No Time to Die: A Refreshing Approach to the ‘Bond Girl’
No Time to Die was released in the UK this September and grossed almost 450 million US dollars worldwide. The film is the last in Daniel Craig’s run as Bond, and the actor said in an interview with GQ that he hoped, “[Bond] changed a lot while I’ve been a part of him.” This hope has definitely become a reality, with No Time to Die showing the most humanised and vulnerable version of Bond we’ve seen yet.
One extremely noticeable aspect of the film was its presentation of women compared to the franchise’s predecessors. Since the beginning of James Bond’s time on the silver screen, women have been utilised as an accessory to fulfil the male fantasy of being irresistible. Bond is essentially a man under the lens of the male gaze. He represents idealised masculinity in every sense of the word. He is physically fit, broody, mysterious, wears nice clothes, drives expensive cars, and most notably, can get absolutely any woman he wants. As Vesper Lynd says in Casino Royale, “[Bond] think[s] of women as disposable pleasures rather than meaningful pursuits.” And so, the ‘Bond Girl’ was born.
Bond Girls tend to follow a certain formula – they either have sex with Bond or wish that they could. Notably, most of these women eventually die. Though the Bond Girl trope is inherently sexist, we cannot pretend that women across all the 007 films are not presented as strong. Each woman encountered is presented as intelligent and able to hold their own when facing conflict, so claiming that No Time to Die is different because the women can fend for themselves is not true.
What is different about No Time to Die is that various versions of womanhood are presented, with each woman having a genuine importance to the plot that is not just related to sex.
The first of the Bond Girls to appear in the film is Madeleine Swann, a character who was first introduced in Spectre. Swann is played by Lea Seydoux, who had admitted publicly that she was surprised to have been asked back for No Time to Die. As most Bond Girls die or generally fade into nothingness to be forgotten by the next film, Swann’s return was surprising – but it was also needed.
The film’s opening is a flashback into Swann’s past, helping the audience to understand her, understand Safin’s (the villain’s) actions, and understand the connection between Swann and Bond much more deeply. In Bond history, there has never been an insight into a female character’s past, and this is what really elevated the love between Swann and Bond.
Though Swann is not presented as a fighter in the sense that Nomi or Paloma are, she is still very much capable of taking care of herself. There are sex scenes between herself and Bond, but even so, she is not sexualised. The sex is used as a plot device to build the characters relationship rather than to conform to the male gaze. Madeleine is not presented as an object, but as a partner.
The second female character of focus is Nomi. Played by Lashana Lynch, Nomi is the first ever black female 007 agent in Bond history. Though she is taking over a previously male dominated role, Nomi is not made to be ‘manly’ just to conform with what people may expect of a 007 agent.
Though she’s not wearing a revealing outfit and fighting in high heels, her costume is still designed for the female physique. So often in action films women either must be obvious about their femininity or completely hide it, but No Time to Die allows Nomi to just be what she is.
Throughout No Time to Die, positioning is used between Bond and Nomi that may seem ‘emasculating’ to some. Examples of this include Bond riding on the back of Nomi’s motorcycle or when he rides as a passenger as Nomi flies the plane. But, what some may see as ‘emasculating’ is actually just basic respect. There are plenty of instances in the film where Bond takes charge as well, but the interchanging of these actions is what represents the respect this man and woman have for each other professionally that previous Bond instalments lacked.
In production, Phoebe Waller-Bridge was brought on as a writer for No Time to Die, and Lynch has said publicly that she was thankful to Waller-Bridge for developing Nomi’s character. With previous female-led hits such as ‘Fleabag’ and ‘Killing Eve,’ it was certain that Waller-Bridge would elevate the female characters in No Time to Die in a way not seen in Bond films before.
The third of the Bond Girls is the one that probably conforms to the expectations of a Bond Girl the most, Paloma. Played be Ana De Armas, Paloma teams up with Bond on a mission in Havana. Though her appearance is everything you’d expect from a Bond Girl – silky full-length dress with some high slits, high heels, perfect makeup – her personality is what makes her stand out. Paloma is light, humorous and ditsy as opposed to the usual mysterious and seductive Bond Girl. But just because she has the personality of actual sunshine, it does not mean she is not strong. Paloma is more than capable in her role and puts up a great fight.
In one instance, it is initially implied that Paloma wanted what everyone expects a Bond Girl to want – to sleep with Bond. Paloma orders Bond to undress when she brings him into a cosy closet, but then hands him a change of clothes and turns around so he can change without being watched.
Paloma sends out an important message – women do not have to be what you expect them to be. Paloma can be glamorous as well as being sweet and funny, you don’t have to make a choice between one or the other. This seems like such a basic piece of knowledge but in a franchise that is so rooted in outdated stereotypes, No Time to Die chose otherwise.
This film represents change. In early adaptations, including a love story, including a woman who expresses no sexual interest in Bond, or having a black woman and a white man sharing the same amount of power would’ve seemed improper for who ‘Bond’ is.
But Daniel Craig’s era of Bond has made conscious strides towards change. No Time to Die gives us a refreshing take on the legacy of the Bond Girl that was sorely needed. It will be interesting to see what the 007 franchise delivers next.
Written by Nicole Williams
Nicole Williams is from South Wales and currently works as a Copywriting Specialist. She graduated from Cardiff University with an English Literature degree in 2021. During her time at Cardiff she frequently wrote for the University magazine and ended up winning their ‘Best Critic’ award. Nicole loves to write about her interests - film, books, and music.
