Ideological Construct and Intertextuality in the James Bond Franchise

(Figure 4) Intertextuality is where a text references another text, a concept often used to create humour through ‘metareference’ (Wolf & Bantleon, 2009, Metareference across media: Theory and Case Studies ). In the context of James Bond, the more recent films reference the original movies that were produced more than 60 years ago. The use of intertextuality has become a fundamental standard in the series. The repeat referencing of dialogue through one-liners and the use of iconic mise-en-scene strengthens the Bond Universe, marking it as a cinematic institution and one of the most recognisable brands in the history of cinema. With its rich cinematic history, the Bond franchise has inadvertently created its own traditions. Graham Allen argues, “works of literature after all, are built from systems, codes and traditions  established by previous works of literature” (Allen, 2011, P.1).  With classic Bond motifs and iconographies such as th...

While I understood the new films were well known for using intertextuality to reference the older Bond movies, through analysis of the case study I found these references spread to other British texts. Skyfall’s references to classic Shakespearean literature, such as a “brave new world” and to iconic British artist Turner in the denotation of The Fighting Temeraire painting. I concluded Bond is not only a Hollywood mega franchise but is also a cultural institution that celebrates British heritage. As a consumer of the films, these positive British cultural references made me proud of my British identity; it has made me a supporter of the franchise and what it represents culturally. On the other hand, the extremity of misogyny and sexist ideology particularly present in the early Bond films has also made me question my position as a fan of the series. With female characters overtly sexualised to appease men, whom are juxtaposed to present powerful and superior character...

To conclude, Bond is an exemplar multi-platform medium that signifies how a text can make a fluent transition through the years, in order to suit changing audience perspectives and societies shifting ideologies. Through its representation of intertextual Bond motif and its consideration of contemporary ideology, the franchise fuses old and new perspectives and succeeds in constructing a timeless cinematic franchise. Conversely, as the series utilizes contemporary discourse it also proves conflicting, which suggests the series does little to grow from its 1960s roots. With the continuation of negative gender stereotype, I have the found the series presents an imbalance of gender power and is in favour of male supremacy. However, it cannot be mistaken that the more recent films subvert this repressive ideology by presenting strong female characters who challenge gender stereotype. My findings further determine a more balanced perspective that the series has developed through the years...

References & Wider reading: Addis, M. and Holbrook, M. (2010). Consumers' identification and beyond: Attraction, reverence, and escapism in the evaluation of films.  Psychology and Marketing , [online] 27(9), pp.821-845. Available at: http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.libezproxy.bournemouth.ac.uk/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=cd46b763-ed35-4e74-9726-a81871bfc9fe%40sessionmgr4007&vid=2&hid=4205 [Accessed 18 May 2017]. Allen, G. (2011).  Intertextuality . 2nd ed. [ebook] New York: Routledge, p.1. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=f8I7TtJ62RQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Intertextuality,+Graham+Allen+2011&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Intertextuality%2C%20Graham%20Allen%202011&f=false [Accessed 19 May 2017]. Althusser, L. (2001).  Lenin and philosophy, and other essays . 1st ed. New York: Monthly Review Press, p.85. Baudrillard, J. (1994).  Simulacra and Simulation . 1st ed. [ebook] Michigan: The Uni...