This week’s analysis topic is Ian Fleming’s James Bond, a British secret agent that introduces himself as Bond, James Bond or goes by 007; the double-0 gives him the authorization to kill. The first James Bond movie hit the theaters in 1962. According to Variety (as cited by Lancaster, D., 2003),
“over half the world’s population has seen a Bond film, and this is not, perhaps, as surprising as it might seem. For these outrageously popular fantasy adventures tap into two general concerns that have been a worldwide constant ever since 1945.” (p. 82).
The two concerns consist of an international problem and a situation that can be solved with morality and bravery (Lancaster, 2003, p. 82). The character James Bond is still one of the most profitable and popular in film industry.
There have been numerous actors who have portrayed James Bond starting with: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig. As Lancaster (2003) points out, “The nature of Bond’s heroism slips and slides according to the particular historical period, or to the writer’s point of view”. Here are some of the basic characteristics of Bond: an ex-smoker, an extensive traveler, likes fast cars and fast women, “Vodka martini, shaken, not stirred”, and the weapon of preference is a Walther P99 (Lundegaard, Pierce Brosnan, 2006, para. 1).
With the newer Bond films coming out they are giving a much deeper look into the background of Bond and how he developed into the top secret agent. The adventure and excitement is back in Casino Royale the new James Bond film. Bond is back to being “physical and relentless” which has increased the popularity of the film (Lundegaard, Daniel Craig, 2006, para. 1). The scenes have gotten “grittier and bloodier than previous Bond movies; it’s deeper” (Lundegaard, Daniel Craig, 2006, para. 2). According to Lundegaard (2006), “The action scenes are torrid. In Craig, the series has something it hasn’t had since Connery: a Bond believable as both roughneck and sophisticate” (Daniel Craig, para. 2).
References
Lancaster, D. (2003). The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader. Film & History, 34(1), 82-83. Retrieved October 19, 2008, from Film & Television Literature Index with Full Text.
Lundegaard, E. (2006, November 16). Buying Bonds: A history of 007, and why Daniel Craig is the most believable Bond ever. msnbc.com. Retrieved October 20, 2008, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15701852/
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2 comments:
I like to watch James Bond movies myself and I agree that Sean Connery was one of the best. My next best would be Roger Moore. I alwasy loved all the gadgets used in these movies of helping James Bond get out of tight spots.
I have actually never watched these movies. My husband has and of course I always here people repeating phrases from the movies. There are also rides at amusement parks named from the movies. This was a good example of a pop culture artifact. Excellent blog!!!
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