Why a Woman Can T Play James Bond

JAMES BOND AND GENDER IN MEDIA

1 Why a woman can’t play James Bond By Johnny Oleksinski

May 23, 2016 | 3:22pm

As appeared in the New York Post online: http://nypost.com/2016/05/23/why-a-woman-cant-play- james-bond/

Get off my Bond! base. Count me among them. Anderson would make a terrific spy. Call me old fashioned, but the iconic superspy series shouldn’t be shaken or But she shouldn’t play James Bond. No stirred. woman should.

Recently, after it became clear that whiny Bond is Bond, take him or leave him. Daniel Craig wouldn’t be back for another romp as 007, this hashtag appeared on Ask anybody, man or woman, who his or Twitter: #NextBond. her favorite James Bond actor is and the answer will usually be Sean Connery, the Yes, let the people decide! When have they most misogynistic 007 of the lot. ever gotten it wrong? That’s because Bond is first and foremost The usual suspects were named — Idris about masculinity. He’s Manliness Elba, Clive Owen and belle-of-the-Brit-ball Concentrate. He’s practically a parody of Tom Hiddleston. But the real head-scratcher dudedom. That’s his raison d’être. was the winner: Gillian Anderson. Bond is first and foremost about Don’t get me wrong: The “X-Files” star is a masculinity. He’s Manliness phenomenal actress, and quite versatile. Through June 4, you can catch her at Concentrate. He’s practically a parody of Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse in “A dudedom. Streetcar Named Desire,” as Blanche DuBois, a role about as far removed from You know the scenario: 007 meets a cool and collected Agent Dana Scully as seductress double-agent at a blackjack you can get. And, as evidenced by this table in Monte Carlo, Monaco, over Moët social media shocker, she has a fervent fan and martinis, has sex with her under a polar

2 bear fur duvet, abandons her with a quip Or have a woman play a gender-neutral and then kills some schmucks in the character like the driving force of “Mission hallway. Impossible.” The less Tom Cruise, the better. Fun, right? Yes! Such evenings don’t happen in real life because it’s a frivolous But don’t rely on a tired 54-year-old action flick, not a gender studies course at franchise to drive home your point. Your Oberlin. And in the overcrowded spy genre, only aim should be making a spy movie that all 007 has going for it is that carefree, kicks James Bond’s ***. unapologetic nostalgia value. Questions to consider: Audiences go into the theater with a list of expectations: Tux? Check! Martini? Check! 1. What arguments are put forward Exotic women conquests? Check Check as to why James Bond must Check! Toss out those elements and all always be played my a male you’re left with is a standard thriller and an character? Which are most iconic surname. Why bother? convincing and least convincing in your opinion? The 007 series isn’t some protest or flashy congressional filibuster. There’s no social 2. What picture is painted of the commentary here. If that’s what you want, James Bond character (look to try “Carol” or “Spotlight.” the descriptive words related to plot and behavior). What would With a Jane Bond, the movies would be happen if a woman character did fundamentally different; every joke and the same things? WHY? chase would be scrutinized and politically corrected within an inch of its fictional life. 3. Organize the arguments Out goes the escapism and joy, in goes according to TOK categories: Charlie Rose and talkbacks. Logic (L), Sense Perception (SP), Language (Lang) or Emotion (E). So please, Hollywood, write more spy From where do you think the movies and TV shows for women. After all, author got these notions of what the first two seasons of Jennifer Garner’s James Bond can and cannot be? “Alias” were more exciting and creative than What does this tell you about any James Bond movie since “Goldeneye.” perceptions of gender?

3 THE NAME'S JANE A female James Bond is exactly what the franchise needs right now WRITTEN BY Noah Berlatsky, May 29, 2016

Taken from: http://qz.com/694612/the-case-for-jane-bond/

Whether you’re a man or a woman, James Bond makes being a superspy look like a pretty good gig. Agent 007 wears impeccable suits, drives cool cars, takes out the bad guys and sleeps with an endless parade of gorgeous partners. It’s no wonder actress Gillian Anderson would like to try the role on for size. Who wouldn’t want to be suave, brutal and sexily angst-ridden?

Of course, there are naysayers. James Bond, the skeptics say, is the manliest of men. Take that away, and masculinity everywhere will dissolve into a feminized puddle, like in The Thing, but sadder and with a worse box office return.

But speaking as a man on the issue of man things, if James Bond became Jane Bond, I’m pretty sure our gender would get on board. There is, after all, a fairly long history of manly enthusiasm for action films with women heroes. Ripley from Alien (1979) and Sarah Connor from Terminator (1984) aren’t quite as old as James Bond, but they’re both nearly as iconic.

Surely they (and Mad Max‘s Imperator Furiosa, too) come across as much more convincingly badass than Roger Moore. If you want to stick to superspy assassins, there’s The Bride from Kill

Bill. Uma Thurman could certainly rock a tuxedo.

In her classic book on horror movies, Men, Women and Chainsaws, Carol Clover argues that men often actually identify more strongly with empowerment narratives that feature female characters. Clover points to exploitation slasher films, which inspired both Ripley and Sarah

Connor.

4 In these kinds of films, Clover argues, the woman is initially portrayed as being in danger, a narrative in tune with the cultural stereotypes about women as weak, disempowered, and endangered. Think of Sarah Connor in the first Terminator film, Clarice in Silence of the Lambs, or of Lisbeth Salander sexually assaulted in Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

But then, Clover argues, in the second half of these films, the tables are turned. Suddenly, the weak, vulnerable woman seizes the knife/axe/improbably large gun, and overcomes the alien/android/serial killer/whoever. The empowerment fantasy is more intense and morecomplete because it starts as a disempowerment fantasy.

Women are allowed on screen to be more vulnerable than men. For example, there’s a scene in Kill Bill where the Bride is reduced to wailing and begging as Bill shoots her in the head. She’s totally bereft and defeated. But her emotional loss and the totality of her disempowerment only makes her more fearsome when she wakes from her coma and begins slaughtering her way

5 towards vengeance. The further down you are, the more satisfying it is when you slice up 200 ninjas.

James Bond, on the other hand, never loses his cool. Even when he’s having his genitals tortured in Casino Royale, he still laughs defiantly. This means the empowerment fantasy always lacks a certain dynamism. Bond starts at the top and stays at the top, running through the same Bond formula as ever, year after year, always debonnaire and unflappable, always—kind of dull.

Maybe there’s a Bond scene as gritty, heart-breaking, and ultimately triumphant as the scene at the end of Terminator II with Linda Hamilton cocking her shotgun with her one good arm and driving the evil terminator towards the molten pit. But I sure don’t remember it.

In keeping with old-fashioned standards of masculinity, guys are supposed to always remain in control. But (big reveal!) the vast majority of men, the vast majority of the time, are not. We feel disempowered, overwhelmed, endangered—all the emotions that the rules of cinema don’t allow

Bond to display.

But women action heroes have access to a wider palate of emotions. Although women onscreen are often given smaller, more stereotypical, less nuanced roles than men, in action films, they can shine. When they’re given lead roles, they often have more latitude, range, and development than men would.

It seems unlikely that the Bond executives would tinker with their tried and true—not to mention lucrative—formula. The films are consistent money-earners, and last year’s bloated, tedious Spectre showed just how unimaginative and hidebound the creative forces behind the franchise are.

6 But if they did choose Gillian Anderson, film history suggests we might finally get a Bond who is vulnerable, scrappy, and determined, with harder-won victories. That’s way more cool. Jane

Bond would give the franchise a chance to create a better empowerment fantasy—for people of every gender.

Questions to consider:

4. What arguments are put forward as to why James Bond must always be played my a male character? Which are most convincing and least convincing in your opinion?

5. Organize the arguments according to TOK categories: Logic (L), Sense Perception (SP), Language (Lang) or Emotion (E).

6. After reading this article, do you think that audiences would “buy into” the idea of a female James Bond in North America? In Egypt? Why or why not? What does that tell you about gender perceptions in society?

7. Compare this piece to the one that argues against a female Bond character. Which is more convincing? Why?

7 Are Bond Girls Sexist? There’s no doubt that female characters play a central role in the spy film franchise. But are they frivolous fun or worryingly dated? Clementine Ford takes a look. By Clementine Ford 14 October 2015 As appeared on: http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20151014-bond-women-sexy-or-just-sexist? ocid=ww.social.link.email

When Ursula Andress strode out of the water in 1962 wearing nothing but a white bikini and a hunting knife, she set the bar for every Bond girl set to follow in her footsteps. Andress was only 20 when she played a young woman fending for herself on an island after the death of her father. But despite her youth, the Swiss actress’s entrance into the world of Dr No has gone down in cinematic history. Let’s face it, as iconic images go it’s up there with the best of them.

Dr No was the first of Ian Fleming’s books to be adapted for the screen, although it was the sixth in the literary series. It enjoyed enormous financial success, beginning a cinematic franchise that has lasted for over 50 years. But while much of Bond’s popularity can be attributed to (mostly) witty scriptwriting and the universal appeal of an old fashioned spy caper, it would be folly to overlook the contributions of the 77 women who’ve made up the ‘Bond girl cabinet’.

And Andress began it all. Her turn as Honey Ryder was equal parts sexy, sassy and independent, which is undoubtedly what led to her great appeal. Indeed, it is the curious mix of self-sufficiency and vulnerability which distinguishes Bond girls from the vast majority of other female sidekicks/love interests that are speckled throughout movie history.

As sexist as the Bond franchise is – and there can be no doubts that it is mired in retro chauvinism, with its double entendres and playboy protagonist – it has also always seemed more interested in women with bite.

8 Refreshingly, Bond girls are just as likely to be villainesses as they are heroines and almost never one to turn their noses up at a good romp or a witty one-liner.

‘Girls’ to ‘women’

So while Andress may have been the original Bond girl, plenty of women have stamped their own personalities on a brand that has expanded not just in age and scope but also in terms of social politics. We’ve come a long way since the days when the original Mr Bond, Sean Connery, blithely told Playboy, “I don’t think there is anything particularly wrong about hitting a woman.”

At 51 years old, Monica Bellucci is officially the oldest-ever Bond woman – just four years older than Daniel Craig (Credit: Alamy)

While he may have retained his womanising traits, it’s unlikely that a modern-day Bond would be depicted ‘roughing up’ a Bond girl, as Playboy put it back in 1965. And on that note, as jolly fun as the Bondverse might be, there are only so many times a feminist writer can refer to grown women as ‘girls’. Thankfully director Sam Mendes has seen fit to rebrand them as ‘Bond women’.

And what women! The latest heroine to shake up Bond’s martini is remarkable for two reasons. Firstly, there are only four years between Monica Bellucci and the current Bond hunk, Daniel Craig. Secondly, and perhaps even more astonishingly, Bellucci has the age advantage. Yes, at 51 years old the Italian goddess has officially become the oldest Bond woman to be invited into Bond’s bed chambers. Never before in the history of Fleming has such a feat been attempted. In fact, it’s pretty remarkable

9 when you look at the entire history of cinema, most of which seems to be an exercise in pretending women cease to exist once they surpass their 34th year.

As superficially exciting as it is to see Bond’s writers widen the parameters on his Tinder profile, let’s not break out the ‘52 Dom Perignon just yet. There’s still that pesky matter of embedded chauvinism to contend with. As deeply ingrained as it is to the Bond psyche, it’s not always easy to dismiss such rampant sexism as little more than a bit of frothy fun.

Death becomes her

Bond women have been bringing sass and chutzpah to the franchise since the very beginning, while enduring their fair share of injustices. But how many times have they been discarded or even killed off without a moment’s thought? These aren’t throwbacks to the films of old, but tropes still playing out on screens today. The female characters in Skyfall were a mess, and that movie was released three years ago. Not only is Séverine shot in the head in the end (leaving Bond to comment, “That was a waste of good Scotch.”) but Tonia Sotiropoulou is given no lines at all and credited only as ‘Bond’s Lover’. Even M is knocked off by the film’s end, an outcome completely ill-befitting a giant like Dame Judi Dench, who must never be depicted as anything less than immortal in both life and cinema.

In Quantum of Solace, poor Strawberry Fields was murdered and left on Bond’s bed covered from head to toe in oil, a nod to the bullion-soaking murder of Jill Masterson in Goldfinger. Death also rose up to meet Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale, marking her as yet another woman over the course of half a century who seemingly had to die in order to save Bond’s life.

10 Séverine is not the only female casualty in Skyfall – even Judi Dench’s M comes to a sticky end (Credit: Alamy)

It’s not just death that awaits the women of Bond’s acquaintance. Who can forget the ultimate insult, when Solitaire (Jane Seymour in Live and Let Die) sleeps with Bond and knowingly loses her psychic powers? Alas, this seems to be the fate of the women who walk in and out of Bond’s life no matter how fiercely independent they seem. They are beautiful, intelligent, often duplicitous – and all highly discardable.

Sure, there have been positives. The legendary Octopussy runs an island populated entirely by women and a circus that fronts for a jewel-smuggling operation. Meanwhile, Honor Blackman’s Pussy Galore might have had a ridiculous name but that didn’t stop her from running a fleet of nefarious female pilots. Speaking of Goldfinger, there were women galore in that film. Half of them were killed, but at least they were there.

One can only hope that Léa Seydoux and Monica Bellucci’s characters fare better, despite being left to go it alone. Either way, we’re surely in for at least a dozen more outings of the iconic Bond, James Bond. After all, one thing will always remain true about the world’s most famous spy. We get older, but he stays the same age.