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Well. I think I have the measure of you. This is one of the most despicable things I've ever read on the internet.
Now then let's keep this thread civil. The idea of a black actor playing Bond is a recurring discussion on here, and rarely ends well, so please feel free to discuss it, BUT do not descend into any personal abuse or name calling or inflammatory remarks.
Thanks chaps.
That sounds like an extreme overreaction. I maintain that Bond should remain white at least for the time being but if a black Bond was cast, as a fan of the series, I'll wait to see how it turns out and if it turns out to be surprisingly great then I'd be fine with it but I wouldn't turn my back on the series without first seeing how things pan out. I think it's fair to say that Bond is more than just the colour of his skin but at the same time, my personal preference dictates that he should remain white.
I agree with LeChiffre, I would stop watching the series as well and I think it would also mean that the genral audience would stop watching it and thus ending the franchise.
My humble opinion.
James Bond was never a coloured man and as such I would not want to watch it. Neither would I go for a coloured Shadow, Saint, Sherlock Holmes etc.
Bottom line, could we just RESPECT Ian Fleming's memory and intend and have James Bond look as much as possible on the big screen as he appeared in the books?
Case close.
Characters like The Black Panther, Shaft and many more - part of the EMPHASIS was on them being black. So no, a white person shouldn't play them because it negates the point of the character.
However, Bond to me is more universal, aimed at a more broad audience. Ian Fleming has been dead for a long time and anyway - the movies have strayed far from his original works as it is. Bear in mind the character has been portrayed by a Scot, two Englishmen, an Australian, and an Irishman.
The movies are set in a fantasy world and continuity (until fairly historically recently) hasn't been much of a concern. None of the actors who've played him really look alike as it is - the CHARACTER is the star - not the actor who plays him.
JAMES BOND IS NOT REAL!!! THESE ARE ONLY MOVIES!!!
This is the 21st Century yet a lot of people here have come across sounding like Alf Garnett. It's sad to read people saying that they would "disown the franchise" should a black actor be cast. But in a way it's good too. People with attitudes like that shouldn't be allowed to enjoy these films. I'm pretty sure EON wouldn't want people like this in their audience anyway.
I'm no fan of stunt casting or trying to make some kind of statement. But I am a fan of finding someone with looks, charisma and talent to take on a part. And to me this comes regardless of skin colour.
All you people who say they would disown the franchise should a Black Actor be cast - you may not think you are being racist but you ARE. And you make me ashamed to be a White man.
I used to have to listen to that kind of crap from my Dad and my older brother. I don't expect to hear it in here.
Racists are the slime of humanity. That's all I have to say on the matter.
Black people aren't given as much of a chance, or platform, to create iconic figures. The only people mainstream media will grant a spotlight are clowns like Kanye West. I bet most people haven't heard of Kwame Kwei-Armah, but he's the kind of figure who bridges the gap between races, rather than putting up barriers. It's not about tit-for-tat.
Bond is not defined by his skin colour in the way that minority figures are. Most non-Caucasian figures are generally the product of a minority voice in society and are therefore defined much more by their appearance and the inherent values that presents. White characters are primarily defined by their class, or standing in society, not their race.
So when people say, 'how would a black person react to a white Shaft', it does make me die a little inside.
Brilliantly said.
"You could of course do that,but it would contradict the way Bond was conceived by Mr. Fleming. Bond is a product of the British establishment in a way that no non white could ever be. The absolute self confidence of his character could not have grown in any western society. Say whatever you will of how far we have progressed ,when it comes to the equality of privileges in the industrialized educated world,there is still racism (subtle or not) in abundance. Eton or not,our black Bond would have met plenty of it,which in return would have prevented him being such a unconditionally blunt and loyal instrument."
I usually don't quote myself, but you might find some compelling arguments why you don't have to be a racist to think this goes much too far regarding the Bond franchise. I find this "you are against a black bond you must be a racist" argument quite insulting myself, since I know what I am or what I'm not. And I'm dead set against a black (or asian,fat or even female) Bond!
Eh? Moore was born in South London.
Yes he was but he is still of welsh stock
And while I'm here if it were to happen I think that Adrian Lester would make a good choice of actor.
Again. These movies are set in a fantasy world where I think concerns such as these shouldn't matter. As much as I am against stunt casting - maybe subliminally a message could be sent that society needs to move forward. That shouldn't be the reason behind it - but if that message comes across by association - I do not see that as a bad thing.
Racist? Maybe that was a bit harsh - but backward? Living in the past? Non-progressive? Certainly.
And all that stuff you said about "Bond is a product of British establishment in a way that no non white could ever be" I DO NOT accept that argument and find it insulting and offensive.
If I were a filmmaker and were responsible for a Bond movie which had a black chap playing the lead role - certain concerns such as "racism in Eton" would NOT be addressed nor an issue - since I would want to present a world where this kind of racism does not exist - and just get on with telling a rollicking good story.
Before anyone complains about that being unrealistic... remember we're talking about a series of movies where Pierce Brosnan surfed a tsunami with the aid of a surfboard and a parachute.
There would be no explanation for his change in skin colour. It would be no different from when Lazenby, Moore, Dalton, Brosnan or Craig took over the role. No explanation was offered for the change in appearance and series regulars like M, Q and Moneypenny just acted like it's been the same guy all along. I'd still keep that exact same tradition up.
I'm not backing down on this.
Though I agree that Bond is not as such defined by his skin colour, I do believe that skin colour is a pretty fundamental element of Fleming's Bond. Again, as I've stated before, it would have been unthinkable in the cultural Zeitgeist of the '50s for Ian Fleming to have written Bond as anything but a male Caucasian. The world in which Bond operates may have changed from DN to SF, but the films still present "Ian Fleming's James Bond" and, well, Ian Fleming's James Bond is not black.
I also don't think we should drag minority discussions and such into this. Plus, the Shaft-isn't-white-either argument is a pretty good one IMO. Because these are film icons and like statues carved out of marble, they are expected not to change shape too drastically lest you get a whole group of fans upset. This has nothing to do with politics or sociology, let alone with ethics or heaven forbid racism of all things. It has everything to do with how Fleming shaped Bond and how we have embraced him these past couple of decades.
May I present the following metaphor. If you want me to accept that any of these symbols represents 'one',
1, i, |, I
I will comply. If you want me to accept the following symbol as 'one',
2
I say no.
Why? Because I recognise a 'one' when I see it.
Am I a two-ist? Do I repress the symbol 2? Do I take away its dignity? No! And neither am I racist or anti-black or anything. But Sean Connery was 1, George Lazenby was i, Roger Moore was |, Timothy Dalton was I, ... and Idris Elba is 2.
@Ludivico I think the difference is that a fat Bond just wouldn't make much sense. Bond is meant to be sex symbol for one thing, and he needs to be at least in reasonably good shape because his job demands it. Bond still could've done the free running in CR if he was black. He couldn't have done it if he was fat.
@ChickenStu @RC7 @doubleoego Great posts.
I don't deny Ian Fleming's James Bond is a white man. That would be silly. Nor am I'd advocating or rejecting a black James Bond. And I'm certainly not implying one is a racist for believing Bond should remain white. It is inflammatory remarks about ditching the franchise that seem a little 'off' to me. They don't serve any purpose because they treat the argument as, forgive the pun, black or white. Which it isn't.
It's possible to go round in circles with this, but I think, with the exception of a few very blunt voices, this thread has at least shown that we can discuss this topic relatively sensibly. One which does and will continue to come up, whether people like it or not. I think what's most interesting to me is that it says a lot about how race is still so definitive in our society and yet it is one of the only things as human beings we don't actively choose.
Because when a subject as delicate as this is brought up it's considered the decent thing to give a reasoned argument, rather than making blunt statements about how the colour of a man's skin will cause you to abandon something, you're so enthused by, you actively participate in discussions on the internet. I don't think anyone on this thread, and I include the black members, are really fussed about a black Bond. I certainly don't see any remarks to suggest there must be a black Bond. It's the few who go in to a state of panic, as if its a done deal and it's going to happen unless they vehemently voice their disgust. Its got nothing to do with PC, anyone who uses that phrase ultimately cheapens their argument and, for me, can't be taken seriously.
Also the blurring between fiction and reality I found troublesome. As much as we all love it - it is ONLY a series of films set in a fantasy world. That alone should make it a non-issue as far as I'm concerned. Again it's about broad appeal.
If this thread has shown me one thing - it's that there are fans out there who take it FAR TOO seriously. Guys they are FILMS. That's it. Escapism. Entertainment. Not the be all and end all.
OK Fleming wrote the man as white. But that's the books. When so many of the films have strayed so far away from the source material - I find that a flimsy argument with which to discount the notion of a black fellow playing the part.
I'm not on a PC brigade here. I just don't think skin colour should prevent an actor from taking a role he has the chops for.
Exactly. Why are MR and YOLT (which are nothing like the books they're based on) acceptable but then when the topic of a black Bond is bought up the source material suddenly matters? You could say that they're changing the character but Sean Connery did that years ago and then Roger Moore took it even further.
If you're a complete Fleming purist fair enough but then if you're a complete Fleming purist then you would've stopped watching the films ages ago.
I think we'd all still watch it. Even those who hate the idea would probably end up watching to see how it turned out.
What evidence is there of that though? The fact that Idris Elba has gotten so much support surely means that most people would be ok with it (and I'm not saying Elba could do it, just using him as an example since he's black and is probably the most popular choice for the next Bond outside of Micheal Fassbender).
May I ask you how any reflecting and self respecting black could grow up non doubting and uncompromising fighting for the way and means of the British (read European ) society just as Bond does? And don't tell me these days he didn't face racism on a daily basis when he went to school,sports or whatever. You don't even have to be a black. People tend to somehow denigrate just about everyone who is somehow different - be it looks ,attitudes or opinions. My reasoning would also apply to Turks,Gays, stammerers and whoever.
And about how you would like to present things (i.e.:modern world = no racism anywhere) - this is not the Lord of the Rings or any other fantasy scenery . Sure Bond is a product of fantasy,but he's placed in our world , that's part of the fascination we have with spy stories (just look how DADs surfing scene is almost universally hated). I don't mind anyone inventing a scenery, universe or society in which blacks rule, not at all! Just tell a fascinating and thrilling story and I will be consuming it with pleasure but don't bend reality and logic arbitrary to your liking on already existing characters and and societies.
You do represent the PC brigade with your oppinions on people who do not want the ethnisity of their movie hero to change. Calling people backward or racist is a very nice thing to do, especially for somebody whop has so few counts on posts and most are in this thread. Makes me wonder what your game is except insulting people?
Each movie says Ian Flemings' James Bond, and a coloured fellow would not be Ian Flemings' James Bond but different creature alltogether.