From A Book To A FIlm

Please feel free to add, correct, or update this information. It's not an all-inclusive list by any means, and was mostly limited to what I had read at the time the article was written 12 years ago.

FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE

SMERSH, the villian in the novel has now become SPECTRE. The plot is to have Bond killed in a major scheme while trying to steal a Spektor decoder. The movie`s plot was to have Bond deliver the Lektor decoder to Grant, who would sell it back to the Russians, after disposing of 007.

The character of General G, the main leader of SMERSH in the novel was replaced almost exactly by Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE in the movie. The chracter of Rene Mathis was not used at all, and was a missed opportunity. Most of the locales of the novel were used, except Paris, France. In the movie, this was changed to Venice, Italy.

GOLDFINGER

Missing in the film is Junuis Du Pont, the man who has been taken to the cleaners by Auric Goldfinger. Also missing are Goldfinger`s backers, SMERSH, as well as the use of a train for the heist. Instead he is backed by the Red Chinese, who also have supplied him with an atomic bomb. Also, a vital scene in a New York hospital where Bond and Tilly Masterton are being held was removed because Oddjob killed Masterton in the film.

The way that Goldfinger has planned to poison the town is also different in the book than in the film. In the book he places a diluted substance in the water, which will knock out everyone. In the movie he puts it into the air. And finally, the most memorable scene in the film , the laser scene, was originally a huge industrial saw used to torture Bond. In the book it had to be a saw because commercial use lasers, as a rule, hadn`t been invented yet.

Pussy Galore and Tilly Masterson's lesbianism is dropped from the film.

THUNDERBALL

Amazingly, all major characters from the novel went into the movie. The movie is missing some key scenes from the book though. First off is the opening of the book where M packs 007 off to Shrublands. In the movie Bond is there for no apparent reason.

The next cut from the book was seeing the face of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE. He was very visable in the novel, with a full description. We just see his hands in the movie. Following that, a very enjoyable lunch scene between Bond and Leiter was taken out, because it was tangent and had little to do with plot developement.

The two final cuts were from the climax. First Bond was on board a US naval vessel, recruiting for the fight against Largo`s men, underwater. This scene never happens, in the film and the US soldiers are just there to help 007. And finally the climax in the water featured a terrific fight between 007 and Emilio Largo and ended with Domino killing Largo. In the movie, the setting is changed to the bridge of the Disco Volante.

YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE
Let's start with the plot.

The "Revenge Factor" was present througout the book. In the film the plot was changed to Blofeld stealing rockets. Next, the two major villians of the book are missing. Shatterhand is altered into Blofeld, and Emmy Shatterhand is just missing all together. Her character was basically replaced by Osato`s assistant, Helga Brandt. And Osato was a totally new character created for the film.

Three characters who stayed were malicously altered. Dikko Henderson became just Mr. Henderson, and was in the movie for about 90 seconds. In the novel, he was in at least 50 pages. The other returning character was Tiger Tanaka. He wasn`t as altered as Henderson, but he isn`t even close to being the novel like version. Kissy Suzuki is the same way, and actually, 007 never once says her name! Her way of life as a former actress and as a shell diver was also defeated in purpose.

Shatterhand`s magnificant Castle of Death was transformed into Blofeld`s cave on a Japanese Island.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER
The Spangled Mob as the main villain is replaced by Blofeld.

Tiffany Case made it to the film. Jill St. John captured a lot of Tiffany`s attitude in the film without having to explain what caused her to be so cold towards men.

Shady Tree went from being a New York mobster in the book to a lounge act in the film. Wint and Kidd were faceless killers right up until the end of the book. They wore masks, were from Detroit and were more vicious in the book than in the film, though they were still lovers in the film. Felix Leiter made both the book and the film, though in the book he was working on the same case as Bond, but from a different angle.

New York featured into the book, but not the film.

To start off, there are simply no major characters who were removed from the story to the movie except "M" and von Hammerstein. The character of "M" was "away" and replaced by Chief of Staff Frederick Gray. This was due to the death of Bernard Lee, who had played "M" since the first film in 1962. Screenwriter Richard Maibaum replaced Von Hammerstein from the book with Kristatos for the film.

Dialogue that was used for the film, from the book, included: "The Chinese have a saying, before going out on revenge, dig two graves" and "You go to hell. It was my parents who were killed, not yours." Maibaum tweaked the dialogue from the story but the essence was the same.

Major changes were A) Location and B) a few characters, names and backgrounds. Col. Havelock had a higher ranking and was an official knight. His wife`s first name was never mentioned in the movie. Also, both of the parents were British in the story, whereas in the movie, Mrs. Havelock is Greek. The other change was to his daughter, Judy became Melina in the movie. It was changed because the name is more ethnic than "Judy".

The locations were changed as well. Jamaica was the scene of the Havelock`s assasination in the book. In the film, it was replaced by Greece. Vermont was the scene of Von Hammerstein`s assasinatin by Judy in the book, but was replaced by Southern Spain. Cortina, Italy was not featured in the book.

Risico

First off, the few major characters Kristatos, Colombo and Lisl Baum are all included in the translation from page to screen. The only thing that did change, much like For Your Eyes Only, was the location, this time from Rome and Milan to Greece.

One of the most interesting things is that the dining scene was faithfully re-created, including the scene where Colombo has a tape recorder planted inside the candle holder at Bond and Kristatos` table. This scene is also where Kristatos gives Bond Colombo`s nickname (rumored in the movie) of `The Dove.`

Another scene that was taken directly, nearly word for word from the story was Bond`s cover to Lisl: that he was doing a story on smugglers. Here is Fleming`s passage: "My name is Bond, James Bond. I`m a writer, doing a story on smugglers, drug smugglers. I`m having trouble with the trade. Would you happen to know any stories?"

"Oh, so that is why you were having dinner with Kristatos. He has a bad reputation. As for the stories, I know none. I know what everyone else knows."

Also, the scene where Bond fights three of Colombo`s thugs was included, but the death of Lisl Baum doesn`t happen there, or at all. In the book, she never gets killed; she only disappears for a while.

One interesting bit taken from the story and put in the film was that one of the two smugglers had received the King`s Medal for resistance fighting. However, in the book, Colombo received it; in the movie Kristatos was the hero.

Miscellaneous References

For Your Eyes Only (the film) also picks up a scene from the novel Live and Let Die. In that book, Solitaire and Bond are bound together, tied to the end of Mr. Big`s yacht, and keel hauled across a harbor full of coral. In For Your Eyes Only, the writers substitute Melina for Solitaire. In the book, Mr. Big`s yacht blows up due to a timed mine placed underneath the hull by 007. In the movie, James and Melina escape by cutting their ropes on the coral and swimming to safety.

OCTOPUSSY

Very little of Ian Flemings novel Octopussy made it onto the big screen. Major Dexter Smythe was the main character in Ian`s short story, but gets only a passing reference in the film. In the book, Bond tracks down the greedy Major to Jamaica, not Sri Lanka, as in the film.

Octopussy, in the novel, was in reference to the Major`s pet Octopus that dined off his beach, whereas in the movie, it referred to a beautiful jewel smuggler. Oberhauser was Smythe`s guide through rough German mountain terrain, yet is not mentioned by name in the film. The location of Germany is used in both the book and film, but not for the same reasons.

The other short story the film Octopussy was based upon was called The Property Of A Lady. The film combined the character of Kenneth Snowman and Dr. Fanshawe into Jim Fanning, who did accompany Bond to Sotheby`s in the film. In the book Bond tried to spot the person bumping up the price, whereas in the film Bond `bumps up the price`. In the film, the Faberge is the object d`art, whereas in the book, it was called the Emerald Sphere.

FROM A VIEW TO A KILL

From A View To A Kill is a short story in the For Your Eyes Only collection. A weak entry in Fleming`s canon to begin with, it`s virtually useless as a springboard for creating a film. Only Bond and M in the short story make it into the film.

The location of Paris, France also makes it into the film. Other than that, there is no resemblance whatsoever between book and film.

THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS

The Living Daylights short story is part of a collection of short stories in Octopussy and The Living Daylights. The film adaptation is actually fairly faithful to the story, in the beginning at least, until about halfway through. Only the names have been changed, basically. In the original short story, James Bond is assigned to provide cover to a defector leaving East Berlin for West Germany. "M" received a tip that the KGB will send their best assassin, code name "Trigger", to kill "agent 227" before he can cross the border successfully. "Captain Sender" is 007`s contact in East Berlin.

In the final film, Sender is replaced by "Saunders". Both roles are essentially the same. They both give 007 his gun and place him on a balcony overlooking a conservatory. (Both are also irascible, old school grumps.) In the short story, 007 enjoys Berlin’s seedier culture and is finally distracted by the beautiful sounds and sights of a blonde, female cello player. In both the book and film, she turns out to be the surprise KGB assassin. In the movie, 227 becomes "General Georgi Koskov". In both the film and short story, 007 avoids a fatal hit on the beautiful assassin. East Berlin becomes "Bratislav, Czechoslavakia".

This short story is filled with Bond’s interior monologue and makes a fascinating read.

LICENSE TO KILL

Licence To Kill was based, in part, upon two different Fleming Novels; the novels--Live And Let Die and The Hildebrand Rarity. With most novel to film transitions, some of the most fun can be had seeing what made the final script and what did not. We`ll first take a look at The Hildebrand Rarity.

The Milton Krest character made the film, but he was drastically different than the book character. As in the book, LTK`s Krest had a drinking problem. What Krest did`nt have in LTK was his "corrector," a whip made of sea spines. He used it, in the book, to keep his wife in line. In the film, the "corrector" is given to the newly created character of Franz Sanchez, who only uses it once. Liz Krest did`nt make the film, but instead was essentially replaced by Lupe Lamora. The WaveKrest in the book made the film and in both cases, The WaveKrest was being used searching for marine specimens as a cover for more nefarious activities. In the case of The Hildebrand Rarity, The WaveKrest was used as a tax writeoff/way to travel around the world free. In LTK, it was used to smuggle cocaine.

A whole section was taken from Live and Let Die, that had not been used for the film of that name. Mostly, this had to do with the revenge of a criminal against Felix Leiter, and how Bond reacted to it. In the book, Felix was partially fed to a great white shark and a note attached to the leftovers of his body that said "He disagreed with something that ate him". In the book, this sequence takes place on an ocean front warehouse in Tampa/St.Petersburg, whereas in the film, it takes place in Key West.

In the book, Bond is investigating treasure smuggling by Mr. Big. In LTK, Felix and Bond investigate drug smuggling by Franz Sanchez. In LALD, the treasure was being smuggled in the bottom of aquariums that had collected sea creatures. The gold coins were buried in the silt. In LTK, the cocaine was smuggled inside the WaveKrest, and buried underneath a maggot incubator.

In The Hildrebrand Rarity, Bond was aided by Fidele Barbery and in Live and Let Die, Bond was aided by Quarrel. In Licence To Kill, Bond is aided by Sharky who is either one of these characters in disguise. Take your pick.

TOMORROW NEVER DIES

The Tomorrow Never Dies novel by Raymond Benson follows the plot lines closely of the final film. Author Benson wrote his book from an early script provided to him by EON. For purposes of rushing the book to coincide with the film’s release, (publishers need the books completed months ahead) authors typically write from first script drafts—even if the film hasn’t wrapped shooting and changes the final result!

Mr. Benson has himself stated that Tomorrow Never Dies and his forthcoming The World Is Not Enough are not among his favorite efforts because they were done at speed to satisfy the fans. First printings of the British hardback of TND, however, are fetching nearly $200 US, due to their selling out from bookstores in a matter of days after its release.

Which juicy tidbits make it to the book that are not on celluloid? Intriguing lines of Bruce Feirstein’s scripted dialogue and character backgrounds, mostly.

Villains

Intriguingly, Raymond Benson’s Stamper was genetically engineered to be without nerve endings! In effect, he can "feel no pain," a skill numerous moviegoers might envy. In the film Stamper’s invulnerability is nearly unexplored—watch when he smiles as Bond’s knife finds a target in his leg. Stamper apparently enjoys snuff video, and possibly pornography also, for his lighter TV watching. In the final film, his crew on Carver’s "Stealth Ship" videotapes the gunning down of Devonshire survivors. This plot element is not played to any effect greater than a quick, greedy glance between Carver and Stamper, who share a taste for sensational video in the novel.

Allies

In the novel, MI6 Chief of Staff, Bill Tanner, appears from the beginning, but in the film this longtime ally has been replaced by "Get out of it, James!" Robinson.

After escaping from the Khyber Pass alive, Bond (White Knight) sends a message to the haughty Admiral Roebuck, code named Black King: "…you can tell the Black King that the White Knight would like to shove the whole chessboard right up his bishop!" In the final film, this provocative line has been replaced with the terse: "Ask the Admiral where he’d like these (bombs) delivered."

The exotic Wai Lin has a background mission that hastens her visit to Elliot Carver’s Hamburg headquarters. She receives orders from a "General Koh" to investigate "General Chang." The film has pitched Wai Lin’s assignment from her superiors, and a silent General Chang is glimpsed once by Wai Lin and Bond.

Wai Lin and 007 make hanky-panky before boarding the Stealth Ship and again after its destruction. In the film, we are teased with an embrace as the final credits roll.

Both 007 and Wai Lin pose as bankers, while in the film Wai Lin’s television reporter cover earns a few risqué laughs from Carver when he threatens to "get Miss Lin behind a news desk."

In the book, Paris is "introduced" to James Bond by her hubby, Elliot Carver. She promptly slaps Bond silly and rushes Wai Lin into a powder room to gossip about him! In the film, of course, Bond stalks up behind Paris, alone, and quips "I’ve always wondered how I’d feel if I ever saw you again." This line comes from their hotel room scene in the novel.