What makes a good / bad Bond Girl ?

Ytterbium

So the question is easy : what are your criteria for a Bond girl to be unique, or at least to be worth being a Bond Girl. What makes that she'll be worth being remembered or that she will join the rank of the uninteresting characters. Consequently, what is the Bond girl that, you consider, can answer this criteria.


For me and my criteria, it would be :
1/ a Bond girl must succeed her <b>introduction sequence</b> with Bond. It shouldn't be haste and must give time to appreciate her, to "check her figure", and bring a particular spot on her, so as to make her, a woman not as the other. Regarding this, I would say the typical counter-example to this is the Introduction scene from Natalya Simonova with 007.

2/ a Bond girl must create a tension between she and Bond, that must last until the end of the film. This tension should be a mix of <b>mutual seduction and professional respect</b> from both the characters. This relation bring enticement as well as cooperation all along the mission that keeps their relation interesting.
The counter example to this would be Tiffany Case who become so submitted to Bond, that he barely cares about her, or Melina Havelock who is so obsessed by her goal that Bond don't have any more attach then their professional jobs.

3/ Last but not least, the Bond girl should always remain <b>unpredictable</b> until the end of the film. Once the Bond girl has said all she had to say, and showed her ability, she loses her interests and just boils down to a side kick whose only finality is to stay to Bond's sides until he has time to conclude with her. I guess this potential of surprise is the most important thing that will make me remember a Bond girl. Too much of them lose this potential so fast, and become so predictable, that they get uninteresting, whatever happens (for example : Jinx has her potential wasted pretty quickly)


The bond girl that succeed to match all these criteria is for me, of course, Vesper Lynd, but I would also add some characters such as Magda, Elektra King or Kara Milovi (+ a few other to this list).

What about you ? What are your criteria ?

royale65

Hmm

Angel with a wing down, Fleming-esque; Tracy; Melina

or

an ordinary girl caught up in Bond's world; ordinary girl, extraordinary courage; Kara; Honey

anotherbondgeek

She shouldn't be 'Bond's equal', like Jinx or Wai Lin, but shouldn't be completely superficial to the plot. That's why Honey Ryder, Solitaire, Volpe and Tracy are effing good Bond girls.

PrinceKamalKhan

One who provides a good combination of these 3 characteristics: looks, well-written character and acting ability. That's why I rank Fiona Volpe so high. She's gorgeous to look at, her character is very well written, and Luciana Paluzzi acts as well as she looks. I'm also very fond of her counterpoint, the very sweet and lovable Kara Milovy who has a terrific chemistry with Bond.

Kara and Fiona are my sugar and spice of the Bond girls, respectively. I also think of them of my Mary Ann and Ginger.

thelordflasheart

Different for every man (or woman) and I suspect that the type of woman you're attracted to in real life (or, for the women, would like to be) would be reflected in the type of Bond girl you like.

For myself, the main thing is that Bond has to "work for it". Any girl who just instantly falls into Bond's arms (sighing "Oh, James!" as she does) holds no interest for me. That which doesn't have to be earned has no value - if anyone can have her then why would she be considered special? I like strong women who can hold their own intellectually with Bond - that leads to great byplay, dialogue, and flirting (say, like with Tracy and Vesper).

Flirting is quite important. The dialogue shows wit, a playful nature, and an interest in Bond. Someone can be a "bird with a wing down" but still have a flirty nature (again, see Tracy) and it's a nice prelude to happens later. A women can need rescuing (either emotionally or physically) and still be a strong and self-assured woman in other ways.

I don't care if a woman is Bond's equal in terms of using a gun or fighting but I do expect them to have a degree of self-assuredness. If someone is completely helpless and looks to Bond to make every decision and to look after her then how is she different than a Golden Retriever? And why would the women in the audience want to watch her character? It's a 14 year old boy's fantasy, and I'd rather have a man's fantasy.

There are so many Bond Girls that I love, but if I absolutely had to choose one over all others it would probably be Tracy. Part of it is the character, part of it is Diana Rigg.

doubleoego

I think there are different types of Bond girls and this has to be firmly recognised.
The easy pickings that fall into the "oh james" category imo still have a place. Why? Because there are women in this world from a walks of life who fit this characteristic. There are plenty of shallow and more "serious" women who aren't looking for anything deep or meaningful. There are women who just simply want a good sexual encounter and that's it.

A possible example could be that young Danish professor in TND. I'd like to see some throwaway sexual partners for Bond again; it reaffirms his appeal to the ladies and his own sexual interest in women, particularly now that the Vesper arc is over and Bond understands the trappings of the nature of his work.

Of course, we have the femme fatales and the character that was brilliantly realised in a Bond film for me the most was, Fiona Volpe. Her sex appeal was mesmerising and her villainy was up there with the best of them.

As for the main Bond girl/love interest there are various ways this can be approached. All this Bond's equal ideaology is nonsense to me. I like to see a smart woman who conveys vulnerability but at the same time not be completely helpless nor being a flat out super weapon herself. In recent filmd there are only two women that really fit that mould really well, Natalia and Vesper.

In the end as I mentioned earlier, there are different types of Bond girls and it's nice to see a mix bag of them in a film. Let's not lose sight completely of why Bond has the appeal he has that has made him a cinematic icon for almost 50 years. Women want him and men want to be him. Downplaying the sexual liaisons is a waste of time, removes some of the fun and is a massive hypocritical move. Society is more sexually charged and obsessed than ever before. I'm not saying we need to see t&a everywhere but the bond films need to go back to being sexy.

DB5

Well I have to say that I'm very impressed with everyone's anaysis and commentary, but you've all overlooked the most memorable Bond girl of all time, Pussy Galore. First of all, she's the pilot that Goldginger has chosen to lead the air attack against Fort Knox. But more importantly, after just one "roll in the hay" with Bond, not only does she she switch sides (Goldfinger to Bond), she switches teams (lesbian to straight). Quite a compliment to Bond, you have to pretty good at sex to do that!