Just so you know, this is the only Bond movie I have seen.
Here are the five most sexist things in the Skyfall movie.
1) I was struck how, in the movie, there is no romance. All the sex pictured is just a one night stand. This shows women merely as sexual objects, good for one night of passion, but unfit for deep love, intimacy, and commitment.
2) The first women we see him steamily making love with--we don't even know her name. Is she sad that James has left her? She was just used for a night of pleasure and discarded, at least as far as the story line shows in the movie.
3) The most sexist thing I have ever seen was in the middle of the movie, when James promises to "rescue" the beautiful women who was sold into sex slavery. Yet, when he "rescues" her, what does he do? He treats her just like all the other men before her, using her body for a sexual thrill and getting in the shower with her naked. He had an opportunity to treat her with the respect and intelligence she deserved, yet he only sees her as a sexual object just like all the other men in her life. I was appalled at this scene.
4) Above--James does not even ask her if it is okay for him to enter the shower. They are not married. He does not own the rights to her body. You may say "but she seemed to enjoy it!" Yes, she did seem to enjoy it. But, keep in mind, since she was 13 she has been taught that men have a right to her body--that her body is not hers. She has been indoctrinated that her sole purpose in life is to look beautiful and to have sex with men. Why would she rebel against ANOTHER man using her body? She has probably been raped multiple times. She knows, at least subconsciously, that fighting against her owner will just get her beat. James should have treated her with respect, but instead he treats her just like a sex slave!
5) When the lovely young women is shot by James nemesis, he doesn't even bat an eye. He merely remarks on the waste of a good alcohol beverage, and she is never mentioned again. If she had never told him about the boat, he would never have found the hideout. She single-handily contributed to his success, yet she is never given even an ounce of credit.
I found this whole movie a waste of my time.
What do you think? Do you agree? Have you seen the movie?
6 comments:
A couple thoughts: I have seen every James Bond movie (or so I believe) made in the last fifty years, except for most of the Daniel Craig ones. One of the themes of James Bond has always been promiscuous sex (which I am not defending). However, most of the James Bond movies were based on Ian Fleming's novels up until about twenty years ago, when they ran out of novels on which to base the movies. Since then, I have noticed the quality of the movies has gone down hill (I have not seen Skyfall yet, because I don't think Daniel Craig does a good job in general playing James Bond. James Bond is supposed to be sauve; Daniel Craig strikes me as the type of English thug Sean Connery-who was the first Bond-would have been fighting against). All the previous Bonds featured pre-marital sex, but it typically wasn't quite what you described, and James Bond used to care if/when they died, at least to an extent. (You and Mr. Adventurous-about-everything-but-vasectomies should consider renting some of the earlier James Bond movies. There is still plenty of promiscuous sex, but the James Bond character is nothing like the thug that Daniel Craig plays him as.)
Just my two (or maybe three) cents worth! :)
Hey Cliff--I've never seen any other of the Bond movies. Mr. Adventure loves all the Bond movies and has seen them all. He doesn't agree with me (which is fine) I just don't like sex without reason! I think its stupid and it treats women badly!
I was a little angry, and probably unreasonable when writing this, but I extremely dislike Bond movies.
Kitty-ears,
Be aware I'm not disagreeing with your take on this James Bond movie, as I have never seen Skyfall. I was just saying you can't generalize all James Bond movies based on this one. Watch one of the Sean Connery James Bond movies with Mr. Adventurous-in-all-things-except-where-I-noted-earlier and see if you still have the same opinion. There is some masochism in all the movies, but not to the extent I think you saw in this one. Then why don't you give us a follow-up post and let us know what you thought of it... :)
I've never seen a James Bond movie...and it sounds like I'll never want to!
I think overall James Bond series is sexist but it was started way back when there was a lot of sexisism and it just carried through to the newest movie. As much as I also dislike how he says to "rescues" her I do think we would all like to be "rescued" in some way physically/emotionally (ie even just having a guy believe in us) when we are a damsel in distress!??
Yup! I still shudder when I think of this movie!
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