Abstracts & Papers
The Title Sequences
Since 38 years the world has been enjoying the James Bond film series for the most part. Every new release has proved to be a spectacle in itself, with attention mostly drawn to the main character and the actor’s who would come to represent him. I would argue that the Bond films relied from early on on their easily recognizable, and rather static, scheme. What makes a "good" James Bond film (which does not necessarily have to be a good film in the sense of film conceived as art) is precisely the fulfilment of this premise without falling into merely repeating itself.
7 years before the first James Bond film, Dr. No, was released in 1962, Saul Bass had stunned the film world with his opening titles to The Man with the Golden Arm. Ever since, title sequences had developed into something more than just a mere tool to display the credit information. After Dr. No, the James Bond films always started out with the same sequence of a "pinhole, iris or gun barrel open[ing] up to reveal a suited silhouette striding in profile. It turns, lithe, fires a gun... ."1 After which follows the opening sequence followed by the title sequence. The title sequence in particular seems to add to that formulaic feeling, since it usually features silhouettes of women accompanied by fire arms and a catchy song tune. But what exactly is its purpose next to establishing the familiar structure? If anything, what lies behind the obvious fetishizing of the female body? Or is their sole purpose to feed male adolescent fantasies?
I would like to show that within the static structure, throughout the series, the title sequence together with the opening sequence has been used to transcend the status of sheer information providing tool that feeds on the sensational. As inflexible as it seems to be on the first impression, this 3-part structure can be altered to serve multiple functions while still being true to the overall scheme.
1 Barnes, Alan and Marcus Hearn. Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang: The Secret History of James Bond. p. 18.
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