License To Kill Department
I’ve always responded with a mixture of admiration and disgust for James Bond. I admired his courage and ingenuity, his determination to defeat the bad guys. I loved the Aston-Martin, and all of Q’s gadgets, at least one of which just happened to be exactly the ticket to get James out of a particularly nasty spot. I liked the smooth civility, the gentleman’s wardrobe, and especially the downright manliness of the character (especially as portrayed by Sean Connery, who epitomizes 007 in my eyes). The explosions, the chases, the fights, the wild derring-do; I loved and enjoyed it all. Still do, as a matter of fact.
With one exception: I hate Bond’s womanizing ways. Even as a kid, something about those bits of the Bond movies rubbed me the wrong way. I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, see how Moneypenny adored him.
What irks me the most is the way it’s portrayed in such a light-hearted, positive way. Never any mention of STDs, the unsatisfying nature of jumping from one partner’s bed to another, the lack of genuine intimacy with another person, and so on.
(And now the irony of this strikes me: I’m complaining about a lack of realism in James Bond movies.)
Roy M. Jacobsen
1 Comment
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (1)