Violence against women in a Bond film: Octopussy (1983)

Predictably, in the James Bond movie entitled Octopussy (1983) women are highly sexualized, but what is also disturbing is the violence against women (VAW) perpetrated by men. Moreover, it starts during the opening credits: two naked women are shot. In the first instance the woman is holding the gun and a red laser beam shoots out of it at her vagina. In the second instance a man holds the gun, which appears close to her chin, and when he shoots at her the following words emerge from his gun: Produced by Albert R. Broccoli. Later James Bond (Roger Moore) forces himself on a woman named Octopussy (Maud Adams). She is also abducted, knocked unconscious, shoved down against a plane seat and struck across the face. The movie poster presents an accurate picture of what story writer Ian Flemming, producer Albert R. Broccoli and director John Glen have in store for viewers: a barelegged woman in high heels stands behind a fully dressed man in flat shoes, and the tagline reads: Nobody does him better. Her eight arms undress him, caress his hair and his gun, hold a martini, fiddle with his bow tie, etc. This 13th Bond movie made US$187.5 million at the worldwide box office. It is telling about our societies that the movie made so much, and that the filmmakers were consequently permitted to make more movies.

© 2017 Alline Cormier