The Adventures of James Bond

It is pretty clear by now that we have come to accept that the James Bond of literature is quite different than the James Bond of the silver screen. James Bond is set in the spy world of espionage and secret agents. It should not be expected for a novel character to be translated into a different medium that relies on visual and audio experiences. Whereas a book is open for the reader’s imagination, a movie-going audience relies on the creative license of filmmakers of bringing characters and plot to life on the big screen. There has come a point where this British spy has become a parody of its own parody on the secret agent man. The adventure genre makes use of unlikely experiences in alternatively historic times and places. “Adventure [stresses] the unusual overcoming obstacles with narrow escapes and vanquishing villains (Taves, pg. 4) In adventure, ideals are achievable within the real world; in fantasy, humankind must ultimately call upon more powerful forces” (Taves, pg. 10). That void to occupy the call for powerful forces may easily be identified with Bond’s fancy technology. It is his tool to overcome evil. So what made James Bond who he is instead of what he has become?

As we learned in class, the James Bond novels and films have grafted elements of history into its storylines. These elements of plot usually surround the idea of British pride. “Empire adventures [revealing complex and contradictory themes] encompass many clashing beliefs – particularly the depiction of imperialism as a liberating experience, a contradiction… apparent in those films produced while empires were collapsing in the decades after World War II” (Taves, pg. 38). With the growing use of color film, more oriental prospects emerged in movies. A reason being, that the “colorful” aspects of oriental life would show up more appealing in color to attract audiences. “The presence of imperialism gives a more conservative tinge to adventure’s basic theme of the struggle between insurgencies and the status quo” (Taves, pg. 172).

“The adventurer hero is usually attractive, endowed with personal magnetism, ardent romance, a natural leader with worthy goals and a sense of duty to a country or cause. While enjoying existence to the fullest, the adventurous life is also serious. The hero is politically motivated and patriotic, selflessly dedicated to justice. The hero is pure of purpose, brave in war, honorable, fair, and chivalrous” (Taves, pg. 111). At some point, the audience will catch on to the formulaic recycling of what they have already seen over and over again. In some respect, they will either embrace or disgrace that notion. Adventurers and heroes may need to see a retooling or even a rebirth on the tired but true to make something seem new. Heroes should be able to possess their own uniqueness to distinguish from other characters.

“The code of adventure is comprised of the ideals and concepts underlying the adventurers’ motivations… producing meaning, providing coherence, cohesiveness, and depth. The result of the code is to place less emphasis on the action itself than on the behavior and motives surrounding it” (Taves, pg. 136). So the code has been recognized and broken. In many careers, the individual needs to know what the norm is to identify what they would be breaking under their own terms. Bond filmmakers appear to be self-aware of this concept and either go with it or find a fix to the issue. The conventional adventurer takes pride in the powers of authority. With the retooling and emergence of anti-heroes, the norm is reformed but the end justifies the means. Bond prevents himself to appear old and stale to overcome the competition.

Bibliography

1) Taves, Brian. “The Romance of Adventure: The Genre of Historical Adventure Movies”. University Press of Mississippi: 1993.

2) Tasker, Yvonne. “Action and Adventure Cinema”. Routledge: 2004.

3) Lichtenfeld, Eric. “Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie”. Praeger: 2004.