What Happened to the Continuity in Quantum of Solace?
Following the success of "Casino Royale" it was decided that the follow up, "Quantum of Solace", was to be the first true sequel in the history of the James Bond films.
The end of Daniel Craig's first film as 007 finished with him dressed in a Brioni three-piece suit after shooting Mr White in the leg and uttering those immortal words - "Bond, James Bond".
However, "Quantum of Solace", released two years later, gets things mixed up from the start.
The sequel finishes just after Mr White has been shot, although we don't find out what happened between the last scene in "Casino Royale" and the start of "Quantum of Solace" that precipitates a high-speed car chase between Bond's Aston Martin DBS and a number of black Alfa Romeos.
What is noticeable is that although the suite worn at the start of "Quantum of Solace" is very similar to that worn in "Casino Royale" - with a change of costume designer came a change of suit maker and Tom Ford came in to replace Brioni - it is now a two-piece suit.
Not only that, but the stripes are differently spaced and of a different colour too! Many Bond fans who noticed that little details were rather annoyed.
Another creeping error is that in "Casino Royale", Bond checks some CCTV footage that clearly indicates the year is 2006, the year the film was shot and released.
However, "Quantum of Solace" is set in 2008.
While small slips like this are hardly noticeable and certainly not upon first viewing, it is true that some Bond fans who noticed these continuity slips were disappointed.
However, it is true that many films have tiny continuity problems but it is only the era of DVD and BluRay that makes it possible for such small things to be studied.
In a way such slips can make the films more interesting, as they can be viewed in ways that were never intended by the filmmakers.
Few people notice these things on their first viewing; however repeated viewings and the ability to slow down or stop the film entirely give much more power to the viewer; whereas traditionally a movie experience consisted of sitting for 90 minutes or 2 hours in a dark theatre and once the end titles came up that was it, these days every film can be studied frame by frame, allowing them to be enjoyed for much more than just the plot, direction or cinematography, which can make them much more rewarding to fans too.
The end of Daniel Craig's first film as 007 finished with him dressed in a Brioni three-piece suit after shooting Mr White in the leg and uttering those immortal words - "Bond, James Bond".
However, "Quantum of Solace", released two years later, gets things mixed up from the start.
The sequel finishes just after Mr White has been shot, although we don't find out what happened between the last scene in "Casino Royale" and the start of "Quantum of Solace" that precipitates a high-speed car chase between Bond's Aston Martin DBS and a number of black Alfa Romeos.
What is noticeable is that although the suite worn at the start of "Quantum of Solace" is very similar to that worn in "Casino Royale" - with a change of costume designer came a change of suit maker and Tom Ford came in to replace Brioni - it is now a two-piece suit.
Not only that, but the stripes are differently spaced and of a different colour too! Many Bond fans who noticed that little details were rather annoyed.
Another creeping error is that in "Casino Royale", Bond checks some CCTV footage that clearly indicates the year is 2006, the year the film was shot and released.
However, "Quantum of Solace" is set in 2008.
While small slips like this are hardly noticeable and certainly not upon first viewing, it is true that some Bond fans who noticed these continuity slips were disappointed.
However, it is true that many films have tiny continuity problems but it is only the era of DVD and BluRay that makes it possible for such small things to be studied.
In a way such slips can make the films more interesting, as they can be viewed in ways that were never intended by the filmmakers.
Few people notice these things on their first viewing; however repeated viewings and the ability to slow down or stop the film entirely give much more power to the viewer; whereas traditionally a movie experience consisted of sitting for 90 minutes or 2 hours in a dark theatre and once the end titles came up that was it, these days every film can be studied frame by frame, allowing them to be enjoyed for much more than just the plot, direction or cinematography, which can make them much more rewarding to fans too.
