Introduction
Primarily, one should note that the James Bond franchise is a collection of 25 feature films about the British secret agent working under the codename 007. To date, the set of movies about Agent 007 is a classic of the genre, recognized by the era and time-tested, and the image of Mr. Bond has remained identifiable in cinema for more than 50 years. In general, “Bondiana” is one of the most essential and significant franchises for the world of cinema and art in terms of the memorable and interesting hero, exciting scenes and dialogues, competent and correct directing of films, depictions of cultural phenomena, values and traditions, large box office receipts and much more.
Main Theme
The socio- and geo-political context is the overarching central theme of the James Bond series. In other words, the films represent, illustrate, and interpret the main spheres of the public life of Western society in their own way, directly speaking or hinting at real facts and details from the point of view of the confrontation between “bad” and “good” (Saunders, 2018). Nevertheless, the director of Casino Royale additionally focused on the hero’s inner world, experiences, and relationships, diversifying the picture and making it “livelier.” Consequently, these and many other vital aspects run like a red thread throughout the franchise.
Introducing Casino Royale
Casino Royale is the 21st film from the “Bondiana” franchise and the 1st in which a viewer sees actor Daniel Wroughton Craig in the image of Agent 007. It was released in 2006; the audience learned about the films through mass media and other ways of communicating messages to the target audience. Thus, the reboot of the franchise due to the continuation of the world-famous story and the demonstration of the beloved hero from a different side, not only in the role of a cold-blooded professional but also a living person with genuine feelings and experiences, is one of the reasons for the creation and release of the film. James Bond at Casino Royale is a novice agent just getting a license with two zeros. In this case, the story immediately becomes interesting for a viewer, watching the formation of J. Bond, his new adventures, and how he will go his way to become a legendary employee in the British intelligence service.
Trailer: Analysis
The trailer helps to reveal the series’s central theme by concentrating on capturing the dangerous criminal and eradicating terrorism. Moreover, these moments are backed up by the romantic story and career prospects. However, without seeing the whole picture, it is safe to note that in the image of J. Bond, Craig plans to save humanity from the evil within his powers, gradually demonstrating Bond’s personality and background.
Form and Purpose
The Concept
The trailer concept is based on informing and intriguing the targeted audience for the future film by highlighting such moments as the capture of the criminal, casino games, chases and shootouts, the love story, and the disclosure of the hero’s past. Thus, due to such a brief demonstration, a viewer can clearly understand the style of the film, the genre orientation, and the approximate plot. Without any doubt, this is commercial advertising, convincing Internet users or cinema visitors to look at the adventures of a beloved character from a different side.
The Overall Structure
One should emphasize that the overall structure of the trailer is built on the principle of a logical sequence from the introduction to the closure, including the climax (for example, the Bond’s woman is in danger), the tagline (the title of the film) and the credits with key personalities. Therefore, the young agent is introduced into the “00” program, given the straightforward task that will take place in the casino. In this case, the precise series of actions with overlapping dialogues is critical to show the changes in Bond’s priorities.
The Trailer is a Reflection of The Context
The trailer focuses on Bond’s romantic interest and emotional intimacy with the female character, representing a new era of characterization in James Bond and veering away from female objectification. Consequently, this moment opens a new theme of meaningful relationships for the series, catering the film to the modern audience. Furthermore, the “traditional” James Bond theme music without diegetic in the trailer is a specific commercial move that allows one to instantly recognize the character already familiar to many moviegoers in the performance of Daniel Wroughton Craig.
The Trailer’s Arrangement
One must remark that the trailer is arranged in accordance with the relevance of the context and attractiveness for the specific audience. For instance, it is based on an entirely new plot paying homage at the same time to “classic” elements from the previous films, as well as the hero in a new “guise” who has his enemies, friends, and love. As previously mentioned, this Hollywood trailer is a commercial move that seeks to interest viewers in the upcoming film by demonstrating a sufficient number of dialogues between characters, romance, explosions, chases, shootings, and several other scenes, in which the director made the main emphasis. In most cases, people see a “frenzied drive” and action. With a higher probability, they will get what they initially expected: a certain dose of adrenaline and the opportunity to throw out negative emotions.
Language and Audiences
In particular, two critical aspects of the audience for the trailer appeal to desensitization to violence and James Bond’s demonstration from the other side as the novice agent. Hence, it is known that the contemporary audience of James Bond films has experienced a large variety of violent action sequences and is already desensitized to extreme violence. The trailer opens with a series of black and white medium shots of the protagonists, with dialogue stating, “your file shows no kills Bond, to become a double-O, it takes…” where Bond responds with “two” (MOVIECLIPS News, 2012). The secondary character in the conversation states: “You needn’t worry, the second is…”. Bond then fires his gun, and his victim is shown being blasted into the ground. He then states “considerably” to indicate the end of the conversation after his victim is shot (MOVIECLIPS News, 2012). In this case, the black-and-white palette refers to the past, the memories of Agent 007, and the origin of his cruel manners and similar intentions toward his enemies. Moreover, at the beginning of the trailer, Vesper states: “It doesn’t bother you? Killing those people?” to which Bond replies in a medium-shot and says: “Well, I wouldn’t be very good at my job if it did” (MOVIECLIPS News, 2012). This moment characterizes Bond as cold-hearted and transactional in his violence.
In general, violence is an accidental, casual, and expected phenomenon reflecting citizens’ modern trends, values, and preferences, refuting all roughness and cruelty. In order to create a ‘shock’ factor, the trailer edits frequent cuts between brutality and severe destruction of buildings and trucks, showing the audience the film’s extensive roughness and activity. Thus, action is an integral part and the “calling card” of the franchise, which allows the filmmakers to please fans of films about Mr. Bond.
Moreover, the particular emotional state and experiences of James Bond, based on internal injuries and an unpleasant past, are the most important phenomena that influenced the hero’s moral foundations and ethical principles. Antagonist Le Chiffre’s dialogue asks Bond: “The only question remains, will you yield?” questioning the audience to wonder whether Bond will succeed in the poker game (MOVIECLIPS News, 2012). The dialogue between the love interest and Bond discusses that they no longer have any metaphorical “armor” to protect themselves from their feelings. This scene represents that the agent feels emotionally defeated by the violence of his work and is open to forming a genuine, romantic relationship with the woman. This and other scenes with Vesper convey the more profound moments of desensitization to violence, torture, and darkness explored in the film, creating an aspect of interest to the audience that is less cliched than in previous Bond films. Therefore, at the trailer’s opening, Bond is introduced as the cliched character, but as the trailer concludes, he has been humanized and is much more relatable to the audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the trailer focuses on the romantic relationship and emotional state of James Bond in a way that had not been previously explored in the earlier versions of the series. The audience is called upon to wonder about the emotional toll of the violent work of “00” agents that had previously been casually glorified, opening up a new avenue of suspense and plot points that the directors could explore. Vesper as Bond’s woman is introduced with more purpose and depth than previous ‘Bond girls’ to cater to modern audiences. The humanization of a previously cliched character draws a new interest from the audience. That creates a fresh, modern setting for the character and series to develop and have success in.
References
Saunders, R. A. (2018). Geographies, genders and geopolitics of James Bond. The AAG Review of Books, 6(4), 254-256. Web.
MOVIECLIPS News. (2012). Casino Royale official trailer (2006) James Bond movie HD [Video]. YouTube. Web.