What does Skyfall want to convey to us?
There is something unmistakably British about Skyfall. From Bond's impeccably tailored suits and dry humour to London's skyline, the River Thames, the Underground and the unmistakable sound of an English accent, the film seems determined to remind us that James Bond is not simply a global action hero. He is a British one.
At first glance, this may seem surprising. By the time Skyfall was released in 2012, Britain was no longer the imperial superpower it had once been. The British Empire had largely disappeared, and the United Kingdom's geopolitical influence was increasingly exercised through international institutions, diplomacy, finance and culture rather than territorial control.
Yet Skyfall presents Britishness as remarkably powerful.
This is not accidental. The film arrived at a particularly symbolic moment for Britain, shortly after the London Olympics and during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. It therefore became more than another instalment in a long-running spy franchise. It offered audiences a carefully constructed image of Britain: traditional, sophisticated, resilient and still capable of playing an important role in world affairs. Academic research has similarly identified nostalgia, nationalism and British cultural prestige as important elements in the film's success. (University of Bristol)
Why are Americans so fascinated by Britain?
One of the most interesting questions surrounding James Bond is why the character has remained so popular in the United States.
The answer cannot simply be that Americans enjoy action films. Bond represents something more specific: a version of Britishness that is simultaneously foreign and familiar.
Britain and the United States share a language, a long political relationship and many cultural traditions. At the same time, Britain possesses a sense of history and social tradition that distinguishes it from America. This combination creates a form of cultural familiarity without complete identification.
This fascination with Britain can be described as Anglophilia—an admiration for English or British culture. It can be found throughout American popular culture: British music, literature, television, royal ceremonies and, of course, James Bond.
The relationship is particularly interesting because it developed alongside a dramatic shift in global power. Britain once dominated much of the world through its empire. After the Second World War, the United States increasingly assumed the position of the dominant Western power.
Bond therefore occupies an unusual cultural position. He is British, but he operates within a Western political world in which American power is often greater. His Britishness makes him exotic without making him threatening.
Bond as a fantasy of power
James Bond is more than a secret agent. He is a fantasy of a particular lifestyle.
He travels effortlessly between countries, stays in luxury hotels, drives expensive cars, wears designer suits and drinks sophisticated cocktails. He has access to places, people and experiences that remain inaccessible to most ordinary people.
In this sense, Bond embodies some of the promises of globalization. The world is presented as open and interconnected. Borders are crossed with ease. Tokyo, Shanghai, Istanbul and London can all become stages within the same adventure.
But there is a contradiction at the heart of this fantasy.
Globalization may make the world more interconnected, but it can also make national identities appear less secure. If capital, information, technology and people move increasingly across borders, what does it mean to belong to a particular nation?
Skyfall responds to this uncertainty by returning to Britishness.
Bond travels across the world, yet his identity remains firmly rooted in Britain. The more international his environment becomes, the more important his national identity seems to become.
Globalization versus the nation
This tension is central to Skyfall.
The film takes place in a highly globalized world. Its villains are no longer necessarily representatives of clearly defined enemy states. Instead, threats can come from individuals, terrorist networks, cyberattacks and technological systems that operate across borders.
This is very different from the Cold War world of the earlier Bond films, when the enemy could often be identified as a specific geopolitical rival.
In Skyfall, the enemy is much less predictable.
That uncertainty creates a desire for something familiar: the nation-state.
M, played by Judi Dench, represents an older model of British authority. She embodies discipline, loyalty and institutional continuity. Her famous defence of Britain's ability to respond to new threats is therefore about more than MI6. It is also about whether traditional institutions still have a purpose in a rapidly changing world.
Academic analyses of Skyfall have argued that the film connects Bond's personal struggles with the decline and reinvention of British power. Bond himself is ageing, while the institution he represents is being questioned. His eventual return to action can consequently be interpreted as a symbolic restoration of both the individual hero and the national institution. (Taylor & Francis Online)
The nostalgia of Skyfall
Nostalgia is one of the film's most powerful elements. The film repeatedly looks backwards: towards Bond's origins, towards traditional British institutions and towards a version of Britain that appears more coherent than the fragmented modern world. Yet this is not simply nostalgia for the past. It is nostalgia adapted to the present.
Bond does not reject modern technology. He uses it. He does not remain inside Britain's borders. He travels constantly. He is part of a globalized consumer culture.
What Skyfall suggests is that globalization does not necessarily have to destroy national identity. Instead, the two can coexist. Bond can be both global and British. This is perhaps one of the reasons the character has survived for so long. He can be modernized without being completely transformed.
London as a cultural symbol
The film's use of London is particularly important.
London is not merely a setting. It becomes a character in its own right.
The city is presented through recognizable images: the Thames, historic buildings, underground stations, government institutions and elegant urban spaces. These images construct a particular idea of Britishness—one based on history, sophistication and institutional stability.
The contrast between the old and the new is crucial.
London is simultaneously an ancient European capital and a global financial and cultural centre. It therefore represents the contradiction at the heart of Skyfall: Britain is no longer an imperial power in the traditional sense, but it remains deeply influential through culture, finance, diplomacy and soft power.
The film turns this contradiction into a source of strength.
Why does Britishness still matter?
The continuing popularity of Bond raises a broader question: why do national identities remain so powerful in an increasingly globalized world?
One possible answer is that globalization does not eliminate the need for belonging. In some circumstances, it may actually intensify it.
When societies become more interconnected, people may become increasingly conscious of what makes their own culture distinctive. National traditions, symbols and historical narratives can therefore become more visible rather than less.
This does not necessarily mean that people want to return to the past. Instead, they may use the past to make sense of the present.
Skyfall does precisely this.
It takes an old national symbol and gives him a contemporary purpose. Bond remains recognizably British, but he now operates in a world shaped by cybertechnology, international terrorism, financial globalization and shifting geopolitical power. His survival depends on his ability to adapt.
A British hero for a global audience
Perhaps the greatest irony of James Bond is that one of the most recognizably British characters in popular culture has become a genuinely global product.
Audiences around the world may not share British history or understand every cultural reference in the film, yet Bond remains internationally recognizable. That is the genius of the character.
He represents Britishness, but he also represents a broader fantasy of sophistication, independence, mobility and power. His British identity gives him character; his global adventures give him universal appeal.
In Skyfall, this relationship becomes especially visible. The film is simultaneously a celebration of Britain and a product of globalization.
Its message is not simply that Britain remains powerful. It is subtler: Britain can remain culturally relevant even after the decline of its traditional geopolitical power. The empire may have disappeared, but its cultural echoes remain.
And perhaps that is what makes Skyfall so fascinating. Beneath the explosions, luxury cars and spectacular locations lies a much older question: what happens to national identity when the world around it changes?
Bond's answer is characteristically British.Adapt, modernize and move forward—but never completely forget where you came from.
References and Reading:
Thorpe, Vanessa. “Skyfall: From American Beauty to English Hero.” The Guardian, 2012.
Background on director Sam Mendes and the film's specifically British character. (The Guardian)
Read the Guardian article
Add comment
Comments