Bond’s New Bod: Gender (de)construction in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, and Skyfall

This thesis examines how gender is constructed in the three most recent films of the James Bond series: Casino Royale (2006), Quantum of Solace (2008), and Skyfall (2012). The argument revolves around individual gender identity being structured by greater social and culture influences. The thesis argues that the three most recent Bond installments work to deconstruct the traditional masculine ideal established and reinforced throughout the series. Each film instead confronts the looming anxieties of outdated Western norms. Through the hypervisibility of Bond’s physical body, the detachment and increasing isolation created by emerging technological influence, and a nostalgia inflicted by the loss of British imperial power and dominating masculine power, the three films expose the interworking’s of a character that embodies greater Western ideals.