James Bond Examined | Renegade Cut
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 ก.ย. 2024
- James Bond is a blunt instrument to be used by the United Kingdom. If that is true, he is representative of imperialism. Bond's bravado also makes him an avatar for misogyny and a hero of the anti-intellectualism movement. Content warning: sexual abuse.
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"What's different in the soft reboot?"
- New intro
- New outro
- 1080p instead of 720p
- New transitions
- New filters/effects
- English subtitles
- Upgraded to Vegas Pro
- New music
- Sound effects
- Higher bitrate and video quality
- Longer episodes on average
- New thumbnail aesthetic
love the new style, also I have no stakes here, so you are also right, keep up the good work ^^
Excellent essay! But there was some jittering in the video by the end. Is this on purpose?
@@TheJuancho Yes, it's an aesthetic choice. That's why the text on the screen said "VCR Error 1" around when it happened.
@@renegadecut9875 ahh okay. I guess I missed it. Thanks!
Cool new style with the same cool Leon, I'm loving this.
25:30 apparently Roger Moore didn't feel good about having to do that scene, which is why, if you notice, it doesn't happen again till Dalton. Moore, also was a victim of physical abuse by his wife.
Oh damn. Must've sucked for him to do those scenes.
Part III on Bond could also be named "why Alan Moore had James Bond get hit in the face with a handbag carrying a brick, and you should cheer."
Just wanted to thank you for all your hard work! Each of your video essays is a real treat and a great way to learn a lot about history and philosophy. Please never stop! 👍
You're welcome.
Wow wow wow! Starting a new playlist, this is the first addition: FILM CRITIQUE for my kids when they become teens. (They'll only watch Bond as a school project lol)
I never liked James Bond. Mostly because the idea of him having a new "Bond girl" every movie put me off.
Oddly, many men seem to like the movies.
I wonder why that is...
Plot Twist: I don't actually wonder about this.
Johanna Geisel I made sense of it in my mind by seeing each film as an isolated story, with no relation to the other films (which is not possible for the Daniel Craig films, I know).
I was also too young to understand or question any of this when I saw most of the films from Connery to Dalton.
Oddly I did wonder what happened to all of India Jones’s relationships-but I was older then.
Well, he did marry once, but then his wife was quickly stuffed into the fridge so Bond could have his manpains...
Damn that James Bond Jr. song is slapping 🔥
Great video btw
If Bond is a composite of all the agents Fleming met... then there's some Christopher Lee in him!
So, are suggesting that the Jason Bourne series might actually be a more evolved secret agent series than the Bond stories?
..... ? Why would they use an Emerald Tree Boa (or make a snake look like one) in Live & Let Die to threaten people when those snakes literally eat mostly small mammals and small birds? They're non venomous?? Mostly harmless friends :/
(yes i know that's minor af i just went down a snake rabbit hole whoops)
"...actually, you know what? That's kind of a cop out. Let's talk about India."
please visit seattle sometime for a con or something. You're amazing
Another thing: His womanizing, his affection towards the "exotic" women he encounters in his films? Taken with the already present Imperialism makes the message clear. These women and by extension the countries the represent are literal objects to Bond and by extension the country he represents. It's a power fantasy both from a male perspective and from a British perspective.
I'm reminded of the Epic Rap Battles video of Bond versus Austin Powers.
"Yeah, to be honest, you are a bit rapey. I mean I like to swing, but Dr. No means 'No', baby."
@@CrowTR0bot My name isn't Leo. That's the second thing you have gotten wrong in the past few minutes...
I will go look that up now. Sounds awesome.
the virgin james bond vs THE CHAD AUSTIN POWERS
I started singing the lyrics during part 3.
In the UK we don't get taught about how terrible Churchill was, the genocide, the concentration camps, etc. We just get taught he's a war hero. And he was, but... Well in football if your team has a rough dirty player, there's the saying, "he's a c**t, but he's OUR c**t". Churchill was a massive c**t and that's what we needed to help win the war. But otherwise he was terrible, and the fact the British public _immediately_ voted him out after the war is telling. But these days people have to seek out the bad stuff ourselves, like I've done learning about the man, and most don't. And so he still gets voted as the "greatest Briton" in polls. He was disgusting and more British people need to know what he actually was like
@@timothymclean Fuck Woodrow Wilson.
"that's what we needed to help win the war"
You could easily have won *without* genocide and concentration camps. I understand why the English are somewhat nostalgic about the man who happened to be in charge both during the unsuccessful attempts of the Nazi Luftwaffe to conquer Britain and the formation of an international anti-Nazi alliance that ultimately defeated the Nazis -- *but* history really wouldn't have changed much with a different Prime Minister who would probably have become equally iconic afterwards and maybe *not* hated by, e.g., Irish people.
As na Indian I appreciate your stand. We don't see a lot of your folks say something along these lines, and I understand it's difficult to call your own leaders out on their mistakes. People like you speaking in our support means a lot to us.
I just want to point out in the United States we are taught much the same about Churchill, all about how he was a "war hero" and not about the racism or bigotry or genocide.
Yay for "special relationships"?
Dylan Morrison I was only taught that he was a war monger, and an effective wartime leader.
I'm Indian. Few people talk about us and what was done to us. I feel awfully happy for you talking about our past with the British empire. Thanks for talking about it.
Fuck Churchill
Shashi Tharoor is your biggest advocate - Inglorious Empire is stupendous
That moment when you remember what Dominic Smith (The Dom) saying: "Archer isn't a Bond parody, he's the most accurate possible depiction."
Be honest, how much did you enjoy making this video?
Bond: (MI6)
-You know, I was just wondering what South America would look like if nobody gave a damn about coke or communism. It always impressed me the way you boys carved this place up.
Felix Leiter (CIA) -I'll take that as a compliment coming from a Brit.
very very depressing comment 10/10
My lesbian ass going into this: oh, neat, a series I've heard much about but never seen before. I wonder if it's worth watching.
Me about 25 minutes in: *he did what to what and it was set to* *_wHAT-NOW???_*
*AND THERE'S A* *_JUNIOR VERSION???_*
@@yosoyysoyyo Yep! For kids!
It's about his nephew, though. He does have a better attitude towards women than his creepy uncle.
My lesbian ass trying to watch the new Bond movies: um… y’all tried I guess?
That was excellent. I wonder how the Mission: Impossible series might fare with the same kind of analysis. Something I noticed upon a recent re-watch of all six is that, with one exception (Ghost Protocol), all the villains are products of the IMF - rogue or disillusioned agents.
@@GaoDaHoi it is and he should've covered that
To be fair, Ethan Hunt almost always goes rogue in the M:I films as well. He does it to stop the bad guys, but still. Which I think also speaks to his own moral code. That he's not concerned with the motivations of his government, but with saving people.
Sounds like IMF has a hostile work environment and needs background checks, a union and psychological evaluations.
It's kinda makes sense why so many "alpha male pick up Artists" look up at James bond as the ideal male.
While also not behaving like Bond at all.
I was aware of the imperialist and sexist undertones in James Bond books and movies, but I never really thought about Bond's anti-intellectualism and its relationship with today's populism. Thank you!
Renegade cut, you missed one. Camille Montes from Quantum of Solace actually pulls away from Bonds kiss and walks away. So I would argue she is the one true independent bond woman
I mean, even Sean Connery thought James Bond behaved monstrously to women - and Connery once talked about his belief in the powers of slapping his wife.
Hell, Ian Fleming once said of Bond that what qualities he has "are probably not qualities anyway". It seems everyone realizes Bond is a monster. And yet...
Hearing your examinations really helps me feel less alone. You make so many points that I myself believe, but I live in the southern United States, which often means I feel safer not voicing my opinions on things like Misogyny, or Race.
It gets very depressing hearing people around you say awful things and then justify those statements in equally horrible ways. It starts to feel like I can’t speak up, without being called a snowflake, or being accused of taking too much offense.
People here act like Racism and Misogyny are just the norm,...so it’s Truly nice to hear your opinions, because I know I’m not alone.
I’ve got people who I once considered friends, openly use the “N” word in front of me to describe someone only to recoil, then look at me and say something like “Don’t be offended, I’m not talking about you. I’m talking about other people.”
So I’m brown, but I’m one of the good ones???....wow. If I seem upset, they’ll say “Well Black people say the N word so...etc”...so i guess now I’m the spokesperson for all black/brown people?
My only response is that I don’t use that word myself. I hate it. It was born from hate. But that’s rarely enough for them. Which is why I often keep my mouth shut.
I’m ranting, I’m sorry, I just appreciate hearing what you have to say. I know this is about Bond, but a lot of it spoke directly to me.
@@HelloTardis I'm sorry you have to hide your feelings from the people around you, and that they seem incapable of acknowledging their own biases. I live in the UP of Michigan (Upper Peninsula the part above the mitten), and I see a lot of the same biases and attitudes that I saw in my home state (Utah). I wish that we'd actually be safe to express our opinions.
Honestly I cant stop but think that you should get out of there then. It seems to have such a grave impact on your life and happyness to the point where it affects your day to day life.
I hope it gets better and I sincerely hope that you will find some like-minded friends in your area for once.
Growing up in China, I remember watching You Only Live Twice and laughing at the yellow-face makeup with my dad. But it was more of a "look how shitty and unconvincing it is". A throwaway nitpick rather than the discomfort I felt when rewatching it last year.
Congrats on finishing the video! Hope your channel takes off to 100k this year
It's more problematic for people of East Asian descent who grow up in the home audience countries since there is no escape from a popular caricature. In China or Japan, people can just shrug and forget about it. In the US or Britain, it can lead to problems of self-loathing and self-worth for some kids bullied by negative stereotypes when they grow up. On the other side, people will hold negative stereotypes of people they have never met which can sometimes affect foreign policy.
@@dojokonojo yeah, there's a really annoying trend where some whitewashing casting will happen (like Ghost in the Shell) and people will link videos of Japanese people being absolutely fine with that. But for Asian-Americans it's a different thing. Asian-Americans have to deal with being a minority and all that brings, its a different thing from being from Asia and living your whole life there. Not that Asians don't have the right to be annoyed at this kind of stuff either. But the objections of Asian Americans are dismissed because Asians in Asia apparently don't care, and they think that's the end of the argument. It's not.
I was disappointed that you didn't touch on Quantum of Solace, specifically because it does directly address and rebuke a lot of these problems. Camilla is the only major (eligible) female character in a Bond movie that Bond doesn't have sex with, and he even treats her more or less as an equal - or, failing that, at least an actual person instead of simply a wet hole. When (ugh) Strawberry Fields, this movie's typical Bond Girl, is murdered after having sex with Bond, M very bluntly holds her death up as a consequence of Bond's philandering and renegade character. The movie does a really good job of criticizing Bond as a character and dissecting the problematic elements of the franchise - so, of course, everybody hated it, and the next movie was a disgustingly unapologetic throwback.
Agreed. Also in Golden Eye, his former ally turned opponent, Alec Travelian questioned if Bond's womanising was a means of him seeking forgiveness for the dead ones he failed to protect. In The World is Not Enough and Die another Day, women are highlighted as his weakness as he is manipulated and outfoxed by them. First with Electra King then by Miranda Frost. Judi Denches M is more of a mother figure to a wayward son.
This was a great and well thought-out video. The part of anti-intellectualism was particularly interesting.
Watching James Bond is he easiest way to find out what the UK thinks about itself, the world, and its place within it at any given point in time...
God. I hope not. The state perhaps, but the citizens have gotta be more nuanced and diversely opinionated than that.
oof some are but there’s plenty who aren’t
Austin Powers is one of the most effective works of satire of all time. It forced the spy and action genres to change through sheer trolling.
Only that James Bond already trolled itself by the Moore-era…
The weird thing about Winston Churchill was that before his role in the Bengal famine, he was actually one of the few British politicians who condemned the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, and wanted Colonel Reginald Dyer to be disciplined for what he had done. Churchil was a strange bundle of contradictions: sometimes considerate and reasonable, and other times reactionary, foolish, and overtly dismissive.
In regards to James Bond as an extension of imperialism, I think Bond also embodies a bit of those contradictions. I am a Bond fan, but there are times when I think Bond is too ruthless, set in his ways, out of touch, and careless in certain scenes when he doesn't need to be. Fleming once said that politicians liked the Bond books and films because they like easy answers. That makes me wonder: if Bond existed in the real world, how far reaching would the international consequences be from his government-permitted license to kill and privilege to fool around with enemy agents?
I do think Bond's relationships with Q and the Judi Dench's M is closer than you give them credit for. I think I prefer Bond in his later years, when he shows more consideration, insight, and care than he would have in his first incarnation. I like Bond films where Bond is more emotionally involved, and has more dynamic interactions with his allies, enemies, and love interests. That's why I like GoldenEye, the World is Not Enough, License to Kill, and On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
Still, this is an impressive analysis, Mr. Renegade.
9:20
Yeah, I'm pretty sure that India _somehow_ would have found a way, over the centuries, to be successful in the modern world. Just a crazy fucking idea on my part, I guess.
I love the James Bond movies, and I've often wondered why the awful politics of the movies, which I've long been aware of, have never bothered me. I'm often turned off by bad politics in other works of fiction, but for some reason not for Bond. I think it might be because the fantastical elements of at least the early movies make it so far removed from political realities for me that I'm more able to ignore any political implications of the films.
Having said that, I wouldn't want my kids to see the movies without me being able to explain to them how bad the politics are and that they can enjoy the films but shouldn't take any lessons from them, ESPECIALLY regarding how Bond treats women. I would hope other people take the same approach. And I certainly don't begrudge other people who hate the Bond movies for their politics. I just hope they wouldn't condemn me for liking the movies and wouldn't assume that I share their politics based on the fact that I like them.
While we all, understandably, worry about exposing children to the Bond films’ appalling ideas and messaging, it makes me wonder why I (if I say so myself) did not pick up these attitudes, despite having uncritically watched every Bond film several times over throughout my childhood and teenage years-as if I somehow didn’t fully register what was going on in the scenes.
Maybe children are less likely to pick up messages that weren’t meant for them.
If anything in media negatively influenced me when I was around 2-4, it was the authoritarian thinking in Thomas the Tank Engine - especially the scene where Henry is walled up in a tunnel, seemingly forever, as punishment for a minor thing. So 4 year old me would yell “I’ll lock you up till you’re sorry” (and I really meant it back then) - now I know where I got that from.
It had some terribly hierarchical ideas - all made to be easily understood by children.
Bond’s ideas take place outside the world of a child.
@@timpauwels3734 I'm assuming the reason those ideas in Bond movies don't stick out to kids that much, is just because generally they're not that interesting when compared to the gadgets, guns, cars, action, and all that other stuff. Like when I think about Goldeneye, I don't really remember the political commentary, I just recall the tank chase and the duel between 007 and 006. With that being said though, Bond's relationship towards women was always a thing I found extremely uncomfortable and unusual, and as such, I'd just skip that shit tbh.
It took me a long time to realise that I can be critical of something I enjoy while still enjoying it. I love James Bond films, but I know they have deep rooted problems that probably won't go away overnight.
This is an excellent analysis. I really appreciated the part about anti-intellectualism - I have heard quite a lot of critique that deals with the racial, nationalist, gender and class politics in the Bond franchise, but that particular aspect is rarely ever mentioned at all. You did a great job untangling the contrast between Bond himself being portrayed as the "acceptable" kind of cultured and intelligent, and the mocked or outright villainised intellectualism represented by other characters.
Q: "Happy Birthday Bond! I convinced M to let me give you an invisible car."
Bond: "It's the wrong car!"
Q: "I should have listen to M when she said you're a spoiled brat..."
That sounds like something out of Fawlty Towers, with that bratty kid complaining about his chips because they're the wrong shape.
@@harrietamidala1691 Ironically, that version of Q was played by John Cleese.
Bond and Q actually do like and respect each other. Their sparring is playful, having a tongue in cheek, taking the piss element to it. It's disappointing this hasn't been recognised. Still I do think some very valid points about imperialism propaganda are raised and I appreciate the intellectualism on display here.
Most of the time, but M was harshly critical of him in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, the Man with Golden Gun, License to Kill, Goldeneye, and the Craig movies. It's pretty scathing of the character's job performance and conduct, which is similar to the novel. It's a an unusual compilation of roasts.
I have to agree re: Bond and Q. By the time of The World Is Not Enough, Desmond Llewelyn's version of Q is even portrayed as something of a mentor to Brosnan's Bond.
When you started talking about anti-intellectualism and immediately showed Tucker Carlson, I burst into laughter!
his mindset has taken over America and is the reason why Donald Trump is president but really disturbs me is to see this kind of mentality in science fiction fans! That's a direct contradiction to me and makes no sense!
Thank god we have someone willing to call out the "This bad thing is satire" defence. We reached a nadir in discourse when prominent leftist youtubers started trying to defend stuff like Mein Kampf as being satire and this is a breath of fresh air
As a leftist, no. Just no. Jesus Christ why is that a thing
Softest reboot ever. I love what you do Leon. Keep it up.
'You won't do gender studies Bond?'
'No-one told you to, it's not "gender studies" it's a course on consent! but it is mandatory'
Bond: *blows a hole in the wall and escapes over the horizion*
I watched Goldfinger for the first time in 2015 while I was watching all the Bond films in order leading up to the release of SPECTRE. I was completely blindsided by the rape of Pussy Galore. I was so fucking angry. For all the shit Bond rightly gets as a character, why the fuck did it take me watching the movie to know about this? How in the hell could I not have stumbled onto something where someone brought it up? That one scene completely killed my interest in the movie. I haven't watched it since and I doubt I'll ever watch it again.
Most of the Connery era is a fucking slog anyway I've noticed, primarily because of all the problematic elements, but also some of them are just boring as shit. People give Roger Moore's era a lot of crap, but I'll take his era over Connery's any day. There was still plenty of dodgy shit in there, most of which you covered, but For Your Eyes Only has him reject the advances of a girl he thinks is far too young for him and he doesn't seem to hit on the main Bond Girl once than I can recall. Or if he does it's when the movie is about to end and she makes it clear she's interested.
What if I did a comic where "James Bond" is the villain?! There could be a group of anarchist who want to build their own society under the sea but the British government ain't having and they send a 007 like agent down there to destroy them. We could even have the seen where the "bad guy " tells "Bond" that they are no threat to him or Britain and they just want to live in their own collectivist society. Then "Bond" blows them all to kingdom come!
yes, do it, it'd be cool. if you ever do it let me know.
This video is so, so good. I learned about real-life history, and you made a lot of insightful points. Keep it up, Leon!
This video makes me so happy Sean Connery's career has gone to shit and his last movie was a horribly shitty cartoon
Pal, you just got yourself a new subscriber. No lie and full disclosure: I grew up watching the classic Sean Connery/Roger Moore James Bond films. Still have a soft spot for Goldeneye. But I do believe that you have brilliantly outlined why I have gotten away from those films in the years since.
Also, did Glenn Beck inspire this video?
"I can't be a misogynist, I love women!"
This is pretty much what the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said when he was accused of being misogynistic: "Now they are calling me misogynistic! They are saying I am gay and hate women!".
It's surreal to see people in power with this mindset.
8:26 What can I say but yikes!
More of an art and style upgrade than a reboot.
Ketchup Catsup. Either way, great work.
Personally, I never saw Q as being framed in the "wrong". I just saw Bond being a hypocrite that needs to rely on those he mocks. At best, it was a case where (ugh) both sides needed each other to get the job done.
Still, the misogynist and the films have done nothing to criticize him for it. The fucking conversion therapy from Goldfinger just gets more disgusting the more I think on it. (Crap, I now wish the bomb at Fort Knox went off.)
The Imperial nature of the series however is something I've never seen gone into detail with by anyone before, and I highly appreciate it. Having been taught history through the U.S. system during the 80s and 90s, I've missed a lot; and what I was taught was only the stuff that affected the U.S. always spun just enough to make it looks like "we were wrong with some stuff in the distant past, but that was a long time ago. Now let's touch upon WWII briefly since we're about to hit summer break, but we'll just focus on some key things like Pearl Harbor where we were attacked. Oh! End of the year. Let's start off with U.S. history with the explorers AGAIN come fall."
At this point, I'd love to see a movie where an operative from one of England's victim nations sneaking in to rightfully (due to the story) act against England, and they end up effectively having James Bond as the villain. Not a strawman version of him either. Just a character who is straight up exactly as how he is portrayed today, and shines a light on the villainous aspects of the character. Personally, I think JB would make a great villain.
Hell yeah to your "Villain Bond" idea!
even as a kid I always thought James Bond was a reckless asshole, I seriously never liked how he treated Q, and absolutely didn't get why women fall for him. as a grew older, the only way you can enjoy James Bond is ironically.
Wait, you werent supposed to agree with M in Goldeneye? I mean I know the movie does, but the audience?
Damn i think you're on to something about the anti-Intellectual appeal if that was a difficult take, I came to that conclusion on a watch in my middle school years.
The biggest shame of the Bond films is that Ian Fleming wrote the books as a parody/satire because of his dissatisfaction with his government during his military service; Bond was never supposed to be held up as a role model, but rather laughed at as a joke.
I know this you know this, but try telling Bond fanboys this
@@ladyredl3210 ya, I tried n it dint really do a damned thing
Well, kinda? I’ve been in agreeance with Renegade Cut, but
About movie Bond: I mean, kinda?
People who call problematic content 'satire' don't actually know what satire is.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a much better movie than pretty much every Bond movie for exactly these reasons. The only one that's borderline is Skyfall because he's almost forced to face his failures and weakness. But then Specter exists so it isn't.
Brilliant, inspired and informative break down of a character and the cultural origins that brought it into being.
Pointing out the anti-intellectualism of America currently in todays media and the past was practically sweet.
And I grew up in the bible-belt.
"Ian Fleming, shown here as an edgelord Twitter avatar" - Holy fuck, Leon is savage right from the start and I am ALL for it!
Great video! One caveat: we also have to be careful not to remove the agency of the actresses who were able to push back by being strong characters. Yes, their presence does not free the Bond character from criticism of misogyny, but, also, they still deserve credit for enacting more positive portrayals in the face of a long history of misogyny. By focusing on (centering) this video on Bond, unfortunately we replicate maintaining that character as the center of discourse. So we need to carve out space to discuss the actresses also, centering them more in conversation that articulates the representational failures of Bond. But this is a great analysis of the longue durée of the Bond character's misogyny, and I will think more about the anti-intellectualist argument you are making here; good spot!
I swear to God, I've had political arguments with people who deliberately reject history and context because they wanna keep their "both sides are bad" narrative that makes them feel like the smartest person in the room.
I remember watching the "corrective" assault as a kid, and my older brother saying "wow... that's the peak of manliness" or something like that. It was one of those moments where your cognitive dissonance is screaming at you. It didn't make sense to me, but I was taught to trust "manliness". It's worth noting that my brother and I are very much feminists now. I can't imagine anyone thinking that Bond's actions as anything but terrible as an adult. And we're meant to believe inequality is over
Yeah that was fucking sickening. I've barely seen the Bond films but fuck me does that disgust me to know
As a James Bond fan..... yeah, your correct. Is it possible to have a worse protagonist?
So Bond is villain who is celebrated for killing his victims, strangely realistic
that aside about the odd dual feeling about british imperialism's effect on the colonized nations is pretty on point. britain has left a lot of colonies in their wake and...well they did tend to bring genuine advances in education, industrialization and culture, they would drive modernization in places that were either frozen, sluggish or backwards, unprepared for the modern world, i believe the phrase was that the british were "conservatives at home but revolutionaries abroad". and then they just stopped. it's not like rome or the turk where the empires slowly crumbled over centuries. britain was there as an empire and suddenly it was gone. back to being an island with a very big voice.
this affects my country (ireland) a lot. we speak english, practice common law, have a parliamentary republic similar to the westminister system and have a lot of tradition and infrastructure inherited from our time as a defacto colony.
but at the same time. we don't speak our own language. many of us can't because of the ubiquity of english. a significant part of our non british history is still tainted by ethnic and sectarian conflict borne from those times. that's not even getting into the fact that our population went into freefall in the 1800's due to the famine which ,while the blight was not caused by the british, the hunger was caused by british laws and attitudes and our population is still nearly 2 million people down from that period.
and this is coming from someone from a "successful" country. we can't neglect all of britain's other hasty retreats. the end of the british raj, basically all of south africa's shit, israel, for a time even canada had partition troubles (quebec) and many, many others.
Yeah I like video game Bond more than movie Bond, at least sexual assault was not in the games (as far as I know). That's not to say I don't enjoy the movies but that stuff...yeah less awkward to just play a game. Kind of ironic that Bond gets a taste of his own medicine when fighting Xena in Goldeneye since she, you know, likes raping people to death. Also found it annoying in Specter when he's fighting a henchmen on the train and the girl does nothing to help, not even grabbing something heavy to clobber the guy on the head while he's distracted strangling Bond. I know not everyone is a fighter people (both men and women) can freeze up from bystander syndrome but it really wouldn't hurt the series to have the Bond girl help once in a while.
I am not a massive bond fan. But I personally thought he was innately meant to be a some what reactionary establishment figure. Purposely misogynistic and imperialistic. I always though he was meant to be enjoyed this way. Just as Judge Dredd was meant to be a fascist tool of a police state. Even in the 60s most artists behind the bond films were largely left wing. I always thought they were meant to be a kind of ironic satire underneath a stupid action film.
No, because that's not satire. 32:42
@@renegadecut9875 No I get that. But Roger Moore himself always said he played Bond for laughs due to the films innately ridiculous premise of a world famous secret agent, along their facile execution. And his versions do seem quite self aware. They seem more like comedies. Though I am often hesitant to voice this opinon because I definitely feel like I am in danger of thowing red meat to reactionaries.
@@richardellis8193 Of course there is humor, but Bond is still presented as a figure the audience wants to be. The films do not condemn Bond. At most, they playfully joke with Bond. That's the whole point about the difference between a harmless roast and satire.
Note that the one picture where Bond has his License Revoked and he literally goes off the reservation and acts for personal reasons is where his behavior towards women is the least problematic.
I had a dream last week where Craig-Bond appeared on a motorcycle, wearing a delightful pale blush kimono with a violet obi, and shouted "we have no time to waste!" Before speeding on. Feck, my dreams are yellow face??
would like to hear your thoughts on 'no time to die'. it certainly seems to make an effort to adress some of the worst aspects you mentioned, especially in the mysoginy part. there are 4 females characters in the movie. bond only engages romantically with madelene, his lover from the previous movie, and she manages to escape both movies without suffering some gruesome death or betrayal of bond. monneypenny and the new 007 agent both seem very driven to their professional responsabilities and are unphazed by bond in this one. and the ana de armas character, paloma, the most typical 'bond girl' is neither bedded, nor chased romantically by bond, and again, does not die. both her and bond seem like cool professional coleagues. Q is shown much more humanity, and he and bond have more mutual respect for one another than is typical. as for the imperialist part, it does seem to try and cast M and the CIA as the imperialist figureheads and bond as a man acting for his own interests instead of queen and country. in fact if bond is to be the representation of the old empire, it certainly makes an effort to have him be 'retired' and disinterested in his previous role. I do think, by some of the comments said over the years, that craig shares many of your reads on the series, and it seems he mustered enough influence to have some changes made. I even heard bringing phoebe waller bridge to rewrite the script was his idea.
As much as I am nostalgic of James Bond films...yeah, they should've downright criticised, satirised, and redone the character LONG AGO. Can the film industry move onto adapting The Man From CAMP series already?
Extra credits did a decent series on the Opium Wars. Honestly if either side took the win win deal that was brokered halfway through the war alot of lives could have been saved.
Why in gods name was there, ever, a James Bond Jr... TV...show?
To sell toys.
Never forget that the studio once asked Liam Neeson, a northern Irishman to play a British secret agent, while there was still a civil war still going on in northern Ireland between Irish nationalists and Ulster unionists. BIG BRAIN
Yeah...but Goldeneye on the N64 was still awesome, though.
RIP Sean Connery
Thank you very much for this analysis. I had the awful experience of trying to initiate some discussion around those isues in a Bond forum (MI6), for the simple sake of debating and exchanging some thoughts on the matter, but ended up being relentlessly attacked. I couldn't even historicize the character and properly analyse him without being called an "SJW" or worst (Jesus Christ, they even made use of that same narrow definition of misogyny, citing the dictionary, as a counterproof to my arguments!). It was as if they were a religious cult of fanatics and I a "foreign invader", disguised as one of their own. The attacks were both personal and "symbolic" (attempting to anulate my status as a "true Bond fan"). This whole experience in itself is very symptomatic.
There's one thing however. In the books, the character may offer some interesting twists in terms of critical self-judgement: in Casino Royale, the character spends a chapter questioning the significance of his job and his "good guy" status in view of the changing times and the subjectivity of concepts such as "good" and "evil". René Mathis, his ally, gets profoundly offended and argues in favour of nationalism and conventional meanings of "good" and "evil", to which Bond remains indifrent. In this instance, it seems that even Fleming intends that his "blunt instrument" would have a glimpse of humanity from time to time (though not expressively putted in political terms). What do you think? Do you think there are glimpses here and there? If so, in what manner and to which end?
I always saw the old Q dynamic as a paternalistic one as it progressed as shown by that final scene of Q in The World is Not Enough, where Bond sounds almost heartbroken that he is possibly retiring - it is more tragic for the viewer when they know that was the final scene of that actor before his fatal car accident. While he is a man of action, without the booksmarts of Q, he would have died several times. He needs Q, just like Q needs Bond for his gadgets to have purpose, it's symbiotic in that regard; that could be read as the British Empire/Union can only exist if the intellectuals and men of action work together.
Wow, this was amazing and it's nice to hear someone validate a lot of what I thought about these films. I only found your channel recently but I really appreciate your analysis and that you actually talk about problematic behavior and societal issues. Please keep making these and thanks for your hard work!
This video was fantastic! I'll just try to bring my thoughts together as I want to pick up on a few things you said.
The Imperial tool: Yes, absolutely! Great analysis and I want to add a bit more historical context not tied to Bond himself but the British Empire. The BE used hundred of thousands of soldiers from the colonies in many wars, including WW I and II, often promising liberation and indipendence only to then break that promise. This included Black Caribbean soldiers and Indian soldiers. The fact is that many of them thought they'd be fighting for the freedom of their people only to be misstreated within the army (given less money, food, segreggated hospitalization, which had lower standards, etc. etc.) and upon settling down in the UK be vilified and have zero opportunities and be exploitet by capitalist olygarchs. I'm sure that British intelligence agents were used to destroy any opposition within the colonies, which is especially insidious after they had promised freedom. And let's not forget the massacres and genocides committed; cultural, economic and sexual exploitation; and the destruction and looting of artefacts.
Imperial tool, indeed.
Your sequence on anti-intellectualism was great and I love that you have zero fucks left and call out who needs to be called out. XD
Also, bravo for anticipating the stupid "argument" of "bUt It'S sAtIRe!". You explained in a concise a precise manner why that argument is no argument at all but deflection and ultimately not only a reflection of anti-intellectualism but also, in my opinion, laziness and cowardice.
And last but not least, perfect description of Bond's misogyny and how the movies are not about a character but a reflection of a society and its idea(l)s.
PS Also kudos for putting in P*t*rs*n at the right moment. I recoiled in disgust but damn that placement was *chef's kiss*
This is the kind of historical deconstruction I never knew I sorely needed.
this is one of the best channels ever
I completely agree with everything said in this video... but I still love these movies.
I guess I like dinosaurs.
It's easy to get attached to this franchise when you watch it as a kid
you can still enjoy something with an ironic detachment to it.shit is problematic but it doesnt mean it still cant be fun.
I hadn’t really thought about the depth and breadth of Bond before like this. I enjoy the films for what they are, but I did always see James Bond as a tragic figure. Even as a kid I got that Bond is just a tool with no real friends or family, any woman he actually loves gets murdered, and eventually he will get too old and no longer “useful”, probably riddled with intense physical and psychological pain.
But I’m not at all the target demographic for bond films, just a black female sad-sack❤️
clearly Q is the real hero
Today I learned that Winston Churchill was a bitch
This was wonderful, very eloquent. I particularly liked the bit about the difference between roast and satire, that's a useful way to think about that that I hadn't thought about. Also the intro could have used a content warning with some timestamps about the clips of assault and rape, but. Yeah. Great video, thank you!
Phew, that was a full meal. Thank you for making these videos.
OMG! YES! I'm a few seconds into it, but please read him for filth.
As a lifelong massive fan of the Bond films, having watched and loved them since before I can even remember, I'd like to say "thank you" for completely hitting the nail on the head with this video.
The films are hugely enjoyable but the character is indefensibly vile.
"I don't care about the next James Bond
He kills for country, queen and god
We don't need another murderous toff
I'm just wondering where the high street's gone"
IDLES
One book recommended to me by a professor was "The Anti-intellectualism in America" very good book and eye opening!
This was a great video. I grew up with Bond from a very early age, so it's interesting to see how the lense in which I see him has changed over the last few decades (although I'll still love every one of those films, no matter what). And whilst I have been aware of his misogyny for a while now, I was unaware of both his imperialistic aspect and his anti-intellectualistic ways. So I thank you for bringing it to my attention, and discussing it so in-depth.
As someone who usually has quibbles with your videos, this was all around excellent. Maybe your best work in my opinion.
Also, as a fan of Word Funk, I know how much watching these movies was tiring for you, so I applaud your dedication.
And the backup for this excuse of "not being a misoginisty because loves sleeping with wimen" gets worst with the invention of the Chivalrous Pervert trope: a male character who's a self proclamed feminist that always flirts and sleeps with the wimen around him. Because he aparently is a nice guy that has an ability to listen to the wimen's feelings and doesn't beats her (unlike the villannous boyfriend/fiancee that the lady mide have), the fact that he always sexwally objectifies the wimen around him is excusable as "his love and admiration for the women' s beauty and strenght, because he thinks strong wimen (usually strong in the sense of the kickass dominatrix stereotype) are the new sexy ".
For more information, check out TV Tropes, specially their index about Casanova.
Have you seen the podcast Kill James Bond, the world's first anti bond bond podcast, hosted by three British trans people including Abigail thorn of Philosophy Tube
For a while I always thought of American Psycho when I thought of Fleming's James Bond books. Bond also has that fetishistic way of naming brands.
Fleming's predilection for sadomasochism in his private life seeps into his books at times via what sounds like rape fantasy.
"And now he knew that … the conquest of her body, because of the central privacy in her, would have the sweet tang of rape." and "All women love semi-rape. They love to be taken. It was his sweet brutality against my bruised body that had made his act of love so piercingly wonderful."
Surprising how little this is condemned given the framing of Bond (just to be clear I'm not making any judgement on S&M in a consenting and adult relationship) but rather it translates almost 1:1 into the films.
Excellent points made throughout this video. However, I will say that the James Bond franchise has produced some awesome video games over the years, so it's not a complete waste.
Your observation about the aspirational nature of the character is telling - there are actual websites where people go to learn how to dress like Bond, which shirts, suits and shoes. No one does that with Alec Leamas of the Spy Who Came In From the Cold or George Smiley of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Bond fans always bring up the longevity of the franchise, the fact that they keep making Bond movies and have been since the 1960s.
I then point out that Godzilla's been around even longer and that he still gets movies too......and also that Godzilla can kick Bond's ass!
James Bond Jr was awesome when I was a kid. And Mighty Max too.
So bond is a literal tool. Nice to know.
I wonder if you could include Bond’s extension as an agent of imperialism to Perkin’s “ Economic Hit Men “ ? They both ultimately use or at least threaten the use of force to extend Empire.