Bond In Motion Exhibition

I recently visited the Bond In Motion Exhibition at the London Film Museum. Being a fan of the film series, as well as studying it, it was a real treat to see all of those iconic Bond cars as well as other props and original storyboards from some of the films.

You can definitely get your Aston Martin fix here as they have the classic model featured in Goldfinger, Goldeneye and Skyfall as well as the V8 from The Living Daylights, the Vanquish from Die Another Day (thankfully not invisible this time) and some of the damaged stunt models used in the chase sequence at the beginning of Quantum of Solace. There is also, of course, the famous Lotus Esprit (submarine version) from The Spy Who Loved Me and I enjoyed the display of quirkier Bond vehicles such as the Crocodile sub from Octopussy.

I particularly liked the props and production documents that were on display: Bond and Vesper's cover story passports from Casino Royale and the original storyboard of the petrol tanker sequence from Licence To Kill were highlights for me.

If you are as enchanted by the Bond films as me then you will really enjoy this collection of iconic cars and lesser known props alike.

To find out more about tickets you can visit the Bond In Motion website below (click on the image):

There is an interesting quote featured on this website from Nick Curtis of the Evening Standard:

"The London Film Museum’s exhibition offers a chance to get up close and personal with some of the fantastic cars that have been a part of our lives and our cultural identity for 50 years." 

Curtis' acknowledgment of the huge impact the Bond series has had on our cultural identity gives me further encouragement to continue researching issues of James Bond and British national identity in the modern socio-political climate.

Visiting Lecturer Series at BGS

Things have been a bit quiet on the research front due to personal and work-related events but I had the honour this week of returning to my former secondary school, Bristol Grammar School, as a visiting lecturer, presenting my MA dissertation to 150 Sixth Formers. It was a wonderful experience being able to talk about my work and passion with the students at the institution where it all started: Year 9 was when I watched my first James Bond film and the rest, they say, is history. I was also very honoured to be provided with lunch in the Great Hall: a spectacular venue reminiscent of a location in another favourite film series of mine...

All it needs is a sorting hat...

For the lecture, I made my dissertation, For Queen and Country: James Bond and Nationalism in the Daniel Craig era, a little more presentation-friendly by focusing more on clips and images from Craig's first 3 films as well as producing a short introductory video to provide the students with some understanding of the themes of nationalism traditionally associated with the older films in the series. This is now on my Youtube channel and you can watch it by clicking on the image below:

Video Abstract and Youtube Channel

MeCCSA's online journal, Networking Knowledge, is making use of Youtube to provoke wider interest in their scholarly articles. I was asked to create a video abstract for my Skyfall article and here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJbvkovtc48

This has also inspired me to create my own Youtube channel, which includes a variety of video projects I have produced over the years, with each one exploring my interests and experiences at the time:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKPEGXCOzBwTnVkhDwwCcPg

Better late than never!

I've been kept very busy by some teaching I have been doing with the Film and TV department at the University of Bristol this term but I haven't forgotten about the wonderful people I met and the fascinating conversations I had at the European Popular Culture Association Conference (EUPOP) in the summer. Thank you to Pamela Church Gibson for accepting my submission to present. Below are some interesting discussion points that came out of my Skyfall presentation:

Since Skyfall includes a focus on Bond's Scottish routes, what influence will the recent Scottish Referendum have on the nationalist themes in future films?

Production and the subsequent release of Skyfall was delayed considerably when MGM encountered financial troubles. Had this not been the case, was Skyfall intended to be distributed as promotion for the British nation in the lead up to the London Olympics 2012? Were these two events working more closely together than one may first assume with the film being called Skyfall as a literal link to the Bond/Queen parachute stunt in the Olympics opening ceremony?

What other aspects of a Bond film influence its themes of nationalism: patriotism seems to come with the more humorous moments of the series, or does the nationality of the actor make a difference? Are there any notable correlations?

Skyfall's American filming style and British content create a formula for success - why?

So, we meet again Skyfall?

I find myself appropriating Goldfinger's famous line as I return to Skyfall as the subject of a presentation I am preparing for the European Popular Culture Association Conference next week. Having previously written about Skyfall's use of nationalism as a marketing tool and mapping the shifts in Craig's Bond's British identity throughout his first 3 films, this presentation will focus more specifically on the nationalist ideology in Skyfall: through the analysis of strong ideological moments in the film and a consideration of the socio-politcal context at the time of production and distribution, I will attempt to shed light on the influences on its nationalist content and hugely positive response from audiences.

On Her Majesty’s Service: Skyfall (2012) and Nationalist Ideology

‘Agent 007, reporting for duty,’ says James Bond to M as he emerges from the shadows of her study in Skyfall. He appears to have returned from the dead – he was presumed so as a result of being hit by a misfired shot in the opening sequence. This is an important moment in the film not just for the narrative but also in terms of establishing its ideals and values. It is in this instant that Bond declares his commitment to his country, the UK, after a period of disowning it. This nationalist theme is built upon throughout the film as shots of Union Jacks and London landmarks come thick and fast and the plot culminates in Bond and M fighting to prove that the traditional government agency that they represent is still vital in defending the UK from modern terrorism. It is arguably the most patriotic Bond film to date and its nationalist ideology is explicit but where do these ideas come from? After all, films are not made in vacuums. What are the contextual factors which may have informed the nationalist ideology in Skyfall? When one considers the success of the film (the most successful British film to date, grossing $1,108,348,855 worldwide in its four month run at cinemas) it seems even more important to investigate the origins of an ideology that was accepted so enthusiastically by a very large audience.

My research involves analysing the film for aspects of narrative and representation, which are key to the conveyance of its nationalist ideology. I will then look beyond the film and link these aspects to important UK national events, which occurred in the lead up to Skyfall’s production and release.

Licence To Kill screening and discussion

Last week I hosted a screening of Licence To Kill (1989) at the University of Bristol and talked about its divergence as the first gritty Bond film. It was a lot of fun as me and my friend put on a bit of a performance by dressing as Miss Moneypenny and the man himself, James Bond, as well as running a roulette table for all attendees (see photographs above).
I also got the audience to think about the film in terms of its anomalistic nature by talking about some of the institutional and socio-politcal factors, which, I believe, had a hand in steering the film and its main character into more gritty territory. I also explained that despite the film's attempts to update the Bond franchise so that it reflected more of the trends and real-life matters of the time, Licence To Kill is not really regarded as a success and it was definitely back to basics when the next film, Goldeneye (1995) went into production. I asked the audience to consider these issues while watching the film so that we could discuss them at the end. Some interesting points were made.

I always wondered why this film did not perform so well at the box office even though it appears to be the perfect money-making combination of a well established popular franchise and the 1980s trend for one-man-army action movies and graphic violence. One audience member at the screening suggested that the time the film takes to explain how Bond goes from being the conventional smoothie we are  used to seeing to the bitter, twisted, revenge-seeking vigilante is simply too long and it makes the film feel slow.

There also seemed to be real issues with the female characters in the film, one of which has the promise of representing some sort of female power, but this hope is quickly lost when the two women begin competing for Bond's attention.

One audience member also commented that there was a lot of wooden acting and some awkwardly staged scenes, making the audience (and me!) laugh at several points throughout the film.

These aspects may not be helping Licence To Kill in terms of its credibility amongst the other films of the franchise but I think its things like this which have caused me to maintain such a soft spot for this film and what it was trying to achieve.

I'll leave you with some Licence To Kill treats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugiGaYggRro  - After sleeping with her, using her to complete his mission and pretty much dumping her thereafter, Pam still cries for Bond (why??) until he FINALLY notices - what follows is probably the cheesiest set of closing lines of any film ever!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhgGUpMTEc - Q turns up to save the day with his suitcase of high-tech gadgets! Fastforward to 1.39 and Q appears to be programming the highly technical signature gun with one of those calculators you get given in school Maths lessons???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t7fBHepPXU - The gory parts of the film which have made Licence To Kill the only Bond film to this day to be given a 15 certificate by the BBFC. Not for the faint hearted!

Plans for a screening of Licence To Kill

Licence To Kill (1989) is the Bond film which first got me interested in the series. I remember channel hopping on my TV one evening when I was around 14 and coming across ITV's Bond film marathon, of which they were up to number 16: Licence To Kill. I saw a man's head explode, another man fed to a shark, I spotted a very young-looking Benicio Del Toro and in Timothy Dalton was a Bond, who looked so emotionally chewed up (due to a revenge plot) that I wasn't sure if I could trust him to make the right decisions or if he was going to, or even wanted to, get out of the fight sequences alive. I was hooked. Licence To Kill became even more interesting to me as I watched the 20-odd other films of the series: as I took note of the Bond conventions I realised how divergent this 16th adventure was. However, it is Licence To Kill's straying towards more gritty territory, which effectively ensured its negative reception with traditionalist Bond fans and it didn't do wonders at the box office, spelling the end of Dalton's career as Bond. With the recent appraisal of Daniel Craig's gritty revival of the character, I have found myself looking back to Licence To Kill and making comparisons. It seems now that audiences are finally ready to see a man's head exploding and a Bond who gets it wrong and bleeds during fight sequences. I am currently in talks to host a screening of Licence To Kill at the University of Bristol so that I can bring this rather neglected gem to a new audience of budding young film students. I also plan to give a brief talk about its status as, arguably, the first divergent Bond film: the first to convey a much grittier storyline and hero.

Licence To Kill trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qAFVTpWz90