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nice info

Oct 10 2012, 5:26 AM EDT by Anonymous

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desmond

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Q's Quotes

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Favorite Q's

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TigerAtaru

Two eras of Q, Three eras of Bond

Jun 20 2009, 4:26 PM EDT by TigerAtaru

Thread started: Jun 20 2009, 4:17 PM EDT Watch

I know it's weird to think this way, but somehow I noticed something interesting rewatching the Bond films in order...in particular, how Q and the gadgets may actually have a bit more meaning in deciphering two eras of his character...and the three eras of Bond.
-Era 1 (Dr. No through TMWTGG): While Q is in the series essentially from the beginning (though it wasn't Llewelyn giving Connery his Walther PPK), his role early on seemed more like a man who shows up to assist in some way or another and has a more low-key performance. While he gained his notable "grumpiness" in Goldfinger, the film is actually the only notable time we have a look in his workshop in this era, which is sort of crucial if you think about it. Mostly he appears to Bond, whether demonstrating the Attache in FRWL or traveling to Bermuda (TB) or Japan (YOLT). Interestingly and perhaps one nice key is that while it was Hamilton as director who introduced the workshop in GF, he only really focuses on the gimmickry in that movie: it only appears in the BG in DAF (more like background noise as Q talks to Bond about the fingerprints), while doesn't appear at all in TMWTGG. Strangely this absence and de-emphasis on the gimmicks seems to imply the Bond of this era, who mostly did things and used things for a purpose and hardly did anything that just "was cool". (aside from, say, the rocket pack in TB)
(bit of a long post so I'm continuing in the reply)

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RE: Two eras of Q, Three eras of Bond
By: TigerAtaru, Jun 20 2009, 4:26 PM EDT

-Era 2 (TSWLM through DAD): It's weird to think that Q didn't become more gimmicky and we didn't get more "workshop moments" until TSWLM, but strangely enough this is probably the film that defines Bond through the second era: bigger, brassier and with more bells and whistles. This is where the spywear seems to become less about application and more about "showing stuff off", though there were still plenty of notables in devices in this era. Likewise, Bond ends up becoming a "blockbuster" series in this era, with many movies trying to outdo the last as Bond enters his "iconic" era. (probably the only film that sort of seemed to attempt to move back to the previous feeling was FYEO...but for the most part that was trying to wipe away some of the stuff that went way over the top with both TSWLM & MR) You probably can split this by the Bonds for the most part with how Q is used, but I more or less see the Brosnan movies as "Era 2.5": it does have that long split period between LTK and GE and things do get way technological and the films try to bring back a bit of the merit Dalton began to restore, but they still are essentially the same era for the most part. (right up to Cleese's Q's "junk pile" in DAD)
-Era 3: So far there hasn't been a Q and I really haven't seen any of the Craig films, but this is the point where the series is trying to redefine itself, attempt to bring it back to it's roots while embracing more of the style of the earlier era. But hopefully I do want him back...and maybe bring him back to more of an "era 1" character, one who appears when needed to give the necessary equipment but still show the character we all know and love. (unless they just want something more cut and dry akin to Dr. No or FRWL, which may work too but would be semi-personality-less)

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Anonymous

The best Q--?

Apr 2 2009, 3:13 PM EDT by QuartermasterQ

Anonymous

best gadget

Mar 21 2009, 11:29 AM EDT by QuartermasterQ

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