I’m sure this has been asked before, but if the diamonds stuffed into Franks’ corpse are fake, how do they emerge intact from the crematory oven?
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Because I’m sitting here with nothing to do between Christmas and New Years I did a little research…
Crematorium ovens operate between 1,400 and 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit and cubic zirconia melts at about 4,500 degrees…
Try getting this on another Bond forum! 
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Nicely done!
Except…
According to various sources on the Web, although discovered in 1937, production of cubic zirconia as a diamond substitute didn’t occur until 1976, after a 1973 breakthrough by Soviet scientists who finally found a way to create facets in the substance for use in laser technology. DAF, of course, was released in 1971, so whatever the fake gems in Franks were made of would likely have been something else.
Before going down this rabbit hole, I was thinking of the old movies where fake gems are referred to as “paste” or “glass,” neither of which would survive intense heat, but apparently there were several gem-like diamond stand-ins before cubic zirconia, possibly made of sturdier stuff, heat-wise. Interestingly, it seems cubic zirconia can not only withstand tremendous heat but in fact requires it as part of the manufacturing process. Indeed, it seems the key to the 70s breakthrough was the newfound abilty to employ microwaves to generate previously unattainable temperatures.
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Although cubic zirconia was discovered as a natural mineral in 1937, crystals usable for faceting were first produced in 1969 and it was not until a practical skull-melting technique was developed in the USSR in 1972 that commercial production became feasible.
Q Branch got there ahead of the Soviets. What else is new?
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Indeed.
Adding insult to injury, I understand it was another five years before the Commies had an elephant that could play the slots.
Also, some have interpreted Connery’s out-of-control eyebrow growth in DAF as a direct challenge to Brezhnev’s established dominance in that arena.
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And it’s well known that Bond films are always a few years ahead of where we actually are in terms of technology and science.
Although I am still waiting for my crocodile sub.
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My take on the cremation scene is this:
True, it takes longer to cremate a body than depicted, and true the fake diamonds would not survive the process.
But,
Who sez the diamonds were still in Frank’s body at that point? It would be the work of but a moment for whoever tipped Franks’ body out of the metal airline container into the half-couch Slumber-on casket to retrieve the sack of diamonds from his alimentary canal.
Don’t give me too much credit for figuring that out - I only cottoned on to the idea last year.
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My reading of the cremation → diamonds in the urn scene is that we were never meant to think Frank’s body was cremated at all.
Slumber pushes buttons on a control panel (curtain, music, etc.). The one for “oven” is off and he never turns it on. I think the casket goes into the cold oven, the attendant takes it out the other side, removes the diamonds, puts them in an empty urn, and brings it to Bond. I don’t think we were meant to think the urn has anything other than diamonds in it.
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Great observation/insight. So we can add the cremation of Frank’s body to the list of the film’s masquerades.
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Great point. Hadn’t thought of it that way (and certainly hadn’t caught the oven button being off), but it makes the most sense–and it would be the easiest way to get the diamonds. Another clue to that likelihood is that the diamonds are bright and shiny and not at all dull and covered in ashes from the remains of the casket and Franks’ body.
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So the whole Morton Slumber/Peter Franks scene is a performance (linking back to Stb’s earlier comment). One could even argue that the diamonds had already been extricated from Franks’ body before the little playlet Bond and Slumber engage in, hence the brief wait in the office.
The performance also sets the stage for Kidd/Wint’s attempt on Bond’s life–a real attempt that would have succeeded except for the phoniness of the diamonds being discovered.
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Another thought occured
Did Slumber get killed by Wint and Kidd? If not why not? Everyone else is killed off., and what of the gangsters? Surely they are as disposable as the little old lady or Shady or the dentist…
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He could be an unseen death. I read somewhere that the reason they cut showing Wint/Kidd actually kill Shady Tree was they felt it would create too much focus on Wint/Kidd, so it was better to have Bond discover the body, and forgo showing the murder itself.
Or Slumber could be high enough in the organization that he is above “the pipeline,” since he and his establishment are only brought into play because Bond chooses to use a corpse to smuggle the diamonds. If Bond and Tiffany are still on their cruise, Slumber may still be sitting in his comfortable office (I rather like this option).
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They both know the meeting is a charade but don’t break cover. The real cremation was meant for Bond but even that doesn’t get followed through with.
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Many things do not get followed through with in DAF:
- Bond disposing of Blofeld once and for all
- The destruction of the villain’s super weapon (are we still waiting for its orbit to decay?)
- Per @Yellow-Pinky: the anti-climatic climax
- Standard Bond film sexual congress send-off
The most truthful of all final title cards:
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This all makes sense and aligns with the fact that the oven IS turned on with Bond in the casket but it takes about 30 seconds for him to even get all that warm, much less reduced to ashes. I like the idea of Bond and Slumber just going through the motions and no cremation even occurring. Although even without it, there still doesn’t seem enough time to get the casket out of the (unlit) oven, wheel it back to a private room, fish the gems out of poor old Franks and deliver them to the office.
But given OP has Bond working his way out of a gorilla suit and tiptoeing halfway across a train car in less time than it took me to type the words, I’ll accept that time passes differently in 007’s world.
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And to make sure the point is clear - the reason for the “performances” we see in this scene - it’s how the mob works, right?
They just assume someone might be wearing a wire or they might be filmed by the FBI. It’s like “The Irishman” where they they talk about needing someone to “paint houses” (which was code for needing someone to blow someone’s head off).
Slumber is saying and doing everything on the up and up in case a tape might end up in court someday…
On a side note - if you ever find yourself in Vegas that funeral home is still there and still looks darn close to how it did in the movie, right down to that diamond shaped stained glass window.
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Totally. Thanks for the insight. I had not thought it through that far.
And when Slumber and Shady free Bond from the casket, only Shady speaks. Slumber is part of the organization, so he knows not to break character. Shady, the dentist, Joe, Mrs. Whistler, & Tiffany are all independent contractors, and, therefore, disposable (and to be disposed of) when the pipeline gets shut down.
Also:
@UKN007 Thanks you so much for the tip to look at “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.” I found a copy yesterday at The Strand (NYC’s premier used bookstore). I am already halfway through it, and it reads like a companion piece/analysis to the movie. A scene even takes place at Circus Circus. I knew about Thompson, but had never spent time with his work. Thanks for introducing us.
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As a complete aside - GI Joe cartoons from the 80’s were on in my house over Christmas. I happened to notice a building named “H.S. Thompson Pharmaceuticals” at one point. Who knew the writers were slipping such references into my childhood cartoons!
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