Quantum of Solace - DVD Review

The DVD release of Quantum of Solace has hit the shelves this week, and here are some thoughts about it – I will not go over the plot of the film, but merely comment on various aspects of the DVD.

The film has been released in both single disc and 2 disc DVD editions. Here in South Africa, the 2 disc DVD would appear to be exclusively available at Musica stores, while all others are only stocking the 1 disc release. Disc 1 (in both versions) includes the film itself and a music video, plus two trailers. The picture and sound quality would appear to be up to standard, and the menus are quite nifty, incorporating the MI6 computer interface design seen in the film. Somewhat disappointing is the low level of animation in the menus, especially the scene selections.

The 2 disc release, by Bond standards, is still somewhat bare-bones. For starters, it lacks an audio commentary, which is a staple of all the previous Bond films’ DVD releases. However, like Casino Royale, whose initial DVD release also didn’t include commentary, Quantum will most likely be re-released in a deluxe edition when the next Bond film comes out.

The documentary features on the DVD are an adequate, but not really in depth look at the production. These featurettes are very promotional in style, and offer only a glimpse of the making of the film. Compared to the making-of material on the Lord of the Rings 4 disc sets for instance, these featurettes pale in comparison. The best feature in my view is perhaps the Crew Files – short snippets concerning over 30 members of the crew, which give an idea of their functions on the production. As a film student, and someone who is very interested in how films are put together, this is the most interesting feature, as it encompasses a wide range of issues concerning the making of the film.

As a DVD set, the 2-disc special edition of Quantum of Solace is a little disappointing, but you can be pretty sure that a souped-up version is waiting a couple of years down the line. Still, the primary reason for buying the DVD is to watch the film, and it is great to be able to enjoy the latest Bond offering from the comfort of your favourite sofa.

The Music of Quantum of Solace

Returning to the fold as composer is David Arnold, for his fifth James Bond score. Over the years since 1997's Tomorrow Never Dies, Arnold has established his own formula for James Bond. Since his first entry in the series, Arnold has married classic and modern sounds in the Bond scores. These have been mixed together in varying measures, with a heavy emphasis on Monty Norman's James Bond Theme. In 2006, when scoring Casino Royale, David Arnold used very little of this theme, only giving brief hints of it until the end of the film. Bond music fans expected a more traditional sound when Arnold returned for Quantum of Solace, now that Daniel Craig's James Bond had been established in Casino Royale. In actuality, the score for Quantum of Solace is still light on James Bond Theme, but as with Casino Royale, Arnold relies more on original themes, and some of themes used in Quantum of Solace are carried over from Casino Royale.

After many rumours about the Bond title song, and different artists being discussed, including Amy Winehouse, it was announced that Jack White and Alicia Keys would be performing the title song, with White writing the song himself. The song, Another Way To Die, is an unusual one in the Bond title song canon, but one which I like and to my ear, fits in with the history of James Bond title songs, in a way which Die Another Day, for instance, did not. The opening notes of the title song bear a strong resemblance to the opening notes of Casino Royale's title song, You Know My Name. The song is an interesting mix of styles, including the classic Bond mix of strings and brass, with rock influences from White, and R&B influences from Keys. I have read much negative opinion about the song, but I felt that it fit the film very well. David Arnold described the sound of the song as being 'dirty', which is a word which could equally describe the film itself. However, a Bond song needs to do more than simply fit the film in order to go down amongst the classics such as Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever. It also needs to appeal as a song in its own right, which Another Way does to me, not on the same level as the classic Bond songs, but it is certainly good enough to warrant listening to outside of the film itself. It seems that many would disagree with me on the point, but all artistic endeavours appeal differently to different people. The song also combines well with the main title sequence of the film, designed on this occasion by a studio, MK12, rather than by an individual, which has been the norm over the years. As with the song itself, the titles are a slight departure in style from previous sequences, but they are nonetheless enjoyable and complement the film well. The main difficulty is that the song doesn't have a memorable melody which is integrated into the score. There is material from the song scattered sparsely in various sections of the score, but it doesn't seem to provide a substantial amount of thematic material to the score.

Once again, David Arnold has turned in a good, solid score for the new James Bond film. Like the film, he picks up where Casino Royale left off. I didn't fully appreciate the score until I'd seen the film. It was the same with Casino Royale. I think that part of this is down to the fact that these two scores contain less of the James Bond Theme than the previous ones did. Whereas the Bond theme is a very recognisable piece, the other music requires the addition of the film to be truly enjoyed. Also, Arnold is almost a little too subtle in his use of some of the thematic material, especially with the main title theme - Another Way To Die. This is most likely because the song's melody gave him little to work with. However, problems aside, since seeing the film, I have listened to the score many times and I find it a very enjoyable listen. Arnold continues to mature as a composer and I would be quite happy for him to continue as composer of the James Bond series.

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Quantum of Solace - In Review

Having now seen Quantum of Solace several times, I have formed many opinions about the film. Firstly, my response to the film is positive overall. There are many strong points to the film, and there were only a few elements which I felt negatively about.

Firstly, Bond himself. Daniel Craig is proving to be a fantastic choice to play Bond. He is just as good in this film as he was in Casino Royale. However, Bond is more of an action character in this film, so Craig has fewer dramatic scenes, but there are enough to provide a level of emotional gravity in the character, which helps the audience in going along his journey of anger and vengeance.

I also enjoyed Camille, the main female part very much. For years actresses have been saying “My character is not the typical Bond girl.” Olga Kurylenko can say that honestly as her character is quite unique – the only leading lady which doesn’t share a romantic relationship with Bond. Her character, like Bond is on a mission of personal revenge, and a brief kiss at the end of their mission is the closest that they get to each other.

The villain, Dominic Greene comes across as a much smaller scale villain than most, and is obviously just a part of a larger story involving the Quantum organization. Mr White, who first appeared in Casino Royale continues to appear in this film, and will probably do so again in Bond 23.

The film has fewer glamorous scenes than most Bond films – the Tosca opera scene in basically the only one. However, I did not miss this side of the film as this film didn’t really need these scenes. If they were included it would have only been to satisfy the list of things that a Bond film usually has, such as Bond introducing himself as “Bond. James Bond”, which is also omitted from this film. Quantum of Solace, like Casino Royale doesn’t begin with the traditional gunbarrel logo, instead this is moved to the back. I personally would prefer it to be back at the beginning, but it isn’t really that important.

Finally, the music – when I first heard the score, almost a month before seeing the film I was a little underwhelmed. Although, now having seen the film a few times I really appreciate David Arnold’s score and consider it one of his best. I am even one of the minority who like the main title song. I also thought that the main titles were quite good and also broke a few traditions. The animated text was a novel feature, and although it grated a little at first it eventually grew on me.

Overall, I am very happy with the new Bond film, and I am now looking forward to Bond 23. I may have a long time to wait, because rumours are that Bond 23 will only come out in 2011.

Overall Bond ranking for Quantum of Solace – 9th

Anticipating Quantum of Solace

With the world premiere of Quantum of Solace taking place last night, anticipation for the new James Bond film is at fever pitch. Fans in the UK will have their curiosity satisfied shortly as the new film is released there tomorrow. As for South Africa, we will be waiting an extra three weeks for the new Bond.

So what are my expectations and hopes for Quantum of Solace? As far as the plot goes, I have tried to avoid spoilers and at this point know very little apart from the fact that Bond is going after the organisation that was behind Le Chiffre in Casino Royale.

I have also heard that the film is the shortest Bond film ever, clocking in at just 106 minutes. And having seen the amount of action in the trailer I am a little concerned that there will be too much action and not enough plot. Still, from what I have gathered about the director, he should make it interesting character and story-wise.

I have also had a listen to David Arnold’s score, and while not sounding very Bondian in the traditional sense, as there are only a few subtle interpolations of the James Bond Theme, it refers to the themes from the Casino Royale score which I enjoyed very much.

I am greatly looking forward to seeing where Daniel Craig takes the Bond character in his second film. His first performance was fantastic and showed great potential to possibly be the best Bond ever. If he can consistently perform as well as he did in Casino Royale, then this might just happen! Roll on 21 November!

Ian Fleming's Quantum of Solace

James Bond said: “I’ve always thought that if I ever married I would marry an air hostess.”

These are the opening words of Ian Fleming’s short story, Quantum of Solace. The story was originally published in 1960 as part of the short story anthology, For Your Eyes Only. The story is surely Fleming’s most unusual and unique, as it is not an espionage story, nor does Bond play much of a role in it. The tale is set at a dull dinner party hosted by the Governor of Bermuda. After dinner, the Governor tells Bond the story of a young man he knew, who fell in love with and married an air hostess. After she has an affair the relationship dissolves into one of bitterness and hate.

The title, Quantum of Solace, refers to a theory which the Governor calls the “Law of the Quantum of Solace”. This is that human relationships last only as long as a level of basic humanity exists between them. As Bond points out in the text, the phrase means “the amount of comfort”. Fleming’s departure in style with this story was apparently to emulate the famous writer, W. Somerset Maugham.

The 22nd James Bond film is also entitled Quantum of Solace, although only the title is being used for the film. The film is a direct sequel to the 2006 film of Casino Royale and is being released in the UK on 31 October 2008. To tie in with the film's release, Penguin have published the complete short stories of Ian Fleming under the title Quantum of Solace, which is available in both hardback and paperback.

Quantum of Solace - Jinxed?

When filming the tanker chase for Licence To Kill on a dangerous stretch of road in Mexico, the crew reported various strange happenings which led to suggestions that the area was haunted or jinxed as a result of the number of people killed on that road.

Well, it might be a stretch to call the roads near Lake Garda in Italy jinxed, but there have been a couple of accidents in the last few days which have a hint of some sort of curse on the film! Firstly, an Aston Martin DBS being driven to the filming locations went off the road and plunged into the lake. Then an Alfa Romeo being driven by two stuntmen crashed while filming the chase, landing one of the stuntmen in intensive care. In another incident, a man was reported to have a heart attack and die while watching the filming!

There is a precedent for bad luck to strike in the making of Bond films so there is nothing new here. In fact, when we start talking about vehicles plunging into lakes - the same thing happened on FRWL, except it was a helicopter and it was carrying the director, Terence Young! The film that resulted was in my opinion the best Bond film ever, bad luck doesn't necessarily mean the film will be bad. So hopefully the current Bond unit will be able to rise above adversity and produce a classic film.