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James Bondfilms have been a very big part of cinema for many decades now. While many faces have bore the title, the effect and the influence of the character have remained the same, starting a wave of spy-thriller films that have turned into a genre on its own. Many actors have had their go at the character likePierce Brosnan,Timothy Dalton, andRoger Moore, but none have been as iconic and popular as Daniel Craig’s version.
First appearing inCasino Royale, the actor portrayed the character in a way that was unseen and unheard of at the time. It would seem, however, that this had a lot to do with the director of the film, Martin Campbell, who had a unique take on the character. The director revealed once, during an interview, aspects of the character that he chose to incorporate from the source material that had now been done before and traits that were left off the drawing board.
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James Bond Director Added Something New To His Version Of The Character
Martin Campbellhas been the mastermind behind not only one but two James Bond films that have set up fresh versions of the character, starting off withGoldenEye,and then moving on toCasino Royale. While we can’t necessarily point out the specific reason why Daniel Craig’s character was more successful than the ones in the past we can look at the differences between them. During an interview withSlashFilm,the director talked about how he did his rendition of the character differently.
“In the book, quick kills and put a bullet in his head, Bond is fine with that. If it’s an ugly kill, like the opening of Casino Royale when it’s an ugly fight when he’s in the bathroom and tries to drown him, it’s an ugly kill. That is something he finds difficult to handle. It was from the book.”
The films are based on a book series following the character, written by Ian Fleming. Campbell revealed what he chose to adapt from the books into the films that made this character stand out a lot more. In the books as well as the past versions, we see James Bond as a very calm character, never witnessing him break a sweat or have any difficulty carrying out his duties. This was a lot different when it came to Craig’s version of the character whose opening sequence showcased a very ugly and brutal kill, as the director put it.
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What Trait DidJames BondDirector Decide Not To Add To His Film?
While this specific feature made Martin Campbell’s James Bond stand out, There was one specific thing from the books that the director refused to add to his film, something that is not absent from past versions. This character trait in question was revealed toSlashFilm,which was 007’s tendency to indulge in vices which the director thinks comes from the author who also had a habit of doing the same.
“He also smoked 70 a day, which we obviously didn’t put in, because you don’t do that in movies now,” he added. “He also drinks too much and his liver is a bit dodgy, which of course, is Fleming himself. He drank too much and had his hand-rolled cigarettes, which finally killed him with the heart attack.”
Elaborating on this, Campbell revealed that Bond had the tendency to chain smoke as well as drink quite a lot of, something that Ian Fleming was also well known for and was even the causeway of his passing. the director stated that he did not think that showcasing indulging in habits such as this would have been suitable in cinema at times like this.
Also Read:“Why not try to take it to a different level”: James Bond Star Rami Malek Wants to Join MCU, Has a Specific Role in Mind
Source:SlashFilms
Ananya Godboley
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2219
Ananya Godboley is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows, with over 2,000 articles published. She has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years. Currently pursuing an undergraduate degree in psychology from K.R. Mangalam University, Ananya also likes to fangirl as a full-time job. She covers news and analyses on anything from Rick and Morty to Hannibal and even Arcane. In between these lines, she also enjoys superheroes and Taylor Swift.A philosophy enthusiast, Ananya enjoys digging deeper into the media she consumes, trying to understand the root of her favorite characters' behavior.
