MovieChat Forums > GoldenEye (1995) Discussion > Does M's characterization seem different...

Does M's characterization seem different in "Tomorrow Never Dies"

posted 8 years ago by TMC-4
4 replies | jump to latest

I don't know! I guess that it seems kind of contradictory that Judi Dench's interpretation of M in GoldenEye reams Bond over him being a "sexist, misogynistic dinosaur" (in kind of a meta moment for the Bond series). And yet in TND, M while briefing Bond in a car brings up the fact he once had a fling w/ the now-wife of the main villain, Elliot Carver. During that scene, M not quite subtly encourages Bond to seduce her ("Remind her and then pump her for information!"), since Bond is such a great ladies' man.

I know that the pre-Daniel Craig Bond movies didn't have a lot of in-between movies continuity, but still, it just seemed like in TND, Dench's M was an unabashed ally/cheerleader for Pierce Brosnan's Bond unlike the more tense/slow to trust relationship that they had in GE.

[–] sarizonana 8 years ago

Id like to think time passed and learned to like and trust Bond for who he was and so he did eith M.

As you said so there wasn't any obvious timeline in the Brosnan flicks but still the relationship between M and Bond developed from almost hate to love and respect.

[–] TMC-4 (19416) 6 years ago

I always thought or wondered if M was out of line with her "sexist, misogynistic dinosaur" remark? Bond wasn't being outwardly rude, confrontational, disrespectful (unlike Tanner and his "Evil queen of numbers" jab) or insubordinate toward her. But because Bond had a differing (not so "by the book") point of view M had to get super-defensive. It was as if the filmmakers were trying to ram home the point of how karmic it is for a notorious womanizer like James Bond to now have to take orders from a woman. Plus, why should M care what one of her agents do in their personal time (does M prefer Bond to be a God fearing, milk drinking choir boy) when it doesn't necessarily affect the bottom-line?

[–] CuriousCase007 8 years ago

Not really. She was putting Bond back in his place to ensure he knows who's boss, despite being a woman. But she knows her agent, and they've grown a little since the GE mission, and knows Bond pursuing Paris could be a means to an end.

www.bondandbeyond.forummotion.com

[–] SpaceAce2001 (387) 6 years ago

She was probably tough on him in Goldeneye because in his last mission he went rogue and almost compromised British Intelligence (despite putting an end to Sanchez's operation), she didn't know if she could trust him. Then in TMD she had regained confidence in Bond due to the events of Goldeneye.