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Comments
How else can we express dismay over how awful and PC the world has become?
But (some) people did bat an eyelid at the time. Doesn't mean they were right. But they did allege racism, even if they were marginal voices.
Can't remember where now. Too long ago to find but it definitely happened.
But you said it yourself, @FatherValentine. They were marginal. Nowhere close to the popular consensus. I highly doubt that would've changed if CR '06 was released today.
Pretty standard.
I am not sure. I think that it would cause a stir. I think people would look for things to be offended by.
I typed in Casino Royale racism into google and it through up a lot of negative articles.
I think it is accepted that a lot of people out there just feel that James Bond and its associated media is irredeemably racist.
Of course, that is offset by more who don't feel that way.
He's a very warm character, I agree. And yeah, he gets forgotten a lot I think.
I'm afraid so, some other negative conotations come to mind as well.
While some aspects of the older films are to be viewed in their specific time frames, there are also many other aspects that the people you mention tend to forget.
The character of Quarrel is a good example. "Fetch my shoes" doesn't sit well when viewed today, neither does him believing dragons to exist. On the other hand, and this part tends to be forgotten, he's a valuable and skilled ally, with a likeable personality whose death upsets Bond in such a way that he tells Dr. No he'd prefer the Revenge Department so he can avenge his friend.
Also, Bond was never meant to be a hero. He's a character, with good and bad aspects to his personlality. That makes him a very human entity. Looking for an unambiguous and 100% good-natured hero? I'm sure Zorro or Batman would be more than adequate go-to's. But Bond has never been that way, nor intended as such.
Furthermore, the films themselves never take a stance in whichever way. Not even in full Cold War climate. It was always someone else trying to pull a trick on both sides. For instance, we've had more likeable Russians in these series than we've had Russian villains.
It's always easy to highlight the part that serves your thesis statement better, and neglect other aspects that don't. Especially while jumping on a bandwagon.
Excellent comment.
I agree, he’s one of the best parts of the movie. A great final part for him.
Thus, I really would have preferred the movie not to be half-measure or in-between as it is, but to fully embrace its outlandish promise and devote much of its plot to this adventure in space, and not just the final battle.
Great post.
Bond was never meant to be a hero. Nail on the head.
I disagree, however outlandish, Bond should always be grounded in reality. The sole fact that he's going up in space in itself is a huge climax, as one could argue still stands today, as space travel still isn't a widely used phenomenon.
I think that's just your exaggerated view of twitter SJW. There were already men as M before Judi Dench came along, so her being replaced by a man is kind of a non-issue.
Now, relegating Moneypenny to desk work... yeah, they'd probably not go that route. If anything, I would have had Moneypenny take on the same role Charles Robinson did as M's right hand agent
If EON still marketed towards children like they used to back in the day, I think we'd see a much louder uproar, people complaining that Bond is an inappropriate role model/hero for youngsters. By the Brosnan era they started doing less of that, going only as far as video games aimed at teenagers. By Craig it's been aimed primarily at older audiences, though supposedly kids can still enjoy the films given that we have a sizable chunk of Bond fans looking forward to NTTD, as they were kids when CR came out.
An anti-hero, if anything, I'd say. It wouldn't be nearly as interesting if it were that straightforward.
I suppose he fits the dictionary definition of a "hero", though, so there's that.
Step 1: Look for a reason to be offended
Step 2: Be offended
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 and 2
I would rather spend 24 hours locked in DarkSydePhill's house, than join twitter.
The classical hero (Greek ones for instance) had more to do with our modern anti-heroes than what we now define as heroes. It mattered not that Heracles was a drinker, a philanderer and even had murdered his first wife and his children in a moment of madness (caused by Hera). He was still a hero as when required he could achieve great things. Being a decent and moral person has little to do with heroism.
So yes, Bond is the heir of classical heroes.
Ah cool, didn't know that! Thanks!
Perhaps the early noir Bond of Casino Royale comes closest to being an anti-hero, but on the whole James Bond is a modern-day hero, a St. George who gets to smoke, drink, gamble, and have sex with beautiful ladies. He's a consumerist hero, which is what initially caused critics to attack Fleming.
Nevertheless, very few of Bond's actions are morally deplorable when viewed in context. One rarely ends a Bond film or novel thinking that Bond did something disturbingly hard to justify, something that threatens to make him almost as bad as the villain.
Bond himself became steadily less hard-edged as the series went on--look at how his thoughts on killing in cold blood develop from CR to FRWL to TLD and TMWTGG. I think a real anti-hero would be more eager to kill in cold blood than Bond.
Exactly.
I think the kids running after Solange on horseback is a wonderful moment. It says to me she is popular among local folk and their children.
When watching the embassy scene recently I did think to myself if this would have made it into a current film. Which is why I found your question so interesting and relevant. Agreed...
So much so that many twitter users thought the SJW parody account, Titania McGrath, was an actual person... 😄
Social Justice Warrior, a derogatory term used against someone who fights for social justice.
It's a Murdoch/Fox made-up thing.