Spectre trailer - interesting language

April 1, 2015 7:58 AM

Spectre teaser trailer An ominous teaser trailer to Spectre. Keep your ears open at the 1:01 mark. An interesting choice of scene to feature.
posted by winstonlu (49 comments total)

You've got a secret... something you can't tell anyone... because you don't trust anyone.

Laying it on a bit thick, no?
posted by metaBugs at 8:02 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

The silhouette of [SPOILER] at the end looks a bit like it could be Simon Pegg, so if you then imagine his face coming into the light at the end and Pegg doing his grin/shoulder shrug thing he does all the time it improves the trailer by approximately 12%.
posted by dng at 8:06 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

So Waltz has denied that his character Oberhauser is actually Blofeld and then Collider dropped this bit:

...I was talking with Silas Lesnick from ComingSoon.net last week, and he had the interesting theory that Monica Bellucci is playing Blofeld. Silas pointed out that the last name of Bellucci’s character, Sciarra, means “habitational name from Sciarra in Palermo province, Sicily, named with a word denoting a volcanic area.” As Bond fans know, SPECTRE operated out of a volcano...

Which after what happened to the female protagonists in Skyfall would be pretty great.
posted by a manly man person who is male and masculine at 8:14 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

You've got a secret... something you can't tell anyone...

"And we have no idea what it could be. MI6 Forensics couldn't make heads or tails of these extremely legible guardianship papers, nor this photograph of you as a child, standing next to another child whose features can't be distinguished. Was this other kid born without a face or something? That's our best guess so far."
posted by Iridic at 8:27 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

Here's another
posted by thelonius at 8:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

"You're a c*** dancing in a hurricane, Mr. Bond."

Crikey! I didn't notice that before.
posted by somekindofwizard at 8:28 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Laying it on a bit thick, no?

Ever seen a Bond film?
posted by chavenet at 8:34 AM on April 1, 2015 [8 favorites]

I'm pretty sure he says "kite" right? I can't make it sound like anything else to my ears.
posted by sparklemotion at 8:35 AM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

Is... is this some kind of April Fools thing where everyone pretends he's saying a bad word? like Misheard Movie Trailers or something? Because he's pretty clearly saying "You're a kite dancing in a hurricane."
posted by specialagentwebb at 8:36 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Here's another

Oh man. Good memories.

3D back when 3D meant something.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:42 AM on April 1, 2015

It's "kite" in a hurricane. "cunt" doesn't even make sense.
posted by thelonius at 8:48 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

I think the cadence and emphasis of the first part of the phrase leads to a misapprehension. Anyway, that's what I heard the first time I listened to this.
posted by carter at 8:54 AM on April 1, 2015

as if any of us won't be there opening night because it's Bond and it's Craig
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 8:55 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

Ever seen a Bond film?

I have this weirdly stubborn perceptual glitch in which I remember Bond films as being clever films about plans and politics and intrigue, instead of what they actually are. Every time I (re)watch one, I'm surprised and disappointed. Still, the explosions and sexy people in flattering outfits help ease the pain.

I've said it before on the Blue, but basically my ideal Bond film is one in which Bond gets maybe 10 minutes of screentime, looking appropriately badass in a couple of action set-pieces. The rest of the film is spent watching Dench's M stride around glowering at people, interpreting intelligence reports, playing her bizarre political games, and directing her agents like slightly crap chess pieces in her attempts to outwit the bad guy. I was very disappointed by the ending of Skyfall.
posted by metaBugs at 9:06 AM on April 1, 2015 [9 favorites]

I think the cadence and emphasis of the first part of the phrase leads to a misapprehension. Anyway, that's what I heard the first time I listened to this.

I heard "kunt" through 3 (absolutely astonished & rather impressed) replays & initially assumed this was why the post urged us to keep our ears open!
posted by Jody Tresidder at 9:13 AM on April 1, 2015

I'd be fascinated to know the native accents of the people who're hearing "cunt". I'll grant that there's a pause after the hard c, and there's a temptation to fill it, but I really can't make myself hear anything other than "kite". (mostly southern British English accent, FWIW)

Bonus points: Is it a blue and black kite, or...
posted by metaBugs at 9:17 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

I heard "kite" too. That's the only thing that makes sense in the sentence.
posted by octothorpe at 9:20 AM on April 1, 2015

Canadian with three British parents of differing accents and a NZ parent. Unambiguously 'kite.'
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:22 AM on April 1, 2015

I'm pretty sure he says "kite" right?

I heard it.. wrong the first time, the second time I heard "kite", and knew that was correct because it was the only thing that fit the rest of the sentence.
posted by quin at 9:24 AM on April 1, 2015

Considering how they botched the "Bond girl actually Bond Villian all along!" Twist from The World Is Not Enough, I'd be happy if they revisited it here with a total Red Herring guy.
posted by The Whelk at 9:37 AM on April 1, 2015

They've done a female Blofeld in the books before, so there is a literary precedent for the characters. Admittedly they weren't in Fleming's books, but in the John Gardner revivals.
posted by sardonyx at 9:40 AM on April 1, 2015

I heard kite the other day, but then watching it again before coming in to read the comments I also chuckled to hear 'cunt'. Its the way he bites off the 't' in kite before saying the 'e' almost as an afterthought I think. Its not a million miles from a cockney pronunciation of 'cunt' with the hard c and t and then the sort of soft release of breath at the end.
posted by biffa at 9:41 AM on April 1, 2015

Can't tell you how diappointed I am that the "interesting choice of scene" line is apparently about a naughty word, and not the thin edge of an ARG like puzzle/rabbithole of some kind.
posted by mhoye at 10:06 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Well, I just spent five minutes trying to decipher what the sudden dip/bass note in the score at 1:01 when we see the SPECTRE ring could possibly mean.

Because it never even occurred to me for a second that he was saying anything other than "kite".

I can't help but wonder how people named Carl fare with some of you, or what happens when the waiter recommends the carp, or if any of you have ever tried crumping.
posted by Shepherd at 10:13 AM on April 1, 2015 [10 favorites]

I suppose I've always wanted to see Bond hook up with Donald Pleasance, the way those two always made eyes at each other. Or at least an eye.
posted by a lungful of dragon at 10:14 AM on April 1, 2015

So Waltz has denied that his character Oberhauser is actually Blofeld

Is he really Khan?
posted by octothorpe at 10:15 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

NO NO NO, didn't any of you look at the ring?

When Bond leans in to Mr. White, you can hear him whisper, "Hail Hydra!"
posted by leotrotsky at 10:17 AM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

maybe we could avoid throwing around a gendered insult so liberally, maybe?
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 10:37 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

I've said it before on the Blue, but basically my ideal Bond film

I would be totally on board for a Sandbaggers movie with Dame Dench in the Burnside role....
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:40 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

When Bond leans in to Mr. White, you can hear him whisper, "Hail Hydra!" ia Cthulhu!

I fixed that for you. Rugosely.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:41 AM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

They're really drenching these movies in Batman paint lately, aren't they? I remember Bond movies being sort of over the top and gleefully insane.
posted by sleeping bear at 10:43 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

I can't help but wonder how people named Carl fare with some of you

You mean Coral?
posted by longdaysjourney at 10:47 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

as if any of us won't be there opening night because it's Bond and it's Craig

Oh yes. I'm planning to see it at least three times, with one of those viewings being the IMAX version.

So is "kite" versus "cunt" the new "blue dress" versus "white dress"? Whatever, the first time I listened to it I heard the "c" word but when the guy finished the sentence that of course didn't make sense in context. Every time I watch it I still hear it wrong and have to make the correction in my head. I think whoever produced the trailer deliberately left the pronunciation ambiguous.

I can't help but wonder how people named Carl fare with some of you

You mean Coral yt ?

Heh. Susan Lucci of Erica Kane fame pronounces "Coral" as "Carl". Her character on All My Children had an unseen maid named Coral and for years many people wondered if Coral was actually a man.
posted by fuse theorem at 10:57 AM on April 1, 2015

This "kite" derail is the best Aprils Fool's Day joke ever!

If, by "best," you mean "worst."

Carry on.

Or, you know, don't.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:01 AM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Yeah this framing is terrible. This is an impeccably crafted trailer for a billion dollar franchise. There's no way the corporations behind this production would use that word in this trailer. It doesn't make sense with the sentence or the tone of the trailer or the performance.

Also, what do the Mefi style guidelines say about typing out slurs? I was under the impression that it was inappropriate to type out the n-word word c-word just because that's the conscientious thing to do.

ANYWAY

I'm most excited by: Bond in Turtlenecks. Monica Belluci in profile. The amazing music cues.
posted by kittensofthenight at 11:23 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

Bond in Turtlenecks -- user name or band name?
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:32 AM on April 1, 2015

I AM ANNOYED THERE IS NO FLUFFY KITTY IN THIS TEASER. Seriously, this teaser should have been thirty seconds of a fluffy kitty purring followed by fifteen seconds of Bond, tied up, naked, looking pensive while the creepy metallic bond theme is played on the kiddie piano. MAKE THIS HAPPEN, BOND PEOPLE.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 11:54 AM on April 1, 2015 [3 favorites]

It doesn't make sense with the sentence or the tone of the trailer or the performance.

I don't think people are claiming he is actually saying anything other than kite, because let's face it, that would be a bold and somewhat pointless new step for a large budget motion picture in its first trailer, rather that it sounds a lot like he is saying anything other than kite (or at least enough to amuse those of us who exist at the confluence of prurience and giggling - like me).
posted by biffa at 12:12 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

kittensofthenight : Also, what do the Mefi style guidelines say about typing out slurs? I was under the impression that it was inappropriate to type out the n-word word c-word just because that's the conscientious thing to do.

There has never been a specific rule in place, with some obvious caveats; if you are quoting Tom Sawyer, the lyrics of NWA, or the first few minutes of Shaun of the Dead it would be completely appropriate, and you aren't likely to see many complaints. However, using the terms derogatorily towards another member of the site is a quick path to a timeout. As with most things, it is all about context.

YMMV with regards to simply peppering comments with the phrases. I've seen it go both ways, but in the past, the hammer has mostly come down on the side of allowing people use their words to express themselves, and letting the community (via metatalk) try to curb or correct as seems appropriate. Most of the time, the kind of commenter that requires this kind of language in regular use tend to self select out eventually.

"cunt" also being a regional thing has been taken into account more than a few times; in the US, it is one of the ugliest of invectives, however, abroad, it is more socially acceptable, and more than one discussion has been had over the use.
posted by quin at 12:12 PM on April 1, 2015 [2 favorites]

They've done a female Blofeld in the books before, so there is a literary precedent for the characters. Admittedly they weren't in Fleming's books, but in the John Gardner revivals.

Oh poor John Gardner. He was trying so hard to maintain continuity with the Fleming novels. And then they had him do the novelization to License to Kill. The inciting incident of which is that Felix Leiter gets married, then on his wedding night an angry drug lord kills his wife and feeds Felix to a shark, which costs Felix a leg and most of an arm.

Unfortunately for Gardner, this was a bit that the screenwriters picked up from Fleming's Live and Let Die, though it hadn't made it into the Roger Moore film based on that book. And it's not some minor event - it's the whole premise of the story. This happens to Felix and Bond sets off on a vendetta against the drug lord who did it to him. But in the continuity he's trying to maintain, Felix has ALREADY been eaten by a shark, so poor Gardner had to write the scene where Bond discovers Felix after the drug lord's thugs dump him back at his house, and discover that thankfully the shark mostly went for the parts that had already been eaten and just mostly ripped up Felix's prosthetic limbs. It was so embarrassing for him...
posted by Naberius at 12:22 PM on April 1, 2015 [4 favorites]

Parts look like they could be scenes from "Eyes Wide Shut II: Spring Breakers"
posted by rhizome at 12:52 PM on April 1, 2015

I know my chain is being yanked but this is so professional and so good that I can't help but have a little heart-flutter anyway. (Also: kite.)
posted by immlass at 2:17 PM on April 1, 2015

Not sure if you are joking (ha, joking on April 1st!) immlass, but IMDB says that this is real. Also, the teaser was published on the 27th, so it would have been a bit early for a Fools' Day prank.
posted by quin at 3:10 PM on April 1, 2015

Yeah, it's real. I saw the trailer last week. Between this and Mad Max I may just see some blockbusters in the theater this year.
posted by rhizome at 4:29 PM on April 1, 2015

The "yanking my chain" comment is about the way the trailer sets me up to expect more from a film than the final product can possibly provide. Sadly.
posted by immlass at 5:41 PM on April 1, 2015 [1 favorite]

Let's face it, if you've watched enough of the films, it's pretty clear that Bond is a bit of a kite.
posted by dhartung at 12:05 AM on April 2, 2015 [3 favorites]

Since I'm pretty much going to watch this trailer everyday until the song gets released (which I can then listen to every day) this whole mondegreen issue is going to be a problem.

Because now, even though I know he says kite, I can't watch the clip at 1:01 without picturing labia flapping around in the wind of a massive summer storm. And there are questions: would it be a gentle dance like a solo waltz? maybe a polka? seems more likely to be some form of dubstep, or maybe just Lil Jon? Exactly which part of the female anatomy will be airborne? the whole vulva? will the vagina be involved at all? will it be visible?
posted by sparklemotion at 6:24 AM on April 2, 2015

I've said it before on the Blue, but basically my ideal Bond film is one in which Bond gets maybe 10 minutes of screentime, looking appropriately badass in a couple of action set-pieces. The rest of the film is spent watching Dench's M stride around glowering at people, interpreting intelligence reports, playing her bizarre political games, and directing her agents like slightly crap chess pieces in her attempts to outwit the bad guy. I was very disappointed by the ending of Skyfall.

But you loved the rest of Skyfall, right? Because I keep telling people that I like Skyfall because of how it dares to question MI6's relevance in a post-9/11 society, arguing that James Bond and the people he works with are literally relics of a past era, unable to stop the bad guy from getting what he wants. And everyone looks at me like I'm crazy.

I remember one of the big criticisms of Skyfall being that it's barely a James Bond movie because he has no agency. To me, that's kind of the point of Skyfall, or at least I wish it was.
posted by chrominance at 6:29 AM on April 2, 2015 [5 favorites]

Plus to get Dench a dignified exit before Craig's exit after the film after Spectre. I am kind of wondering whether they might try and set up an actual exit on film for him rather than an exit between films.
posted by biffa at 8:04 AM on April 7, 2015