That's the question on everyone's mind after the flirtatious scene between Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem
Well of course the answer is yes. Haven't we always detected the crackle of sexuality in all his interactions—whether with a woman or a man? But to many, James Bond is seen as a heterosexual icon, as he womanizes his way through his many daring exploits. Now that the question as to whether Bond could be bi has become a big topic of discussion with the latest film in the franchise, Skyfall (out November 9), we wonder if it really is that surprising after all these years.
In an early reaction to the film, Frank Digiacomo noted that Javier Bardem's villain Silva, a former MI6 agent, seems to have a thing for Bond. And when Bond and Silva meet, the latter "caresses the bound MI6 agent's chest. In response to Silva's attentions, 007 replies, 'What makes you think this is my first time?' "
So the Movieline writer asked Craig about it at a recent press conference, wondering if it was just a bluff.
"What are you going to do?" Craig replied breezily, getting a nice laugh from the crowd, but then he added: "I don't see the world in sexual divisions." He then changed the subject from Bond to to Bardem's wonderfully flamboyant character, Silva. "Someone suggested that Silva may be gay," Craig said with a big smile. "And I'm like, I think he'll fuck anything."
Bardem made some statements of his own—"It was part of the game, but it’s not entirely the game"—that seemed to reflect an idea that it wasn't about sex, it was about power.
But whatever the case, there's always been air of around Bond, and his ease with jumping into the sack with anyone, no matter what the consequences, seem to point more to his sexual slipperiness rather than any clearly defined roles.
In fact, the homophobic nature of the secret services was a reality and U.S. and U.K. secret agents were gay was often seen as a security risk. In Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, the adaptation of John le Carré's novel, an agent is revealed to be gay, and he must break up with his partner due to a security risk. So even though it was a feeling that pervaded the Cold War era especially, now that Bond has been rebooted for a post-Cold War era, we should wonder: Would a bisexual Bond really change his image all that much?
No comments:
Post a Comment