This is an essay discussing "how the filmmakers refresh the Bond franchise in Casino Royale". I will explain the Bond genre characteristics; how they are used in Casino Royale; how the characteristics used affect the audiences perception of Bond, and a concluding paragraph.My first thoughts on this question are that there are obviously some intrinsic aspects of the Bond films which are important and therefore should be kept, such as: that James Bond is so suave and sophisticated in his suit and bow tie which no other spy wears, and how the villains are always physically scarred or crippled in some kind of way, implying (subconsciously) to the audience that they are evil and are therefore cursed.
First of all, James Bond is one of the most famous fictional characters of all time.He has been played by as many actors as hours in the school day. The directors have to find an actor who is: good looking, suave looking, looks good in a suit and of course he must be very fit, for all of the chases he must endure! Directors are also always looking for new characteristics an actor can bring to the role, for instance I believe that Daniel Craig has brought a kind of "hard man" aspect which I think is what Ian Flemming originally intended James Bond to look like and is one example of how the role has been refreshed.Although the new James Bond is harder he still must do the expected chases, and being physically bigger he shows how resourceful he is by using things around him to keep up, for instance, when he needs to jump a high fence, he simply gets into a bulldozer and drives his way through! And using his build to his advantage by barging his way through walls and doors. This is a new and fresh James Bond characteristic, showing how the filmmakers refresh the Bond franchise and is used in many scenes, one being the Madagascar chase through a building site.
Not all of his chases are on foot however.Usually the vehicle chase is in different crazy vehicles every film. For instance in "The World Is Not Enough" the starting chase is in speedboats, in London, through small alleys and even streets. As well as his chases being fantastic, so are his one liners! As you may have notice in most of the Bond films he has an extremely dry sense of humour for example, in "Die Another Day" he drives a hovercraft over the edge of a cliff, with the bad guy still onboard, he jumps off at the last moment, grabbing onto a large swinging bell, jumps down then says "saved by the bell".Which adds an added brilliance to the Bond films for as well as keeping you on the edge of your seat the audience is kept chuckling. Roger Moore is considered to have brought the most tongue-in-cheek humour to the role of James Bond.
There is a considerable difference between the way Moore portrayed the character and the darkness and mystery that Daniel Craig uses, because Moore portrayed him with a cheeky, chirpy personality, whereas Craig sees James Bond with more of a dark, confident, cocky personality. This shows another new aspect the filmmakers have brought to the role of Bond.Another considerable difference between previous Bonds and Craig is that in situations where you would think that Bond would most certainly be killed, they all manage to stay cool, calm and collected, but Craig however is a much more focused character with a lot more menace and an air of danger about him, the audience is sometimes unsure of where his limits lie. You can see this when he breaks into M's house, to access her computer, knowing very well that when caught will be in major trouble.
It almost gives a sense that he feels he has nothing to lose or it could be that his arrogance makes him feel above retribution.Part of his arrogance may be fueled because he always gets the girl, which every other man on the planet wishes they could do! Usually the Bond girl is more of the sexy type of woman, and it is her attractiveness that draws the audience and Bond in. Although along the way he does meet other girls and can seduce them to give him all the relevant information on the bad guy that he needs, that is the primary interest and his goal, the fact that she is beautiful, is just an added bonus, for both Bond and the audience, and his arrogance because he now thinks that he can seduce any woman in the world!The burning question for women is "Will Bond ever get together with miss Moneypenny" for there is always that chemistry between them, and everyone knows that Miss Moneypenny is deeply in love with him. However this is not used in "Casino Royale". What makes "Casino Royale" special in this department is that, the Bond girl is no ordinary Bond girl.
She is still very beautiful to look at, which still keeps the male audience enticed, however she is very intelligent, is not a real spy for she is an accountant for MI6 and does not succumb to Bond so easily.In the first scene where she (Vesper Lynd) and Bond meet on the train, she basically says to him now and then, "look buddy, I'm going to be a lot more difficult than all my predecessors! ", which is comic because of the face she leaves on Bond. Most of the way through the film she winds up Bond, by outsmarting him which makes him feel not so arrogant anymore, and makes him want her more. Eventually, Bond falls for Vesper and likewise, and they leave together to travel the world, and Bond vows to resign from MI6.
Bond shows his love for Vesper when he dives into deep water risking his own life in order to save hers, and cries after realizing that she is dead. This is only seen in one another Bond film "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", except he marries her (Tracy Di Vicenzo), but she is assassinated shortly after. This in my mind is a definite way to refresh the Bond franchise. I expect that he would pull the girls though, in the cars that he drives around in! The most famous of the Bond cars is the Aston Martin, which is a typical English flash car.
This is product placement because now people are buying these cars because James Bond has this car!A difference in "Casino Royale" is that at one point the he is driving around in a Ford Mondeo! I think this draws the audience in because, some people will be ecstatic for they actually have the same car as James Bond. In one scene outside of a hotel, he uses a car to his advantage. While outside, he is bent down tying his shoes when someone mistakes him for a chauffeur and orders him to park his land rover discovery. Bond says "Certainly sir, sorry sir" and parks it perfectly, but then reverses violently into a row of cars, flushing out the security so he can get into the office.
All of the cars, in all Bond films are swimming with gadgets, and casino royale is no different. Even the Ford Mondeo is complete with radar and all the usual bond gadgets. The Bond gadgets are very unique to other films, for they are all very farfetched for instance in "Die Another Day" he surfs onto an island, then when on dry land he pulls apart the surfboard to reveal guns, grenades and a computer. The gadgets are not always used by Bond however in this film, because in the airport the bomb which is intended for the aircraft, is minute and very discreet so as not to be noticed.As the bond series of films progress, the gadgets become more impressive for instance, in the first film "Dr No" he is only armed with a regular hand pistol and a self-destructing bag and now the gadgets in "Casino Royale" are much more imaginative, they include: a mobile phone with special qualities, he is injected with a tiny microchip so that MI6 can track his every move all over the world, a tiny cylinder placed in Le Chiffe's inhaler which is a microphone, so that Bond can hear everything that he does through his earpiece without even being in the same room as him.
The character who creates all of these gadgets "Q" is absent from this venture, but in previous films has been seen as one of the more comical characters. Mainly from his attitude to Bond, for in his eyes he is still a young immature boy, that keeps breaking all of his toys. (continue to write about gadgets) Another Bond characteristic is his endless supply of catchphrases, such as when he is in a posh bar or restaurant he will order a "dry martini, shaken not stirred", which is now one the most famous lines of all time in films.It shows that he is very sophisticated and is specific with what he wants and makes sure he gets. Every actor uses this line, but each delivers it in a very different manner. For instance, Pierce Brosnan used it in a suave attractive kind of way, Roger Moore was cheeky, Sean Connery was very macho, whereas Daniel Craig is very macho with an underlying darkness.
I think this is key to refreshing the Bond franchise.After losing a poker game, Craig goes to the bar and orders (as you would guess) a dry martini, but when the barman asks him "shaken or stirred", he replies with "Do I look like I give a damn! . this really does highlight the difference between the different Bonds and the audience how unbelievably tense he is. Another one of his catchphrases, is world famous and is definitely the first thing that enters my head when I think of the James Bond films. He says it when he greets an enemy, or a woman which catches his eye.
He says "the names Bond, James Bond". He uses this catchphrase in "Die Another Day" when he meets Jinx (Halle Berry) on the beach at a very exotic location. Again each actor uses the same line but in different styles.To summarise, the filmmakers include a lot more action in the new James Bond films, and Bond is now not looking so invincible but more human with faults and weaknesses.
For after a fight in an older film he wouldn't have a scratch, mark or even slight bruising, however in this film he seems to come out much worse. The new Bond, Daniel Craig, is a brilliant choice by the directors, for he has all of the traditional Bond characteristics as well as bringing other new exciting aspects sparking debate to the James Bond films.
