The Hero with Mad Skills James Bond and the World of Extreme Sports DAVID M. PEGRAM In the 2007 Matchstick Productions film, Seven Sunny Days, professional skier and BASE jumper Shane McConke created a near shot!" -shot remake of the #ames Bond ski chase from The Spy Who Loved Me $%&77'( )he original featured stuntman +ick S l,ester $as #ames Bond' skiin* off the top of Mount Asgard, in Canada, to -hat appears to "e certain death( But, in the midst of freefall, S l,ester kicks off his skis and then opens a .nion #ack parachute, in -hat has become one of the /most iconic” scenes in the cinematic histor of #ames Bond $Aja Cho-dhur 1td( in Murph 20%2'( In Seven Sunny Days, McConke 3s jump is more darin*( As he flies off the ed*e of the cliff $shot in 4or-a , rather than Canada', he completes three full somersaults in midair before deplo in* his chute, in a demonstration of ho- far e5treme sports had come in the thirt ears since the S l,ester3s jump( )he recreation of S l,ester3s stunt -as McConke 3s homage to the cinematic moment that inspired him the most6 /)hat -as the coolest stunt I3d e,er seen,0 he recalled, creditin* S l,ester3s jump for *i,in* him the idea to sk di,e and BASE jump in the first place $McConkey 20%2'( )hat a #ames Bond film should ha,e such an influence on a skiin* /legend0 $Ble,ins 200&' su**ests, perhaps, a si*nificant connection "et-een the Bond franchise and the -orld of extreme sports. 7n the surface, the connection is purel con,e! nient, a means " -hich action and narrati,e suspense is created -ithin the films David M. Pegram is a professor of English at Paradise Val- ley Community College in Phoenix, Arizona. His research interests include popular culture and the relationship between sports and film. Recent publications include a chapter on “Baseball and Graphic Novels: An Effective Ap- proach to Teaching Literature” in Developing Contempor- Vol. 1, Issue 2 · Spring 2018 ary Literacies Through Sport (2016). ISSN 2514-2178 DOI: 10.24877/jbs.31 Distributed under CC BY 2.0 UK $it is no -onder, for instance, that the 2002 sp film XXX featured an extreme athlete, pla ed " 8in 9iesel, bein* trained as a secret agent'( But extreme sports pla s a deeper role in the Bond films, more *enerall , as I -ill argue. )his article presents the case that #ames Bond3s extreme athletic and technical skills are a si*! nificant contributin* factor to the film audiences3 perception of the character as an archet pal male hero. #ames Bond has al-a s been a uni1ue case -hen it comes to archet pal the! or , due, in small part, to the lar*el unexplored connection bet-een -riter Ian :lemin* and ps chiatrist and ps choanal st Carl #un*( Before -ritin* his first Bond no,el, Casino Royale $%&;2', :lemin* translated into English one of #un*3s lectures on the alchemist Paracelsus, ha,in* recei,ed -ritten permission from #un* himself to do so. )he reason for :lemin*3s interest in this obscure lecture < the translation of -hich -as ne,er published < is open to considerable debate. =o-e,er, Philip >ardiner has su**ested that :leming, like #ung, took a particular interest in the concept of alchem , or the transmutation of "ase material to somethin* more precious, as a -a of understandin* the apotheosis of the hu! man soul $200?, 70'( >ardiner argues that #ames Bond3s ph sical tra,ail through! out the films figurati,el embodies the apotheosis of man6 /Is he not tortured before he can then reunite and be reborn@0 $7%', he notes, referring to the process " -hich Bond is often ph sicall tortured, his bod put through gruelin* pun! ishment, before he ultimatel defeats his oppressors and absconds -ith the *irl( $)his pattern is most noticeable in Martin Campbell3s film of Casino Royale A200BC( 9irectl follo-in* the scene of LeChiffre3s assault on Bond3s *enitals, 8esper D nd eludes to feelin* /reborn0 at the sight of Bond( )he su**estion, here, is that Bond has under*one a tortuous transformation from near!castration to apotheosis, in -hich his masculinit is fi*ured as the site and object of this transformation'( But Bond can also be seen as an embodiment of certain #ungian ideas: as a sp , he is a man li,in* in the /shado-s,0 strugglin* to achie,e self-actu! aliEation due to unresol,ed childhood trauma $Skyfall 20%2'( If #un* -ere to ana! l Ee Bond, he -ould likel reach the same conclusion that 8esper D nd does in the film Casino Royale6 that Bond is an orphan -ith se,eral deep-seated com! ple5es. More importantl , ho-e,er, Bond functions as a #un*ian archet pe, as a m thic hero -ho borders on the superhuman( Accordin* to #ung, -hat humans seek in a /hero0 is a superman, a /1uasi-human bein*0 -ho s mboliEes the ideas, forms, and forces -hich /*rip and mould the soul0 $%&7B, %7?'( )he archet pal hero, like other archet pes, manifests itself in /m th and fair tale0 $%&B&, F'( )ra! ditionall , #un* explains, the hero3s objecti,e is to the o,ercome e,il or /the 2 International Journal of James Bond Studies · Vol. 1, Issue 2 · Spring 2018 monster of darkness0 $%&B&, %B7'( )his ma explain -h Anthon =oro-itE, au! thor of the Bond continuation no,els Trigger Mortis $20%;' and Forever and a Day $20%?', su**ests that Bond /can onl be understood and appreciated in the con! te5t of m th and legend0 $200?, n(p('( Bond is a modern ,ersion of #oseph Camp! bell3s traditional hero, a figure -ith /e5ceptional gifts0 $200?, 2&' -ho battles /fabulous forces0 until a /decisi,e ,ictor is -on0 $22'( Bond also represents in Campbell3s terms an /eternal0 or /uni,ersal0 figure, a /source throu*h -hich so! ciet is reborn0 $%;'( In recent ears, the concept of the archet pal hero has "ecome intert-ined -ith that of the archet pal -arrior( In some circles, the terms /hero0 and /-ar! rior0 are s non mous. :or instance, Carol S. Pearson su**ests that courage and the moti,ation to defeat one3s enem are specific traits of the -arrior archet pe $%&?&, %?'( )his corresponds to =erbert Sussman3s concept of the -arrior, as one -ho displa s /ph sical courage0 and /martial pro-ess, especiall -ith hand -eapons such as the s-ord, de,eloped throu*h lon* trainin*0 $20%2, %B'( In "oth cases, the traits once attached to the hero ha,e no- been attached to the -arrior( )hus, to all intents and purposes, #ames Bond is both archet pal hero and mod! ern -arrior( =o-e,er, Bond3s brand of heroism extends be ond a mere ph sical pro-ess. Disa :unnell and Glaus 9odds argue that part of Bond3s appeal is the /pri,ilege0 -ith -hich he makes his -a throu*h the -orld6 /=e can mo,e, act, and perform; gain access to spaces, places, and resources, and use his intersec! tional and social capital in -a s most people cannot0 $20%7a, %'( Bond is also ap! pealin* because he is /attracti,e, sua,e, courageous, and self-confident,0 1ualities that -e /easil recogniEe and admire0 $Allison and >oethals 20%%, 22'( Michael 9irda seems to agree, descri"in* Bond as /debonair0 and /cosmopolitan(0 9irda further su**ests that -hat is different about Bond is his abilit /to perform e,en the most difficult task -ith flair, grace, and nonchalance0 notin* that he /al-a s looks cool0 $200?'( Indeed, men admire Bond3s coolness so much that -ebsites such as /Bond Lifest le0 and /)he Bond Experience0 offers bu ers the opportu! nit to st le themsel,es after Bond, -ith options to purchase items of clothing, gad*ets, and other accessories. Amon* the items featured on the /Bond Difest le0 -ebsite is the fitness equipment that Bond uses in Skyfall and the brand of s-im! min* trunks Bond -ore in Casino Royale, remindin* the ,ie-er that Bond can be ,ie-ed just as much as an athlete as he can a sp ( Indeed, in addition to skiing, -hich he performs during number of his cinematic outing, Bond exhibits a mas! ter of man different sports, includin* *olf $in oldfinger A%&BFC' and fencin* $in Die !nother Day A2002C'( It is also, perhaps, unsurprisin* that 9aniel Crai* once D. Pegram · James Bond and the World of Extreme Sports 3 said of English foot"aller, Ste,en >errard that /AheC -ould make a *ood Bond0 $Chase 20%2'( >i,en that athletes often demonstrate -arrior-like 1ualities throu*h acts of /courage, discipline, and skill0 $>oodman et al 2002, 2?%', and that sport is one of the primar arenas in -hich men establish or perform a mas! culine identit $Messner 1uoted in +obinson 200?, F0', it -ould seem to follo- that Bond, as an icon of British masculinit and, simultaneousl , a parod of its fragilit , should be an adept sportsmen, as both Bond and sport ha,e cr stallised -ithin the popular imagination certain ideas of -hat it means to be masculine, or to be a man( Like man athletes, the character of #ames Bond $not to mention the actors -ho ha,e pla ed him on screen' has influenced the sociall discursi,e role of heroism and the -a s in -hich heroics is concei,ed -ithin the cultural imaginar $Creedon %&&F, F'( Bond3s links to extreme sports, then, offer a means " -hich such heroics are interrogated and, as is often the case, reinforced( )he 1uestion of -hat exactl constitutes an /extreme0 sport is one that is open to interpretation( In *eneral, thou*h, t-o important criteria are follo-ed6 firstl , the acti,it must pose a serious risk of injur or death if the equipment or the participant fails; secondl , the participant is primaril facin* off against la-s of nature, particularl gra,it ( .sin* these criteria, acti,ities such as scuba di,ing, han* gliding, and rock climbin* -ould be included in the categor of extreme sport( So too -ould freest le motocross $:MX), rall cross, air racing, and hi*h! altitude sk di,in*( As :unnell and 9odds point out $20%7b, %', #ames Bond is an accomplished extreme athlete, and his acts of coura*e, discipline, and skill are usuall displa ed in tandem -ith his performance of an extreme sport or -ith extreme risk-takin*( )his is unsurprising, as #ames Bond is a gambler( Jhen the reader is first introduced to the character in the no,el Casino Royale, -e see him -ithin the /smoke and s-eat of a casino0 $20%2, %', -here -innin* and losing, ac! cordin* to Bond, /-as one3s o-n fault( )here -as online oneself to praise or "lame0 $F%'( It is also no surprise that Bond3s introductor scene in the film Dr" #o $%&B2', the first Bond film in the series, is set at a baccarat table.