As you probably know, this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the first James Bond film. The new movie is very conscious of its history and deliberately plays with the Bond traditions. It's almost like going to see the Rocky Horror Picture Show - you just sit there waiting for the "Bond - James Bond" to pass those coldly smiling lips. At the same time, muddling old gadget engineer "Q" has been replaced by a twenty-something nerd, and Miss Moneypenny is no longer a fair English rose. Shanghai has superseded Moscow and encrypted hard drives are the new microfilm.
There are, of course, lots of fancy modern technology in Skyfall (possibly a bit more realistic than in some films), fiery explosions, gorgeous women, luxurious and exotic settings, well-tailored suits, and martinis shaken not stirred. Some things never change. One scene, though, made it very apparent that we're not in 1962 any more. This is the scene in which Bond receives a sexual proposition from the villain (played with manic finesse by Javier Bardem) - and suggests that he's had homosexual experiences in the past.
The interchange is brief, but for me at least, amazingly encouraging. James Bond is the ultimate male icon. The notion that he can talk calmly (if perhaps ironically) about feeling same-sex attraction in a PG movie is almost unbelievable. Clearly it doesn't make him less masculine or less of a hero, in the eyes of today's viewers.
I wanted to get up and dance around. Because I had the feeling that nobody really noticed all that much. Nobody booed, or left the theater, horrified.
As for me, I thought the scene was pretty hot, as Bardem strokes Bond's bare, scarred chest and makes veiled but unmistakable suggestions. But that's neither here nor there - everyone knows about my diverse erotic tastes.
What's important is that the world has changed. People have become more accepting of homoeroticism, less threatened. That's a step in the right direction, as far as I'm concerned.
Perhaps sometime soon, we'll even see a gay or bisexual secret agent, battling against the forces of evil. Maybe there will be "Bond guys" as well as "Bond girls". Who knows what the future holds?
Happy Anniversary, 007. Looks like you're growing up.
4 comments:
I think it was less suggestive that Bond had had gay encounters in the past so much as his personal sense of masculinity was not insulted by the proposition. Which is also pretty damn awesome in my opinion.
Of course, we continue to have homosexual inclinations vilified as a sign of the abnormal psyche of the villain, which is typical in Hollywood, either implicitly or explicitly.
However, I also found the scene hot, and I really did appreciate that homophobia was not Bond's first reaction.
I know! I freaked ot when I heard bond suggested it wouldn't be his first time. I absolutely loves it and I think it definitely leaves it open for a future gay Bond. Maybe when Bond turns 75...
Hello, Aurelia,
I interpreted Bond's remark the same way. It was also a case of one-ups-man-ship.
I hadn't thought about the possibility that it's the villain who has homosexual inclinations and that this might be a question of stereotyping. If that's deliberate, it's a bit depressing. On the other hand, I think the scene was written to be arousing.
Who knows, maybe the writers/directors know about all the women readers who love M/M stories!
Thanks for your comments.
Hi, Emily!
I wouldn't say "freaked" exactly but my eyes sure opened wide!
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