The Soviet woman in Bond films

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (peer-reviewed)peer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

The chapter explores the image of the Soviet female spy in a variety of Bond films. Representations of Soviet women in these films are as intense as they are stereotypical. Tatiana Romanova (From Russia With Love, 1963), Anya -Amasova (The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977), Pola Ivanova (A View to a Kill, 1985), the murderous dominatrix Xenia Onatopp (GoldenEye, 1995) and -Natalya -Simonova (GoldenEye) embody a combination of contradictory qualities. They are tough, strong, intellectual, successful and dangerous yet also feminine, -sexual, beautiful and exotic. The presence of the dangerous communist seductress in Bond films petered out after the end of the Soviet Union. This chapter also examines the origins of each of the stereotypes which seem to be a curious mixture of fantasy and reality of the fear and desire of the Western male gaze yet combined with elements of the Soviet ideology (for instance, the war on gender stereotypes in the Soviet Union and the heavy ideological emphasis on gender equality).

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFrom Blofeld to Moneypenny: Gender in James Bond
EditorsSteven Gerrard
PublisherEmerald Group Publishing Ltd.
Pages91-101
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)9781838671655
ISBN (Print)9781838671631
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Mar 2020

Publication series

NameEmerald Studies in Popular Culture and Gender
PublisherEmerald

Keywords

  • gender stereotypes
  • James Bond
  • Russian
  • Soviet Union
  • Soviet woman
  • women

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Social Sciences

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The Soviet woman in Bond films'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this