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Is Skyfall a film in favour of Brexit Britain?
Skyfall is an undeniably great film – however, there always felt to be an uncomfortable undercurrent of jingoism running through the movie. The Bond series and character in general has always been pitched as a bastion of old British values. Fleming fleshed out the character in the 1950s using Britain’s imperialistic past as the defining characteristic.
Skyfall seems to embrace those values more so than any other Bond film. The hero is a dogged and aged warrior who isn’t quite the force he once was, however, he’s given a chance to redeem himself and earn back some of his old prestige. Wasn’t this the pitch that the Leave campaign really pinned itself upon?
Also in a more literal sense, the villain is a European who poses a direct threat to British values by attacking the English capital and the state’s intelligence agencies in an orchestrated terrorist attack. The major sentiment in the Leave campaign, and what really swung it in their favour, was the emphasis they placed on immigrants and fear of them destroying Britain in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
SF is also a film that is very proud to flout the Union Jack on screen – often with Bond directly in frame.
Now there is a clear argument to counter this. SF was released in 2012 where there was a surge in British pride with the Olympics, the Queen’s jubilee and other events feeding into the film’s decision to embrace it’s Britishness. Even Sam Mendes acknowledged in interviews at the time that he felt the film was playing up the nationalism too much, but when editing the movie he was swept up in the euphoria surrounding Britain at the time. But in hindsight has this allowed the film to be misinterpreted as a result?
Personally, I feel that the references to Britain’s role in SF is less to do with reclaiming some old vestiges of past glories, but more with acknowledging it’s new role. Which may not be as grandiose or significant as it once was, but is still a force to be reckoned with. This argument is far better articulated in the Tennyson scene – but there is a distant feeling within me that Nigel Farage would adore this film, even if he has completely skewered in his interpretation. (Also I’m pretty convinced Bond is a Leave voter)
Skyfall seems to embrace those values more so than any other Bond film. The hero is a dogged and aged warrior who isn’t quite the force he once was, however, he’s given a chance to redeem himself and earn back some of his old prestige. Wasn’t this the pitch that the Leave campaign really pinned itself upon?
Also in a more literal sense, the villain is a European who poses a direct threat to British values by attacking the English capital and the state’s intelligence agencies in an orchestrated terrorist attack. The major sentiment in the Leave campaign, and what really swung it in their favour, was the emphasis they placed on immigrants and fear of them destroying Britain in both a literal and metaphorical sense.
SF is also a film that is very proud to flout the Union Jack on screen – often with Bond directly in frame.
Now there is a clear argument to counter this. SF was released in 2012 where there was a surge in British pride with the Olympics, the Queen’s jubilee and other events feeding into the film’s decision to embrace it’s Britishness. Even Sam Mendes acknowledged in interviews at the time that he felt the film was playing up the nationalism too much, but when editing the movie he was swept up in the euphoria surrounding Britain at the time. But in hindsight has this allowed the film to be misinterpreted as a result?
Personally, I feel that the references to Britain’s role in SF is less to do with reclaiming some old vestiges of past glories, but more with acknowledging it’s new role. Which may not be as grandiose or significant as it once was, but is still a force to be reckoned with. This argument is far better articulated in the Tennyson scene – but there is a distant feeling within me that Nigel Farage would adore this film, even if he has completely skewered in his interpretation. (Also I’m pretty convinced Bond is a Leave voter)
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Comments
I don't think it has influenced Brexit,it certainly didn't influence my decision.My decision was based on this small island being over-run by immigrants without any qualifications and just causing mayhem,as well as the EU Dictatorship.
But 2012 was a big year for Britain,and THAT i'm sure did influence the film.
make script changes.
What I’m saying is that the film can be interpreted in such a way that it endorses some quaint notion of “British values” that many hinged to last summer.
Personally, this attribute of the film is quite unappealing to me. SF isn’t a patriotic film for me at all. I’m British and I’ve found the last year intolerable. For me it’s a film that acknowledges Britain’s flawed and mostly superfluous role in the world’s agenda. But it puts forward an argument that despite its growing irrelevancy, the nation still has something to offer.
The conduit for exploring this idea is Bond himself. For me I view the story through the characters. The affirmation of Britain’s role in the world is really an reaffirmation of Bond’s relevancy as a character and film series in this new decade.
Whilst Craig and Mendes may be Remainers, they are still susceptible to creating art that be misconstrued.
There is a quote from Sam Mendes in fact that seems pertinent – he said something along the lines of “Apocalypse Now is a pro-war film when you play it to Marines”. Different audiences take away different experiences.
You're reading too much into it.
IMHO most of the UK cinema audience is patrotic at some level so these themes (when not overly "in your face" ) do work well and contributed to how well SF did within the UK
PS forgot the poem,
PPS I think the name Mallory (and the time its mentioned within the film) is also a reference to WW2 but I could be imaganing this
Yep.
train travel.
He has been called "Her Majesty's loyal terrier" among other things !
much use anymore. The EU is shown as the new thinking of MI6 , all committees and
red tape.
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven;"
This IMHO refers to GB pretty clearly and it links in nicely re "old days" and "sometimes, the old ways are the best" and "going back in time",
so age is clearly a theme and, this links well with patriotism
I wouldn't read too much into the Bond films' patriotic messages. ;-)
For the public "voting" against what parliament wanted.
@barryt007, the only one I could think of would be LTK.
Bond ignores a mission to hunt down the man who harmed his American pal. Also, he told the British agent who referenced her majesty to piss off.
Other than that though, I think Bond has been fairly loyal to GB.
By the way how come Raoul Silva, with his Hispanic (or Portuguese?) background be a former MI6 agent?
Get the ladies ! ;)
Dirty immigrants!
I'm from the Garden of Eden. That snake the Bible talks about? Me...
Back on topic though, I've never thought of SF as a pro-Brexit film, but then maybe I'm not good at reading such things into such movies.
Fighting foreign controlled organisations, as in Quantum or Spectre.
I would say it is more pro-Brosnexit.
Good one, @SaintMark! :D