MovieChat Forums > Judi Dench Discussion > Please Depart from the Bond Franchise

Please Depart from the Bond Franchise


She doesn't "own" the role, I think she did well with Brosnan but I don't think the connection works quite well with Craig and Dench except for the very last second of Quantum of Solace

I don't feel the character of M should be terrorized as much as it is

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What do you mean by "terrorized"?

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I know Dench appeals to the emasculated, feminized, estrogen-fueled British public, but most of the Bond fans here in the states that I know want her out of the franchise. I know this will never happen though because Barbara Brocolli hates "alpha males" and is insecure about her own age lines so she promotes Dench as the "real Bond Girl" to make herself feel better about her position in society.

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I don't know who you've been talking to in the states, but this American became a diehard Bond fan *only* because Dame Judi was cast to play M. She's been given some great lines and has stood up to Bond and others with success (i.e., her office scene with Brosnan in Goldeneye and the scene with Geoffrey Palmer in Tomorrow Never Dies when she tells Admiral Roebuck that she doesn't need balls to be able to think....or something like that).

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No one goes to a Bond film to see an old troll like M "stand up" to alpha males. Middle aged women might like to see that but not the rest of us. That's not what the series is about anymore than "Sex in the City" is about older men picking up on hot young women. Pathetic.

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It has nothing to do with gender. She makes for a very convincing M. I'm glad they brought her back for the new series.

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Aw, I LOVE her as M ! I agree, the M and Craig chemistry needs to be worked out, but give it time. They just started and these have been early Bond stories so it makes for development. But I'm American and I adore her in this franchise. The whole M + Bond dynamic is totally sweet and interesting. Vaguely sexual but also maternal. It's all cool and weird. GREAT stuff.

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As much as I have enjoyed watching Judi Dench play M, I fear the original poster of this topic may have gotten his/her wish. The recent postponement of production on Bond 23 will delay filming for who knows how long. At 75, Dame Judi is, unfortunately, approaching an age in which it may be more logical for the producers to introduce a younger M. Don't get me wrong, I'd like nothing more than for Judi to continue her craft as long as she's able, and I think Barbara Broccoli and the other JB/007 producers appreciate her talent and want to keep her on as long as possible. However, it's just a matter of time...

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