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Best (and Worst) Bond Girls

10/4/2012

 
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Bond films wouldn't be half so interesting, popular - or, let's face it, nearly as scenic - without that crucial ingredient: the Bond girl. It's always big news when a new Bond girl is cast in an upcoming 007 film. Often winning a role as a Bond girl can be a mixed blessing. While a few actresses can look back fondly at their experiences as a Bond girl at the end of a long and fruitful career, many more have found their casting a hindrance, their high-profile appearance perhaps branding them, often unfairly,  as lightweight cheesecake, and failing to lead on to the bigger and better parts they initially dreamed of.

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Either way, for better or worse, these actresses have become part of the worldwide Bond legacy, forever linked to this 50-year-old series in the eyes of fans past, present and future.

So, then...What are the ingredients that make for a good Bond girl?

Beauty goes without saying. While beauty is, as they say, in the eye of the beholder, I think few could argue that nearly every actress to appear on screen in a James Bond film has been quite attractive, to say the least (personally speaking, I would have to exclude the mannish Grace Jones from that assessment, though I'm sure she has her fans).

Therefore, beauty and sex appeal alone are not enough. The women who have lit up the screen in the James Bond series, the ones that truly stand out, bring a special something extra to the role: either a worldly sophistication, an easy elegance, a sureness or confidence of manner, or a fierce intelligence. And even more importantly, a memorable Bond woman needs an allure, an aura of mystery, that exquisite unknowability that drives regular men to distraction - an allure sufficiently powerful enough to turn the head of the notoriously bed-hopping, love 'em and leave 'em 007.

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As far as I'm concerned, the typical James Bond girl comes in three essential categories: the Leading Lady, the good girl who sides with Bond and (usually) survives to the end of the film; the Sacrificial Victim, either on Bond's side from the get go and eliminated by the bad guys, or won over by his charms to such an extent that she will foolishly turn her back on the villain and pay for it with her life; and, of course, the Black Widow, the bad girl, unredeemed by her tryst with Bond, happy enough to sleep with him knowing full well that she will try her best to kill him later, and enjoy it.

As Bond fans, we all have our personal favorites in every aspect of the series, from actors, villains, theme songs, pre-credit sequences, etc. Bond girls are no different. So here, then, are the ladies I feel deserve the best - and worst - accolades.


1) The ravishing Claudine Auger as Domino in Thunderball

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2) Barbara Bach as Major Anya Amasova in The Spy Who Loved Me

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3) Luciana Paluzzi as very bad Bond girl Fiona Vulpe in Thunderball
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4) Diana Rigg as  Countess Theresa "Tracy" Di Vicenzo, a.k.a. Mrs. James Bond, in On Her Majesty's Secret Service

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5) Izabella Scorupco as Natalya Simonova in Goldeneye

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6) Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova in From Russia With Love

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7) The sultry Caroline Munro as bad girl Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me

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8) English rose Honor Blackman as Pussy Galore in Goldfinger

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9) Carole Bouquet as Melina Havelock in For Your Eyes Only
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10) Jane Seymour as Solitaire in Live and Let Die

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And a special "Honorable Mention" to the original Bond girl, the iconic one who started it all:    Ursula Andress as Honey Rider in Dr. No

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The Worst:

And now, from the sublime to the ridiculous. The following actresses, while undeniable gorgeous, just don't make the cut, either due to deer-in-the-headlights, youthful inexperience and lack of acting talent (Tanya Roberts), miscasting or just plain being a wrong fit for the glitz and glamor of a Bond film (Denise Richards), or were saddled with a badly-written, stupid or inconsistent character (Jill St. John).

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Sergio (Tipping My Fedora) link
10/4/2012 11:47:52 pm

As you say, all in the eye of the beholder - no disagreements with any of your choices really though my dislike of THUNDERBALL would lower the statuesque Paluzzi in my ranking (I mean the character, not the lovely lady herself). But darn it you're the one living in Japan, how could you leave out Mie Hama?

Jeff
10/5/2012 12:35:01 am

Hey Sergio!

There were several actresses I hated to leave off the list, including Sophie Marceau and Akiko Wakabayashi (who I prefer to the very pleasing but duller Mie Hama).

ruth link
10/11/2012 02:14:03 pm

Wow, two girls from The Spy Who Loved Me, but yeah, both of them are stunning. Glad to see Melina Havelock here, she's not overtly sexual, that's why I like her. I definitely would add Eva Green's Vesper, she's one of my fave as she's both sexy and intelligent.

Totally agree with your worst picks, Jeff!

Jeff
10/11/2012 06:46:11 pm

Thanks, Ruth! Yes, THE SPY WHO LOVED ME beauties are indeed stunning. I can see what you say re: preferring the non-overtly sexual Bond girls. While some of my top ten aren't given fully fleshed-out characters to portray, most them are at least written as smart, capable women with interesting and/or pivotal roles to play in the action, but still allowed to be glamorous and feminine.

Rick link
10/21/2012 12:48:40 pm

Some great choices here! Diana Rigg is probably my No. 1, combining brains, pluck, beauty, and elegance. She was the perfect pick for Mrs. 007. Honor and Carole rank high, too, for the similar reasons. For beauty alone, it's hard to top Claudine. Tanya is quite lovely, too, but she's awful in VIEW TO A KILL--and doesn't look right as a blonde.

Jeff
10/22/2012 07:54:29 am

Hey there, Rick! Diana Rigg is a great choice, for sure...just edged out by the sheer beauty of the other 3. I'm just always gobsmacked by how stunning Claudine Auger is. I agree also that Tanya is lovely (see BEASTMASTER, ahem...), but she definitely lacks the acting chops for even a decorative Bond girl part - though she did get better by the time she appeared on THAT 70s SHOW. And yes, she looks much better as a redhead. Thanks for the comment!


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