Monica Bellucci: The New Bond Girl is a Woman

I’ve always loved Monica for her classic yet voluptuous beauty. She is considered one of the most beautiful women in the world since she made the scene over thirty years ago now. And in keeping with her stature, Monica will soon be making her debut as the world’s oldest bond girl. At 50, Monica is by far the oldest actress to don the title, shattering the carefully constructed image of an aging James Bond while his myriad love interests stay twenty-three for eternity.

Granted, Monica Bellucci is no ordinary 50 year old. Quite the opposite, in that she grows ever more beautiful with every passing year. In actress years, Hollywood would have put her out to pasture if it wasn’t for the fact that she is more stunning than actresses half her age. She wears her years with an incredible resiliency, to the point where her age is one of her main attractors. Not only is she comfortable in her own skin, Monica exudes confidence and mature sexuality that a twenty-two year old actress could never compete with, no matter who she is.

Monica Bellucci’s career has spanned several decades now. She’s taken on a wide-ranging spectrum of roles, some of them better-written than others. But what is consistent about all of them is what Ms. Bellucci brings to every role: a poise, sensuousness and presence that makes the camera fall in love with her every time she steps into frame. Your eye is drawn to her face immediately. Her large brown eyes are so expressive they seem to radiate from within. Her body so statuesque and generous in curves and proportion you cannot but think of her as a classical beauty for the ages. But Monica’s greatest asset is her ability to translate a vulnerability and accessibility juxtaposing her own intense female beauty. Her beauty does not intimidate as much as exude the classical “come hither” of Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth and Ava Gardner.

The announcement by the producers of the next James Bond movie, titled SPECTRE, that Ms. Bellucci would be the next Bond Girl was applauded around the world. Finally, Bond was growing up and going to become involved with a woman his own age. It was a smart move for an aging franchise. And the best part about it was the fact that the producer’s knew they weren’t sacrificing anything in reaching out to an older actress. In fact, they scored a coup in getting Monica because not only is she gorgeous, but she has the reputation of classing-up every project she is in. And, last but not least, she is at the end of the day a seasoned, fantastic actress with a worldwide fan base. So smart, guys.

Bringing Monica to a new generation of movie goers who may not be familiar with her is going to be a genuine treat. I have the distinct feeling that leading up to the release of SPECTRE, we’re going to see a lot of Ms. Bellucci in social media and traditional print. Because she bridges the gap between the younger generations and the ones that come before. Because her beauty is so magnetic and intoxicating. And because we need an older woman with timeless beauty to break the internet next.

Monica is as close as we can get in today’s youth-obsessed society to a bonafide sex goddess in the vein of Greta Garbo, Marlena Dietrich and Hedy Lammarr. She is not afraid to show skin and brings a European sensibility to her nude scenes. Never vulgar or gratuitous, Monica can hold your attention without saying a word. Your eyes gaze upon her and are immediately transported to another place and time. She is, in short, a movie star in the classic sense. And one that new generations will not be able to get enough of once they discover her in the greatest mainstream movie franchise ever created, that of James Bond.

About the greatest compliment I can extend to Ms. Bellucci is that she doesn’t need to be in James Bond. In fact, they need her more than she needs them. Her career and reputation have already ensured her place in film history as one of those rare beauties that defy stereotype and typecasting. But why I think she accepted the role playing in such a commercial venture is the opportunity to show that not all Bond Girls need to be vapid, twenty-year old after thoughts for James to dally with and dispose of like his other overpriced toys. What Monica brings is a Bond Woman who can not only carry her own – but take or leave Bond himself. And what could be more attractive than that!

I’m very much looking forward to seeing this new iteration of Bond Woman. I can’t wait to see what Monica does with the role and how Daniel Craig’s James Bond must deal with a mature, commanding and ultimately domineering beauty with brains. It is a fascinating plot-wrinkle (no pun intended) to see him hold his own with a woman his own age. No small task for the Peter Pan of Spy Movies. But I have a feeling Craig’s Bond will grow up a little in this next outing, thanks to Monica. And have a lot of fun doing it, of course. As will the audience.

One more shot of the unbelievably-gorgeous Monica Bellucci to hold you over while we wait for her appearance in SPECTRE!

Shirley Eaton: Pure Gold

Fifty years ago Ian Fleming’s James Bond was a brand new franchise for MGM. Sean Connery is, in my humble opinion, the best Bond of them all and not just because he was the first. He was debonaire, cool and (true to the novels and the time period) a complete and total sexist pig. Now, I’m not advocating for sexist pigs and I’m certainly not glorifying the objectification of beautiful women. But in 1964 when GOLDFINGER was made the Mad Men sensibilities were very much in full swing and Bond personified for many men (if you had money, looks and opportunity) how a playboy conducted himself. And for Goldfinger, the producers spared no expense surrounding their star spy with a small army of beautiful females, the most memorable of which was British Actress Shirley Eaton.

Shirley was a beautiful actress with a stunning face and physique. She personified what would become universally-known at a Bond Girl: a surefire ticket to Hollywood stardom if there ever was one. However, fifty-years ago being a Bond Girl didn’t necessarily hold the weight it does today. Ursula Andres will always hold a place in Bond lore as the first Bond Girl. But it wasn’t ’til Shirley that “Bond Girl” became ubiquitous with sex symbol akin to the “It Girl” moniker bestowed the original Vamp, Theda Bara (other film historians would later wrongly attribute the first-occurrence of the term to Clara Bow).

Both Ursula and Shirley were beautiful, Nordic-looking blondes who weren’t shy about showing off their svelte, athletic bodies. But only one of them was to cement her iconic status as a Bond Girl by being covered (literally) in gold paint. Yes, that’s right, folks. Anybody who hasn’t seen Goldfinger can’t truly appreciate what painting an already beautiful woman from head to toe in metallic gold paint will do to overload a man’s senses. The visual effect was so mesmerizing that Shirley Eaton quickly became the single most iconic image of a goddess captured on film since Greta Garbo. Ironically, MGM had covered Garbo  in Silver Make-Up #1 (a formula specifically created for her by Max Factor) to make her ultra-luminous in her silent era movies. So much so that Garbo became the technical center of her movies; everything was lit to look dim in comparison to her glowing face.

For Goldfinger, the producers took every precaution to ensure that Shirley would not asphyxiate under the heavy coat of body-paint. If you look closely at the production shot above, you’ll see that the actress’s stomach was not covered in paint because she would be lying face down when Bond finds her in the big reveal shot (below). You see, in the movie the evil Goldfinger dipped poor Shirley in real gold as a fun, inventive way to off her. Sure to piss off Bond and lead to a climactic, final battle to avenge Bond lovely sex object. The resulting effect was movie magic of the tallest order and images from the scene were splattered in magazines and newspapers throughout the world – making Shirley a star overnight.

In 1964, the American censors were having heart palpitations over the naked body covered in nothing but body paint. That’s when it was decided that Shirley’s bum needed to be covered. The British censors had no such puritanical queasiness. They were much more upset over the exceedingly violent storyline. That said, the English did take exception to the name of another female character in the film – the one played by actress Honor Blackman called “Pussy Galore”. They were adamant that the character be renamed “Kitty Galore” except for one fortuitous day when none other than Prince Philip visiting the British-based set and had a photo op with the young actress. When the photo hit the English newspapers the caption read “Puss and Prince”. After that, the name stuck and the censors backed down.

Shirley’s star rose quickly after the release of Goldfinger but for the most part her movie roles were relegated to the sexpot, cheesecake variety that is typical of the time period. But so what? Her role as the Golden Girl of the Movies was secured and even though watching Goldfinger today is by most accounts a quaint affair – seeing beautiful Shirley lying on a white silk bed covered in gold still has the visual punch to wake the most tired libido. She evokes the stirrings one would imagine the goddesses down through the ages have done in oil paint, marble and stone. Maybe the makers of Bond were just reducing Shirley to a sex symbol, one that appealed to even the lowest common denominator. But I like to think that the result, whether intended or not, subconscious or conscious – was for a brief second raised to object d’art; a living, breathing, life-size work of art. One that is held in the mind long after the original context has fallen away.

Then again, maybe it is mostly about sex and objectifying a beautiful woman by spraying her with body-paint. Either way, I’ll never forget the first time I saw Shirley Eaton on my family’s 12-inch Sony Color TV. I think I was about 8-years old when Goldfinger was replayed as the Saturday Night Movie and my three brothers and I fought for position in front of the tiny screen. And then there she was in all her golden-goddess glory, beamed into our little suburban home and imprinted on my frontal lobes forever. Long before I knew what sex even meant, I knew what I saw was beautiful and that I liked it…a lot. Miss Eaton left an impression alright – one that remains vivid to this day as a movie moment so iconic as to be pure gold.

And I’m glad to say Shirley is still with us to this day! You can visit her on her fan website at http://www.shirleyeaton.net

Don’t forget to drop her a line and tell her what her most famous movie role meant to you!

 

 

 

Diana Rigg: The Original Mrs. Bond

I’m told that anyone under 30 is going to have a real hard time remembering who I’m talking about. Like anyone who was a star in the 60’s might as well have walked the earth with the Neanderthals. But with ageless beauty there should always be an exception – and therefore everyone should know about dear, sexy, deadly Diana Rigg.

The British brunette was one of the most beautiful and iconic movie and TV stars of the 60’s and 70’s. She was introduced in the British hit TV show THE AVENGERS as the original kick-ass secret agent, Emma Peel. Diana had an unbelievable body and screen presence. But more than that, she could deliver a devilishly ironic line of dialogue better than any heroine to follow in her footsteps. Iconic, because her beauty is not defined (or diminished) by the 60’s fashions of the time. Her outfits were sleek, sexy and ahead of their time…if not timeless. Diana also holds the distinction of being the one and only Mrs. Bond…James Bond. She married the world’s most famous super spy in “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. Alas, the marriage was not meant to last (no spoilers here) and is worth watching only for Diana’s amazing beauty at the height of her fame and power.

So, if you still don’t know who I’m referring to after reading this blog, why not rent or stream The Avengers (original British TV version) or On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and take in the breathtaking beauty of Diana for yourself. Whether in Black & White or Color, Ms. Rigg (aka Miss Peel aka Mrs. Bond) is something to behold and beheld by.