Which Bond film is the closest to the books?

Books
41

I would plumb for FRWL, I think it captures the spirit of the novel more closely than most. But in the spirit of January list making:

  1. FRWL
  2. Thunderball
  3. OHMSS
  4. FYEO
  5. Doctor No
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42

Agreed, the other addition being the Scottish ancestry.

As for humour in the novels, I point to this from Fleming’s Thunderball:

The last patient, a reformed drunk, called back from the entrance, “See you later, Irrigator!‘’ Somebody laughed.

In the movie it’s Bond who says the line, which is a clear distinction/evolution.

43

On record as a massive fan of FRWL both film and book. And while by EON standards it’s a “faithful” adaptation, it’s definitely been outdone by OHMSS and probably DN. If there’s a “gap” in the adaptation of FRWL, it’s that Grant’s backstory really doesn’t exist. The menace is entirely in the casting. What makes FRWL a great read is the amount of time Fleming took to flesh out the villains in general, with Bond an almost secondary character for the first half.

Obviously the film was never going to do that, and as honest an adaptation that it is, it’s still “out-adapted” by a couple of others!

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44

If we’re talking about the most faithful adaptation, then it’s undoubtedly On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. The first four Connery films are also pretty faithful, as is the second half of Casino Royale (setting update notwithstanding).

I do think in general, Dr. No and From Russia with Love feel closest to the spirit of the Fleming novels. Connery really feels like Fleming’s Bond in them. Starting with Goldfinger, the films started to evolve their own distinct language and formula, and Connery’s Bond crytalised into the ‘cinematic Bond’ we’ve had since then. There are the occasional returns to Fleming’s style and take on the character - OHMSS of course, For Your Eyes Only, the Dalton films, Casino Royale - but for the most part, starting with Goldfinger and definitely by Thunderball, the cinematic Bond evolved into its own animal, and not just a (loose) ‘adaptation’ of the book series.

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