The 'James Bond Girl', as we like to refer to the main female characters in the Bond series, has had many faces and many different nationalities, from Sophie Marceau to Lea Seydoux (yes, a lot of French girls! Does that say anything about our conceptions of French women and the images we associate with them?). It would be interesting to have a look at the different performances/interpretations in the Bond filmography. What ideals of femininity do they relay? How do nationality and foreignness affect their performances? What does that bring? What are our expectations of the James Bond girl? How do they compare with books?
This sounds so interesting, it would also be interesting to see how the portrayals have changed through the decades. – Austin Bender9 years ago
And of course the one woman to be a bond girl twice, Maud Adams. And the fact that fans rejected Halle Barry, because she was already famous. And a dozen other things. Whether you approach this from a analysis of hollywood hiring practices, feminine ideals or just narrative structure of James Bond, this is a great topic. – CrunchyEnglish9 years ago
This is a good topic to see how the role has evolved. – Munjeera9 years ago
Great topic! And also, what her significance is to the film and James Bond and what her contributions are to the storyline. – Jaye Freeland9 years ago
This is particularly interesting in light of the latest film--which features the oldest bond girl to date (though of course, she's still gorgeous). I think Daniel Craig himself said in interviews that Bond is a chauvinist, and that the latest bond girl (played by Léa Seydoux) is more than young enough to be his daughter. "Beauty," and therefore age, is definitely a big factor. – Tiffany9 years ago
How interesting! I agree with the above -- one might also ask how each Bond girl reflects her time period and the contemporary fears and hopes that might have gone into her character as a "foil" for Bond. – sophiacatherine9 years ago