Sean Connery was not everyone’s first choice for James Bond. Many voiced doubts towards  working class Scotsman retaining the posh exterior exuded by James Bond. Fleming himself expressed distaste for the choice of Connery, once, even calling him an, “over-developed stuntman.”

Despite the lack of initial enthusiasm, Sean Connery’s performance as James Bond resulted in a massive boom in popularity for the James Bond property. Connery’s performance became iconic; therefore, Connery’s Bond became iconic. This is where the first delineation of identity breaks. The current idea of Bond was replaced by a fresher, newer bond, successfully. In doing so, James Bond became an idea and not just a character.

Connery altered many of the characteristics from the original Fleming Bond. Gone are the introspective tendencies seen in the novels. Connery, instead, emphasizes the humorous and sardonic qualities of the character. A look at the openings of Goldfinger illustrates this perfectly:

“It was part of his profession to kill people. He had never liked doing it and when he had to kill he did it as well as he knew how and forgot about it. As a secret agent who held the rare double-O prefix—the licence to kill in the Secret Service—it was his duty to be as cool about death as a surgeon. If it happened, it happened. Regret was unprofessional—worse, it was death-watch beetle in the soul.”

Obviously, this was a different Bond.

Sexual Deviant

The first three films increased James Bond’s number of sexual partners in accordance with changing sexual conceptions. What was a notable aspect of Bond in the novels, became a dominant character trait in the films as nearly every woman that interacts with Bond eventually falls prey to his irresistible charm.

The sexual aspect of Bond is pushed to the extreme toward the conclusion of Goldfinger. In the novel, Bond alerts the CIA of Goldfinger’s scheme through a secret message hidden on an airplane. The film takes a different approach. The film results in the world being saved after Bond seduces the lesbian pilot of Goldfinger. The strongest female character of the Bond film canon thus far, Pussy Galore, reduced to a pile of hormones next to Bond.

A common theme of the women in these earlier bond films is the freedom through sexuality. As Bond seduces these women, they are pulled away from the villain and freed. Similarly, the wider US and UK were experiencing a sexual revolution which preached the concept of freedom through sexuality (Brown).

Some critics found the representation of women in these first films as rather liberating. Graham Ryes described Pussy Galore as, “a reflection of the more liberated and self-sufficient women of the sixties.”  The ability for these women to actively engage sexually whenever they wanted was a new idea; however, the rest of the films do not engage in any similar pro-feminist conversation.

Ursula Andress in Dr. No even has her voice dubbed over by little-known actress Monica van der Zyl. She would continue to provide the voices for over thirteen women over the course of the series, and she was uncredited (Duncan). Stripped of the ability to speak, the women of Bond remain an empty vessels for the men of the film to fantasize. This set the standard for women in the series, which realistically, is still in place.

The Gentleman-Mercenary

Connery does not abandon all of the Fleming incarnation, however. Often seen as the Gentleman-Agent, James Bond is more than just a brute. James Bond represents the British image of the suave and sophisticated lifestyle. He drives the nicest cars, has the coolest gadgets, and gets with the most attractive women. While Britain was struggling for an identity post-WW2, James Bond stood as an example for what Britain should be.

This dinner scene from Dr. No illustrates Connery’s ability to exude the class and status of Fleming, while also adding some rugged charm.

This scene, adapted from the novel, engages the sardonic wit of Bond to diminish the status of Dr. No. Despite being defeated, Connery insults Dr. No for his lackluster taste. The subtle jab at Dr. No’s poor taste in Champagne demonstrates the emphasis on class during the early Connery films. The first three Bond films asserted that, despite the British not being in a position of political power, they still are of a higher class and status.

That is not to say that Connery avoided the more deadly and sinister aspects of the characters. A divisive change in Dr. No comes in the character of R.J. Dent. An original character for the film, Dent is killed in cold-blood by Bond after all the information he has is turned over:

Having never killed in this manner in any of the novels, Connery’s Bond was seen not just a harbinger of freed sexuality. He also represented a wider acceptance of violence by the public and an acknowledgment that a license to kill comes with consequences. Director Terence Young said that scene, “caused a lot of heartache, United Artists were not happy.”

Connery’s early Bond represented an era of change. Ushering in conversations of sexuality and violence, Connery’s early Bond was an embrace of new ideas and simultaneously a reaffirmation of old ones. He celebrated the rampant sexualization of the sixties, but also engaged in patriarchal aspects of sex. His view of women is dated to say the least. He was able to kill mercilessly and, at the same time, seem classy doing it. Connery ushered in a new era of violence, sex and British class for decades to come.