The Changing Representation Of Hegemonic Masculinity In Recent James Bond Films

Case Study from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Other, grade: 1,3, University of Bremen (Faculty 10 - Languages and Literary Studies), course: Analyzing Hollywood Cinema, language: English, abstract: The question this paper will try to answer is whether more recent Bond films such as Casino Royale still contain masculinities which define themselves through sexist or violent attitudes towards women and if those masculinities can be classified as hegemonic ones. That question is highly interesting because, as Julian Dörr from the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung says, Bond’s role is a mirror of society and its masculinity. Thus, this paper will show that recent James Bond films such as Casino Royale portray different, less toxic and less sexist representations of masculinity because changes in society and the promotion of emancipation have also influenced western film making. In order to check if that thesis can be proofed, the general construction of James Bond’s masculinity will be analyzed and deconstructed. This will be done by following certain premises which will be explained in chapter 3. Even though Casino Royale is not a Hollywood film, I decided to choose it as my main source for analyzing masculinity in film. As the analytical approach of Hollywood films does not differ from the one used for British films and as Casino Royale was also produced in western society, the underlying values and norms do not differ to a great extent. Thus, using Casino Royale as the main source, will offer as much output as a Hollywood film would. The series, starting with Dr. No, which was released in 1962, compiles 25 films from which Spectre is the most recent one. Due to the series’ longevity, it has reached and influenced several generations and even though Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, did not want to convey any meaning or political standpoint, his works and their adaptions caused several debates and controversies. One of the films’ most criticized aspects is their toxic representation of masculinity and the males’ attitude towards women.