Eoghan Lyng examines how the Bond franchise has changed through the years.
There is no franchise that compares to the James Bond franchise. Over fifty years, the series has entertained like no other. Twenty three films (twenty five if the Casino Royale parody and Never Say Never Again are counted), six actors and five decades have not tainted the greatest spy that ever lived. Far from it, in fact. While other series have come and gone, the James Bond series has lingered and changed with the times. Fist fights, gun battles, expensive gadgets, fantastic locations and a trip to space have all featured in the series. Intellectually ambitious, the films may not be, but they sure as hell have kept audiences entertained.But what is most interesting to note is how much the James Bond films seemed to reflect the years that they were released in. With the benefit of hindsight (and the aid of the newly released James Bond box set), it is cool to view the films as a template as a representation of that particular era in cinema or as a historical photo of the events of the time.Starting with the Sean Connery films (critical opinion would consider them to be the pinnacle of the long franchise), which have glorified the suave, attractive side to the titular character. A dastardly rogue who lived the life of an international playboy, the Connery films emphasised the womanising and decadent that were somewhat touched upon in Ian Fleming`s terrific books and brought them headfirst to a cinematic audience. Considering that the biggest icons in the world at the turn of the sixties were Steve McQueen, Paul Newman and the greatly missed James Dean, it is understandable that EON chose to focus on the colourfully extravagant world of the great spy. More appropriately, they were the type of entertainment the newer generation of the sixties wished to devour after the basic lifestyles largely appropriated by post world war two families.The Connery era was not to last and Australian model George Lazenby would put on the Saville Row suits for one appearance in 1969. His film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service had a noticeably more downbeat tone to it than any of the previous films and focused on a more rounded Bond. The heart-breaking ending and shift in mood may have been quite radical at the time, but it is now a brilliant indicator of the pessimistic mood that transcended globally thanks to the horrific Manson murders, the lack of moral support towards the Vietnam War and eventual loss of interest in the hippie dream of peace and love.The Roger Moore films of the seventies/eighties led James Bond to a more family friendly oriented direction than any of the films before or since. Increases in budgets, escalation of the scenarios Bond himself in and a greater emphasis on humour showed Bond moving more successfully from sixties period to seventies. As the decade became more ironic, so did the films, copying many film trends (blaxploitation, martial arts, even sci-fi) along the way. In a world popularised by feel good films (Rocky, The Man Who Would be King and the aforementioned Star Wars), the James Bond responded to what its audiences wanted.However, Moore’s tenure would not last, and his Walther PPK would be taken over by Timothy Dalton in 1987 (my personal favourite Bond). Dalton played the character in a very ruthless manner and is often considered to be the literary adaptation of the character. Dalton’s intense portrayal made for a job-hating character, who was akin to other eighties anti-heroes, such as the broody John McClane and the reckless Martin Riggs. A monogamous Bond, Dalton`s portrayal would have corresponded to the growing yuppie movements of the late eighties.The nineties would see Pierce Brosnan play the great spy and his four outings made more emphasis on over the top orchestrated violence and technological gadgets for the Gameboy generation. Bond would return to his womanising ways (appropriate for a “Loaded” audience), but greater importance would be given to the women to account for the growth of women in political positions.Brosnan would bow out in 2002, and current Bond, Daniel Craig made his first appearance in 2006. Starring in more character based films than ever seen previously, Craig’s three outings have coincided with Jason Bourne and The Dark Knight trilogy, maintaining that the current Bond films have corresponded to audiences who enjoy characters become emotionally involved in their scenarios.A fifty year old franchise that has evolved more times than worth mentioning; a series that watched on their own terms can be enjoyed as singular films, but when watched as a whole, show the changes of expectations and attitudes. Nobody does it better!
