By: Greg Payne
I'm a big, big, big James Bond fan. Let's just get that out on the table. I've been waiting for Skyfall for an excruciatingly long duration of time, so you can understand why I might have been a bit excited for the release of the first teaser trailer this past Monday. Before we go any further, watch it now:
It takes several viewings to really grasp what's going on. Obviously at the forefront Bond is being interrogated, by way of one of those mind-twisting word association games.
The transcript:
INTERROGATOR: Country.
BOND: England.
INTERROGATOR: Gun.
BOND: Shot.
INTERROGATOR: Agent.
BOND: Provocateur.
INTERROGATOR: Murder.
BOND: Employment.
INTERROGATOR: Skyfall.
[BOND FREEZES AND PAUSES]
INTERROGATOR: Skyfall.
BOND: Done.
So, what do we take out of that? It seems like Bond is, initially, unconcerned with this entire process, as he rattles off answers fairly nonchalantly, perhaps best exemplified by the way he casually says, 'Employment,' when he's approached with, 'Murder.' My guess is, he isn't expecting the word 'Skyfall' to be dropped at any point in the conversation, which is why he's suddenly so taken aback when he hears it. Obviously we get the briefest of flashes of what appears to be a room in which Bond is standing over a middle aged man slumped back in a chair, gun in hand (or is that even Bond with the gun?). Was he assigned to kill this man? Was this man already dying when he arrived? Is this man close to Bond in a personal way? Is he a fellow agent that Bond had grown somewhat close with (consider Pierce Brosnan and Alec Trevelyan in Goldeneye)?
Also, it's hard not to notice M (Judi Dench), Bill Tanner (Rory Kinnear), and newcomer Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) (full disclosure: I've purposely done no research on Mallory's character, so I could be waaaaaay off over the next few paragraphs) examining this interrogation as it's taking place. And, of course, notice how Mallory turns towards M when Bond first hesitates when presented with 'Skyfall.' Crazy theory: Mallory doesn't trust Bond, suspects him of something (perhaps something related to the Skyfall case), or is afraid he's been emotionally or professionally compromised by the case, and his look towards M appears to be one of, 'See what I mean?' or, 'I told you so.'
But here's another crazy theory (I have many)...The official synopsis claims that M's past comes back to haunt her (I think that's why we see her standing in the room with the caskets draped with the flag of England), so MAYBE this Skyfall case that has so disrupted Bond's psyche was one that M alone gave the approval on. Maybe it was a mission that didn't have to be executed, or wasn't of the utmost importance, only M decided to go through with it anyway and ordered Bond to carry out certain actions. In other words: M made a stupid decision (Bond and apparently England as a whole are paying for it) and now Mallory has shown up as some sort of intermediary, and his look towards M could then be interpreted as something along the lines of, 'See what you've done?' Notice how stone-faced M is in that one shot?
Also notice how Tanner slowly averts his gaze when Bond hesitates, almost as if he's uncomfortable with the entire situation. Almost like he feels awful that Bond's in this room, and that he's being forced to respond to 'Skyfall.' We've all been in those uncomfortable situations where we can't quite look someone in the eye.
I think it's safe to say that this scene isn't one in which Bond was summoned from his home to go all Robert DeNiro-Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents with the interrogator man. Notice his outfit. Looks like a blue jumpsuit, or something of that nature. Um, Bond is the king of style. At all times. Does the man even own a pair of sweatpants? He actually might. There's that brief shot of him running in the park in some old school Rocky gear. BUT, he would NEVER willingly wear a blue onesie. My guess? This scene comes shortly after whichever part of the movie this picture is associated with. Also, notice the quick gaze he shoots towards M and Mallory. He obviously can't see them directly, but he knows they're there. His look? One of, 'Happy?' or, 'Are you satisfied?' Or perhaps there's even a bit more anger there.
Okay, I'm going to stop here for now. I have a lot more to say about this trailer, and the film in general, so I'll post a part two later today. I don't want to go through every single second of the trailer and try to break down all of the quick edits we get (even though I kind of did that here), because, where's the fun in that? One of the best things about the trailer is that not a whole lot about the movie has been revealed. And it's better that way. I want this movie still shrouded in a bit of mystery when I see it on November 9 (most likely at midnight). But I do have some other general thoughts/comments/crazy theories to put out there, so I'll be back with those shortly.
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