I realize that in the 21st Century, referring to a person as a "Bond lady", let alone a "Bond girl", will annoy some folks...but what do you want me to call them?? This is a list of my favorite/least favorite leading female performances in the James Bond movie series.
What has always cracked me up is how, whenever a new Bond film comes out, the leading lady of the production will be interviewed by a major magazine or talk show, and she will invariably exclaim, "This is a Bond girl unlike we've ever seen before!!" (I think all the actresses who work on Bond movies are contractually obligated to say that.) The fact is, the female roles in the Bond films have been far more varied than most presume. (Has everyone forgotten that when Ursula Andress first encountered Sean Connery in DR. NO, she pulled a knife on him?) The "Strong Independent Female who looks great and kicks ass" trope that is all over the entertainment world is something the Bond series was featuring decades ago.
MY FAVORITE JAMES BOND LADIES
Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova in FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE
In my very modest opinion, the most beautiful of all the Bond ladies. No, she didn't get to wear a skintight outfit and beat up and kill a bunch of heavily-armed men, but she did star in the greatest Bond film of them all, and play her character exactly the way Ian Fleming wrote it in his novel.
Eva Green as Vesper Lynd in CASINO ROYALE
Green gave the best overall acting performance of any woman in the entire Bond series.
Diana Rigg as Tracy in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE
The only woman to marry 007 onscreen. A top-flight actress was needed to co-star along the inexperienced George Lazenby, and Rigg did her share and more.
Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in GOLDFINGER
Yes, we all know about her character's name....but Blackman set a standard that many future Bond ladies were not able to live up to.
Sophie Marceau as Electra King in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
Technically Marceau could qualify as the main villain in this movie as well. Either way she's the best thing in the film. The idea of a Bond girl becoming the overall threat is an intriguing one, unfortunately the script didn't take full advantage of it.
MY LEAST FAVORITE JAMES BOND LADIES
Denise Richards as Christmas Jones in THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
"Isn't it cute that Denise Richards was cast as a nuclear scientist??" (Long pause) No.
Tanya Roberts as Stacey Sutton in A VIEW TO A KILL
The ex-Charlie's Angel will forever be known as the only Bond lady to have a blimp sneak up behind her.
Halle Berry as Jinx in DIE ANOTHER DAY
Definitely the most overrated Bond lady. Berry got a huge amount of publicity for being in DIE ANOTHER DAY, and she even got as much room on the poster as Pierce Brosnan. But her character is really just a mediocre version of Michelle Yeoh's in TOMORROW NEVER DIES, and Yeoh did a far better job.
Britt Ekland as Mary Goodnight in THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN
Not exactly Ekland's fault....the character was just a klutzy ditz (a very rare thing in the Bond series, by the way).
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