Movie poster representation analysis: DR. NO

DR. NO is a film released in 1962 and was the first film in the popular James Bond franchise of films. In the film poster, it is made clear that women are represented as 'sex figures' for the male gaze to enjoy. We see them next to the main lead (Bond, 007) who wears a sophisticated, black suit. This may fool the audience to believing he is respectable towards woman, however, I know that from context, his attitude towards women is less sophisticated and more misogynistic. The poster is read in a golden ratio starting from the image of Sean Connery continuing with the images of the women. The representation here shows women are being mistreated as they are being used and passed along for the main lead. It could be argued that the poster represents specifically younger women in an old-fashioned way as they can be seen wearing revealing, pure white clothing. One woman is even seen with her legs widened as she touches herself reinforcing, the erotic and sexual approach to the Hollywood star system still used in the 1960s. This reinforces the representation of women as 'sex figures' as their main focus point of the advert is simply to attract a male audience.

Additionally, it could also be argued there is a modern approach to representing women in the poster. We see towards the middle the image of a woman hiding next to Bond next to some palm trees. Compared to the other women in the poster, this shows she is outgoing and more active, although she is much lower than Bond, they are both in a similar position. This reinforces David Gauntlett's theory of identity as she is being represented as a role model for women showing they can be as equal as men. I know during 1960's Britain, there was a rise in members for the Women's Liberation Movement (MIA) which was a feminist campaign who fought for fairness towards women including demands for equal pay. This reinforces the representation in the poster as it shows that men and woman are capable of achieving success. You could also argue this reinforces Liesbet Van Zooen's feminist theory as there is a representation of woman as outgoing since the woman in the poster is 'out of the social norms' of the time. However, this representation is contradicted when realising the focus point of the poster is the exoticism of the other women.