If you want to look at masculinity through film over the past 50 years, no other character than James Bond will do.  After 22 films, Bond’s brand of masculinity is repeatedly re-launched to match the changing times.  Yet some traits still stick to Bond.  He is always tough, sexy, loyal (to his country), sophisticated, charming, well-dressed, independent, and plugged-in to the flashiest spy-geek gear available to the imagination.

The character was created by author Ian Flemming 55 years ago and has been played by a series of historically-suited actors: Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig.  I’ve been curious about the last 2 Bond films played by Craig (Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace) because I (and may others) felt that the re-branding was in another cycle.

The DVD extras in Casino Royal has a documentary called Bond Girls are Forever which tracked how Bond girls have changed over the years (sadly not up to date on the last 2 films).  It took a light approach to feminist critiques of the role, but it was clear that the women (girls?) were becoming tougher, smarter, and more active over the decades.  Bitch Magazine’s blog details some the ways Camille (played by Olga Kurylenko) in Quantum of Solace is part of this trend.  She has her own motives, enemies, strategies, wit, speed, and punch, and when needed – drives the car!  No longer just sex objects for the audience’s and Bond’s pleasure, these female characters also reveal something about the new Bond and the changing audience assumptions about gender.

It was hard to ignore the buzz about the new Bond because not only was he blond, but buff.  Brian D. Johnson interviews Craig and writes:

Craig is the most athletic Bond we've seen, but the bar has been raised since Connery idled through his later films with a marshmallow belly and a rug of chest hair. "You read Fleming," says Craig, "and it's like Bond gets up in the morning, has six scrambled eggs made with cream, eight rashers of bacon, four cups of espresso, does 20 press-ups and smokes 20 cigarettes, then has a shot of something. Attitudes have changed. We probably do live in a world of body-fascism now."

His mother and sister are two of the most important people in his life. He is still close to his ex-wife. And his longtime girlfriend, Satsuki Mitchell, a movie producer, is another steady presence. All this female energy around him may explain why Craig’s masculinity onscreen is not off-putting but forged instead with a kind of fierce sensitivity.

There are people on this planet where you go, 'Oops, no, I don’t even want to look that person in the eye,' and that real scariness is not something I’m capable of. That’s something maybe De Niro is capable of at his best. But that’s not me. As tough a role as I have to play, I’m always just me. It’s good to be in touch with as much of yourself as possible. Otherwise, you’re a rather one-note performer. Who wants to be the tough guy and nothing else?

What are other examples of this “fierce sensitivity” in popular culture?  What changes do you see in the ways men are being portrayed in film?

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by Paul Baines

Paul is a media educator and organizer.  He does workshops with GlobalAware Independent Media on issues of consumerism, war & peace, water, media democracy, and masculinity.  His website is  MediaMindful.