Not directly related, but some might be interested, so …Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: ↑Sun May 01, 2022 2:18 pmIan Fleming’s Lost ‘Moonraker’ Script Found, Revealing Dramatically Different Vision for James Bond Movies
… A lot has been written about the James Bond phenomenon, both the books and the films (disclaimer: I'm not a fan of the films and I haven't looked at the books for decades). Umberto Eco (the semiotics guy) wrote a nice piece called Narrative Structure in Ian Fleming which wormy people might find interesting. It's a longish piece so here's the analysis of the common structure of the books (except the short stories):
Hmm… authors and filmmakers like their flawed heros to lose at the end, as in Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and its remake as a Western, The Magnificent Seven. That's another topic in itself!The invariable scheme is the following:
A. M moves and gives a task to Bond.
B. The Villain moves and appears to Bond (perhaps in alternating forms).
C. Bond moves and gives a first check to the Villain or the Villain gives first check to Bond.
D. Woman moves and shows herself to Bond.
E. Bond consumes Woman: possesses her or begins her seduction.
F. The Villain captures Bond (with or without Woman, or at different moments).
G. The Villain tortures Bond (with or without Woman).
H. Bond conquers the Villain (kills him, or kills his representative or helps at their killing).
I. Bond convalescing enjoys Woman, whom he then loses.