Why isn't Natalya popular?

JennyFlexFan

Whenever you see an online Bond girl poll for any of them, you pretty much see the whole lot of the Brosnan Era, EXCEPT FOR Natalya.

This is something I don't understand. Natalya is one of the best portrayed girls ever, especially of that era, being beautiful, intelligent and resourceful, yet no one ever gives her the time of day.

Of course a theory could be is that Famke Janssen's OTT performance of Xenia Onatopp, overshadowed her completely, which to me, isn't true, as while Famke did wonderfully, I still prefer Natalya as she was more real and not such a comic book character.

So what does everyone think? Natalya to me is the perfect balance, she can fend for herself without being obnoxious, she's equally intelligent as Bond is and just as resourceful, yet not nauseatingly so, and SHE'S HOT!

So, come here if you love Natalya and think she's one of the top Bond girls and offer your theories as to why she's not as popular. I for one, would like to know.

Sir Hillary Bray

Interesting question, JFF...I can only offer my own take on her. They took a woman of somewhat exotic beauty, gave her a strange unhip hairdo (like something Wilma Flintstone might wear before beehiving it), dressed her in frumpy clothes (cardigan sweater) and had her act mouse-y. The result is like seeing someone always in disguise. Throw in the fact that Isabella isn't much of an actress and the fact that Famke truly chews the scenery throughout the film, and you're left with a forgettable character.

Loeffelholz

Natalya was, for me, a pretty standard Bond girl---very much in the modern mould, true, but still fairly standard...her own thread here at AJB notwithstanding Izabella (sic?) Scorupco is a lovely lady, no doubt about it...but for me, she is but an average-ranking Bond girl---which is proven, if by nothing else, by the fact that I don't really care how her name is spelt ;% She's just another glamour girl.

Famke Janssen is the far more engaging screen presence in GE, as far as I'm concerned :x :v :x

As ever, I could be (and probably am) wrong, as far as many here might be concerned...but I know what I like...and I'd take Famke Janssen---or Eva Green :x ---over Izabella Scorupco, ten times out of ten.

Only MRO...

Mr Martini

I remember Natalya. But I remember Wai Lin a lot more :007)
Just me preferences.

Number24

I think there are two reasons:
- Izabella has a far less flashy role than Famke.
- Famke is a far better actress than Izabella.
It's not by accident that Izabella has sunk without a trace out of the public eye, but Famke is one of the very few Bond girls who's had a real career after her Bond film. I think they should have cast Cathrine Zeta-Jones as Natalya.
Posterity has shown Cathrine to be star material. Izabella wasn't.

JennyFlexFan

I never knew of this hatred for Natalya! Personally, while Izabella's other movies don't feature the best acting, (she still was the best thing about Ring of Fire), I think she did wonderfully in GoldenEye, the beach scene and just acting very sassy.

However, since Famke does chow down on the scenery, Natalya is sadly forgotten when, personally, she's more beautiful and has a deeper character.

s96024

I'm the opposite. I loved Natalya and for me I forgot about Xenia. Just always remember the horrible scene on the ship.

jetsetwilly

She is, simply put, a nice girl. She wears nice, ordinary clothes (the outfit she wears for the majority of the film was bought by Lindy Hemming from High Street stores), she has nice, plain make up and hair styling, and her character is just plain nice. She's an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances. And ordinary has never done well in Bond films.

I think you're right to say that Xenia overshadows her. It's not because Famke Janssen is OTT (though God knows she is!), but because Xenia has a proper character, and interesting scenes; indeed, the film lets out a little sigh and loses something when she dies. Like her spiritual forebears, Fiona Volpe and Fatima Blush, Xenia dominates the screen when she's around - and beautiful though she is, I just don't think Izabella Scorupco is as attractive as Claudine Auger or Kim Basinger, and so she is lost. (The extremely plain wardrobe she wears doesn't help - even her bikini has a sarong, for goodness' sake, and though it's ungentlemanly of me to point it out, she's not exactly overfilling the top part of it...)

Nightshooter

I think she's a missed opportunity. We've all seen how gorgeous she can be, especially as a blonde and in a bikini. Give her a frumpy sweater and a bad haircut, and all sex appeal is lost. She is still beautiful, but it isn't the same.

She still looks much better than Wai Lin, Paris Carver, or Jinx, IMO.

JennyFlexFan

jetsetwilly wrote:

She is, simply put, a nice girl. She wears nice, ordinary clothes (the outfit she wears for the majority of the film was bought by Lindy Hemming from High Street stores), she has nice, plain make up and hair styling, and her character is just plain nice. She's an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances. And ordinary has never done well in Bond films.

I think you're right to say that Xenia overshadows her. It's not because Famke Janssen is OTT (though God knows she is!), but because Xenia has a proper character, and interesting scenes; indeed, the film lets out a little sigh and loses something when she dies. Like her spiritual forebears, Fiona Volpe and Fatima Blush, Xenia dominates the screen when she's around - and beautiful though she is, I just don't think Izabella Scorupco is as attractive as Claudine Auger or Kim Basinger, and so she is lost. (The extremely plain wardrobe she wears doesn't help - even her bikini has a sarong, for goodness' sake, and though it's ungentlemanly of me to point it out, she's not exactly overfilling the top part of it...)

No, Goldeneye still progressed well w/o Xenia, IMO, and carried on wonderfully with amazing Natalya. For me, the only time when the henchwoman truly dominated the screen was in NSNA. It slows down to turtle speed when Fatima is killed, as Kim Basinger was not very good looking back then (Izabella is way hotter, IMO). Natalya seems ordinary, but within her is the spirit of a girl always looking for adventure, but never got that chance. Then she did, and did flawlessly.

Not that I dislike Xenia, I just think that Natalya is a deeper character, beautfiul, and wonderfully played by Scorupco.

Dan Same

I think that Natalya was a nice character. However IMO she has three problems:

1)As earlier posters noted, she wore pretty ordinary and frumpy clothes. As I also don't think she's all that attractive anyway (especially with the look she sported in GE) she has always been rather forgettable in my eyes.

2)She was given some rather unpleasant dialogue to say ("That's why you're alone!") which IMO has only made things worse for her.

3)Xenia. This is the single biggest reason. No matter how attractive Natalya was, she was never going to compete with the magnificent Xenia Onatopp who IMO was among the absolute greatest henchpeople and most attractive female characters in the entire series. I consider Xenia to be a diamond in the crown that is the James Bond films, and so for me, Natalya (whom I don't dislike by any means) simply pales in comparison.

Sir Hillary Bray

Dan Same wrote:

2)She was given some rather unpleasant dialogue to say ("That's why you're alone!") which IMO has only made things worse for her.

Well, you could argue that such dialogue doesn't make her forgettable, but rather more memorable...for the wrong reasons! Anyway Dan, I agree with you that she has some annoying lines ("boys with toys", etc.) -- yet more "new age" PC crap from Campbell.

Uh oh, I may be starting another debate between the two of us and highhopes!

Napoleon Plural

She did have a shirty way about her, too. Always moaning, like she's seen Casino Royale and gone back for a second time ) "Everything except the interruption!" and yelling at Bond and never really being that nice to him except when she unaccountably falls into his arms cos it's in the script... she reminds me of when I go for a facial* and it turns out it's some Eastern European who seems a bit teed off the whole time, none of that sensual stuff.

* skin decongestion in case you were wondering...

Dan Same

Sir Hillary Bray wrote:

Well, you could argue that such dialogue doesn't make her forgettable, but rather more memorable...for the wrong reasons!

That's true. In that case, you can remove that as a reason.

Sir Hillary Bray wrote:

Anyway Dan, I agree with you that she has some annoying lines ("boys with toys", etc.) -- yet more "new age" PC crap from Campbell.

Uh oh, I may be starting another debate between the two of us and highhopes!

) Yeh, the dialogue in GE (such as the line you quoted) is certainly not among my favourite.

heartbroken_mr_drax

Fish1941 wrote:

Campbell included that line? I thought that the screenwriter did.

)

Yes thats right....

Why do we always complain? GE is one of the greatest entries?

AND STOP COMPLIAINING ABOUT CR

Dan Same

heartbroken_mr_drax wrote:

AND STOP COMPLIAINING ABOUT CR

You're right Drax, I, for one, should stop complaining about that disappointment of a Bond film known as CR.

JennyFlexFan

Dan complains about CR? Yippee! I despise it.

Oops... sorry about the criticizing.

Agent Wade

I'm going off the cuff here, and by off the cuff, I mean about four or five miles. When it comes to Natalya, she probrably rings as close to what will ever be represented of the novel The Spy Who Loved Me in terms of lengthy focus on a female character. I thought at the time nothing of it. It was a really neat thread in the story that culminated well with the involvement of MI6 later.

JennyFlexFan

Agent Wade wrote:

I'm going off the cuff here, and by off the cuff, I mean about four or five miles. When it comes to Natalya, she probrably rings as close to what will ever be represented of the novel The Spy Who Loved Me in terms of lengthy focus on a female character. I thought at the time nothing of it. It was a really neat thread in the story that culminated well with the involvement of MI6 later.

Someone on fanfiction.net wrote a huge Natalya-Bond fanfic that I thought was rather good. Never got to finish it, but it seemed great, however, Bond played a minor role and I loved how the author did their relationship in the beginning.

Dan Same

JennyFlexFan wrote:

Dan complains about CR? Yippee! I despise it.

I don't dislike CR, but I don't love it either. I noted in the 'Lets be honest' thread that CR would fit into either my good or average categories. (Probably the latter.)