Writers And Directors
Guess what? The James Bond franchise films are, thus far, all directed by men. With the vast amounts of obvious male wish fulfilment on display, it’s hardly surprising – but that doesn’t make it acceptable in 2016, after 24 films. It actually wasn’t acceptable in the 1960s, either, but nobody dared say so. The first two films of the franchise – 1962’s Dr. No and 1963’s From Russia With Love – credit Johanna Harwood as co-writer of the film, though the male writer of record, Richard Maibaum, long disputed the extent of her involvement as writer. Whatever her contribution, however, Harwood remains the only female screenwriter to be credited in the Bond franchise.
While there are, inexplicably, still people who wonder why the call for more women writers and directors is so desperately needed, the answer to their confusion is really best exemplified by the James Bond film series. Lurching along for half a century, serving only the needs of the male ego, the franchise finds itself needing a new director in a whole new world.
Sam Mendes delivered Spectre in 2015, and Skyfall before that, in 2012, but even then – just four years ago – the conversation about diversity in the media had not yet reached the volume it currently enjoys. Indeed, with vocal proponents of feminism and diversity now using social media to analyze every film release, the James Bond franchise seems to be in something of a ‘Captain America’ situation – frozen in time decades ago, and struggling to find its way in the modern world.
Gone are the days when the narrow, blinkered male lens was sufficient for global audiences. No longer is it enough to churn out the same ridiculous fantasy, over and over again, with a different song, and a different exotic location. The James Bond franchise needs a new lens, and new voice. A very effective and efficient way of modernizing the whole enterprise – including the depiction of women onscreen – is to hire more women writers because, believe it or not, they are capable of writing for men just as much as they are capable of writing for women. Similarly, a woman director would be a positive, if very late, step. The fact that this has never happened before is, quite frankly, nonsensical.
The counter-argument to the issues raised here will always be that James Bond is a male story, about a male character – so it is only right that it should be depicted through a male lens, fulfilling male fantasies, and why can’t men have male fantasy stories, anyway?
I’ll tell you why: Because it will kill the franchise you love. Maybe not with Bond 25, but Bond 26 will show even more signs of struggling for breath, and the very existence of Bond 27 will hang in the balance. The technological advancements you so greatly enjoy in Bond films exist in the wider world, and they have made it a smaller, louder place. It is an undeniable fact that the stories of white men have dominated western cinema since cinema was invented – but that time is finally coming to an end.
Audiences are increasingly using their voices online, and will continue to use their economic power to make their preferences clear. Just as there are more voices being heard in our communities, so we want to hear more voices in cinema. The movie market is a highly competitive place and, as other films and franchises respond to audiences by delivering more representative projects (like Star Wars: The Force Awakens, for example), Bond’s market share will steadily dwindle. Whether you like it or not, the diversity train is leaving the station. James Bond can either get on board, or be left far, far behind.
