Skyfall marks the 50th anniversary of the James Bond franchise, which has produced nearly two dozen spy thrillers since Sean Connery originated the role in Dr. No. But the new movie, which opened last weekend to staggering box office returns, also represents a different milestone for 007: his first gay banter. About midway through the story, Bond (Daniel Craig) has been captured and tied to a chair by the blond, mincing supervillain Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem), who grabs his knees and comes on to him. “There’s a first time for everything,” Silva points out. Bond grins and retorts, “What makes you think this is my first time?” Can you imagine Connery engaging in this sort of man-on-man innuendo? When Craig took over the role in Casino Royale (2006), every blogger on earth informed us this was “not your father’s James Bond.” To judge from Skyfall, he may not be your mother’s either.
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Plenty has changed since Bond first strutted onto the screen in 1962, establishing himself as the paragon of Western manhood, and nothing has proved trickier for the series than keeping up with our fast-shifting gender norms. Gone are those pat-on-the-fanny days when 007 could bed down with women sniggeringly named Pussy Galore (in 1964’s Goldfinger) or Holly Goodhead (in 1979’s Moonraker). When Pierce Brosnan took over the role in GoldenEye (1995), the Bond producers made a conscious effort to tone down the sexism: the role of M, his hard-bitten boss at MI6, was given to Judi Dench, and the so-called “Bond girl” became empowered to the point where actresses like Michelle Yeoh, Halle Berry, and Denise Richards were kicking ass alongside Brosnan. Now that same-sex marriage is legal in nine states, Bond may be nearing a new cultural corner. After all, any guy who spends that much time in evening clothes, sipping martinis, must have something he’s not telling us.
None of this gender stuff comes close to breaking the surface of the story, which is supposed to be about old-fashioned love of country trumping the stateless individualism of the 21st century. Nor could anyone accuse Skyfall of being sexually enlightened, with all its latent misogyny and homophobia. After Bond follows the beautiful Severine (Berenice Marlohe) to Silva’s island hideaway, boffing her in the shower of a luxury yacht for good measure, Silva makes her the target of a William Tell contest with Bond, placing a shot glass of fine scotch on her head. When Silva purposely shoots her dead, Bond’s only remark is, “A waste of good scotch.” What is it with these guys, anyway? Skyfall ends with M being replaced by a man (Ralph Fiennes) and Eve, who feels guilty for having shot 007, retiring from the field to become the new boss’s secretary. Even after all this time, the Bond franchise still has some serious shit to work out. That may have to start with its hero, a secret agent with one secret too many.
Directed by Sam Mendes
