Pre-Title Sequences from Shortest to Longest

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

M had that awfully self-conscious line about hollowed out volcanoes and big breasted women... Apparently Feirstein tried to get it in GE and TND and finally managed in TWINE, but it was cut in the edit. I'm one of his biggest proponents but that line really isn't appropriate.

Self-referential dialogue had definitely been a thing by the 90s. It's not something Bond hasn't done before, but that deleted dialogue does feel pretty clunky. Not even Dame Judi Dench could make it sound natural.

Q's '007 on an island populated exclusively by women? We won't see him until morning!' from OP is a good example of this sort of line being handled well.

Yes I quite like that one. Also Alec's line about the martinis silencing the screams of the girls Bond failed to protect. Rather a haunting taunt.

Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang wrote:

Yes I quite like that one. Also Alec's line about the martinis silencing the screams of the girls Bond failed to protect. Rather a haunting taunt.

Cut to the quick.

The Op line and 006's exchange about the martinis are perfectly handled and not overdone like the hollowed out volcano line. The darkness of Trevalyan's angst ridden monologues feel like they draw from the darkness of Michael France's original writing probably.

IIRC that particular line did originate from France's draft. Still find his draft bloated and a little too generic for Bond.