14 replies to this topic

[M_Balje]

Is this a good idea ?
and who choose you as female directer ?

[Jim]

Interesting question. More interesting (or depressing) that I can't think of many female action directors beyond Kathryn Bigelow. She might do.

[rafterman]

Kathryn Bigelow seems to be the only real choice...there are some known female directors, but none really seem suited toward this material....

[Blue Eyes]

I'm ashamed to mention it, but I really don't know of any female directors who could do/have done an action film.

While I'm sure it would put a very interesting spin on things, I feel we'd end up with another TWINE. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, the action (which is a part of the film as much as Bond is) did seemed stifled.

[Dalton]

Why have a woman direct Bond just for the sake of it.

Okay if there is a kickass action director (that happened to be female) that could cope with the job that's one thing, but come on!

[Blofeld's Cat]

The only other one I could suggest is Mimi Leder, who directed Deep Impact, The Peacekeeper, and many episodes of ER.

I already posted this here before but it seems to have disapeared somehow.

[Hardyboy]

Darn, Blofeld's Cat, you beat me to the punch. Leder is a good action director who also has a good feel for characters. She'd be a good choice.

[Xenobia]

I think a woman could and should direct Bond at some point. I don't see why a woman couldn't direct action sequences. Women can visualize action as well as men, they just don't get the chance.

To that end, we should probably be looking at women who have done action movies as either stunt women or actresses. Mimi Leder is a great choice, and to that I would add Michelle Yeoh, if she feels she could direct. She knows the Bond terrian and given her work in the Hong Kong market, would know how to make exciting action sequences.

-- Xenobia

[General Koskov]

This thread makes me think how I knew of absolutely no female directors! But sure whatever. Just don't make this some feminist thing where a quota of the Bond films' cast/crew must be female. That'll be like Chretien's cabinet: not a good thing.

[zencat]

Hey, I'd be all for a female director for Bond...if there was a good one around. Kathryn Bigelow? After Strange Days, I think Bigelow needs some therapy, not another job. Mimi Leder would be good. A female director who's better than the movies she's made is Browen Hughes (Forces of Nature, Harriet the Spy). She could also be good. But, right now, I feel there are just too many more qualified male directors who could do a great job with Bond. Hiring a woman just to have a woman is, well, ridiculous.

[zencat]

Here's an idea... What about Babs? She certainly understands the material.

[Simon]

I think the day Bond goes gay, grows his hair, ruminates on kitchen colour charts and considers all the selfish people in the world - is the day we should have a female director.

This isn't just an incoherent ramble, it is actually some latent anger at the day they decided Bond should have a female M, have female psych analysts trail around in Monaco with him in a DB5 and have female voices in his BMW telling him to put on his seatbelt.

They seem to have forgotten his (toned down) chauvinistic side. I'm sure I won't actually see the point of all the female agents in DAD either.

I don't see the point in trying to make a man's world more female just for the sake of including the odd female. Going down different avenues to illustrate, The Professionals (TV series) was much better than when they started to include a female in the New Professionals - it all just got too soft and smarmy.

[Blue Eyes]

Well said Simon! I think both yourself and Zencat echoes similair sentiments, why have a female director just to have a female director? Why include a lot of women just to have women? Couldn't agree more in that sense. But I do disagree with the female M, afterall, Bond always has troubles with her

[Xenobia]

I definately don't think that a female director should be hired just for the sake of hiring one, but I also think it is absolutely wrong to presume that woman would feminize Bond. If anything I would think that a female director would be so concerned about keeping up the action end, that she might go overboard in that direction.

I think Barbara Broccoli is an excellent choice, as is Michelle Yeoh, or maybe even Sigorney Weaver, since she appears to be heading in the directing direction.

-- Xenobia

[Mourning Becomes Electra]

I agree that hiring a woman director just to hire one is just wrong. The fact is there are very few, as pointed out, female directors with any kind of big action film resume. Heck there are very few established females directors period. There are just many more qualified male directors to choose from. Michelle Yeoh while a great action star doesn't have any substantial track record as a director (if any at this point) and Barbara Broccoli is a producer, she has never directed a film. Bond films are not starter films. They may not hire top A-list directors but they do hire experienced directors.

But the contention that Bond films should never hire a female director because it would be some affront to the male bastion that is Bond I find equally puzzling. Does this mean Barbara Broccoli should no longer produce the films because her lack of a Y chromosome is contaminating them with squishy soft female sensibilities?

As for DAD's female agents, yeah there should only be male agents and then Bond could then sleep with them so as to not compromise his chauvinist sensibilities by cavorting with mere females agents.

MBE