Bechdel meets Bond

Great review of Skyfall at Bechdeltest.com:

http://bechdeltest.com/view/3632/skyfall/

Apparently, women are dissed because one of the characters is referred to by a single letter. Yeah, M.

Quote :

Rob said:
Other than two named characters who do not interact, women are used and discarded quickly in the film, including particularly callously during the first half. Their only actions with Bond are flirtatious. The other women in the film after two named characters are all sex workers or motherly figures.

The government inquiry sequence meets the test guidelines but very, very dubiously (one woman not named in spoken dialogue, and told to shut up by a man, and another woman only known by a single letter).

Well, I hope Rob got a fuck out that posting. How do other Bond films come out of this 'scientific' approach to film criticism?

Haha how about this one:

Hannah wrote:

Skyfall was deemed an excellent return to the Bond we all know and love. But with what they revived from the sere is classics they brought up back something I wa hoping would stayed buried (well submerged at least). Bond begins with a fantastic strong female character spy extraordinaire. She seemingly can drive like a field agent, fight like one two but then SPOILER ALERT she takes a little desk job instead!!! Its frustrating were given such a fabulous character for her to become the bumbling office assistant! I understand many peoples complaint regarding Ralph Fiennes characters interruption. My issue is that it is a man that stops the women in power so he can let the other woman speak. So women not only come across as annoying and loud but also that they need a man to let them talk.
If gender really is a non issue then why couldn't there be a female Bond, and to all those who say tradition and character, perhaps consider if there could be a black bond, asian bond, gay bond, disabled bond. If we are being inclusive then couldn't Bond be any of these. Or to be the fantastic and incredible Bond must he be a white middle aged man.
Apologies for dreadful spelling

I hope Babs doesn't visit that site…

On a related note, I read that the Guardian has left the job of reviewing the new Bond novel to a feminist (Sarah Ditum) who had yet to read a single book from the Fleming series. Though I believe she is going to read some of the originals in preparations for her review. So that will be interesting.