MI6 secret agentJames Bondis a lot of things (killer, hero, womanizer, alcoholic), but romantic isn’t an adjective often used to describe him. Sure, there’s awoman in each filmthat strikes his fancy (sometimes multiple women) and winds up in bed with him just before the credits roll, but very rarely are we meant to believe he is emotionally committed to this person. If anything, the women who survive their time with Bond are simply a prize for accomplishing the mission for Queen and country. These “love interests” almost never carry over to the next film and Bond doesn’t seem particularly bothered by this either.
That being said, there are three major exceptions to this trope. Believe it or not, more than one woman was able to enchant Bond to such a degree that he was willing to give up his life of great suits, cool cars, and a ridiculous amount of alcohol to settle down and live out his life as a married man. As you may imagine, however, not even these relationships came to a satisfying ending for either party involved. Still, many of history’s greatest love stories end in tragedy, so why should it be any different for the man with a license to kill? We’re taking a look at four films where the power of love outweighed Bond’s dedication to the mission.
4On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
When Sean Connery decided to leave Bond behind afterYou Only Live Twice, Australianmodel George Lazenbywas cast to replace him inOn Her Majesty’s Secret Service. Before the days of heroes being recast all the time, this was a huge risk for the production since only one actor was associated with the role (aside from Barry Nelson in a 1954 TV adaptation ofCasino Royale). A complete unknown at the time (aside from a commercial), Lazenby was tasked with not only filling Connery’s shoes, but also making him more emotionally vulnerable than before.
Previously, Bond had been a ruthless killer who let the events of each mission roll off his back. Lazenby begins his sole adventure as the British agent much the same way, but as the stress of his situation begins to weigh on him, that tough exterior begins to crack and reveal the human being beneath. He finds a kind of solace in Tracy (played by the late Diana Rigg), a woman he encounters in the opening of the film and continues to run into through the course of the film. Serving as a constant mystery to him, he finds himself warming to this quirky woman who seems to be made up of contradictions.
For the first time in the series, you believe that Bond cares about this woman. There were lots of other women who caught his eye during this specific mission (a whole house full of them, actually), but while it was obvious that he felt nothing for the rest, he acts differently around Tracy – gentle, affectionate, kind. The climax of the film sees him taking Tracy as his bride and riding off in the sunset, only for her to be assassinated by Blofeld at the last minute. The last image we see is Bond comforting his murdered wife before fading to black. A bit bleak for a Bond romp, for sure, but shockingly effective and heartbreaking.
3Casino Royale
In 2006, the gritty reboot trend found its way to Bond, resulting in a complete reset of the already wonky timeline with Daniel Craig landing therole of 007. The entirety of the Craig era seems bent on remakingOn Her Majesty’s Secret Serviceby making Bond a more vulnerable character who bleeds a lot and gets heartbroken more than once. That trend begins with his first filmCasino Royale.
This Bond begins as a brute who wants to see himself as a ruthless, unfeeling killer. Then he meets Vesper Lynd (played by Eva Green), the woman in charge of his finances during the mission. In a break from Bond tradition, Vesper holds her own against James’ quips and sexist comments, she tests him in ways no other woman in his life has, and although he appears annoyed by her jabs, he finds himself caring about her.
As the mission intensifies, Bond sees the toll such violence and deceit is having on Vesper. Instead of talking down to her or ridiculing her weakness, he holds her, and comforts her, letting us see that her fear mirrors his own experience. He knows the pain pulsing through her spirit, and he wants to protect her – be the same armor for her that he has built for himself. When the mission is done, both parties admit their feelings and Bond is ready to end his career for her. However, he doesn’t know the truth: she’s been lying to him the whole time.
When watchingCasinon Royalea second time, it becomes plainly clear that Vesper is holding back because she never wanted this life to begin with. The only reason she’s participating is to save her lover. She, too, wants to believe Bond is a cold-hearted monster because it makes deceiving him easier. The more she gets to know him, though, the deeper she falls. Sadly, Vesper is killed and Bond again shields himself in a self-protective emotional armor, ensuring he will never fall in love again.
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The connections toOn Her Majesty’s Secret Servicein Craig’s fourth Bond filmSpectreare more apparent. Blofeld is the villain (played by Christoph Waltz), there’s a medical facility in the Alps, and Bond decides to give everything up for a woman he just met. This time, that woman is a psychiatrist named Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), who is also the daughter of Mr. White, a man who has been working for Spectre this entire time. James agrees to protect Swann in order to track down and destroy Spectre.
Their romance isn’t quite as compelling as the one with Vesper. Perhaps the most interesting thing about it is how it affects Bond as a character. After the events ofCasino Royale, you truly get the impression that this man has shut himself off from the rest of the world. InSkyfallwe saw a kind of familial affection between himself and M, but no romance.
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Fighting Spectre on a united front with Swann opens him up to love again because he is putting the past behind him, closing the book on Vesper, and moving beyond that heartache. This romance represents an important part of a mature love life: accepting that thereislife after heartbreak. In that way, this is one of the more layered romances in the franchise, but it just doesn’t quite hit the way the story requires it to.
1No Time to Die
Craig’s final film as Hollywood’s favorite secret agent gives us yet another side to Bond: domestic trouble. As mentioned before, most of the love interests in these films don’t carry over to a second film. Not only that, but we rarely see the fallout from those failed relationships.Diamonds Are Foreverfeatured Bond, once again played by Sean Connery, seeking revenge for what happened to his wife, and Roger Moore era revisits theOn Her Majesty’s Secret Servicestoryline once or twice, but mourning the loss of a lover isn’t typically something James does.
No Time to Dieforces James to face an ex-love by throwing him and Swann back together after he accused her of betraying him to defeat a dangerous man from her past. It’s the first time we see the paranoia that’s kept him alive for so long backfire as Swann was faithful to him and carrying his child. The tension between them during the rest of the film is triggered by his inability to let go of the job at hand.
That is why (spoilers) he dies at the end. As much as this James craves a real life with a family (something he hasn’t experienced since childhood), his identity is so strongly tied to his job that he can never leave it behind. For decades, James Bond was (sort of) a hero who experienced tragedy, but who (sort of) always persevered. The Daniel Craig era gave us a Bond who was himself a tragic figure, and that is an entirely different flavor of romance.
