The Female's Role in "From Russia with Love"

The other day, I finally had the chance to watch From Russia with Love, which has been exalted by many James Bond fans as one of the best entries in the franchise’s filmography, if not the best. Released in 1963, From Russia with Love stars the highly esteemed Sean Connery as Agent 007 and features a wild assortment of outlandishly entertaining sequences, such as a frantic shootout inside of a gypsy camp, an explosion-laden boat chase, and a brutal fistfight aboard a passenger train. To quote the series’ beloved character Q, From Russia with Love comes equipped with “all the usual refinements”: cloak-and-dagger espionage, colorful allies, dangerous villains, evil organizations, and – of course – gorgeous women.

Tatiana Romanova (Daniela Bianchi)

Even though I consider myself a fan of the Bond films, I won’t even attempt to pass off the franchise’s penchant for sexism as mere innocent fun. I freely admit that James Bond is a pig, and for better or worse, that is part of the reason why he has become such an icon. Do I condone sexism? Absolutely not, but I can’t condemn a film based solely on one factor, however glaring it may be. Like any good film critic, I like to dissect characters in order to better understand them; in the case of James Bond, I believe that the character’s dual nature as both a paragon of heroism and a flag-waver of sexism makes him a very important part of film history. I can’t fully condemn Bond for his objectification of women because, quite frankly, I inexplicably still root for him regardless. Just because Bond is a womanizer, I just can’t bring myself to dislike him, and this begs the question: why not? I consider myself a feminist, yet here I am, defending a sexist character. I think that the answer lies within the character as a whole: everyone has a dark side that some may view as unpleasant, while others may extol it as an admirable trait. A more recent character like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Lisbeth Salander, for example, is praised by many critics and moviegoers as a feminist hero, an independent woman who refuses to yield to the expectations of men, yet she does deplorable things like hacking private information and setting people on fire. The morals of Salander’s actions are questionable, yet people continue to root for her, just as they do for James Bond.

That said, I became intrigued with the way that women are portrayed in From Russia with Love. Are they all objectified and/or stereotyped for the viewing pleasure of men? Did their characters serve to “program” women at the time of the film’s release as a way for men to dissuade the idea of an independent woman? The answer is not so cut-and-dry. Take, for example, the character Tatiana Romanova: she’s a very beautiful lady, and her job as a Russian spy places her in an occupation roughly equal to James Bond’s. Throughout the film, however, Romanova is used by both MI6 and SPECTRE alike as a passive commodity: she is, after all, the key to obtaining the Lektor, a Russian code machine sought by both sides. Further, Romanova basically serves the traditional role of Bond Girl, arm candy for Bond to focus his sexual energy, yet she is unlike more assertive Bond Girls like Pussy Galore (Goldfinger) and Jinx (Die Another Day). Romanova’s powerful role as a spy is reduced to that of a submissive decoration, one that serves more as the film’s MacGuffin rather than a fully realized, multi-layered character. An example of this occurs during the scenes on the passenger train: posing as husband and wife, Bond and Romanova settle down in a train compartment with the Lektor safely in their possession. Her role as the key to obtaining the Lektor complete, Romanova is now nothing more than a sparkly bauble for Bond to keep hidden away in the compartment, which is now more of a glorified safe than a place of comfort.

Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya)

By contrast, the spidery SPECTRE agent Rosa Klebb serves as the femme fatale, yet her unattractive physical appearance denies the male gaze in favor of obtaining a more villainous quality. Further, the film seems to utilize Klebb’s implied homosexuality as a way to establish her as “Other” and therefore more threatening, as suggested by the mission briefing scene with Romanova. Dressed in a very masculine-looking military uniform, Klebb threatens Romanova with death if she refuses to accept her orders. Later, Klebb compliments Romanova on her body, lightly touching her hand on the younger woman’s shoulder and entering Romanova’s personal space. In addition to creating a threatening aura, Klebb’s implied lesbianism places her in the same position as the heterosexual male viewer, a vehicle for male desire to “interact” with the desirable Romanova. However, this also feeds into Klebb’s villainous qualities because the heterosexual male may be repulsed by having found common ground with such an uncanny, undesirable woman.

There is much more to discuss about the female’s role in From Russia with Love, as it is a fascinatingly deep movie in political and psychological ways. I fully intend to return to this idea and flesh it out further. As for now, I hope this entry got a few gears turning in your heads.