James Bond Lecture




In this lecture we looked at the James Bond novels and its effect on culture. James Bond was said to be one of the biggest cultural phenominoms of the sixties along side the Beatles. Ian Fleming released the first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, in 1953. The book was released in paper back making it affordable to everyone which helped in getting it well known. By 1965 it had sold 27 million copies.

In the book, James Bond is first brought to us as a cold, brutal yet confident and charming man who likes to have fast cars, nice suits, gamble and lots of attractive women. In doing this the book itself creates adverts of consumption making this book a consumer product, about consumer products. This attracts audiences as it shows things they may not be able to have, but like the idea of having them, therefore take gratifications in reading about them, or later watching them in cinema.

This image of James Bond helped towards what is seen as ‘British’. Britain in the fifties was having a crises of faith after losing its colonies. And Bond was made in this time that showed Britain’s ideals and qualities. But in creating this man that many middle class white males would love to be, it creates an image of what Britain would like to think a British man is like and gave Britain a sense of pride in this.

However when James Bond came into cinema, his image changed as the culture did. For example when Roger Moore took over as Bond, Bond became much more cool, calm and less serious and more ironic, but still retained the attributes that make him ‘Bond’. For example when Roger Moore first appears parachuting down with the parachute as the British flag, it retains the sense of pride bond gives, but due to the culture of the time, is ironic. However the first Bond film, Dr. No, released in 1962, had Sean Connery play bond as in the books, cool yet cold showing Britain’s ideals.

The content of the books and most of the early films was that of the Cold War. Britain against Russia. Also in showing that Britain is still great, it would always be Bond he saves the day before the American C.I.A could. With the content of the films, James Bond acted as a social indicator as to what is happening in the world, for example the latest films have been centered around terrorist threats and men of power. Also in the later films, ‘M’, Bond’s Boss, is now a woman showing cultural change, especially from the time of its first release, the fifties. However the films still retain the sense of consumerism, and express it even more, like in the 2006 Casino Royale, there are ‘advertising’ shots of cars, watches, laptops, suits and phones. This acts as a good tactic for consumerism as it suggests, to be like Bond, you have to have the best stuff. The franchise of Bond also provides intertextuality in other forms of medium, such as other films based on James Bond like Austin Powers. The character of Bond and all its conventions have become easily recognizable in Britain.