photo: Elaine Hamlin
Mélanie and I had a wonderful Halloween in Ashland, Oregon, taking part in the town parade, trick or treating in the lovely railroad distort, and wrapping the day up with dinner at Peerless, one of our favorite Ashland restaurants. Peerless’s excellent drinks list includes the Vesper, the cocktail named for James Bond’s tragic love interest in Casino Royale. I usually have a Vesper when I’m there, and it was extra special this time with Spectre about to open.
I’ve always loved James Bond films – the adventure, the humor, the style. My mom loved them too. My dad wasn’t quite as into them, but he enjoyed them as well and we’d watch as a family. But with Casino Royale, my interest increased. Here was the adventure and style with more substance, a harder-edged look at the spy game – and a wonderful love story. Of course it didn’t hurt that I could imagine Daniel Craig and Eva Green as Malcolm and Suzanne and that the love story with Bond and Vesper forced to work together and falling in love while she keeps secrets and betrays him, has some definite Malcolm and Suzanne parallels. I wrote the last Malcolm and Suzanne scene in Imperial Scandal after watching the scene in Casino where Vesper says goodbye to Bond (note the moment where Suzanne laces her hands behind Malcolm’s head and commits his features to memory).
interestingly, long before I heard of the Vesper (which is gin, vodka, and lillet blanc), a friend and I invented a drink in honor of Suzanne/Mélanie that is equal parts vanilla vodka and lillet blanc (one of my favorite restaurants, Indigo, even knows how to make it for me).
I’ve enjoyed the subsequent films with Daniel Craig, while missing a love story on the level of Casino (on the other hand, the fact that Bond can’t love like that again is rather the point). Slkyfall in particular was great for exploring Bond’s past and the moral compromises of the spy game from what I’ve read Spectre promises to be rich in both story and character.
Who else is a Bond fan? Planning to see (or have you already seen) Spectre? If you’ve seen Casino, do you see parallels to Malcolm and Suzanne?
As you probably know if you follow this blog, Incident In Berkeley Square came out Monday. There’s a lively discussion going on the Google Group. Pop over and join in and/or share your thoughts here.
Have a great weekend!!
Tracy
Tracy Grant - Novelist 
November 7, 2015 at 4:48 am
I really enjoy the old Bond movies but not so much the newer ones. I grew up with the Sean Connery and Roger More ones. Actually, I watched Live And Let Die on TV last week after having not seen it for at least 20 years. It was just as good as I remembered. I haven’t seen any of the Daniel Craig ones but my friends have been raving about them so much that I will have to look out for them on TV in future.
I am in the midst of watching the TV series “Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond” for the second time. If you are a big Bond fan, Tracy, keep an eye out for this one. It is set around Ian Fleming’s work in Naval Intelligence during WWII and how it influenced the creation of James Bond. It is fantastic, and so stylishly filmed. He was very much a part of upper class society so the costumes are glorious. As one of the co-producers was Masterpiece I suspect you will be getting it in the US.
As nobody has mentioned Incident In Berkeley Square here (all the discussion between us regulars has been on Google+) I will do so. It is marvellous! I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
November 7, 2015 at 5:48 am
Suzanne, so try the Daniel Craig Bond movies. I love the old ones too but these are something quite special. They respect the old films and build on them in a unique way. I’ll keep an eye out for the Flemming series – it sounds great!
And thanks so much for the nice words about Incident – that means a lot!
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November 7, 2015 at 7:16 pm
I do remember Vesper from reading all the Bond books when I was much younger. Never seen the movies, though!
And I don’t think I’ve had Lillet since I was in Paris.
November 17, 2015 at 10:22 pm
Karin, I somehow missed this comment! I definitely recommend the Daniel Craig Bond films, particularly Casino Royale. Lillet is lovely, both in mixed drinks and on its own.
November 8, 2015 at 12:03 am
Just saw the new Bond file, it is fantastic. While I enjoy the old Bond movies, I agree with Tracy, Daniel Craig brings a different perspective to the film. I think a little my edge, a little rougher, and a little more vulnerable but still true to the original character. It is definitely worth the price of a movie ticket, don’t wait for the Blu Ray. 😀
November 8, 2015 at 4:16 am
Great to hear, Kim! Working on babysitting (the last time I got a sitter for a film was the last Bond..)
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November 8, 2015 at 4:02 am
Guess what girls, we are all psychic! Every Sunday I go through the TV guide and set the DVD recorder for the coming week. That way I can be sure I won’t forget anything. And the Daniel Craig version of Casino Royale is on next week! Amazing.
November 8, 2015 at 4:17 am
Cool! Let us know what you think. And if you see any Malcolm and Suzanne echoes…
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November 10, 2015 at 2:30 pm
Hi Suzanne, don’t know if you get the FX channel, but they are also showing Skyfall this month. If you like Casino Royal, you should check it out. There is a lot of Bond history and backstory that really makes the character far more complex.
November 13, 2015 at 3:49 am
I finished watching Casino Royale last night and yes, I can see the echoes of Malcolm and Suzanne. Especially towards the end. I really enjoyed it. I didn’t like the batch of Bond films before it because the action was so non stop there was little room for character development and I got really bored with them. This one wasn’t like that at all, the characters were great. I loved the black and white opening where Bond has the encounter with the traitor in Prague; Malcolm Sinclair, who is also one of the regular villains on British TV.
Kate, I live in Australia so I don’t get the FX Channel. The good news is though, that Quantum Solace and Skyfall are going to be on free to air TV on the weekend. I think they must be doing a lead in to the new film coming to cinemas soon. I will record them and let you know what I think.
November 13, 2015 at 5:17 am
So glad you watched it and liked, Suzanne! The Daniel Craig films are great for writing and character development. Do let us know what you think of the others! And glad you could see the Malcolm and Suzanne echoes :-).
November 10, 2015 at 10:02 pm
We’re hoping to see the Bond movie this weekend. Didn’t see Casino Royale, but we did see Skyfall. When I was visiting my sister last weekend, my nephew and his fiancee went to see it. He said a big difference in the Daniel Craig portrayal of Bond is that Craig seems to have more personal attachments in the movies than other Bonds did. I happened to see a new Sam Smith video of The Writing’s on the Wall which I didn’t realize was from Spectre until I saw scenes from the the movie with Daniel Craig. I saw Sam Smith in concert in October, and he is an amazing talent, so I’m not surprised that he is singing a song from the movie.
I’m with Suzanne in that my favorite Bonds have been Sean Connery and Roger Moore. May be Daniel Craig will grow on me.
November 10, 2015 at 10:18 pm
Betty, i really highly recommend Casino Royale. The writing is great, and as I said in my post, i see tons of Malcolm and Suzanne parallels.
November 17, 2015 at 9:57 pm
We did see Spectre last weekend, and I loved it! I think Daniel Craig is growing on me. I still need to see Casino Royale though to look at the connections you mentioned. When you see Spectre, Tracy, let me know, because I have a comment/question to make regarding an earlier statement about Vesper – don’t want to say it now to possibly spoil the movie. Maybe by the time you see it, I will have found and watched Casino. It is interesting to think about Malcolm in this one also.
November 18, 2015 at 12:11 am
Now I’m even more intrigued to see Spectre, Betty! Do try to see Casino!
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