10. The Finer Things In Life
A brand connoisseur since Fleming lavished his pages with particulars from cigarettes to sauces, one thing we can expect in any manifestation of Bond is a compendium of the finer things in life. The things Bond loves in life fast cars, food and excitement are all paramount to his character. They explain why he has an aging (even in the mid-sixties) but roaring Bentley sports car, why he has a matronly housekeeper instead of a beautiful wife, and why he rarely (or, can barely) takes time off from his job. In the book Diamonds Are Forever, Bond mentions that his ideal woman is one who can make Sauce Béarnaise as well as love" which aptly puts in context whats likely to come from this revival of a Bond closer to that of the books. The same love of food and finery for the purist at least may be hinted at in Casino Royale. That moment of mutual consideration on the train to Montenegro, where Vesper Lynd comments on Bonds suit and watch and asks Bond how his lamb was to which he replies, Skewered. One sympathises. Throughout the books and films hes seen to enjoy all of the above and suffer from brain atrophy when he has nothing but paperwork or a beach to retire to. It wouldnt be a far stretch of the imagination, then, to expect more recipe-lists (e.g. for
The Vesper) and horological elitism in the coming movies. Nobody can pull off the paradox of humility and elitism quite like the orphan Double 0.