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Comments
With respect to Bond, we may laugh at a Margaret Thatcher knockoff, but does that reinforce a silly old, stuffy British stereotype? Or Higson describing Charles as a "not so freely minted monarch." No great offense. Indeed, Charles is closer to eighty than seventy. But that sentence can be taken as a criticism. Had I been the writer, I wouldn't have found it necessary to remind readers Charles is an old man.
I don't have a problem with Bond films celebrating Britain. For those who say Fleming's Bond wasn't a big fan of the homeland, we haven't Fleming's Bond for a long time, if ever.
Well, in the first one there's Miss Taro, but she's in a minor role. You could also add Professor Dent. There's also a number "hostile" people hiding their true nature: the man who infiltrates Tanaka's ninja school in TWINE, that photographer, the chauffeur in DN, the taxi driver in LALD, etc. I like that element in spy thrillers, not only in Bond films: you meet someone and you're not certain which side he's on.
I'm not a Brit, but I'm sure you could find some who don't feel the union jack parachute is an ironic thing. It's all a matter of perspective.
I remember Cubby describing the audience reaction to it for the first time and he said everybody got up and cheered instead of it being a punch line. Over the top yes, but I think most people get caught up in the moment.
It's a crowd cheering sort of moment, but quite tongue in cheek. If that sort of moment was in anything other than a Bond movie it'd be blatant (and rather bad) propaganda most likely, one that Britain likely wouldn't even make, at least like that.
But in a Bond movie it works. You have this rather fantastical scenario of Bond being chased by Russians as he skies off from a beautiful lady after being called to duty. There's a bit of seriousness in there with Anya's boyfriend being killed, but ultimately it's a very fast paced way of getting you into the film with its energy and stunts. I think a big part of the crowd cheering was also due to the Bond theme, the tension being relieved of the long take/Bond escaping this perilous jump, and the fact that this was the first Bond film in three years (very long, I know) and this being the first big stunt in that time. There's a bit of British pride in there with Bond besting the Russians and using his Union Jack parachute to escape, but I suspect the audience during that screening Cubby talked about weren't entirely British ones anyway. Without all of those factors of Bondian ridiculousness, it wouldn't work as a moment. I wouldn't call it a sincere display of British pride insofar as anything specific is drummed up by it, but neither is it a farcical joke. It's something very much between. Again, tongue in cheek, but Bondian.
It's not dissimilar to SF's unveiling of the Aston Martin/the Bond theme kicking in (and as you've said from personal experience that's a crowd cheering moment). Just the iconography of the classic Bond car, the Bond theme, the scene being the first time in the film Bond is seen truly gaining the upper hand/taking matters into his own hands etc. And SF's obviously a film with quite a lot of British imagery anyway!
Yeah, to be fair I had no idea that was the case.
Doesn't sound too dissimilar to SF coming out the same year as the London Olympics with its British iconography.
Yeah, I think that’s probably true. Bond knows how to cash in on a trend!
That'd make a good UKIP advert.
As long as we don't get into the sentimental kind of we-are-better-than-everyone-else sort of flag-waving, like for instance in quite a few Hollywood-made war films, I'm okay with it.
Yeah that's a good point, it's absolutely done with a wink. And you make a good point about the music- I should have mentioned that when I said it could have been the 007 logo rather than the flag: it absolutely is celebrating him more than the country as it's his theme tune which plays and not the national anthem! :)
I've never thought about it before, but flying a hot air balloon with the Union Jack on it over an Indian palace of all places is some pretty bad optics isn't it! :))
I agree about the pledge and the national anthem. Ritual without reverence because both have become so routine many do not even pay attention.
Yes I think you’re right there. Once you cross over into nationalism then you’re in trouble.
I'm talking specifically about British patriotism. Which has a level of self deprecation and irony. Something I find mostly absent in US.
Let's also not pretend that there are countries that have always stood on the right side of history. Every country has had its dark moments and 'fierce loyalty' at such a moment also implements that the 'loyal individual' may be pushed towards less than laudable actions.
Bond himself in GE refers to an incident as 'Not exactly our finest hour', which I think is Bond aknowledging that his country as well has had its dark moments too.
With that in mind, national pride with an ironic wink at the audience is a better choice than straightforward 'patriotism' of the 'we are the best nation on the planet and everything we do is by definition right' kind.
The Bond films have mostly done this very well, the Union Jack parachute in TSWLM and the hot-air balloon in OP are good examples. Even the pen in NSNA is fun, I always chuckle at 'Not perfected yet.'