SEMIOTICS IN JAMES BOND

MOVIE POSTERS

Ashvin GeorgeGaurav Banerjee

Gourav SinhaLakshmi Madhavan

Neha VyasRuchika Rathi Saloni Handa

INTRODUCTION

• James Bond 007 is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections

• Longest running and most financially successful English language film franchise to date

• First movie made in 1962 - Dr. No

• The character of Bond has undergone several transformations, and so have his surroundings

• We attempt to unearth some of these changes in the life of this Secret Agent through a semiotic analysis of a few James Bond posters

SIGNIFIER : Immaculate dress, replete with bow tieSIGNIFIED : A well groomed individual, stylish to boot

SIGNIFIER : Cigarette in one hand, smoking gun in the other, and a smirk on the faceSIGNIFIED : A man who is the spitting image of machoism, intrepidity and self assuredness

SIGNIFIER : Bond resting his elbow on one knee and leaning forwardSIGNIFIED : Approachability of Bond as an individual, despite his hallowed 007 status

1962

SIGNIFIER : Four skimpily clad alluring women alongside Bond posing for the onlookerSIGNIFIED : The promise of sex and titillation in the movie, with an in your face sexuality exuded by the poster

SIGNIFIER : The villain standing at an absolute corner of the poster in a rigid pose, dressed in complete white, looking away from the onlooker, and also being the only person in the poster who is not smilingSIGNIFIED : The detachment of the villain from the other normal individuals in the poster as well as most of humanity in general, with the villain lost in his own evil machinations

SIGNIFIER : The typical James Bond PoseSIGNIFIED : Readiness and the mixture of style and panache with alacrity

SIGNIFIER : Focus on the seductiveness of the woman on Bond's right hand side, along with focus on the breasts in the fight on the bottom left cornerSIGNIFIED : The promise of attractive women being used for sexual titillation yet again

1963

SIGNIFIER : The Hammer and Sickle sign in the word LOVE SIGNIFIED : The fight between capitalism and communism, with the usage in the word LOVE adding to the sardonic humour which is present in Bond movies

SIGNIFIER : The belly dancer on the rightSIGNIFIED : More exotic locales in the movie

SIGNIFIER : The helicopter and the train in the backgroundSIGNIFIED : More adventure and more action in the movie

1979SIGNIFIER : The space shuttle setting and people in space suitsSIGNIFIED : An introduction to hi-tech gadgetry in Bond movies

SIGNIFIER : The menacing individual with outstretched arms behind BondSIGNIFIED : A growing sense of unpredictability along with the addition of more threats and menaces for Bond

SIGNIFIER : The presence of one woman leaning against Bond while the other women are onlookersSIGNIFIED : A change in the concept of the Bond girl, with the Bond girl moving to a position of greater equality from being a damsel in distress

1995

SIGNIFIER : Excessive use of gold, yellow and red in the colour paletteSIGNIFIED : A larger than life picture, with the secret agent being reinvented yet again

SIGNIFIER : Focus on the faces of the protagonists SIGNIFIED : A move away from the sexuality and sensuousness of Bond posters

SIGNIFIER : Bond runningSIGNIFIED : Tougher opposition stretching Bond to the limit

2002

SIGNIFIER : The woman sitting in front of James BondSIGNIFIED : A complete role reversal for the Bond girl, with the girl now taking centre stage and fighting alongside Bond as probably more than an equal

SIGNIFIER : Greater presence of cars, skis and more depiction of action in the posterSIGNIFIED : Change from the older, more placid Bond who was less prone to intense physical exertion to an agent who relishes the idea of a good chase

2006

SIGNIFIER : Greater shades of blue and grey in the colour paletteSIGNIFIED : Shift from larger than life image to a more down to earth agent with more troubles and dangers in his life

SIGNIFIER : Removal of the bow tieSIGNIFIED : More emphasis on function and less stress on style in terms of impeccable dressing

SIGNIFIER : Bond's gaze not engaging the onlookerSIGNIFIED : A more purposeful and determined Bond

SIGNIFIER : Bond not in a stationary pose in the posterSIGNIFIED : Bond is not playing to the gallery anymore, as his priority is his job and not the accolades

SIGNIFIER : The woman looking at Bond and not at the audienceSIGNIFIED : The relations formed are more personal, with the woman being an integral part of Bond's life and not a prop used to provide titillation to the audiences

2008

SIGNIFIER : Almost black and white backgroundSIGNIFIED : A more menacing look to the surroundings, with the old building in the background looking threatening at a distance

SIGNIFIER : Bond's ready to shoot pose without the general self assured smileSIGNIFIED : A darker scenario, with Bond being stripped of the poise and calmness in the new surroundings

SIGNIFIER : No female presence in the posterSIGNIFIED : Complete detachment from the earlier association of Bond with sex, with duty and efficiency taking over the core of Bond movies

CONCLUSION

• We have seen Bond evolve with times as a character

•Even though Bond has retained his panache, the sense of style has become more realistic

•The role of the Bond girl has moved from being a sex object to an equal partner of Bond

• The Bond movies have also been highly political (From Russia With Love during cold war)

• The movies also have been a reflection of evolving technology

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