New Bond film hooks us in with nostalgia
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The new James Bond film looks like it might be jumping back in time. It’s called, Spectre, which was the criminal organisation from the early Connery films (remember the dude with the white cat?).
So, why do new films end up going back in time to revisit old ideas?
Batman Begins took us back to Batman’s origins. Star Trek (2009) introduced us to the early days of Captain Kirk. Superman recently returned to Krypton in the Man of Steel
and James Bond has saved the day in 24 films.
If you prefer your Bond stirred not shaken, you might like to see something unexpected and different. You might like some of the different approaches used in the Dalton movies, believe that George Lazenby’s one outing was superior to most, or love the more edgy and serious Daniel Craig films.
If you reminisce about the good old days of Connery and Moore, you might prefer your Bond shaken not stirred. That is, you prefer your Bond to be the way he was in the beginning: good humoured womaniser with lots of interesting gadgets to get him out of trouble.
If it’s the latter, your preference might be influenced by nostalgia.
Filmmakers who tap into nostalgia can connect instantly with an audience by unlocking feel good emotions and memories.
Because we all grew up with Bond at different times, we tend remember those early memories of Bond with fondness. This explains why some people were put off by the absence of Miss Money Penny and Q in the first two Daniel Craig movies and welcomed them warmly when they returned in Skyfall.
Let’s look at some of obvious uses of nostalgia in Bond films.
M confronts Bond for being a misogynist
In GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan was introduced after two decades of Roger Moore’s Bond seducing women one-third his age. M (Judy Dench) blasts Bond for his misogynist ways in a self-aware wink to the audience who have grown up expecting Bond to seduce at least one woman and partner with a second. What happens in Goldeneye? He seduces a woman and partners with another…
Throwback to Ursula Andress’ iconic beach scene
The iconic beach scene from Dr No(the first Bond film) has been recreated in several Bond films. Halle Berry had a go in Die Another Day, the film that jumped the shark by literally having James Bond jump a tsunami and drive an invisible car–another nostalgic link to the absurd stunts and gadgets in the early Bond films.
As a sign of the times changing, it was now Daniel Craig leaving the water, generating the same nostalgic feelings of the past but now telling the audience we had matured as a species by treating a man like a piece of meat rather than a woman…
The return of the Aston Martin
In the most recent Bond, Skyfall, one of the most overt homages to classic Bond was the return of Bond’s Aston Martin from Goldfinger.
They even use the classic Bond theme, and reference the old ejector seat and machine guns.
Skyfall ending…return to the past
In the symbolic return to the past, Skyfall ends by returning James Bond to M’s classic office with Miss Money Penny now secretary (or is that Personal Assistant now?).
M is now male again. No doubt director, Sam Mendes, was attempting to pull in the nostalgic good will of the early Bond films.
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The question is whether Mendes wants to continue delving into the past in his sequel, Nostalgia is a powerful tool to resonate with the audience but it relies on the good will generated from previous films. I’d prefer to see a new story and for the writers and directors to take some risks. |
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