If there is any monster to overcome, it is the one inside himself.Ī coming out story is merely a ‘coming of age’ story with a queer person at its centre. These contrary but complementary emotions are heightened for queer audiences because the whole story is structured to get to the point where Bond ‘comes out’ and reveals his true self to the world.
The film itself expects us to feel both crushed over the death of Vesper AND be happy for Bond. As I argue below, she is a queer hero in her own right. After all, it’s not as if we’re cheering when Vesper dies. In almost every other film, the principal Bond girl is alive when we get to the end credits, even though we know that when James Bond returns he will be doing so alone.īy itself, this subversion of the heteronormative ending wouldn’t be terribly appealing for queer audiences. For once, Bond’s singledom is depicted within the film itself. And the princess (Vesper) doesn’t just die - she dies by her own hand. The ‘great evil’ (Le Chiffre) is killed, fairly unceremoniously, half an hour before the end of the story.
But Daniel Craig’s first adventure is structured differently. Most Bond films fit within the ‘overcoming the monster’ mould: the hero must find the physical and mental strength to overcome a great evil and receive his reward. Casino Royale is James Bond’s coming out story.
