Need help - James Bond

Jonezzee

Hey guys,

I'm in my final year of University, I'm a furniture and product design student writing my dissertation on the chracter of James Bond.

The dissertation title is

James Bond: His affect on culture and product placement.

If you guys here wouldn't mind could you answer me this one question.

What does it mean to be James Bond?

What I mean by this question is there any reasons other than say the women the guns and the cars which attract you to the chracter.

Thank you for your time, I'm looking forward to some replies.

Higgins

hmmm, final year in University and you don't know to spell correctly "guys"??

My reasons besides the girls, cars and guns:

exotic travelling
sophisticated dining
always new challenges
the chance to legally kill those, who deserve it
unlimited access to all kind of intelligence and information

I am sure, there is more to come.

Jonezzee

I'm at uni for drawing :P

Thanks for the encouragment and cheers for the reply; plus if we were going to get all technical it wasn't a misspelling but bad grammer which I use the spellchecker for

zaphod

Jonezzee wrote:

Hey guys,

I'm in my final year of University, I'm a furniture and product design student writing my dissertation on the chracter of James Bond.

The dissertation title is

James Bond: His affect on culture and product placement.

If you guys here wouldn't mind could you answer me this one question.

What does it mean to be James Bond?

What I mean by this question is there any reasons other than say the women the guns and the cars which attract you to the chracter.

Thank you for your time, I'm looking forward to some replies.

Bond (despite what Fleming may have believed/said) functions as a classic Hero character.He is fundamentaly an 'outsider' and in Jungian terms a 'Trickster' . He is somewhat adrift in terms of class, not quite British, an orphan most often operating in a Foreign land...This makes him an interesting mix or ruthlessness and vulnerability. His cause is usualy a just one, and when it is not he struggles with his moral purpose.

He is also something of a rebel, and at the same time an instrument of the state. I think that it's the contradictions that make him fascinating and capable of limitless re interpretations. I also like the clothes, the adventure & of course the Women.There is something aspirational about liking James Bond from a male perspective, however my wife is also a real fan, and the women on this and other Fora are a testiment that he transcends Gender in terms of appeal. I could go on but you get the idea.

I think it would be particularly interesting to hear from females on this subject, and look forward to hearing what others have to say.

Thunderbird 2

I studied media for two years here we go:

1) Physicality - Craig's Bond is a bloody tank built athelete. I want to be built like that, with that level of physicality!

2) Quality of life. Best foods, drink, clothing, places to be, most advanced technology.

3) Sense of adventure and travel. Going anywhere, in a sense, doing anything!

4) Makes a difference. A character who can so a lot of good. (Setting aside the offing the bad guys thanks!) A believeable hero, in the sense he lives in the current contemporary world and keeps himself up to date.

5) Seemilny unlimited knowledge and social graces. Bond knows several languages, cultural differences, and has demonstrated specialist skils / knowledge from diamond types, political and social awareness, and industrial development.

Have I missed anything?

zaphod

Thunderbird 2 wrote:

I studied media for two years here we go:

1) Physicality - Craig's Bond is a bloody tank built athelete. I want to be built like that, with that level of physicality!

2) Quality of life. Best foods, drink, clothing, places to be, most advanced technology.

3) Sense of adventure and travel. Going anywhere, in a sense, doing anything!

4) Makes a difference. A character who can so a lot of good. (Setting aside the offing the bad guys thanks!) A believeable hero, in the sense he lives in the current contemporary world and keeps himself up to date.

5) Seemilny unlimited knowledge and social graces. Bond knows several languages, cultural differences, and has demonstrated specialist skils / knowledge from diamond types, political and social awareness, and industrial development.

Have I missed anything?

Point 5 is really interesting to me, and certainly true of some of the Films more than the books. I say 'some' because I can't recall Bond displaying as much impressive and wide expertise in OHMSS, or Casino Royale for that matter (please feel free to correct me if memory is faulty)

The Bond in the books has to either learn or practice skills and aquire knowledge needed for each mission e.g. Heraldry in OHMSS, or Diamonds in DAF, Card skills in Moonraker etc. He's more like a vessel than an encyclopedia in my view.
Bond in the Cinema by contrast has a bewildering and impressive stock of knowledge across a broad spectrum

Loeffelholz

Many good points are being made, so I'll restrict my comments to one obvious---if more intangible---aspect of the character, which is probably why I have always been drawn to him:

Confidence.

James Bond is self-confidence personified. Confidence with women, confidence in close-quarters combat, confidence when facing off against the world's most dangerous villains. Men want to be Bond, most of all (IMO), because of his sheer self-confidence.