Bond's Changing Masculinity: From Connery to Moore

Building off of Susan Jeffords’ article “The Big Switch: Hollywood Masculinity in the Nineties,” James Bond’s masculinity changed from the Connery to the Moore films. In the original Connery films, Bond is presented as the ultimate macho man. His muscles are flaunted throughout Dr. No, as he is generally running around on the beach with his equally objectified companion, Honey Rider. He is incredibly comfortable using weapons on the job, as in Dr. No, and is oftentimes more confident in his shooting skills than his companions, unlike Quarrel. To complete his macho image, he is shown smoking more often than not, and believes he can handle any situation on his own. He also has no problem objectifying women and generally only viewing them as sexual conquests. He physically overpowers Pussy Galore in Goldfinger and bullies her into having sex just so he can prove how desirable he perceives himself to be.

Roger Moore, on the other hand, is presented as a more delicate and sophisticated Bond. His body is not as toned as Connery’s, but he still has no problem with hand-to-hand physical combat. In The Man with the Golden Gun, Bond is able to somewhat hold his ground with one of the martial arts students in Fat’s dojo. However, he does something Connery’s Bond would be hard pressed to attempt: he used his brain to realize the smartest option in that situation would be to flee instead of possibly being killed because he was so outmatched. While he is still clearly a male chauvinist by the way he feels the need to have sex with any woman within a ten foot radius, Moore is more apt to work with the women he is allied with. For example, in Octopussy he not only warns Octopussy that she was double crossed by Kamal Khan, but he returns with Q in the iconic British hot air balloon to rescue her at the end of the film.

Was this movie real life?

My first thoughts of this movie, are was this real life? This is the first James Bond film I was getting very antsy at. Roger Moore does not particularily tickle my fancy when it comes to playing a good James Bond role. He looks too aged to be Bond and he is not as mysterious to me. I just wasnt satisfied with any of the roles really in this film. I mean really, the enemy has three nippples? What is the point of three nipples? At least Dr. No has fake hands that don't do him any good when he's in his underground factory about to drown. The one thing I did like was the asian women fighting the men in the one part of the film when the taxi driver and his nieces show up to save Bond. It was kind of ironic though. We finally see some strong women roles, but the women are of asian decent? I was wondering if that played into anything imparticular? And then the taxi driver and his nieces just drive off and leave Bond?
I also saw in another post that someone mentioned about the boy selling James Bond the elephant. I found this extremely random and wasn't sure why Bond pushed him off the boat, it was pretty cruel. Obviously the boy is just trying to sell this elephant, and even helps Bond with the boat, but still gets dumped into the water. But then again, doesn't seem to mind too much? Random.
The most outrageous actor in this movie though is the tourist who is supposed to represent someone from the South. He is so over the top obnoxious and plays a terrible racist role. With all the chew in his mouth, I was surprised he was even able to say his lines. Also, the midget man was pretty annoying. I mean a small man, with a small voice? And then in the end, he's going against the enemy to try and get all the property, that was pretty funny.
I would have liked a stronger female role in this movie, because Goodnight is pretty terrible. And "chew me" as a name, really? It was pretty funny though. There were just so many parts in this film that were akward (Goodnight in the closet), and you can tell that they tried to play alot of humor into the film, but it didn't really work. Sean Connery is definitely my favorite Bond right now. Moore just does not do it for me.

And the corny award goes to....

Okay first starting off by voicing my opinion that so far Sean Connery was surely a more sufficient Bond then Roger Moore. Moore was unable to fulfill what I wanted out of him as a Bond. He was just not having had the edge, or it must just have been his over dramatic fighting within the martial arts fight scenes. This movie surprised me with the chest martial arts in addition to the sound effects, I believe that these movie’s effects, and what not should be getting more advanced, and this movie did not show an advance. The scene where Bond is kissing the women’s belly button and swallows her husband’s “death” bullet, not only made me want to throw up, it made me want to laugh. The scene has these men barge into the room big masculine Bond gets startled and swallows this bullet on accident which just so coincidently he get have tested later on.                                                                                                                                                      This whole movie not only was corny it displayed Bond’s character as rather weak. Although there were not drastic clues displaying this argument, the fact that Bond once leaving out the window of the dojo allows for two Asian girls with Hip to fight away the people coming after him. Just seems to ultimately take away from who James Bond character is supposed to depict.                                                                               Lastly, when Bond and Goodnight are finally getting their chance to be together (because obviously Bond has already been with the late Andrea); Nick Nack (the Asian midget servant) falls in on their party and, the way NN’s character is depicted is quite belittling. Nick Nack is small and the way he is seen hunched over like a monkey really surfaced the concept of Orientalism. His character is being related to a monkey not only by his form and body language but through the way he acts like an animal throwing the bottles at Bond. One of the other girls wrote about the way Bond treat the little boy with the Elephant and I know that this was another way Asians were mocked and disrespected within this film. 

            To me, The Man with the Golden Gun is the most problematic of the Bond film's that we've viewed. Although Bond's misogynistic ways have been apparent in each film, I think TMWTGG takes racism, prejudice, and just cruel treatment in general to new levels. One example that I can't seem to wrap my mind around is when Bond pushes the young boy who tries to sell him something out of his boat. We're used to seeing Bond treat others as disposable, but to use a child (he accepts his help to get the boat running faster) and to push him away without a second thought seems mercilessly cruel. What strikes me as particularly telling is that the boy was trying to sell Bond a carved elephant structure--something blatantly un-English but related to Asian culture. When Bond resists buying the elephant, I think the act represents Western society and culture rejecting and refusing to "buy" into Eastern customs or ideas. Last class, we spoke a little about Orientalism, and I think that scene depicts an especially ripe depiction of the fear of it, and works to imbue Western minds with an immediate rejection of "otherness."
           Another aspect of Bond films that we touched upon last week was how Bond is portrayed in very sexual situations even when he is alone or with men. As I was watching Scaramanga chase down opponents in his strange maze, I couldn't help but think about it as a sort of sexual fetish. I mean, who finds pleasure and fun in entering a maze that could result in your own death? Again, Bond finds himself in a scene of sexual tension with none other that the villain.
          As an overall thought about the film, I was a little disappointed in Rodger Moore's performance. I just didn't find him as charismatic or as charming as Sean Connery. I think this could've been in part because of all the plot distractions that shifted my focus away from Bond, but Moore just didn't have that certain quality that makes you (sort of) like him even when you know his actions are ridiculous. I think it might even be fair to say that Bond was written to be too mean and too selfish in this film, but that may just be my opinion.

The Man With the Golden Gun: Research and Orientalism

After watching "The Man With the Golden Gun", I'm torn: I'm not sure if I'd rather talk about the movie's many plot holes/ issues or the rampant misogyny and racism. I mean, come on, a "secret agent" with a world famous reputation who even a backwoods Louisiana cop can recognize as a spy? But then again, Goodnight's little mistake with her ass and the solar ray? And the hodge-podge, slapped together depiction of Asian culture?

Okay, I'm settled. Orientalism it is.

The movie, according to the credits, was filmed partially on location in Asia. This means that there were probably opportunities for everyone from the director and producers to the actors to immerse themselves in the culture that would have surrounded them, even in the smallest ways. In turn, this means that these people could have taken their experiences and used them to create a vibrant setting for the movie, with the location lending a natural exoticism and the people and traditions creating an interesting cultural backdrop. Instead, everyone clearly chose to build on pre-existing stereotypes rather than researching.

Mr. Fat's estate alone is indicative of this: He's got everything from sumo wrestlers and a karate school (both from Japan, by the way) to "traditionally" uniformed guards and subservient Asian maidens (both Chu Mi and the women at the karate school). And the other scenes aren't much better: Hip and his nieces as karate experts (of course), the dancers at Bond and Goodnight's date who seem more Cambodian than Chinese....it's almost as if the writers and director just took a bunch of "Asian" images and concepts and mashed them together, like the East is one big kimono-wearing, noodle-eating mass instead of a collection of complex and individualized cultures...

Oh, wait. This is a Bond movie I'm talking about.

But on the subject, when it comes to this depiction, as well as that of women in these movies, I'm beginning to wonder about the role of research versus storytelling. While there is such a thing as too many facts in a story, the proper amount of research grounds a story in fact, makes it believable and relatable and interesting. And while Ian Fleming probably thought a lot about the right kind of gun to have James Bond use and the scriptwriters probably read a lot of James Bond novels to prep for the movie, it seems odd to me that more energy wasn't invested in developing better female/ Asian characters and a realistic setting. Well-developed characters are enjoyable to read and watch. Interesting, realistic, well-developed settings are also enjoyable to read and watch. Even if those characters are female or non-white. Even if that setting is non-Western. From a modern standpoint, the racism and misogyny doesn't just look bad to me, it looks lazy. Which is not to say that we don't see both in our modern movies (hi "Skyfall", I love you, but that casino scene...), but at least there is some evidence of evolution. The fact that TMWTGG is so blatant with their one-dimensional, bumbling, stereotypical characters makes it seem like no one even tried. Because they didn't have to: Orientalism is a tradition of depiction, and sexism is systematic.

And Bond's actions in this movie, especially his fight at the karate school and his treatment of Goodnight, are reflections of this fact. By having Bond act so dishonorably (arguably even by Western standards) in the fight scene, and having him treat Goodnight in such a patronizing way, the movie reinforces the "normal", default perspective of the white, Western male. The only group that isn't insulted in this movie is the only one that matters. And yet, there's the character of the Louisiana policeman, shouting racial epithets in every scene he's in, making Bond look cool and unquestionably in control by comparison. The West is still comfortable in the Orient, still the savior of the East.

(Also, extra nipples are actually fairly common, occurring in 1 of 18 men and 1 in 50 women. They usually just look like large moles. But I guess Scaramanga needed someone weird and vaguely sexual about him to fit the villain mold.)

My First Impressions of a Man with 3 Nipples and a Semi-Useless Female

The Man With The Golden Gun was an interesting turnaround from the sharpness that was Sean Connery.  Roger Moore has all the wit and quick moves that Connery did but he is now packing one more equally powerful thing: the ability to high kick a man directly in his face. The obsession with judo and kung fu is clearly present in this film, almost to the level of absurdity. Not as absurd as the car-plane that Scaramanga flew off into the sunset towards his hidden lair.

The most absurd thing is how useless is Mary Goodnight. Way to positively represent women secret agents, Miss Goodnight. Gold star you. You ran around Scaramanga’s private lair in nothing but a bikini, I can give you that. You did cause the entire lair to overheat and blow up by fighting off an unwanted advancement. He plummeted into the frozen waters and caused the temperature to rise. Oh and that butt shot was a nice touch, as you accidentally leaned over too far and your perfectly perky cheeks pressed the start up button to the solar laser as Bond hurriedly tries to pry out the Solar Plexus.  

The juxtaposition between you and Bond is a dramatic one. Bond is cool and collect and you fumble as you try to install the locator device in the trunk of the car. Goodnight, you try and I appreciate that, but your weakness doesn’t make me feel like I could become a secret agent.  And you trail after Bond. I know he is dreamy. I have seen those gorgeous crystal blue eyes. It’s probably not worth it to have sex with him. By now, Bond has probably had sex with at least 12 other women and I wouldn’t trust him to be 100% disease free.  

Overall, the movie was extremely campy and filled with wit and cheap special effects. The scene that I liked was the one that reminded me of the Hunger Games. Bond was a mouse in Scarmanga’s fun house, fumbling around trying to orient himself. With Nick Nack’s voice booming around the agent, Bond cleverly hides underneath the set. And drops his gun. It clangs and falls into the darkness and all hope is lost for the agent. However, somehow he miraculously finds it at the end and cleverly poses as the wax figure of himself. Bam. Scarmanga is dead. Double O Seven saves the day again.

The Man with the Golden Gun First Impression

            My first impression of this movie is that it was horribly corny. The scene where Bond is at Fat’s dojo and basically is just slapping people around or karate chopping them was so difficult for me to take seriously. It was like he was making a mockery of everything those student were legitimately learning, especially when he fought the first man in the blue uniform. He not only didn’t follow the rules by bowing to his competitor, but he then ran away and refused to finish the fight with the man in the black uniform. I think it shows that when Bond is outmatched, he chooses to run away instead of facing the thought of failure. It reminded me of the Bennett and Wollacott article that talked about how if Bond cannot reform a girl, she is killed off because she doesn’t fit into Bond’s equation of success.

            It also bothered me how completely incompetent Goodnight was. It seemed like she was a spy or somehow involved in the British government with Bond, so she at least had to have some sort of skills set in order to get that job. The problem was that she had no common sense. She was completely joked about and belittled by Bond. One example is when she found herself locked in the trunk of Scaramanga’s car. You would think that because she is carrying the solar plexus and asked to guard it, she would stay as far away from the villain as possible. Instead, she tries to help but does it in a completely obvious “I’m going to get caught” kind of way. Bond jokes about her and how dumb of a move that was when he discovers that she still has the keys to the car. Then apparently she can’t hear the overpowering motor of the car-airplane and opens the trunk while Scaramanga is mid-flight. It seriously bothered me that even though she was a spy for the British government, the film had to take away from her character by making her virtually incompetent.

Welcome to James Blog!

This week we'll post responses to The Man With The Golden Gun. Please be as free-form as you wish; our goal for now is to raise matters of interest, point to elements of the film for further analysis, make connections with other films or with critical materials... you name it.