In The Spy Who Loved Me (Lewis Gilbert 1977), James Bond (Roger Moore) works alongside Major Anya Amasova (Barbara Bach). The film centers on the idea that Bond has finally met his match with his new counterpart, who was marketed as a “female Bond.” Unlike previous Bond Girls, Amasova remains fully clothed and the film, according to Jeremy Black, “can be seen as a reaction to claims that the early Bond films were sexist and also to the growing feminist current from the 1960s” (137). And yet, Amasova is always presented as being two steps behind Bond and her positioning in the narrative draws into question the progressive nature of her characterization.
It is not until the 1980s that Bond finally meets women who are on his level. Melina Havelock (Carole Bouquet) in For Your Eyes Only (John Glen 1981) is one of the few Bond Girls that do not jeopardize Bond’s mission by making mistakes. With her deadly crossbow and intelligence, Havelock takes the lead on occasions and helps to ensure the success of Bond’s mission. The following film, Octopussy (John Glen 1983), might initially be perceived as one of the most misogynistic based on title alone. Even though Bond ventures to an island occupied by women only, the film foregrounds Bond’s interactions with two strong and highly proficient women—Octopussy (Maud Adams) and Magda (Kristina Wayborn). These characters seem almost interchangeable in the narrative given their close connection that causes them to act more like sisters who protect each other rather than romantic rivals who compete for the affections of Bond.
This opens up an important line of inquiry: why in the 1980s, a decade defined by the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981-89) and the “neoconservatizing of feminism” (Palmer 254), do Bond films feature strong women who function more like allies to Bond and companions to each rather than enemies and competitors? In this chapter, I will argue that the representation of Bond women in the early 1980s is influenced by the radical feminist movement of the second wave and especially the emergence of female-only communities that offered women a place to live beyond the reach of patriarchy. Although this experiment did not last long, ending around 1984, it was important enough to be reflected in various facets of popular culture including the Bond franchise. This chapter will explore how
For Your Eyes Only and
Octopussy register the impact of second-wave feminism through a consideration of the Sisterhood communities that emerged in places like the United States and India.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY AND THE FEMINISM IN THE EIGHTIES. SISTERHOOD IS HERE.
Second-wave feminism refers to a collection of feminist movements that emerged in the 1960s. The second wave was “primarily concerned with eliminating gender inequality and the systematic oppression of women” (Funnell, Warrior 3) and focused on a range of issues including equal pay in the workplace, reproductive rights, and the ability for women to define their own sexuality (Hollows 3-4). The two most significant branches of the second wave were radical feminism and liberal feminism.
Radical feminism was the first branch of the second wave to emerge. Radical feminists viewed patriarchy as the most fundamental form of oppression after which all others have been modelled (Wood 74). They were deeply suspicious of the social hierarchy; they “opposed liberalism [and] pursued social transformations through the creation of alternative non-hierarchical institutions and forms of organization intended to prefigure a utopian feminist society” (Taylor and Whittier 173). Moreover, radical feminists championed the idea of sisterhood, which Renate Klein and Susan Hawthorne describe as “the recognition of a sense of political commitment to women as a social group” (57). The concept of sisterhood, however, proved to be problematic; by universalizing womanhood, it effectively eliminated differences of identity between women (Kamitsuka 96).
By the 1970s, radical feminists among other second wavers were subjected to a backlashing at the hands of media, which distrusted the revolutionary radicalization of the movement. Feminists were depicted in popular media as lonely and depressed women due to the shortage of men in their lives (Faludi 1). As noted by Bonnie Dow, “the issue was no longer whether or not women could succeed but how they would handle the consequences of that success” (83). As a result, the social advances of women were put under a media microscope and various popular cultural texts, such as the Bond franchise, “register[ed] the political impact of the women’s movement and reflect[ed] popular attitudes to the evolving feminist agenda” (Funnell, “Negotiating” 199).
Traditional gender roles are notable in the representation of women in promotional posters for the films. For instance, Amasova is conceptualized as a female Bond and poses beside the title character in the center of the poster for
The Spy Who Loved Me. While both Bond and Amasova are fully clothed in formal wear, Amasova’s body is placed on display through the design of her evening gown: her cleavage and bare outstretched leg are emphasized by the cut of the dress and her posture. The explicit display in the Bond Girl’s body is even more overt in the poster for
For Your Eyes Only, which displays Bond at the center framed by a pair of female legs of an anonymous woman; this woman is presumably Havelock since she is carrying a crossbow, the weapon that the character uses in the film. Here, the Bond Girl is depicted from the waist down in a bikini bottom, which highlights her bare legs and buttocks. In both cases, the Bond Girl occupies the traditional exhibitionist role and the strength of her character is downplayed through her overt sexualization. Moreover, these images shape viewer expectations regarding the representation of traditional gender roles in the films.
In spite of the poster, For Your Eyes Only presents a noticeably different representation of the Bond Girl. Havelock is introduced in an airplane on route to visit her parents who work as marine archaeologists on a yacht. In these first moments, Havelock is shown touching up her makeup, an image that reinforces the notion that aesthetic femininity is a primary concern of Bond’s women. However, the sequence ends with an extreme close-up shot of Havelock’s eyes after her parents are killed by an airplane flying over the area. With this final shot, the film stresses that Havelock’s desire for revenge will be her primary motivation. From this moment forward, Havelock is presented as one of the strongest Bond Girls in the franchise, who is actually on par with Bond.
One of the recurring scenes in the Bond franchise features Bond saving the female lead who is in grave danger. In For Your Eyes Only, however, it is Havelock who saves Bond twice. In the first instance, Bond is monitoring the criminal activities at a pool party in Madrid when he is caught spying. Bond is able to escape from two armed guards when Havelock shoots one with an arrow. However, Bond continues to be pursued by henchmen and again it is Havelock who saves Bond by flirting with one of his pursuers. To compensate for these female heroic acts, Bond is the one who guides them through the deep vegetation surrounding the area. Bond’s recovery of his heroic status is brief: when Bond discovers that his car is unusable, it is Havelock who conducts him through the wild landscape to some other spot, reversing the role of guide. She is not leading him randomly, but to her own car. Bond stops to observe the precarious vehicle, which is clearly different from the high technological gadgets he has access to as the male hero; this scene contrast Bond’s silver sports car, the technologically enhanced Lotus Esprit (which is coded masculine), with Havelock’s older yellow economy car, the Citröen 2 CV (which is coded feminine). In order for Bond to return to the traditionally male heroic role Havelock is occupying, Bond steps in to drive midway through the scene to bring the chase and the narration to more familiar ground.
Once they are out of danger, Havelock is positioned as an Other in the film. She tells Bond: “I don’t expect you to understand. You’re English, but I’m half Greek. And Greek women, like Electra, always avenge their loved ones.” This statement marks the difference between hegemony (i.e. Great Britain as a central country and colonizer that is, through Bond, coded masculine) and difference (i.e. Greece as a subordinate country that is, through Havelock, coded feminine). On the one hand, this exchange between Havelock and Bond works to reestablish traditional gender roles in the film. Bond, as the British hero, is motivated by a sense of moral duty to England and the collective good. In comparison, Havelock does not share his patriotism and is motivated instead by a personal vendetta. While Bond’s mission is acceptable, Havelock’s quest for vengeance is less so. On the other hand, this exchange opens up space in the narrative for Havelock. Since she is operating outside of the system, she does not need to abide by traditional social norms. She can possess traditionally masculine qualities without any repercussions.
The capacity of Havelock to drive the narration appears again when she and Bond are captured by Kristatos (Julian Glover) and tied to a boat that will drag them into the Aegean Sea. While Bond manages to cut the bonds that tie them to the boat, it is Havelock who conducts Bond to a safe spot under the waters she knows so well, thus saving them both. From this moment onwards, Havelock plays an integral role in the film’s climax whereby Bond leads an assault on Kristatos’ fortress. Unlike other Bond Girls, Havelock does not play a damsel in distress since she is never captured or held hostage by the villain. In fact, Havelock and her crossbow save Bond again from imminent death when one of Kristatos’ men tries to shoot him in the back. Bond’s heroic and virile masculinity are restored in the end when Bond and Havelock engage in lovemaking, a perquisite scene that closes the canonical Bond films. Interestingly, before this moment, Havelock has never shown sexual interest in Bond, so their interaction comes across as being somewhat forced.
In spite of this final encounter, Havelock can be considered a strong character. Lisa Funnell argues that the level of equality between Bond and the Bond Girl can be measured through five categories: physical, emotional, intellectual, courage, and sexual prowess (“From English” 68). On the one hand, Havelock is not equal to Bond physically, emotionally or sexually, but she still demonstrates strength in these areas—Havelock does not match Bond physically but has an unmatched proficiency with the crossbow; she is not as stable in terms of her emotions but presents an unwavering sense of purpose; she is not as dominant sexually but is still able to attract the attention of Bond and other men. On the other hand, Havelock is equal, if not superior, to Bond in the areas of courage and intelligence—this is impressive given the fact that she is not a trained agent! While Havelock is not Bond’s strongest partner—Funnell argues that Pussy Galore is the most equitable partner before the 1990s (ibid. 67)—she certainly holds her own in the film. An often overlooked heroine, Havelock represents the values of radical feminism and is able to subvert some of the gendered codes of the series.
OCTOPUSSY AND THE SEPARATIST FEMINIST GROUPS
By the late 1970s and early 1980s, some feminists including those that self-identified as lesbian feminists or Radicalesbians, desired greater social autonomy. They became a part of another branch of second-wave feminism, separatism, and sought to build communities in which women could be separated from patriarchal society and live independently in female-only communities. According to Julia T. Wood, “separatists believe it is impossible […] to reform America’s patriarchal, homophobic culture. Instead they choose to exit mainstream society and form communities that value women and strive to live in harmony with people, animals and the earth” (78).
Although not all separatists were lesbians, many of them were and these separatist communities concentrated especially on lesbian culture. Wood notes that Radicalesbians “took the radical feminist idea of putting women first a few steps further by asserting that only women who loved and lived with women were really putting women first” (77). They argued that women who orient their lives around men could never truly be free (ibid. 77). As a result, lesbian feminism became “the most assertive arm of the feminist movement, espousing a politic that encouraged feminists to turn their energies toward women in every aspect of their lives” (Boyd 213). For some feminists, lesbianism became a way to dedicate oneself more fully to feminism (ibid. 213).
Kathy Rudy notes that working and living in these communities fostered female independence in a world dominated by men. She contends that “lesbianism was the most legitimate way to act out our politics. In the process of developing feminist theories rooted in the unique, caring nature of women, many theorists suggested that the best way to demonstrate such female sensitivity is by caring exclusively for other women” (195). In other words, by avoiding contact with men and their rules, these communities were trying to change the world (ibid. 195-6).
It is this discourse of sisterhood in which women, lesbian or not, share everything in “quasifamilial relations” (Weiss 12) that structures Octopussy. The first moment of sisterhood appears after the opening credits. Before receiving instructions for a new mission from M, Bond goes first through his secretary Monypenny (Lois Maxwell) who is split into two—for the first time, Moneypenny has an assistant, Penelope Smallbone (Michaela Clavell). The film is unprecedented in presenting two “Moneypennys” falling for Bond. Although Bond gives more attention to Smallbone, offering her a bouquet while reserving only a single flower for Moneypenny, Moneypenny does not appear jealous or angry. To the contrary, she advises her young assistant to accept the gift: “Take it, dear. That’s all you’ll ever get from him.” Her advice, like that of an older sister to her younger sibling, is a cautionary tale about the dangers of caring too much for a man like Bond.
This division of Moneypenny into two characters is replicated in the film, on a much larger scale, through the characterization of the Bond Girl. As noted by Funnell, each Bond film contains only one Bond Girl: she is Bond’s primary girlfriend and the woman with whom Bond connects emotionally (“From English” 63). In
Octopussy, however, there are two women who interact with Bond and share similar traits. The primary Bond Girl is Octopussy. She is a classic Bond heroine who, while being strong and independent, requires saving from Bond in the end. Magda, however, is a far more interesting and anomalous character. She is not a criminal despite her association with the film’s main villain, Kamal Khan (Louis Jourdan). According to Bond tradition, this partnership might not render her a villain but it would, at the very least, cast her as a tragic figure who must die midway through the film at the hands of the villain for switching sides after experiencing Bond’s irresistible charm. As expected, Magda sleeps with Bond; this is part of Khan’s plan to steal the original Faberge egg Bond has in his possession. Naturally, Bond anticipated Magda’s actions and placed a tracker on the egg. When Bond tracks it down, Magda is not punished by the villain for her mistake. Later, when Bond is imprisoned by Khan at his estate, Magda quietly observes him breaking out of his room and roaming throughout the manor. She does not raise the alarm and simply smiles, showing her approval of Bond’s actions. Again, Magda is not punished by the villain for her complicity in Bond’s escape.
The narrative treatment of Magda is extraordinary when considered in relation to the Bond franchise at large. Her exceptional status is the product of her deep loyalty to Octopussy and not with a male faction (i.e. Bond, Khan, or any other male character). Moreover, the bond of sisterhood she shares with Octopussy is cast in a positive light and presented as a redeeming/saving quality. As a result, she is able to circumvent the gender politics at work in the Bond franchise. This renders Magda an anomaly in the film as she does not clearly fit into any character category. Moreover, when Octopussy is introduced into the film, Magda is relocated to the periphery of the narrative and becomes part of the background.
Octopussy replaces Magda in the film as Bond’s primary love interest. What is striking is that both women, beyond their hierarchical relationship in which Octopussy is the owner of the island and Magda her henchwoman, have traits that are not all that different. Both women are smart, strong, and independent; they are capable of handling themselves in a range of situations. In fact, one could argue that either character is expendable: Octopussy could well fill the role of Magda or vice versa. Both women seem interchangeable, which is strange in a franchise that has always been careful in differentiating Bond’s women. This is one reason why Magda has to fade into the background; if she did not, the audience might be confused as to which woman is the Bond Girl.
It is my argument that, much like the doubling of Moneypenny with Smallbone, the Bond Girl is reconstituted into two characters that are not antagonistic, but rather presented as sisters. This is not surprising considering the fact that most of the action occurs on the island of Octopussy, which is populated by a separatist community of women who are loyal to their female leader. The island is clearly a nod to the emergence of separatist communities in the United States and abroad. Each woman has been branded with an “octopussy” tattoo somewhere on her body. Moreover, the film suggests that these women are lesbians via the root word “pussy.” The use of this term recalls the representation of Bond Girl Pussy Galore, who is overtly presented as a lesbian in Ian Fleming’s 1959 novel
Goldfinger, while her sexual orientation and conversion to heterosexuality is more subtly suggested in Guy Hamilton’s 1964 film adaptation. Thus, Octopussy replicates, within popular culture, contemporaneous anxieties regarding the emergence of militant feminist separatist groups like Cell 16 and lesbian communities like The Furies Collective in America (Buchanan 28, 38). Moreover, India also saw the rise of radicalized feminist groups during this time including the first women’s publishing house “Kali for Women”, along with women’s centers that “try to put feminist concepts of sisterhood into practice” (Singh 33-4). Interestingly, the film works to quell these fears of lesbian separatism by having both Magda and Octopussy sleep with Bond in order to demonstrate their conversion back to heterosexuality; in the same problematic way,
Goldfinger suggests that Galore is “converted” through her sexual encounter with Bond. In addition, the film ends with Bond (along with an aged Q) saving the women on the island from Khan and his goons, thus reasserting the superiority of Bond, the importance of patriarchy to civil society, and the traditional notion that women need men to love and protect them.
A VIEW TO A KILL AND THE LAST TRAITS OF FEMINISM
In her article “The Ideal of Community and the Politics of Difference,” Iris Marion Young argues that community “privileges unity over difference” and this idea, while interesting, is “politically problematic” (300). While separatist communities were considered, by some participants, to be a feminist triumph, they were highly idealized and problematic. These communities were based on the idea that the differences between the participants could be ignored (Young 302) in favor of qualities that unite them. Differences between women such as race, class, religion, sexual orientation, and so on were not being addressed. Thus, “putting women first” was not enough to sustain these communities, which fractured and dissolved soon after. Much like other second-wave feminist movements, these separatists fell into the trap of universalizing the experiences of some women as being the experiences of all women (Funnell, Warrior 3).
A View to a Kill (John Glen 1985) is the last Bond film of the 1980s to include traces of the concept of sisterhood, an ideal that was losing steam as the decade progressed. In the film, Bond is tasked with stopping the villain, Max Zorin (Christopher Walken), from destroying Silicon Valley in order to monopolize the electronic market. Zorin plans to detonate a bomb that will trigger a cataclysmic earthquake burying Silicon Valley. Sisterhood is embodied in the character of May Day (Grace Jones), Zorin’s primary henchwoman, a tough woman of few words who is masculinized by her aggression, physical prowess, and stoicism. As noted by Antonia Castañeda, women of color are presented in two stereotypical ways: the light-skinned are presented as civilized and the darker-skinned are depicted as being savage (517). Although May Day is presented as being wild, unpredictable, and animalistic, her characterization also appears to be informed by contemporaneous feminist sentiments.
First, May Day does not fall for the charms of Bond. Although she sleeps with him, she does so in order to determine his agenda; she is not attracted to Bond and her loyalty to Zorin does not waver. Bond may have finally found “his match” in May Day as the posters for the film announce. In fact, May Day only acts out against Zorin after he initiates an explosion in the mine; this act not only puts the life of May Day in danger but he also kills her close confident, Jenny Flex (Alison Doody), in the process. May Day is visibly emotional upon discovering the body of Flex and Bond has to physically pull her away from her friend. It is at this moment that May Day decides to work against Zorin in order to thwart his plan. While motivated by personal betrayal, May Day is also seeking vengeance for the death of her friend. One could argue that the bond of sisterhood she shared with Flex supersedes any allegiance that May Day had to Zorin.
It is important to note that Flex along with Zorin’s other female assistants do not play a central role in the film. It is clearly through the sorrow experienced and expressed by May Day that the feminist idea of sisterhood is introduced into the film, even if the interactions of these women have not been of vital importance in the narrative. In addition, May Day commits suicide without engaging in an anticipated physical confrontation with Bond. May Day would clearly defeat Bond in physical combat and the film skirts the issue in order to maintain Bond’s honor and heroic masculinity. Nonetheless, May Day is presented as being equal to Bond and loyal to her sisters, qualities that connect her character with second-wave feminist notions that were already in retreat.
CONCLUSIONS
Grace Jones was the first black woman to be cast in a lead role in a Bond film. While Funnell argues that May Day represents the emerging third wave feminist impulse (“Negotiating” 205), I would argue that her character shares more in common with the Bond Girls of the early 1980s who are reflective of second-wave.
For Your Eyes Only features one of the strongest Bond Girls in the franchise who acts on her own accord and is never presented as a damsel in distress.
Octopussy centers on two women who live in a separatist community and share a strong bond of sisterhood with each other and other women. The character May Day seems to pull from both of these films as she is presented as a strong and independent woman who is supremely loyal to her female friends.
The first three Bond films of the 1980s show how far the ideas of second-wave feminism were embedded in popular culture, even if the subversive potential of these women is undermined by having each of them sleep with Bond and/or require saving, thus reaffirming patriarchy. But it is important to note that despite all this, the legacy of feminism is present in these women that are on par with Bond, at least for a good part of the film—women who seem to care more about their personal goals and female friendships than they do about Bond and his mission. In a franchise that has been accused of sexism, the representation of women in the 1980s stands out against the homogeneity of the series.