, my delight in our reunion doth know no bounds.
Pushkin: As doth mine, Georgi. To Moscow thou shalt fly- within the satchel of diplomacy!
Sir James: And of the Lady Kara?
Pushkin: Her fate we must discuss.
Act 12, Scene 1. Another opera house.
Sir James: To miss this performance I would not.
Lady Kara: Oh, Sir James!

(Exeunt omnes. Sir James Bond shalt return.)

(Fleming/Shakespeare/Maibaum/Wilson arr. Barbel/Chrisisall/Thunderpussy)

ThomasCrown76 · February 2015

What in the big wide world of sports was that???

chrisisall · February 2015

ThomasCrown76 wrote: »

What in the big wide world of sports was that???

Someone said that Dalton was rather Shakespearean as Bond so we got the idea to REALLY do it that way. 🙂)

ThomasCrown76 · February 2015

Why the hell not;)?

chrisisall · February 2015

ThomasCrown76 wrote: »

Why the hell not;)?

Be glad we didn’t do it in the original Klingon!

ThomasCrown76 · February 2015

Only Nixon could go to china 😉

chrisisall · February 2015

The Shakespearean Bond doubteth his vera

Troy · November 2012

Regrettably, I can’t take credit for this level of analysis, but I found these two reviews. They are quite deep, but i like the thrust of their analysis. Have the hit on something? or are talking pretentious bollocks?

David Thomson commented:

The film is hugely fun, but has a very serious theme: the place of tradition in the modern world. It really feels like a statement about modern Britain by Mendes, Deakins and Crag – three of our leading

Skyfall is by far the closest depiction of the Bond from the novels. The novels are in many ways are about the traditions of the British Empire colliding with post WW2 decline. Something that Skyfall almost stands as a response to. Skyfall itself is an answer the questions and insecurities Fleming exposed as the Empire rapidly declined in the 50s and 60s.

SPOILERS HERE:

The central Tennyson quote by M is the key to the whole film (incase you missed the relevance of the Fighting Temarare by Turner earlier on). Throughout the film tradition is constantly threatened by modernity – and each time a tempered version of tradition comes up trumps. There are countless examples… Bond is shot not by the mistake of someone on the ground, but because of the high tech communication. MI6 new building is destroyed and they’re safer in ancient WW2 tunnels. Silva is a tech genius, but Bond (and M) is repeatedly called out of touch or old. And of course, the final sequence can be seen as one giant metaphor – the high tech invaders storming Bond’s castle with all their equipment and Bond has ancient rifles and a knife. And how does he finally beat Silva – by the most simple weapon he has. There is so much of this throughout the film I can’t remember it off the top of my head. The whole film is about the interaction of tradition and modernity.

The reading I take from the film is as Tennyson says: time will give you a beating, but hold onto your history and traditions and they will steel you against anything that comes at you. That’s exactly what James Bond does.

SPOILERS END

I’d love to hear how Americans react to the themes of tradition in the film. Particularly around the relevance of the Tennyson quote from Ulysses spoken by M:

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

If putting that Tennyson speech into the mouth of one of our greatest living actors in the middle of our biggest cultural exports isn’t a statement about Britain, I don’t know what is.

I can’t see any of those sentiments or political position of Skyfall being made by many American filmmakers.

Chris Hunneysett commented:

Sir, the Tennyson is the essential to our understanding of the film but for these complementary reasons:
The film is absolutely about selling Britain and Mendes underlines how Bond is the best of Britain by drawing a parallel, or possibly an umbilical cord through time between this most modern hero and our most ancient, King Arthur.
It was Tennyson in his ‘Idylls of the King’ codified the Arthurian legend and Mendes is in effect continuing the tale of Arthur when he returns, when England needs him most.
The pre-title sequence is the Malory’s (does that name ring a bell from the movie?) Le Morte d’Arthur, the story of how Arthur is betrayed by a woman, mortally wounded in action and disappears presumed dead in the lake.
During the titles Bond undergoes a symbolic Christian rebirth.
Time passes and when Britain needs Arthur/Bond again and so he returns as legend foretells.
The threat is once again Mordred (Silva) about whom legend is distinctly ambiguous of the familial relationship between he and Arthur.
Thus we have lots of references to M as their joint (metaphorical) mother, (both men are orphans, Arthur also had a fostered upbringing), Severine, the woman they share is also an orphan. Further, Bond is revealed to have a birth mother with a Spanish maiden name, suggesting a further ahem, bond with Silva.
The Merlin figure is of course Q.
I don’t believe a director as erudite as Mendes would include these details/imagery/language by coincidence, it would almost impossible to do so by accident. The purpose is to anchor Bond firmly in the tradition of British heroic sacrifice (Tennyson also of course wrote The Charge Of The Light Brigade) and so elevate him from the mundane into the legendary.
These elements incorporated in the subtext will be registered in the audience’s mind whether they realise it or not, they will be familiar with the basic elements of Arthurian legend but not necessarily identify them as such in Skyfall but the film will benefit from the cultural echoes regardless.
Yes this is what Joseph Campbell was writing about in The Hero With a Thousand Faces (and far better than I) but what Mendes does is employ the theory to wed Bond to Arthur for Bond’s benefit, the movie’s benefit and for the audience’s benefit.
Thanks for listening.

Taken from Roger Ebert’s Journal
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2012/11/a_great_deal_of_solace.html#comments

Getafix · November 2012

Yes I believe all these references are almost certainly deliberate. Mendes studied English (I think) at Cambridge and no doubt he and Logan had long and fascinating discussions about all this stuff. The Turner and Tennyson is impossible to miss but had not registered the Arthurian references. Reading this though I have no doubt that it is intentional. This is exactly what I expected from Mendes and one of the reasons that I had such high expectations for the film. It is fascinating and gives me a greater appreciation for what they were trying to achieve. However, it is just unfortunate that (IMO) this erudition has not contributed towards a more entertaining film.

NapoleonPlural · November 2012

A better explanation. Even though the main villain is heading up Whitehall to take me and probably a bunch of other folk out, I’m gonna sit here and spout poetry in my RP accent…

Sandy · November 2012

NapoleonPlural wrote:

A better explanation. Even though the main villain is heading up Whitehall to take me and probably a bunch of other folk out, I’m gonna sit here and spout poetry in my RP accent…

No, she stands her ground and finishes what she went there to do. That has a lot to do with the poem for those who kept their eyes and ears well open.

That was one of my favourite parts of the film, very powerful. Very good analysis @Troy.

mrnate8 · November 2012

Fascinating approach.

Getafix · November 2012

Sandy wrote:

» show previous quotes

NapoleonPlural wrote:

A better explanation. Even though the main villain is heading up Whitehall to take me and probably a bunch of other folk out, I’m gonna sit here and spout poetry in my RP accent…

No, she stands her ground and finishes what she went there to do. That has a lot to do with the poem for those who kept their eyes and ears well open.

That was one of my favourite parts of the film, very powerful. Very good analysis @Troy.

The poem is great. The fact they have to read it aloud to get the point across is unfortunate – slightly clunky film-makimg IMO. But even worse, in the context of the film, it makes M look utterly out of touch and arrogant. She has completely and utterly ballsed up and caused the deaths of countless agents. And yet not only is she indignant at being called before a parliamentary committee (how dare they, these mere representatives of the people!) but she has the arrogance to lecture them on Tennyson. It is the actions of unaccountable fools like herself that has brought MI6 to the verge of disaster and this is her response – a glorious, unapologetic two fingers to the nation. Now may be some people like their M that way, but I don’t. It did however contribute to my thoroughly enjoying her death at the end of the movie.

NapoleonPlural · November 2012

Agree, agree, agree. Not only that, but earlier on she says to Mallory, “I’m going to stick around and sort out the problems at MI6!’ or words to that effect. This has a nasty kind of vibe to it, does it put me in mind of the sort of thing Tony Blair or Gordon Brown might say? Or Capello after the disastrous England World Cup? Or Rupert Murdoch ‘I’m going to put my house in order!’ regarding News International? It’s the old ‘you don’t get rid of me!’ trick, dressed up as being responsible. Very cool if deliberate writing, but instead it’s as if we’re meant to applaud her – good ol’ M!

In fact, frankly guys, even if you love the film, you might as well argue that the scene is deliberately done to show M as out of touch – a Colonel Blimp figure who waits around spouting verse while the enemy is at the gates, whereas at least Mallory gets stuck into the action. Have you ever thought of that (tbf only just occurred to me…)

MrSpy · November 2012

That was one of my favorite moments. It was everything the canned, phony, shoe-horned Dickens quote wanted to be in TDKR.

0BradyM0Bondfanatic7 · November 2012

I don’t see this as a political statement at all, but a statement about M and Bond’s character. We enter a time where the intelligence community and its HUMINT (human intelligence) can’t compare to the effectiveness of SIGINT (signal intelligence). The film explores just how important having human agents is. Furthermore, the poem is the exact definition of M and Bond. They are old hardware yet are able to do what needs to be done and will always endure against all challenges, even if that means risking their lives. Aging is a tough subject for everyone, but Skyfall makes a great commentary on not only the characters, but the franchise beyond that which sparked in 1962. This franchise has some mileage on it, what with Bond in his 50th year on the big screen, but still today we can say that though he is aged, he has stood the test of time and is better than ever. That is what will always make this series of films in everyone’s hearts and minds. It now means so much to generation after generation, and to be apart of that is spine tingling.

JohnBarryFan · November 2012

I really enjoyed, in fact it’s one of Skyfall’s high points for me, Judy Dench’s delivery of “To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Remember that, exactly 100 years ago in 1912, Robert Falcon Scott, Edward Wilson, Birdie Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Taffy Evans all died returning from the South Pole.

“To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield” was what Apsley Cherry-Garrard had inscribed on the Polar Party final resting place.

I’d love to think Judy Dench’s words in Skyfall were not a coincidence.

JimThompson45 · November 2012

I thought both the quote, and the way the movie was structured around it, was a very powerful, effective approach. I also think it carries an added meaning for the Americans right now as well as the British.

What I don’t know is if the Americans will actually execute the actions of the last line.

Guillaume · November 2012

I never imagined that one movie could be so complex, amazing analysis.

RiccardoLuij · November 2012

An amazing analysis indeed. Also helps to make sense of the British bulldog mascot on M’s desk – you know, the one that survives the devastation of the MI6 explosion (when all around it is destroyed) and is passed down, after M’s death, to Bond himself. This quintessential emblem of all that is British is indestructible, and survives to be passed down to succeeding generations. It’s almost enough to make you stand to attention and salute!

dchantry · November 2012

what a superb analysis

actonsteve · November 2012

RiccardoLuij wrote:

An amazing analysis indeed. Also helps to make sense of the British bulldog mascot on M’s desk – you know, the one that survives the devastation of the MI6 explosion (when all around it is destroyed) and is passed down, after M’s death, to Bond himself. This quintessential emblem of all that is British is indestructible, and survives to be passed down to succeeding generations. It’s almost enough to make you stand to attention and salute!

This is a good point. The China nick nack bulldog did represent the indestructability of Britain and at the same time the lead character takes the pee out of it which is very British.

JimThompson45 · November 2012

The more I watch this film, the more I see the wisdom in this analysis. It is a, I think, brilliant, as well as entertaining, construct indeed!

Tokoloshe · December 2012

Superb analysis of the film, really enjoyed reading it.

I was at Magdalen College School in Oxford at the same time as Sam Mendes although he would have been 5 years above me and I can’t claim to have known him personally, but I can vouch for him most likely having had a very strong literary education.

Tuulia · December 2012

I’ve finally gotten to read some of the earlier threads, and wanted to thank Troy for posting the analysis above, a great find. I’ll need to read again and think it through. I’m not familiar with Malory, the Gareth story/Sir Gareth and all that… need to do some reading… All very educational. 🙂

One detail I couldn’t agree with:

“Further, Bond is revealed to have a birth mother with a Spanish maiden name, suggesting a further ahem, bond with Silva.”

Silva is supposed to be of Portuguese origin, tho, right? And besides, how is Delacroix a Spanish name, anyway?

4EverBonded · December 2012

Very good analysis. I am happy with the poem, the entire set up, how it was delivered, and the implied intention. I concur. And I think Skyfall is a very enjoyable film, with layers that we are just now beginning to more fully appreciate.

Tuulia · December 2012

4EverBonded wrote:

Very good analysis. I am happy with the poem, the entire set up, how it was delivered, and the implied intention. I concur. And I think Skyfall is a very enjoyable film, with layers that we are just now beginning to more fully appreciate.

Yes, I agree. I loved the Tennyson scene in the movie and how it was done, the cross-editing, the whole thing. At least on one viewing I was almost tearing up, the other times I got goosebumps (seen it 5 times so far). I’ve since read the whole poem, too, obviously, not being familiar with it before. 🙂 And read art history analysis of the paintings. Literary history, actual history… stuff about names… It’s like being back at university, just more fun. 😀 Skyfall is a true wonder, and I’m still thrilled and in awe. The more I read and think, and the more I see it, the more I love it.

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