October 5th is James Bond Day – yes there is a James Bond day! 2022 also marks the 60th anniversary of the James Bond films. The first, Dr. No, was released in 1962.
The question we ask is do you consider James Bond to be a loner or a good team player?
James Bond Loner
Together everyone achieves more (TEAM) but is this the accepted view of the James Bond character? I suspect most people if asked their opinion would state that Bond is a loner and not a team player. This view would be based on the fact the character is often seen in the majority of films acting alone being portrayed as a maverick breaking the rules and conventions which govern his peers. He is often seen being called in to see an exasperated ‘M’ because of yet another transgression.
James Bond Team Player
However he can’t have survived so many near death experiences by being a loner all all the time. The character has had more lives than a cat and the title You Only Live Twice is spot on for the character. How often during films do you see him making strategic alliances out of necessity to achieve a common goal. Also this is often with characters who set out as his potential enemies.
He also calls on trusted colleagues such the CIA operative Felix Leiter who offers assistance in many of the films again to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. You also have the formulaic end to many of the earlier films with big set piece assaults on the Spectre lair. This is where we have James Bond leading teams which culminate in large explosions, an escape from a collapsing oil rig or space station whilst saving a colleague, usually female, for good measure.
So what are the traits of a team player. Bond is obviously a good listener to garner all that secret information which is the first important trait. Another is good communication. This he has displayed in pressure situations in order to achieve his objectives. He is good at collaborating with others when needed as demonstrated by the large team assaults mentioned above. Just think of Thunderball and Moonraker for examples. He is excellent at problem solving without a doubt and is highly motivated particularly when it becomes personal such as in Skyfall and Spectre.
James Bond Films
Can you recall how many Bond films there have been? But the hard part is naming them all and placing them in order of release.
Well there have been 25 official James Bond films. These are Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun, The Spy Who Loved Me, Moonraker, For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, A View to a Kill, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, Golden Eye, Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough, Die Another Day, Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, Spectre and No Time To Die.
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