Daniel Craig
“Hopefully we’ll reclaim some of the old irony…and make sure it doesn’t become pastiche. I can’t do shtick, I’m not very good at it. Unless it kind of suddenly makes sense. Does that make sense? I sometimes wish I hammed it up more, but I just can’t do it very well, so I don’t do it.”
Daniel Craig AS QUOTED BY THE VULTURE BLOG of New York Magazine About Bond 24.
That’s not a lot of detail, but since that interview was posted Aug. 23, various publications and Web Sites have been interpreting it. Those interpretations vary a bit, somewhat like a 007 Rorschach test. Some examples:
Yahoo!: 007 TO CRACK WISE IN `SKYFALL’ SEQUEL.
The U.K. Telegraph: DANIEL CRAIG WANTS TO LIGHTEN UP BOND 24.
IGN: DANIEL CRAIG: BOND 24 WON’T BE CAMPY.
Entertainmentwise: DANIEL CRAIG WANTS TO SEE MORE DRY HUMOR IN BOND 24.
Dark Horizons: CRAIG WANTS IRONY, NOT CAMP, IN “BOND 24.”
Not much is known about Bond 24, scheduled for a fall 2015 release. Even some of what is known, such as the fact Skyfall co-scribe John Logan will pen the scripts for Bond 24 and Bond 25, was initially denied by one 007 partner (Eon Productions) before being confirmed by another (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Thus, any word about Bond 24 — especially coming directly from the movie’s star — is going to be analyzed.
Irony is defined as “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.” Or: “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.”
But which “old irony” did Craig mean? It’s not detailed explicitly in the Vulture article. The quote about irony comes after a passage where it’s described how Skyfall was “lifted by a late ‘humor pass’ on the script.” The actor also says it was his idea to have Bond straighten his cuffs amid mayhem in Skyfall’s pre-credits sequence. It’s a Bondian moment, similar to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond straightening his tie in the middle of GoldenEye’s tank chase and The World Is Not Enough’s pre-credits sequence.
Presumably Craig’s irony comment wasn’t referring to the Roger Moore era (1973-1985), known for an expansion of humor relative to earlier 007 films. But even the Sean Connery era of the Eon movies (1962-67, 1971) had quips such as “She should have kept her mouth shut,” and “Shocking, positively shocking,” not necessarily the most subtle bits of humor. Connery’s non-Eon 007 film, Never Say Never Again, had a slapstick British diplomat, Nigel Small-Fawcett, and jokes about urine samples.
So perhaps Bond 24 will have a lighter tone. But there are other signs that humor may still be limited. John Logan was quoted in March by the Financial Times as saying words he “hopes to build on Skyfall in examining the complexities of Bond’s character.” We’ll see.
Earlier posts:
NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT BOND 24
AN EARLY BOND 24 ACCURACY CHECKLIST
MGM MAY BEND ON BOND 24’S SCHEDULE
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Barbara Broccoli, Bond 24, Daniel Craig, Daniel Craig's comments on irony, Eon Productions, Goldeneye, James Bond Films, James Bond humor, John Logan, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New York magazine, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Sam Mendes, Sean Connery, Skyfall, The World Is Not Enough, Vulture Web site | 2 Comments »
The Spy Command 
Bond 24’s Rorschach test
Daniel Craig
“Hopefully we’ll reclaim some of the old irony…and make sure it doesn’t become pastiche. I can’t do shtick, I’m not very good at it. Unless it kind of suddenly makes sense. Does that make sense? I sometimes wish I hammed it up more, but I just can’t do it very well, so I don’t do it.”
Daniel Craig AS QUOTED BY THE VULTURE BLOG of New York Magazine About Bond 24.
That’s not a lot of detail, but since that interview was posted Aug. 23, various publications and Web Sites have been interpreting it. Those interpretations vary a bit, somewhat like a 007 Rorschach test. Some examples:
Yahoo!: 007 TO CRACK WISE IN `SKYFALL’ SEQUEL.
The U.K. Telegraph: DANIEL CRAIG WANTS TO LIGHTEN UP BOND 24.
IGN: DANIEL CRAIG: BOND 24 WON’T BE CAMPY.
Entertainmentwise: DANIEL CRAIG WANTS TO SEE MORE DRY HUMOR IN BOND 24.
Dark Horizons: CRAIG WANTS IRONY, NOT CAMP, IN “BOND 24.”
Not much is known about Bond 24, scheduled for a fall 2015 release. Even some of what is known, such as the fact Skyfall co-scribe John Logan will pen the scripts for Bond 24 and Bond 25, was initially denied by one 007 partner (Eon Productions) before being confirmed by another (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer).
Thus, any word about Bond 24 — especially coming directly from the movie’s star — is going to be analyzed.
Irony is defined as “the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning.” Or: “a technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.”
But which “old irony” did Craig mean? It’s not detailed explicitly in the Vulture article. The quote about irony comes after a passage where it’s described how Skyfall was “lifted by a late ‘humor pass’ on the script.” The actor also says it was his idea to have Bond straighten his cuffs amid mayhem in Skyfall’s pre-credits sequence. It’s a Bondian moment, similar to Pierce Brosnan’s Bond straightening his tie in the middle of GoldenEye’s tank chase and The World Is Not Enough’s pre-credits sequence.
Presumably Craig’s irony comment wasn’t referring to the Roger Moore era (1973-1985), known for an expansion of humor relative to earlier 007 films. But even the Sean Connery era of the Eon movies (1962-67, 1971) had quips such as “She should have kept her mouth shut,” and “Shocking, positively shocking,” not necessarily the most subtle bits of humor. Connery’s non-Eon 007 film, Never Say Never Again, had a slapstick British diplomat, Nigel Small-Fawcett, and jokes about urine samples.
So perhaps Bond 24 will have a lighter tone. But there are other signs that humor may still be limited. John Logan was quoted in March by the Financial Times as saying words he “hopes to build on Skyfall in examining the complexities of Bond’s character.” We’ll see.
Earlier posts:
NEW QUESTIONS ABOUT BOND 24
AN EARLY BOND 24 ACCURACY CHECKLIST
MGM MAY BEND ON BOND 24’S SCHEDULE
Filed under: James Bond Films | Tagged: Barbara Broccoli, Bond 24, Daniel Craig, Daniel Craig's comments on irony, Eon Productions, Goldeneye, James Bond Films, James Bond humor, John Logan, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, New York magazine, Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, Sam Mendes, Sean Connery, Skyfall, The World Is Not Enough, Vulture Web site | 2 Comments »