Quantum of Solace

With the press apparently in as eager a frenzy to decry the newly announced title for Bond 22 as they were to decry Craig two years ago, there’s a great article in its defence by Evan Willnow on commanderbond.net, and there are Fleming’s own words:

The Governor paused and looked reflectively over at Bond. He said: €œYou€™re not married, but I think it€™s the same with all relationships between a man and a woman. They can survive anything so long as some kind of basic humanity exists between the two people. When all kindness has gone, when one person obviously and sincerely doesn€™t care if the other is alive or dead, then it€™s just no good. That particular insult to the ego€”worse, to the instinct of self-preservation€”can never be forgiven. I€™ve noticed this in hundreds of marriages. I€™ve seen flagrant infidelities patched up, I€™ve seen crimes and even murder forgiven by the other party, let alone bankruptcy and every other form of social crime. Incurable disease, blindness, disaster€”all these can be overcome. But never the death of common humanity in one of the partners. I€™ve thought about this and I€™ve invented a rather high-sounding title for this basic factor in human relations. I have called it the Law of the Quantum of Solace.€

About Simon Wood

Lecturer in medical education, lapsed mathematician, Doctor Who fan and garden railway builder. See simonwood.info for more...

4 thoughts on “Quantum of Solace

  1. Honestly, I don’t see what people are complaining about. Let’s be brutally honest: Tomorrow Never Dies? Die Another Day? Live and Let Die? None of those are particularly insightful titles, are they?

    Is it time to rush out and purchase quantumofsolaceisnotabondtitle.com ?

    Speaking of that, I see danielcraigisnotbond.com has changed their tune – a bit. Now it’s a democratic discussion area for people who feel the series didn’t need a reboot but feel stifled by fans of Casino Royale who say the previous films “…were all rubbish and you were idiots for enjoying them.”

    I wonder how long until their domain registry expires?

  2. Honestly, I don’t see what people are complaining about. Let’s be brutally honest: Tomorrow Never Dies? Die Another Day? Live and Let Die? None of those are particularly insightful titles, are they?

    Is it time to rush out and purchase quantumofsolaceisnotabondtitle.com ?

    Speaking of that, I see danielcraigisnotbond.com has changed their tune – a bit. Now it’s a democratic discussion area for people who feel the series didn’t need a reboot but feel stifled by fans of Casino Royale who say the previous films “…were all rubbish and you were idiots for enjoying them.”

    I wonder how long until their domain registry expires?

  3. Live and Let Die is a great title. The film was pretty awful, but I love the title (it’s kind of a twin for You Only Live Twice). Agree with you on Tomorrow Never Dies, and Die Another Day; I don’t care much for Licence to Kill or The World is Not Enough either; of the non-Fleming titles only Goldeneye was a suitable homage. Quantum of Solace is a terrific title.

    I didn’t think the reboot would work (I was wrong) but I never doubted Daniel Craig would be a great Bond. The best Bonds don’t always get to be in the best films, either. For Your Eyes Only is a favorite, even though it’s Moore, Connery was great but Diamonds Are Forever certainly wasn’t. Casino Royale is a great film with a great Bond, in that respect perhaps you have to go back to to From Russia With Love for something comparable.

    Perhaps if the domain expires they could go and register theearthisnotround.com.

  4. Live and Let Die is a great title. The film was pretty awful, but I love the title (it’s kind of a twin for You Only Live Twice). Agree with you on Tomorrow Never Dies, and Die Another Day; I don’t care much for Licence to Kill or The World is Not Enough either; of the non-Fleming titles only Goldeneye was a suitable homage. Quantum of Solace is a terrific title.

    I didn’t think the reboot would work (I was wrong) but I never doubted Daniel Craig would be a great Bond. The best Bonds don’t always get to be in the best films, either. For Your Eyes Only is a favorite, even though it’s Moore, Connery was great but Diamonds Are Forever certainly wasn’t. Casino Royale is a great film with a great Bond, in that respect perhaps you have to go back to to From Russia With Love for something comparable.

    Perhaps if the domain expires they could go and register theearthisnotround.com.

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