Thunderball at 60: The Bond and Beyond Treatment

Thunderball has a flash of good at the start with Bond waking up hungover and dealing with the night before, before heading off to SIS. Then it changes, the scene with M feels a bit weird what with M banging on about health and Shrublands -the repeated use of Bond's Christian name. It would've been okay perhaps just the once (when Bond first notices it -not good when M uses his name).

I found the Shrublands part sluggish. In the film it probably works but it's nearly 50 pages before we leave it. Either briefer or something else done with it. Bond and Lieppe sparring is well and good and as it wears on, you see just how closely the film followed.

Reached the introduction of SPECTRE in Paris and it feels a return to Fleming's usual.

Some lines did tickle such as Bond and the taxi driver (to Shrublands), Bond musing on the state of young labour since the war, the welfare state. That was 1961. Fleming would have a fit if he saw the state of things now. Lips wrinkling at 'chav'.

Reading through the SPETCRE chapters. Any other book a long run through of SPECTRE's history and in turn Blofeld's might seem to deter pacing. After the Shrublands passages, this feels like the beginning of the book. Blofeld is once again in true Fleming fashion described in such a manner. There is a line about he was never known to sleep with either sex, something clearly broken between OHMSS and YOLT.

I would say I like the mention of the Union Corse, something I firmly fixate with OHMSS but this is par for the course in an organisation that has the creme de la creme of the criminal world. Something about No.12 being punished for the violation of a girl hostage.

Then back to Bond. Again, that scene with M previously about Bond's health didn't feel right but this one does. It's proper business and what's a contrast to the film of course is that one, we are merely told that a bomber has gone missing (a fictional Villiers Vindicator not the Avro Vulcan of the film). Secondly, the assumption already is that the plane has gone missing near the Bahamas and thirdly, Bond is not too thrilled about going there (sooner go to the Iron Curtain beat as that's more important). Whereas of course in the film Bond by now is aware of Domino and possibly her link to Lieppe and isn't mad too keen on going to Canada.

THEN we get the Vindicator crash and the intro of Largo.

Not too keen on going to the Bahamas ... Good God man, learn to recognise the perks of the job!

Ha, indeed. Even when he gets there, he still feels somewhat dismissive. It's curious how in the book it feels more M and British Intelligence's keenness on the Bahamas as a search area and Bond isn't keen, but in the film they'd rather pack him off to Canada which he loathes and are dismissive of the Bahamas.

Reading into his first scenes with Domino (Dominetta Vitali), there is brilliant descriptive of the Disco Volante and the Bahamas (that travel book stuff Fleming could make work amidst the pages of a thriller). Domino herself intrigues. In the book she has more of an edge than she does in the film. Her first interaction with Bond, it's akin to Tracy almost. She's beautiful, is under the sway of Largo but there's an added bite.

It's been said that few fictional creations have been given the same likes dislikes etc. as their creator to the extent that Fleming gave Bond his, so one wonders what the poor Canucks did to incur IF's wrath .

Probably a drunken punch-up with someone in the RCN during the war. Huge swathes of Bond characters had names taken from people he knew. You sense Fleming took delight in their reaction such as Blofeld.

Finished the book today. You have yourself a Sergeant Molony, someone Fleming surely know if he used the name for Sir James in the books.

No Fiona, no Vargas and a hefty amount of Bond and Felix on an US submarine. From what I remember of NSNA, this at least is in that but something lost from TB's film unfortunately. Indeed, there's no Disco punch-up.

It's not a bad book but not a top 5 as such.

Indeed, Goldfinger was named for that Brutalist architect whose work Fleming disliked intensely if memory serves.

Poor man likely wanted to be remembered for those buildings but went to his death knowing that somewhere, someone, thought he was a Bond villain.

I'm betting IF knew a few Pussy Galore's. Ahem

the Q that should've been.

"Oooooh, 007!"

Hehehe, it's fun to imagine the relish he would've put into the likes of the 'your sordid escapades' lines.

Exactly, it would've been somewhat glorious. Williams had it in him to be a serious enough actor and still have humour. I think he could've been a Cleese-esque Q in the early Moore years.

Every time I reread TB I can't help but feel it's held back by being based on all the scripting work and it just doesn't feel fully Fleming-but the great parts are where you can obviously tell it's all Ian and thus little moments become fascinating before slipping back into plot construction etc. If I try to rank the novels it's quite low due to this. All my favorite elements are when the book really feels exciting and engaging which again are the pure Fleming pieces of description, sensory writing and Domino being such a fully fleshed out character.

Best bits: Bond to Shrublands and the taxi driver, Bond's diet with the soup, his musings on tea and drinking strong black tea, his cravings for Spaghetti Bolognese and raw Chianti, the description of SPECTRE's inner workings, Bond v Lippe as like feuding children in the midst of the looming crisis, Bond playing Largo's ego, Felix's musings about watered down cocktails, ALL the Domino scenes, Bond saying Bitch, Domino's story about her hero the Players cigarette sailor, Bond and Domino's love scene on the beach, the hospital ending etc.

TB seems to be held back by the fact that it was spawned from a TV screenplay treatment, so doesn't have quite that usual zest to it.

Nevertheless, very readable IMO. In my last run through the novels, I finished it within two days if I recall.

I took three days this time round, muggings trying to imprint details for the thread But as you say CJB being born from the screenplay affected the book a little. The behind the scenes stuff I think overshadows it.

hegottheboot wrote:

Every time I reread TB I can't help but feel it's held back by being based on all the scripting work and it just doesn't feel fully Fleming-but the great parts are where you can obviously tell it's all Ian and thus little moments become fascinating before slipping back into plot construction etc. If I try to rank the novels it's quite low due to this. All my favorite elements are when the book really feels exciting and engaging which again are the pure Fleming pieces of description, sensory writing and Domino being such a fully fleshed out character.

Best bits: Bond to Shrublands and the taxi driver, Bond's diet with the soup, his musings on tea and drinking strong black tea, his cravings for Spaghetti Bolognese and raw Chianti, the description of SPECTRE's inner workings, Bond v Lippe as like feuding children in the midst of the looming crisis, Bond playing Largo's ego, Felix's musings about watered down cocktails, ALL the Domino scenes, Bond saying Bitch, Domino's story about her hero the Players cigarette sailor, Bond and Domino's love scene on the beach, the hospital ending etc.

That bitch line could've been finely done by Connery and watching Domino drive off. Bond's little think about cigarettes (switching from his usual Morland's) was a nice little nugget.

Next year is both TSWLM and OHMSS. Two contrasting stories by far but ripe for discussion.

I've always felt the "Bitch" in DAF was a nod to it in TB at that particular moment.

Every reread of those two gives me the same impression: TSWLM is nothing to be embarrassed by as a lower key experiment-except that accursed line.
OHMSS is a great novel but Maibaum did his best adaptation work for the series in his script by tightening many areas and ramping up the tension and drama.

Agree. I have a liking for TSWLM as it's so different and a decent enough attempt. I suspect woke types would find a lot wrong in the heroine and the fact Bond comes to the rescue but that is what makes it work.

As for OHMSS, the film captured it well and though certain bits were changed, the book is my favourite. Wish I had the mullah for the Folio edition. Could stand beside my film tie-in edition from '69.