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August 27, 2005

One man's terrorist.....

American Movie Classics has spent the month of August playing the James Bond films. They appear to have been played in the chronological order in which they were released. Being a Bond film fan I've seen all of these films numerous times.

The villains and good guys in these films are a fascinating snapshot into the culture of their release time. Beginning with Dr. No, the villain encompasses the boogeyman: a half German/half Chinese bad guy. For 1962 this was pretty close to the pinnacle of ethnic bad dude-ness.

Oftentimes Bond was battling Soviets (and Russians). AMC will be playing one such film this week: The Living Daylights.

Besides the requisite Soviet bad guys and an imbalanced arms dealer with a Napoleon complex, Bond becomes intimately acquainted with the Mujahadeen.

The film was released in 1987. The Mujahadeen was then the Afghan resistance, bravely fighting the Soviet insurgence into their country. The character of Mujahadeen leader Kamran Shah is portrayed as an Oxford educated, multi-linguist rogue...fighting the communist scourge. Even Shah's pact with the opium dealing Snow Leopard cult is potrayed as a means to an end to defeat the Soviets.

Those were the days of Reagan: arming the Afghans..helping them fight the Evil Empire. Communists bad. Fundamentalist misogynists good.

The Mujahadeen of the 80s is the Al Qaida of today. Some of the very same individuals are involved. But now instead of being heroic and brave..they're terrorists and insurgents themselves. The enemy of my enemy....

Instead of fighting the Soviets and their arms dealers, Bond is now fighting the North Koreans, axis of evil extraordinaire. New times call for new enemies. Bond even teams up with Cubans...after befriending the former Soviets in previous films(who've seen the error of their ways and are now free market capitalist mobsters).

Culturally some of us seem to need these monsters. We're not anything until we're better than somebody else. Sectors of our civilization seem to thrive on looking down from the moral high ground...thumbing their nose at the communistathiestislamicfundamentalistthuggery of the evil empire of axis.

I suppose Bond would cease to exist if we Give Peace A Chance.

Beatles...Bond...Beatles...Bond...

Not that tough of a choice.

Posted by Carla at August 27, 2005 04:41 PM