James Bond: Agent, Hero or Misogynist? : A Feminist Reading of the Film Dr. No

In the film Dr. No each of the female characters struggles to gain power over the main character James Bond. Each time Mr. Bond is confronted with a new female character who presents a threat to him, he immediately engages in sexual intercourse with her in order to strip her of her agency. 

This process of disempowering women culminates in the end of the film when Bond has sex with Honey Ryder, but only after acting as her “hero” for a majority of the second half of the film. Throughout the film James Bond successfully defeats each woman that he comes in contact with, revealing himself as an anti-feminist character who is concerned with placing women back into a role of submission. While the ‘Bond Girls’ are often looked to as feminist heroes, I feel that it is more accurate to view them as fallen heroes who are ultimately punished by the logic of the film. 

Peter Barry states in his book Beginning Theory that “The ‘women’s movement’ of the 1960s was not, of course, the start of feminism. Rather, it was a renewal of an old tradition of thought and action already possessing its classic books which had diagnosed the problem of women’s inequality in society and (in some cases) proposed solutions.” (Barry 121). 

While the women’s movement began to take shape Dr. No was being filmed and released in theaters. It is no coincidence that this film, which uses women as objects throughout the plot, is released during a time when women are fighting for equality in society. This film serves as a slap in the face to women, giving them a glimpse into the lives of the women with agency in the film and exactly what becomes of them due to their attempt to take power from Bond.