Dutchbondfan is back in business! 👀

The book that began the ultimate headache... Ain't that right, KEVIN MCCLORY?

This series of yours is better than getting a gift of the super-de lux folio edition of the novels themselves. Great analysis delivered in an extremely engaging way. Thanks, Dutch Bond Fan.

Thunderball is one of my favourite Bond movies and I really enjoyed the book too. The movie was very faithful to the book. When Bond calls health club people "grated carrot merchants" was a really funny line in the book that would have been funny in the movie if they could have made it work 😂

This is crazy, our reading has lined up. I have a review of Thunderball coming out soon as well. Mine will not be nearly as detailed as yours however, lol. Nice Review, thanks for the video, its always good to see you!! I'm glad I just read it, I understood everything you talked about, and agreed very much.

Good to see you making videos again, man.

Good review. I’m sorry that next you have to read “The Spy Who Loved Me”.

Thanks, I'll have to reread it.

Im glad your reading 007 series has returned. This is another series I look forward to seeing. I enjoyed this video alot. I enjoyed Thunderball film alot as well as it is a Top 10 film in my eyes

I have been waiting forever for this thank you I love Thunderball it’s my favorite

You really notice how much the character and content is actually softened for the movie. In the book he is unhappy because Moneypenny is away and he has a new "bitch" secretary, then in the taxi on the way to the health clinic he talks to the taxi driver about Brighton and a "tart" the young man knew there who is now too expensive a prostitute for him to afford. This is all by the end of chapter two.....

Welcome back my boy.

From what I've read, "Thunderball" started out as a series of about 12 separate script drafts, some of which involved The Mafia. SPECTRE was created both to get away from the Russians as villains, but also to create an original international organization as the recurring villains for a film series that never happened. It became VERY obvious to me when I saw the 1939 film "Q PLANES" that writer Jack Whittingham was the one who came up with the concept of hijacking a plane to steal its cargo. He resued his own idea 20 years later! (I look forward to you reviewing that movie. The climax also predicts the climax of the film THE SPY WHO LOVED ME.) When EON was formed, they wanted to do THUNDERBALL first, but that lawsuit prevented it. No doubt this is why there's that awkward, uneccesary sequence where you're not supposed to know the guy in the glasses is Felix. Had TB been the first film, that would have been his intro-- but, they already did his intro, in DR. NO. It blows my mind that Fatima / Fiona is not in the novel, as she's definitely the best part of both films. But then, Domino was better in the novel than in either movie. MY favorite version of "Thunderball" is the novel. It's straightforward, you can't get lost. The movie is a case of "too many cooks". they actually ignored the novel, went back to the earlier screenplays, and then wrote MORE. Trying to follow the movie-- especially on commercial TV-- is almost impossible. I saw it twice on ABC, couldn't remember it, then read the book and wondered why. After, when I saw the film a 3rd time, I suddenly realized what a confused chaotic MESS it was. It's so sad-- AND STUPID-- that the newspaper strip was interrupted 12 weeks in, leaving it NEVER finished, because the publisher got pissed off at Fleming for having one of his short stories published by somebody else. A year later, the strip resumed, but with the NEXT story, and "Thunderball" was NEVER finished in the comics. (There's a brand-new series of comics graphic novels being done right now. I suppose eventually, they'll get around to doing "Thunderball".) I read Luciana Paluzzi was initially cast as Domino. THAT would have been something. But then, they cast RAQUEL WELCH. That would have been REALLY something. Her specialty was swimming, and I feel she's a way-better actress than Claudine Auger. EON (and Fox) got lots of publicity about Welch being in the film (I've seen the photos), until the studio she had a contract with YANKED her away to be in FANTASTIC VOYAGE instead. She looks great in there, but doesn't have much to do. "Domino" would have been a FAR-better showcase for her acting. Many years ago, I came up with my own fantasy casting for THUNDERBALL. Here's a revised list: Edward De Souza -- James Bond George Sanders -- Ernst Stavros Blofeld Telly Savalas -- Emilio Largo Raquel Welch -- Domino David Hedison -- Felix Leiter Donald Pleasence -- Kutze

I have similair thoughts. While it's not one of the greatest 007 novels I had a pretty good time reading it. I guess i prefer the 1965 Movie slightly over the novel, Mostly because the underwater scenes are visually georgeous to look at and Sean Connery gives his best perfomance in that movie. Also can't forget Claudine Auger and Luciana Paluzzi. I wasn't a big fan of Never say never again.

I agree that if we weren’t shown what happened at the beginning it would’ve added more suspense and mystery and intrigue. But I suspect (and this is probably just me) that because this was ORIGINALLY meant to be a screenplay for a movie but never happened so Fleming just took it and wrote it in novel format but you can tell (if you’ve read the previous novels) how different it’s written and that it was originally a screenplay. For example the transitions of scenes just go from one scene smoothly right into another without like a big moment to end it on and start on another. Exactly how a screenplay works Another one is the structure of the story. Unlike the previous ones which had a lot of pages of details and introspections and inner monologues, this definitely had a tight Hollywood screenplay structure which relies more on dialogue and showing not telling. I don’t know if this changes anything but at least what I think we get what we get in the final product

Perfect timing, I listened thru this audiobook on a long drive yesterday

If they are gonna reboot the series for the third damn time: Hire this guy. Get him to rewrite the stories (in order) and crank up the cold war paranoia and espoinage ro 11. Less goofy stuff and just have a darker, tense, nail-biting series

Waited a long time

Great vid

Dude wake the fuck up! There's a new Dutch Bond Fan video

Hi Jeroen, in case you already haven't could you make a video about other movies where the actors who've played James Bond play similar roles to Bond after their tenures as 007 had ended, or maybe even other Bond-esque movies they made during their tenures as 007. Just watched Brosnan's Fast Charlie and it got me thinking there's probably a lot more movies like this with other Bond actors. Like Connery in The Untouchables or Moore in The Saint.

He’s back ❤

YEEAAAH!

There is elements of it in earlier novels [like the ending of FRWL leading to Bond being sent on an 'easy' mission at the start of Dr No, one of the players of the game in Casino meeting Bond again in Goldfinger] but this is probably the first time future stories/ serialisation is present in Fleming's novels as Blofeld is set up in this novel before he becomes the main villain in OHMSS.

Nice to see a new Bond book review. It's sad that they don't get as much attention as your other videos because they are top notch and I'm glad you are continuing them. Also, congrats on reaching new territory. I'm kind of the same way with a series where I want to start at the beginning even if my favorites come later. I remember both of my reads of Thunderball being good. It's not Fleming's best, but it is a decent start to the Spectre trilogy (not including Spy Who Loved Me) however it is easily the weakest. I didn't notice the similarity to From Russia With Love until you mentioned it. Looking at it, I think one of the reasons the villains giving the details to their plans works in that book and not as much as with Thunderball is because in FRWL the plan is focused with Bond as a target so being ahead of him provides more tension where in Thunderball, Bond is one of many in a bigger plot so keeping some details secret would have been more ideal. Regardless, I really enjoyed the video and I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the rest of the Spectre trilogy.

For old guys like me (born 1961) the Thunderball film is aan absolute time machine to the look and feel of another era and place in time and all of its flaws get overlooked. If you're any much younger than Zaritsky then there is no nostalgia factor. Same for the novel. Thanks DBF for the new video!!

Nice it took a long time, I thought you come back last October.

Have you ever read the Sebastian Faulks bond story?

I recently heard today that Aaron Taylor Johnson has been offered the role of Bond and I’m quite interested to hear what you might personally think of that?

I’m noticing you’ve been imagining a little bit of Monica bellucci as domino 😏 (my man) But all seriousness though, I’m definitely seeing it if we’re talking NOVEL domino (With all due respect to Claudine auger) she does seems more street savvy and more aware of her surroundings unlike the movie. She could definitely do that kind of a role in the movie (thank you bond experience book club discussion for thunderball) also I am seeing Claudia Cardinale (great Italian actress who was fantastic in Sergio Leone’s masterpiece once upon a time in the west) also would’ve given a great performance as novel domino

Sure do list for best book only villains or best lairs

7:04 where were you?

Question for DutchBondfan - have you seen/can you review the late 60s Italian film 'OK Connery' aka 'Operation Kid Brother' starring Neil Connery, Bernard Lee, Lois Maxwell, Adolfo Celi, Daniella Bianchi etc etc? Would love to hear your take on this ridiculous film with Sean Connery's younger brother.....

Hi DBF.....in the book the pilot and Domino are called Vitali, not Pettachi? Why not point this out? It's a blatant difference, like the bomber being a Shackleton not a Vulcan? The chapter called "The Hero" about the sailor on the cigarette packet is my favourite piece of Fleming's writing. Don't know why. Nice review but still the name thing...? Sorry for pedantry please take it in a friendly spirit! Best wishes and take care

It always interested me that originally, the James Bond series was supposed to be about the Cold War and the enemy was SMERSH, Russia's counter intelligence. But I guess the producers wisely decided to avoid an international incident and changed the villains from a real life nuclear power to a shadowy organization trying to pit those 2 countries together. When people who enjoy the Brosnan films or the more campy stuff that has nothing to do with Fleming say they don't care about original intent, they have evidence to support what they say. From the beginning, sure, there was Cold War stuff in the films. The Russians were characters in some of the films, but they weren't necessarily full on enemies. It was always SPECTRE that never appears in the original Fleming novellas behind the scenes who were the real enemy. In some ways, I wish they stuck to the original source material and it would have saved them all the Kevin McClory stuff, but I completely understand why they didn't want to antagonize a country that could laugh a nuclear war with them.

I love your stuff, man, but PLEASE lose the distracting background music whilst you’re speaking. It makes it difficult to hear you clearly for people with hearing deficits. Thank you.