The American Spectator : 'Bond, James Bond'

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‘Bond, James Bond’

By Frank Schell on 8.26.10 @ 6:07AM

John le Carré isn’t Smiley these days.

How do you kick an urbane superspy in the groin — especially when he’s already down? Ask John le Carré.

Le Carré has taken aim at the venerated 007, whom he calls “neo-fascistic and totally materialist” in a recent interview, even acknowledging that his views have softened over the years. The dismissive le Carré continues to explain his aversion to James Bond, suggesting that Bond would pledge his loyalty to any country offering the most women and martinis.

This unprovoked ad hominem attack on an imaginary persona strangely follows recent announcements that MGM is canceling or indefinitely delaying production of Bond 23, the next high speed Bond thriller, likely with all sorts of arcane and lethal gadgets and depraved archfiends. It could be that le Carré, a rival of fellow novelist Ian Fleming, the creator of Bond, has been harboring immense jealousy for decades, and is now relieved that Bond has at least for the moment run out of vodka and viewers. One also wonders if Fleming once bested a much younger le Carré at whist at a London club, or reminded him where the best Dom Perignon champagne might be found in Paris.

There is no question that Bond is a command and control freak, and his behavior and antics would be cause for immediate dismissal in today’s corporatist world. But is he really a fascist — a far right-winger and given to autocracy and dictatorship?

Ironically, it is Bond, James Bond who is fighting fascism, and unaffiliated gangsters, all over the world. A principal adversary of Bond is SPECTRE, the shadowy and imaginary Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion named in the Fleming novels. Its eccentric, deranged operatives include Dr. No in the movie of that name, Rosa Klebb in From Russia with Love, and Emilio Largo in Thunderball. SPECTRE is commanded by the reclusive Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who appears from time to time, either stroking a white cat in From Russia with Love, or commanding a spacecraft hijacking center in You Only Live Twice.

The objective of those SPECTRE wackos, and the independent megalomaniacs Drax in Moonraker, Stromberg in The Spy Who Loved Me, and Goldfinger in the movie by that name is to disrupt the superpowers or cause war between them — or to create a new and grand human order on earth or beneath the sea, or financial chaos. In any case, Bond is fighting to foil the imposition of totalitarians and miscreants, using the best of British tradecraft and occasionally the assistance of the CIA. There is a certain ethos in Fleming, which is that evil will not stand, and it is the solemn duty of the fading British Empire to fight it, sometimes with American muscle, from the paneled offices of MI6 to the far away outposts of villainy.

As for materialism, there can be no doubt that Bond likes the good life of foie gras and martinis, to name just a couple of his incorrigible diversions. But his hedonism goes far beyond to embrace an obsession with elite brands — from his Beretta 418 in .25 caliber to an Amherst Villiers supercharger on his Bentley to his Balkan and Turkish blend Morland cigarettes.

It is perhaps this brand identity that most riles le Carré: Ian Fleming’s books and the later movies positioned James Bond as a brand icon. The words “Bond, James Bond” have massive global recognition, like “Coke is it” or Nike’s “Just do it.” Le Carré, a fine writer, has produced a number of morally grim, intellectual novels about espionage and the Cold War in particular, but his characters never ascended to the empyreal heights as did Bond. After all, how many people throughout the world would recognize the name of Smiley, George Smiley?

About the Author

Frank Schell is a business consultant and former international banking executive. He serves on the Dean’s International Council of the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, where he is a lecturer, and on the editorial board of the Chicago-based National Strategy Forum, which focuses on national security issues.

Letter to the Editor View all comments (60) | Leave a comment Leave a comment

Paul Hilsenrath| 8.26.10 @ 6:30AM

Bond may have gotten the cars, booze, and babes, but Smiley got Karla and knocked out Moscow Center.

Millions of us "geek types" love and admire Smiley and we miss him greatly.

Best regards,

Paul Hilsenrath

Stuart Koehl| 8.26.10 @ 6:44AM

"Beretta 418 in .25 caliber"

Pimp gun.

R. Dittmar| 8.26.10 @ 9:12AM

Actually, in Fleming's day the Beretta was a ladies gun to be carried in a purse for self-defense. One of Fleming's readers pointed this out and Fleming wisely changed Bond's gun of choice to a higher-calibre Walther.

Filofox| 8.26.10 @ 6:52AM

As your basic Bold Brash Loudmouthed Know-It-All, I rose to challenge a statement by my 11th grade English teacher to the effect that Ian Fleming was a mere hack writer. I could not let my hero's rep be sullied in that manner. In retrospect, I suppose she may have been closer to right than I. On the other hand, Ian Fleming's writing inspired 23 movies including "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang," that novel being one of my girls' Truly Scrumptious favorites. Which James Bond does le Carré' dislike anyway, the book hero or the Hollywood rewrites?

Stuart Koehl| 8.26.10 @ 1:02PM

It may be he is upset Lazenby never got a second shot.

Derek Leaberry| 8.26.10 @ 8:01AM

To understand James Bond, it is important to understand that he is an extension of Ian Fleming's ego. Bond's favorite meal is breakfast, as was Fleming's. Bond considered English cuisine the best in the world, as did Fleming. James Bond has contempt for Florida retirement communities just as Fleming did.

As an aside, and upon re-reading them again, the two Bond novels with the most ridiculous plots were "Goldfinger" and "Moonraker." The best Bond novels were "Casino Royale", "Live and Let Die", "From Russia, With Love", "Dr. No", "Her Majesty's Secret Service" and "You Only Live Twice."

Craig Hanafey| 8.26.10 @ 8:07AM

Frank, facists are far LEFT wingers as are Nazis. Please get your facts right.

Bob K.| 8.26.10 @ 2:00PM

According to John Lukacs they are populist, socialist, Nationalists.

Conan the Contrarian| 8.27.10 @ 9:45AM

Frank, I agree with Craig. Fascists, neo-fascists, Nazis, etc. are NOT right wing. That they are considered right-wing is a Stalinist formulation. We on the right have to attack that label at every turn.
I think that Fleming wrote very much like Somerset Maugham. I read lots of Maugham in my twenties after I had read Fleming, and the atmosphere in Fleming's novels reminded me greatly of Maugham. The short story "Quantum of Solace" is very much like a Maugham story. What do you other readers think?

Ashenden| 8.26.10 @ 8:17AM

The early movies were better than the books. What was especially attractive was the sly humour
e.g the stolen Franz Hals in Thunderball,the echo of Frankenstein and the Blonde child, the waiter keeping the drink after dropping Bond down the cellar (INdeed the first sequences of that film were hillarious. Later films left the sly jokes out to their detriment

JAWilson| 8.26.10 @ 8:35AM

Didn't LeCarre go over to the dark side with the muzzies in his later years?

Trebuchet| 8.26.10 @ 8:36AM

Fleming was in the OSS and based his James Bond character on a real life British spy Sidney Reilley.

JimH| 8.26.10 @ 8:38AM

My favorite has always been Michael Caine as Harry Palmer.

JeffD| 8.26.10 @ 2:50PM

Seconded. Caine as Palmer was excellent.

Bilwick| 8.26.10 @ 8:45AM

I'm going to take a wild guess that LeCarre is some kind of left-winger, which means that he advocates more and more control of society by the State. And yet James Bond is the fascist.

Projection--the crack-cocaine of the Left.

Dennis Collins| 8.26.10 @ 8:56AM

In the beginning, it was SMERSH (read Russia) not SPECTRE, that was the evil fought by Bond and MI6. SPECTRE came along later and in the movies9most of which were over the top.

Mark Long| 8.26.10 @ 8:59AM

If you are going to mention the Bond villains and stress Ernst Stavro Blofeld, the leader of SPECTRE, and his presence in the films, you should not leave out On Her Majesty's Secret Service with Telly Sevalis as Blofeld. It is arguably the best Bond film, or at least the best one without Sean Connery, and it features some great chase scenes in the Swiss Alps, Bond actually marrying the girl, and a surprise ending.

Kudos to Craig and Bilwick. They are absolutely correct!

DVG93| 8.26.10 @ 9:01AM

" ...No Mr Bond, I expect you to die."

Bond was always thinking things through.

Perhaps it's time for Mitch Rapp or Gabriel Allon to appear.

Bydand76| 8.26.10 @ 9:26AM

Word!

Mitch Rapp all the way!

Vince Flynn is a genius!

Pro Libertate!

DVG93| 8.26.10 @ 2:30PM

Rapp makes Bauer look like a woose.

Ran / Si Vis Pacem | 8.26.10 @ 10:15AM

Thank-you Mr. Schell. This is marvelous. "This unprovoked ad hominem attack on an imaginary persona..."

Pardon a few technical errors here, sir, but perhaps Bond was not so imaginary, and the attack not so unprovoked. Please allow me to "pile-on". My hunch is that it's a cocktail of envy and cognitive dissonance shaken by a number of irreconcilable discrepancies.

Firstly, Ian Fleming - and Roald Dahl and William Stephenson (Intrepid) - worked alongside macho cowboys and commandos when they weren't in the role themselves. Fleming's 'Bond' was an amalgam of real agents, who, like Fleming and Dahl, had red-blooded testosterone, trained commando skills and a taste for foie gras.

Mr. Cornwell's (le Carré) 'George Smiley' is a brilliant character portrait of the elite manipulator that too, exists. Yet even with all their authority and intelligence, desk-jockies doesn't see the action or take the risks of field boys. One has a difficult time writing convincingly of action one has never taken. Worse, manipulation is viewed as somewhat feminine, whereas action is seen as masculine.

Then there is the political discrepancy: Under Stephenson, the British intelligence services, including Fleming, were in-tune with Churchill... whereas le Carré has far greater sympathies for the likes of Jack Profumo and the Cambridge Cluster. So much so that it's wryly humorous for le Carré to denounce Bond as "neo-fascistic and totally materialist."

Another character distinction: Intrepid's agents, like Fleming's, would rather bed babes than diddle the college don. Le Carré's hero 'Magnus Pym' seems oddly autobiographical, yet his passions apparently lie with the other team, so to speak.

You have it nailed sir, cold shut: To add final crass insult to old injuries, Fleming and Dahl have enjoyed tremendous artistic and commercial successes. Le Carré's 'Smiley' "never ascended to the empyreal heights as did Bond". Exactly so.

"One also wonders if Fleming once bested a much younger le Carré at whist at a London club… Is Barclay's a club?

KyMouse| 8.26.10 @ 10:31AM

If I remember correctly, the late great Patrick McGoohan was offered the Bond role before Sean Connery was. A devout Catholic, McGoohan declined the role because of the character's love of fornication. Early in his career, McGoohan had been in "The Gentleman and the Gypsy," an allegedly steamy saga, and always felt bad about it afterward.

Despite Johnny Rivers's theme song to his "Secret Agent" series (a.k.a. "Danger Man"), which referred to "kissing persuasive lips," McGoohan insisted that his character not get passionate with female characters -- "If you kiss one girl, you have to kiss them all," I believe he said in an interview.

Speaking of Connery (the best Bond, in my view), a friend of mine who grew up in Connery's hometown remembered that the future star drove a milk truck in his father's neighborhood. I always think of Connery as "Norman's father's milkman."

Ned| 8.26.10 @ 10:58AM

Did you notice that "Norman's father's milkman" turned 80 yesterday?

Derek Leaberry| 8.26.10 @ 11:48AM

Fleming also preferred David Niven to the overgrown stuntman, Sean Connery. In Fleming's imagination, Bond looked like the American musician Hoagy Carmichael.

RWinks| 8.29.10 @ 5:26PM

I believe Fleming looked a lot like Carmichael.

Ned| 8.26.10 @ 10:56AM

le' Carre is just boring... haven't bothered with his stuff in decades... but he's better than Ludlum... Ludlum has only written one book, but he published it multiple times... now THAT's dull...

Vern Crisler| 8.26.10 @ 11:56AM

Oh I see Ned, you already said what I said. I think as far as Ludlum goes, you're right; if you've read one Ludlum book, you've read them all....

Ned| 8.26.10 @ 4:55PM

"great minds..."

Vern Crisler| 8.26.10 @ 11:54AM

Why isn't Smiley as familiar as Bond, James Bond? Because Le Carre's books are boring.

CalMark| 8.26.10 @ 12:27PM

LeCarre is, in fact, a left-winger--hard-core and frothing-mouthed. Some of the stuff he published before the second Gulf War sounded not like the objections of certain conservatives, but remarkably like the poisonous rot of aging American 60s radicals, many of them in Congress.

astorian| 8.26.10 @ 12:38PM

It's worth noting that, while Ian Fleming's novels invariably have Communist villains (his foes are usually agents of SMERSH, a wing of the KGB), the movies always have CAPITALIST villains!

Indeed, the Russians usually turn out to be pretty good guys in the Bond movies. If the Russians SEEM to be bad, well, it inevitably turns out they've been framed by an evil businessman!

John Le Carre probably hasn't been paying attention to Bond's film over the past few decades. If he's lashing out at Bond now, he's probably STILL thinking of Ian Fleming's Bond, the one who killed commies.

Le Carre himself, who went over to the far left long ago, should LOVE the Bond movies, which confirm what he clearly believes: that Big Business is the true enemy that Russian and Brits alike should be rallying against.

Charles Martel| 8.26.10 @ 2:47PM

This is of a piece with the substitution of the Arab villains of Tom Clancy's "The Sum of All Fears" with the neo-nazis of the movie, which I have scrupulously boycotted therefor.

+++

for shame| 8.26.10 @ 12:47PM

"But is he really a fascist -- a far right-winger and given to autocracy and dictatorship?"

fascist? right-wing? only in the depraved minds of the fascist co-evilist left wingers.

for shame mr schell, you useful dupe using the argot of the ultra-lefitst.

"But is he really a fascist -- a far left-winger and given to autocracy and dictatorship?"

fify

Seek| 8.26.10 @ 7:58PM

Fascism is an ideology of the radical Right. It does overlap with the far left in certain ways. But its mix of nationalism, tradition and racialism puts it squarely on the Right, even if socialism is a vehicle for its power consolidation. Bad books by Jonah Goldberg aren't going to make this reality go away.

Vern Crisler| 8.26.10 @ 9:16PM

No, Fascism is a variant of Progressivism, which is a variant of statism. Just google some of Mussolini's statements in praise of the state, or his hostility to classical liberalism [nowadays American conservatives].

The right can be criticized for excesses of traditionalism, or romantic views of Big Business, etc., but fascism and Nazism are outgrowths of the left, not of the right.

HalleysFifth| 8.28.10 @ 4:48PM

As Ronald Reagan once said (paraphrasing), there is no right or left, just up or down. To obsess over points on a horizontal line is silly. Fleming was pro liberty; Le Carre seems fuzzy about it, to be charitable.

james wilson| 8.26.10 @ 1:12PM

I learned much from Carre's early work that had been a great puzzlement, such as why British spies were always from it's privileged and upper classes. Carrie's father was one.
I don't think at this point of his life Carre would support even George Smiley.

Albert| 8.26.10 @ 1:13PM

"James Bond will return, in..."

John DuBose| 8.26.10 @ 1:16PM

James Bond is almost a cartoon character. I love the Bond movies for ( I expect ) the same reasons as most do. The gadgets, the chase scenes, the women, and the inevitable demise of the bad guys in the end.

Vern Crisler| 8.26.10 @ 9:17PM

I personally don't watch them anymore. They just got too unbelievable....

JimP| 8.26.10 @ 1:42PM

Fascism is left wing, not right wing. It's national socialism. It IS dictatorial and tyrannical as are socialism and communism in actual practice as governmental systems. Le Carre reveals himself as a leftist by criticizing Bond for being materialistic. Hoorah for Bond and his womanizing, materialistic Alpha male persona. Boo for Le Carre the closet socialist Beta male tyrant wanna be.

Faffnir| 8.26.10 @ 2:16PM

I write from memory, so forgive any errors and correct them as necessary.
In the books, Bond's villians were usually KGB and its' subsidiary SMERSH (smyert spionam - death to spies). SPECTRE appears in three - Thunderball, On Her Majestie's Secret Service and You Only Live Twice. Rosa Kleb was Head of Operations for SMERSH. She was captured by Bond at the end and "she died" presumably under questioning was revealed in Doctor No. Bond was required by M to change his weapon, also in Doctor No, because the Beretta fouled in his holster because of the silencer.
Smiley was more of a functionary/bureaucrat than the active Bond. Smiley worked behind the scenes to solve riddles, he rarely left London. LeCarre writes a more intellectual book, Fleming a more action-oriented one. Fleming's books make great escapist movies (although I agree the early Salzman/Broccoli ones were better). LeCarre's work would not translate well to the screen.
I agree, this is simply a case of leftist-intellectual jealousy on LeCarre's part. He will never make the money Fleming did and it irks him no end.

DesertFlower| 8.28.10 @ 1:54AM

LeCarre's work would not translate well to the screen?
Except in the hands of the masterful Sir Alec Guinness.

hank rearden| 8.26.10 @ 2:46PM

neo-fascist? I think Mr. Le Carre means MERCENARY, but new-fascist sounds more profound. Which only goes to show that he doesn't understand an action hero. Bond's motivation comes BEFORE he became a secret agent, like Fleming's experience in WWII.

LeCarre's best work had an elegiac sensibility, a sadness about defeat at the end of Empire. But something happened on the way to oblivion - WE WON THE COLD WAR!! Oops. All those pointless sacrifices, those tired careers that Le Carre wrote so well didn't turn out to be pointless or tired.

What to do? He needed a new villain, and picked the US of A. Basically he forgot what side he was on and Bond didn't. To a Leftist, this seems evidence of "neo-fascist" tendencies, meaning, I suppose, shallow or unreflective, while it is actually conviction.

But I don't want to hear anything bad about George Smiley. Tinker Tailor was a great book.

gene hauber| 8.26.10 @ 3:56PM

I love George Smiley..........and sean connery.

"F" THE FRENCH AND "F" LE CARRE.

JP| 8.26.10 @ 3:58PM

My favorite novels of that genre were written by Len Dieghton. I read several of Le Caree's books but found them to be quite boring, if not very well written. Besides his grim outlook of the Cold War (essientially moral equivalence gussied up intellectualism), Le Caree's novels always came off as too ethereal, too abstract, and too one dimensional. His most famous character, Smiley was just a tad too sensitive. Bond was the anti-Smiley. But I never took to Bond either. I think both Smiley and Bond represented two different types of Enlishmen. But, perhaps Le Caree's snobbishness could be blamed on the fact that Bond was created by the same writer who gave us Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

jWarrior| 8.26.10 @ 4:08PM

Joh le Carre's writing is full of the worst kind of moral relativism, as well as being long-winded and boring. They did make a good TV series starring Alec Guiness which can be found on Netflix. For a good trilogy of trilogies that is beautifully written, try Len Deighton's Game, Set and Match, which was also a good TV series starring Ian Holm.

2) Sean Connery was Bond. Period. As for the movies, watch the part in Dr. No where Ursula Andress comes out of the ocean. Yipes! And one of the all time great fight scenes is the fight Bond has in a train compartment with Robert Shaw (who did way too young) in From Russia, With Love.

Bill Lawrence | 8.26.10 @ 5:14PM

James Bond was a Philadelphian.

And an ornithologist.

Albert| 8.26.10 @ 6:06PM

I thought Bond was schooled in lepidoptery?

Michele San Pietro| 8.26.10 @ 5:56PM

I think it's very silly to try to attribute political persuasions to James Bond. John Le Carré really put his foot in the mouth by doing so.

Handy| 8.26.10 @ 6:14PM

I am not sure what all the fuss is about. I loved both the 007 novels and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier. Spy series.

But Le'Carre should let Fleming reast in peace.

Smiley nods.

Handy| 8.26.10 @ 6:15PM

Bad speeling. LOL.

Michael| 8.26.10 @ 8:51PM

"Bond 23" has been shelved not because of a lack of ideas for the next film. It's because of the huge financial problems of the studio, MGM. The Bond films have been like "Gone With The Wind" in past years for the studio, keeping the famed Leo the Lion from going under. When MGM was have money problems they would simply re-release GWTW and let the money roll in. It's the same with the Bond films. I remember one year reading the top 100 money making films chart, the Bond film "Tomorrow Never Dies" was Number 10 on the box office for the US and Canada (They include Canada's box office with the US). The next MGM film on the list was "Red Corner", starring Richard Gere. It placed number 89. If MGM loses the Bond rights, it will probably kill the studio. We should see the Bond films if for no other reason than to keep Leo the Lion on screen! Stop those bad guys, Mr. Bond! America, England, and Leo need you!

joe| 8.26.10 @ 9:52PM

jealousy at his age, sad
at least he had Alec Guiness to play his lead, better than Lazenby or Connery
don't know if Le Carre knows how small it makes him

nyrignt| 8.26.10 @ 10:14PM

Perhaps LeCarre has a problem with the fact that even though he is still around to write new novels, he will never outsell Fleming, who has been dead for nearly 50 years. Also, it is interesting to note that while James Bond is a notoriously successful womanizer, George Smiley is a chronic cuckold.

Vaemat| 8.27.10 @ 12:37AM

I don't get it. I have nothing against the James Bond stories but they are bacically comic-books for teenagers. Why is Le Carre, who wantsd to be taken seriously as an author, going off his chump about them? Jealously seems the only possible explanation. What's the next target? Donald Duck?

Elli Betty| 8.27.10 @ 2:26AM

The character of James Bond has become now the thing of the past. Now we need another bond like character to thrill us.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Very.....id=4917255

Rich Rostrom| 8.27.10 @ 2:58AM

Ian Fleming served in the Naval Intelligence Division of the British Royal Navy, not in the American OSS.

His WW II experiences did inform his novels. Fleming reportedly worked with Dusko Popov (TRICYCLE), a double agent who was very much the "playboy spy".

He once commented that James Bond was just a silly fantasy, not like Sidney Reilly.

Conan the Contrarian| 8.27.10 @ 9:54AM

I like Frederick Forsyth. A great thriller writer.

JoeCR| 8.28.10 @ 9:33AM

The Tinker, Tayor... series by LeCerre were great to me; my all time favorite character is Smiley. My long time speculation is that LeCerre lost his touch when he wasn't with people close to the business. I think he needed ideas and his new choice of liberal friends plus being unable to get close to those who were in the spy buiness killed his future. I wish he had done differently and hadn't become a leftist. Lots of good books still out there for the right person with the RIGHT friends

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