If diamonds are forever, books are not. On the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the James Bond saga, this year, the stories featuring the secret agent 007 will be rewritten removing passages deemed racist or sexist. A news that adds to a long list of transformations for the character born under the pen of the British novelist Ian Fleming. Didn’t his film incarnation by Daniel Craig give a more tortured and human character to the hedonistic macho played by Sean Connery in James Bond 007 versus Doctor No in 1962? In Dying can wait (2021), it’s even a black woman, played by Lashana Lynch, who inherits her famous registration number, 007… The rumor of a colored James Bond has been circulating for a long time, before the Briton Idris Elba, approached for the role, do not demented.
Mutations likely to alter the character and his universe? Luc Le Clech, president of the James Bond France Club, which presents itself as the most active of the associations devoted to 007 throughout the world, is not indignant at the announced rewrites: “A few terms deleted, it’s not catastrophic either “. On the other hand, the turn of the last films could keep aficionados away: “Some no longer found the fun and the rhythm of before, so they turned to the saga Impossible mission“, testifies Clément Feutry, of the site of fans Commander James Bond. The historian Vincent Chenille, author, of James Bond. mythical figure (Autrement, 2008) with Françoise Hache-Bissette and Fabien Boully, abounds: “What disturbed the fans the most was the trivialization of the character, the fact that Daniel Craig plays a very depressive man, who becomes a father “.
The “bondophiles”, however, recall the ability of the hero to adapt to the tuxedo, invented in 1953 by a former officer in the intelligence services of the British navy during the Second World War. Guillaume Evin, specialist in the James Bond phenomenon in France (Bond – The legend in 25 filmsHugo & Cie, 2021), decrypts: “The series has never remained a prisoner of its time of creation. For example, at the time of the AIDS years, in the 1980s, Bond had fewer female conquests (Killing is not playing, 1987). Today, the younger generations are hypersensitive to issues of equality and discrimination. We are in a crucial phase of transition, where we must reinvent the character without distorting it, reassuring the “bondophiles” while seducing a new audience”.
Contemporary challenge?
But despite these changes, the mythical figure of James Bond remains associated with another time. Misogyny, racism… On YouTube, a video with 10 million views lists the “inappropriate moments” spotted in the films: slap on the buttocks of an interlocutor, stolen kisses, surprise in front of a woman practicing the profession of doctor… Fans recall Certainly, in detail, the place granted to the fair sex is far from being uniform. Eric Saussine, secretary and archivist of the James Bond France club, makes a point of distinguishing Fleming’s books, written in the 1950s and 1960s, from the films. “James Bond is a macho there, but not an anti-feminist either. There aren’t that many potiches. There are a lot of strong women in the series, and for a long time.” For example Fiona Volpe, the redhead killer ofOperation Thunder (1965), performed by Luciana Paluzzi.
At the time of inclusivity, how can we still love this character so imbued with the superiority of men and the British Empire? Isn’t the taste for this myth that has become sulphurous a challenge to the spirit of the times? At the risk of incurring social reprobation… In detail, the enthusiasts solicited by L’Express (women seem to be very rare) are however seeking to qualify. “No one has ever jumped on me, smiles Luc Le Clech. A young girl told me she was shocked by the slap on the buttocks of a woman in Goldfingerin 1964. Nostalgia and childhood memories matter a lot, we have all seen at least one james bond. And then the character remains endearing, I believe”. As for Clément Feutry, author of a column in which he subtly comes out against the rewriting of the books, he affirms: “I liked the character twenty years ago, when the character was cool and wokism didn’t exist. Is there some kind of challenge? Not really, but I know I’m going to stir up controversy when I defend him. I pay attention to what I write”. According to Guillaume Evin, the controversies have united the fans: “The irreducible – those whom I call the “bondolâtres” – devote a cult to their fictitious idol, there is at them the idea of a besieged bastion. They don’t hold it up like a banner, but ask to be allowed to love their hero.”
Active community
In discretion, lovers of the character around the world remain active. Four times a year, Luc Le Clech publishes The Leap, a glossy magazine where, with other volunteers, he explores the world of spy. A few days ago, he was in Brussels for the Bond in Motion exhibition, which presents sets, models and vehicles (motorcycles, planes, submarines, etc.) from the films. The Anglo-Saxon fans, traditionally more numerous, are not the only ones to survey these meetings, where former actors of the saga sometimes come to tell their feats of arms. “There is a beautiful global community, we all know each other, we meet, we exchange, continues Luc Le Clech. The idea is to bring the myth to life”. Clément Feutry, he is passionate about scripts, and their evolution until the film screened in theaters.
If they immerse themselves with delight in the resources of the past, these fans want to believe in the durability of 007. Vincent Chenille is betting on his initiatory influence: “James Bond looks like us because he has plenty of faults. It’s not only someone who makes us dream because he accomplishes wonderful things. His story, that of surpassing oneself, the passage from adolescence to adulthood…” Luc Le Clech, for his part , is teeming with ideas for future films. “We could start from scratch, with a younger actor…”, he begins to dream. To believe that diamonds are not the only ones to be eternal.