James Bond girls – sexy, clever, strong – have a special role in our culture since 1962’s Honey Ryder until the most recent Severine. Looking at them one by one along the timeline teaches us something about the place of female characters in modern cinema, about fashion, and about ourselves. Enjoy this special Movies Briff!
James Bond Girls – The Early Sean Connery Era…
Sean Connery’s first period as the original James Bond, began in 1962 with Dr. No and continued until 1967, with four more films: From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice. The classic Bond Girls in this early era where tempting, easy and revealing quite a lot for those years. The most remembered name is of course Pussy Galore.
George Lazenby’s Short Appearance
The only actor to play James Bond in a single movie, George Lazenby, in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service from 1969. The girls in this movie were also a little different compared with the early movies and the later ones.
Sean Connery missed the James Bond Girls
In 1971, Sean Connery returned to the James Bond series with Diamonds Are Forever, bringing back the sexy approach to the girl position. Plenty O’Toole, played by Lana Wood, is well remembered.
The Girls Get Roger Moore
The second classic James Bond was Roger Moore, starting in 1973 with Live And Let Die, and then another five films until 1983: The Man With The Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy. The Bond girls of the seventies were typical of those years, fashionable, strong, and they all led to the ultimate Bond girl Octopussy, played by Maud Adams.
Bond Girls Say Goodbye to Connery and Moore
The last Bond movie with Sean Connery was in 1983 – Never Say Never Again. Good for us that he came back, as we got Kim Basinger as a Bond girl.
And the last Bond movie with Roger Moore was in 1985 – A View To A Kill. Also good for us that he came back, as we got a unique appearance by short haired Grace Jones.
Dalton and The James Bond Girls
Between 1987 and 1989, Timothy Dalton appeared as James Bond in two films: The Living Daylights, License To Kill. Looking at the James Bond girls of the eighties, one can’t ignore the hairstyle and dresses. They were so eightites, with and without the clothes, and see Lupe Lamora played by Talisa Soto as a perfect example.
James Bond Girls Welcome Pierce
In 1995, in the film GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan made his debut as James Bond, followed by 3 more movies until 2002: Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day. The Brosnan era during the nineties brought some glamorous Bond girls, including Teri Hatcher as Paris Carver and Halle Berry in a perfectly serious bikini as Jinx.
Hottest Bond Coolest Girls
The current James Bond, Daniel Craig, who’s considered to have the hottest look, took position in 2006 with Casino Royale, followed by Quantum Of Solace in 2008, and the most recent Bond in 2012 SkyFall. While he started with some outgoing provocative girls like Eva Green in the role of Vesper Lynd, you can see how with time they dress much more conservatively. Check out Naomie Harris as Eve, in a coat and scarf. No swimsuits here. It seems like the creators of SkyFall, who tried to break many Bond traditions, did the same with the casting.
On October 2015, the 24th film in the official James Bond series is expected. Daniel Craig will continue, but who will be the next Bond girl?
Briff.me Brings the Top Posts
Credits: All film data, years and names from IMDB and the graphics and photos from CableTV. Here at Briff.me, knowing that our time together on Earth is waaay too short for a long feed, we bring you top posts only, like this special review of the James Bond girls. Want even more? Feel free to like the Briff.me Facebook page.
Message from the Editor: I like James Bond movies and I like this post. But I’m not sure why they are called “girls” when they are all mature women. It’s actually worse, I do know why. The James Bond world was created decades ago in a paternalistic environment and most of its spirit is demeaning towards women. I wish the producers and team behind James Bond will change this. Just as the weapons evolved with time, so should the gender bias. The audience will still love it. I think that SkyFall started to walk in this path. Good luck in the nest film.
