“Also, the big money was coming from Asia, from the Philippines, Vietnam,
Indonesia, where the audiences go to watch the action sequences, and that’s
why in my opinion the action sequences go on for too long, and it’s a
fundamental flaw.
“The audiences in Asia are not going for the subtle British humour or the
class jokes.”
The franchise took a darker turn in 2006 when Craig made his debut in Casino
Royale.
The character of Q was ditched altogether, and the closest Bond came to
cracking a joke was when he greeted a barman’s “shaken or stirred” query by
snapping: “Do I look like I give a damn?”
Casino Royale’s director, Martin Campbell, said at the time he had tried to
film “more realistic” action scenes, adding: “We kept away from gadgets. We
couldn’t suddenly have John Cleese storming in with a rocket car.”
Cleese’s brief run as Q followed Llewelyn’s 36 years in the role, during which
he supplied Sean Connery and the Bonds who came after him with ingenious spy
gadgets.
After a hiatus, Q reappeared in the 2012 film Skyfall, played by Ben Whishaw.
The joke this time around was that he looked barely old enough to be out of
short trousers.
Sir Roger Moore has described Craig as the finest actor to play Bond but
acknowledged that the films are now far more action-based than in his day.
He said of Craig in Casino Royale: “My God, he did more action in the first
half – in the first second – of the film than I did in all the Bonds put
together. He’s brilliant.”
Of his own films, including The Spy Who Loved Me and The Man With The Golden
Gun, he said: “I always felt you should let the audience share the joke.”
Cleese’s comments shine a light on the importance of the Asian market to
Hollywood film studios.
The most recent example is Edge of Tomorrow, the £100 million Tom Cruise
blockbuster. It performed poorly in the US but its fortunes may be saved
after it topped the box office in Indonesia, Taiwan and South Korea.
Casino Royale was the first Bond film to be shown in China, with Craig flying
in to attend the premiere in Beijing.
The last, Skyfall, opened to strong box office numbers but was edited by
Chinese censors, with references to prostitution in Macau and torture by
Chinese interrogators cut out.
Man with the golden pun: 007’s gags
Moonraker
Minister of Defence: ‘My God, what’s Bond doing?’
Q: ‘I think he’s attempting re-entry, sir.’
Thunderball
Bond, spear-gunning someone to a tree: ‘I think he got the point.’
Diamonds Are Forever
Plenty O’Toole: ‘Hi, I’m Plenty.’
Bond: ‘But of course you are.’
Moonraker
Dr Holly Goodhead: ‘Have you broken something?’
Bond, dusting himself down: ‘Only my tailor’s heart’
For Your Eyes Only
Bond: ‘Forgive me, father, for I have sinned.’
Q: ‘That’s putting it mildly, 007.’
The Man With The Golden Gun
Bond: ‘I am now aiming exactly at your groin. So speak or forever hold your
piece.’
Octopussy
Magda, discussing a Fabergé egg, suggests a trade. ‘The egg for your life.’
Bond: ‘Well, I heard the price of eggs was up, but isn’t that a little high?’
The Living Daylights
Bond, seeing victim killed beneath statue of the Duke of Wellington: ‘He met
his Waterloo.’
The Spy Who Loved Me
Minister of Defence: ‘Bond! What do you think you’re doing?’
Bond: ‘Keeping the British end up, sir.’
Goldfinger
Bond, after electrocuting Goldfinger’s henchman: ‘Shocking. Positively
shocking.’