SPECTRE, the latest James Bond film, is now thrilling audiences in theaters, and while there’s a ton of different ways to speculate and dissect the Bond film series, there’s something that has to be recognized, and that’s its highlight of black women.
One of the things that’s annoying for many women of color is seeing a woman of color on screen and see her not get the guy in the end. When a woman of color is denied her due as a viable love interest, it hurts, since black women have been routinely put in the “strong black woman” category. But these women, Live and Let Die‘s Rosie Carver (Gloria Hendry), Diamonds are Forever‘s Thumper (Trina Parks), A View to a Kill‘s May Day (Grace Jones), Die Another Day‘s Jinx (Halle Berry) and Skyfall and SPECTRE‘s Eve Moneypenny (Naomie Harris), show that black women aren’t just strong; they’re sexy, intriguing, exciting and respected, especially in the case of Moneypenny, the one woman who is Bond’s equal and the one woman Bond respects apart from M.
Take a look at this gallery of black Bond Girls through the years, check out the hashtag #blackwomenofbond to learn more about the recent “Black Women of Bond” celebration event held by Essence and the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA), and remember to watch SPECTRE in theaters now.
Synopsis of SPECTRE: A cryptic message from the past sends James Bond (Daniel Craig) on a rogue mission to Mexico City and eventually Rome, where he meets Lucia Sciarra (Monica Bellucci), the beautiful and forbidden widow of an infamous criminal. Bond infiltrates a secret meeting and uncovers the existence of the sinister organisation known as SPECTRE.
Meanwhile back in London, Max Denbigh (Andrew Scott), the new head of the Centre for National Security, questions Bond’s actions and challenges the relevance of MI6, led by M (Ralph Fiennes). Bond covertly enlists Moneypenny (Naomie Harris) and Q (Ben Whishaw) to help him seek out Madeleine Swann (Léa Seydoux), the daughter of his old nemesis Mr White (Jesper Christensen), who may hold the clue to untangling the web of SPECTRE. As the daughter of an assassin, she understands Bond in a way most others cannot.
As Bond ventures towards the heart of SPECTRE, he learns of a chilling connection between himself and the enemy he seeks, played by Christoph Waltz.
