Oh James!: How Bond Finally Learned to Please a Woman

   “When guys are persistent, it’s romantic, they make movies about that. If it’s a woman, then they cast Glenn Close,” retorts the always snarky Ally McBeal whose character ushered the Third Wave feminist movement into mainstream television, and consequently society, with her short power skirts, law degree, and constant channeling of Dustin Hoffman’s Midnight Cowboy character by shouting “Hey! I’m walkin’ here! I’m walkin’ here!” every time a cab swerved a little too close to her fashionable pumps as she trotted through Boston to her law office. Ally taught women everywhere that they can be sexy, independent, intelligent, accomplished, and stand up for themselves just the same as men. For many women, Ally exemplified the “new woman” that they could aspire to, and while Ally certainly made many contributions toward the self-esteems of women everywhere and frequently tackled sexual harassment, transsexual discrimination, domestic abuse, divorce rights for women, and rape cases almost exclusively from episode to episode, one hegemonic detail about women remained imbedded in her character: she needed the validation of a man. From the very beginning Ally is rejected by her longtime high school sweetheart and sent into a tailspin when she bumps into him at her new law office a few years later, now married to a beautiful and friendly blonde, supposedly an ex’s “worst nightmare.” Throughout the seasons Ally and her equally smart and independent female friends search for men to complete their lives and even at one point form a little pact about “snagging” a man within a short period of time. They frequent disco clubs, date recreationally, and swap romance stories. When Ally meets her match in Larry Paul and he has to go away for a couple weeks to tie up some loose ends with his son from a previous relationship, Ally makes herself so worried over his absence in her life she declines work projects, eats tubs of ice cream in flannel pajamas at night, and even begins hallucinating about him. So the Third Wave feminism did not flow completely to shore with Ally McBeal, she was everything that modern feminism asked for, except she was still under the hegemonic thumb of the male-dominated society. Ally’s character was not the only “feminist” to fall short of the ideal for the Third Wave philosophy. 

   Although Third Wave feminism encompasses many issues, theories and conflicting opinions, for the purposes of this analysis we will look at Third Wave feminism as a general struggle for equal footing with male counterparts in society’s eyes. As previously mentioned with Ally McBeal’s shortcoming, it is hard to imagine a show whose strong, intelligent, empowered male main character belittled himself day in and day out because he had not found himself a girlfriend. The media has no problem portraying men as having a complete life without the pressures of finding a mate, and yet the pressures to “domesticate” remain with the women characters. The case is the same with Bridget Jones who although smart and endearing, makes a mockery of herself trying to improve her life in order to please a man. She is not satisfied with herself until suitor Darcy affirms his approval of her “just the way she is.” Sex and the City follows the lives of four beautiful, intelligent, career-driven women who hash their sexual experiences to each other over martinis like girls discussing boy crushes at a slumber party, there is no inherent harm in this until we witness each character, particularly Carrie, fall under the lure of domesticity before her biological clock strikes midnight. The list goes on and when there is not an otherwise perfect Third Wave feminist role model who eventually gives into the lure of the Marriage-and-Babies-Equal-Self-actualization-Death-Call there is always the strong woman character who resists, but has to transform herself into an imitation of a man in order to get respect, note examples of Zena and G.I. Jane. Either women keep their femininity and self-respect until it is time to “settle down and find a husband” or they shave their heads, slap on some war paint, and check their female identities at the door. 

   The one exception to this trend and quintessential introduction to what modern day feminism has been looking for in a character for the past two decades appears in the most unlikeliest of places, a film that springs from a series that traditionally has objectified and undermined women as a tradition: James Bond. Since 1962 when Ian Fleming’s popular novels hit the big screen, James Bond began his womanizing for the admiring eyes of Americans to watch and images of flighty women who were valued only for their sex appeal or the information they could produce about their powerful boyfriends/husbands were seduced by Bond and paraded around in sexualized evening gowns, nightslips, lingerie, and bikinis, their sillohettes the trademark graphics used in the beginning sequences of every film. If all that was not enough women roles were given names like Pussy Galore, Honey Rider, and Tiffany Case, all nods to the sexual positions Bond would soon bend them into or their monetary worth. Bond was the sexy, smooth talking Nancy Drew icon in male form and he set an example for boys, and girls too, about how easily women can be used and dismissed and how minimal they are in comparison with Bond’s careful calculations and witty remarks. Women are nice for entertainment purposes but they are mostly that: eye candy. The one exception and turning point for years of the “bond girl” phenomenon is the unveiling of Martin Campbell’s reinterpretation of the James Bond series with the film version of the very first book: Casino Royale. With it, enter Vesper Lynd, the Third Wave feminist women have longed for, since the failure of the Second Wave feminist movement, and the proof that real feminists are appealing and appreciated by women and men in mainstream society, and do not always have to be depicted as bra-burning dykes or manicured publicists with wedding rings on the brain. Although James Bond’s main audience was typically geared toward men, teenagers and older, excited for action, tuxedos, fast car chases, and sexy women undressing, Campbell took a different approach with Casino Royale, deciding to make an action movie that men and women could enjoy together, something with physical combat and violence, but also meaningful dialogue, character development, and a woman who would prove herself Bond’s match without faltering until the credits role.

   Vesper Lynd enters the film as a strong, yet beautiful and enigmatic young woman, she dresses in simple European chic power suits but conducts herself with the same allure of Lauren Bacall’s old Hollywood sarcastic wit and penetrating eyes. She immediately throws Bond off and they continue to spar throughout the film. When she first sits down across from him at a table she introduces herself as “I’m the money” indicating she works for HM Treasury’s Financial Action Task Force and will provide Bond the means for his high stakes poker game, “every penny of it,” he replies and Vesper cuts straight to business, her cheeks void of a girlish flush her posture indicating no amusement at his flirtation. From then on Campbell uses close cut shots of Lynd’s face alternating with Bond’s face as they argue about the merits of the plan to bid, putting them on an equal level across from each other and giving each character equal film exposure. Lynd gets in the last word and exits the scene leaving Bond to contemplate where he went wrong in his arguing abilities. Here Lynd has already shown herself to be as intelligent and accomplished as Bond if not a little wiser at pointing out the obvious flaws in their plan and the recklessness with which the whole situation will be conducted. Jabs at her trying to dress masculinely for respect, are made but Lynd’s retort, which is to completely analyze every aspect of Bond’s lonely childhood and college years and make subtle reciprocating jabs and predictions as to why he has a “chip on his shoulder” and how he likely is a “cold hearted bastard,” stupefies Bond into silence, her analysis being presumably accurate. She bangs the nail in his coffin by criticizing: “You think of women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits.” A point opinion the audience likely has been wondering thus far about Vesper, an attractive woman who seems unamused by Bond’s charm, and a reflection of her loyalty to her respect for not only herself, but her womanhood. “How was your lamb?” Lynd asks scarcely looking at Bond’s plate, “skewered,” is Bond’s double entendre reply before her exit. Vesper Lynd’s character has established herself as Bond’s equal, but she has done so by showing her equal wit and intelligence with grace and diplomacy all the while keeping intact her feminine identity. Legendary critic Robert Ebert commented in his review of the film, “I never thought I would see a Bond movie where I cared, actually cared, about the people. But I care about Bond, and about Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), even though I know that (here it comes) a Martini Vesper is shaken, not stirred. Vesper Lynd, however, is definitely stirring.” This juggling of all the most admirable qualities in women is executed beautifully and in a way that spurred an approving murmur from many critics.

   Throughout the film Lynd keeps Bond’s recklessness, and tendency to try and reduce her significance to being that of a “tool” to his success, in check. She saves him from the clutches of death as many times as he saves her and when he buys her a sexy dress to wear in front of the other poker players as a distraction she deliberately walks around the wrong side of the table to distract only him in order to thumb her nose at his attempt to “use” her as a decoy. Later, Bond tries to bully Lynd into letting him have more of the treasury’s funds to buy back into the game after a mishap and she refuses, on principle that his ego is inhibiting his ability to play, he grabs her wrist harshly and instead of whimpering and giving in to his charms and assertion of dominance she meets his eyes with an icy glare and demands he let go of her before pivoting and leaving him, still short of money. As much as Bond tries to woo her she will not be wooed until it is on her own terms, late into the movie after they both are recovering from being tortured. Lynd consents to his pursuing her and they share a passionate and respectful relationship. Lynd’s only two moments of emotional weakness are not at the actions of Bond but in response to horrific ordeals for which she exhibits herself with very human and empathetic responses, she breaks down after aiding Bond in killing an assailant and has a Lady MacBeth moment where she cannot get the invisible blood of guilt off her hands, the second breakdown is more ambiguous and hints at a troubled past, both times are brief and reserved in nature. She conducts herself like an adult and on a level that Bond comes to envy, realizing that his lack of emotional response might mean the loss of his soul at the hardening his heart must do for the sake of his work. Vesper’s weaknesses are heralded as more heroic than Bond’s detachments and are by no means used as a way to trivialize her character’s composure. 

   When Bond and Lynd fall in love it is Bond who must give up his life and career, not Lynd, in order for them to be together, something unique to what female characters usually have to sacrifice in order to live happily ever after. Paired with this decision is the beach setting, throughout which Bond wears a tiny speedo swimsuit and bares all his rippling muscles and physique while Lynd is wearing a full-on long-sleeved shirt as she lies next to him. While swimsuit ties peak through her collar, the film sidesteps the cliché of putting the woman in the scantily clad swim attire, knowing that Lynd would never be so flippantly sexualized. In the next scene the movie cuts to an image of Lynd steering a boat while Bond e-mails his resignation letter behind her. From this the audience can infer that it will be Bond who makes the compromises in their relationship and Lynd who will be “steering,” or “wearing the pants” in the relationship. In what the audience can only assume will be Lynd’s downfall as a Third Wave feminist role model, we see Lynd trapped in an iron barred elevator that plunges into water, Bond jumping into save her and turn her into one of the many “damsels in distress” of films past. Lynd upon seeing him backs away and indicates her refusal of him to save her. Lynd dies on her own terms. Bond reports back to M saying of Lynd “it’s over, the bitch is dead” in a ditch attempt to dismiss her memory and detach himself from the sorrow, at this M reprimands him revealing Lynd’s being continually blackmailed by the enemy and her bravery to nonetheless negotiate Bond’s safety from their clutches during the torture sequence. A strong intelligent woman and boss to Bond, M stands up for her fellow female in the same way Lynd often stood up to Bond’s womanizing ways in defense of her fellow women. 

   Casino Royale was a blockbuster hit, both with the critics and reviewers, along with the hoi palloi viewers looking for action and intrigue. The film was entertaining and did not disappoint, but did not have to compromise the main female character in order to do so, something that set it in stark contrast to its predecesors and while it spurred the eyerolls of anti-feminists when Vesper asks wryly if she is not Bond’s type because she is smart, the mainstream public cheered and, RottenTomatoes gave the film the highest rating of any wide-release that year with a 94% approval (RottenTomatoes.com) while MSNBC gave the film “a perfect five star rating,” (Hartl). Eva Green’s performance as Lynd won her an Orange Rising Star award bestowed by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, (BAFTA).

   Perhaps the appearance of Vesper Lynd is a sign of the next Wave of feminism where perhaps women will finally “get it right” in their battle against the American hegemony. The fact that so many men and women seemed to approve of Lynd, so much so that Eva Green’s once modest independent British film career has turned around landing her roles alongside Nicole Kidman and the up-in-coming Ewan McGregor flick, in their enthusiasm for the new Bond film that depicted a man who developed classier taste in women and did not go for a buxom ex-playboy with a hooker name, and a woman who teamed up with Bond rather than dragging him down and not abandoning her femininity in the meanwhile perhaps foreshadows a triumph of feminist role models for women and girls in the future that will be acceptable and influential to their male counterparts.