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As soon as the film starts, the spectator is presented with the enigma of Bond in an LS, the camera out of focus silhouetting Bond's figure as he enters centre frame, the lighting low-key, and most definingly the familiar non-diegetic orchestral leitmotif continued since 1962's 'Dr No'. With this association, the audience doesn't need the silhouette to be explained; his silence, and the familiar music, allow the narrative to be told. Immediately, the spectator is immersed into the mystique of his backlit character; distorted and vague despite being so familiar, perhaps a metaphor for Bond himself at this point. Instantly, with the absence of the conventional gun-barrel logo opening, we understand this Bond film will be different, especially to the fact his eyes are lit alluding to something about his personal identity beyond what we already know. In juxtaposition to his conventions, we are positioned to side with his humanity as the camera tracks Bond going to 'stop the bleeding' of a fellow agent, only to be prohibited by the imperative M - a woman's voice, played by Judi Dench as a continuum from the 1990s Bond films; of course a drastic, modern change within the conventions of Bond, written for male readership in a time of patriarchal dominance. Similarly, the stereotypical gender roles are reversed, with M rejecting compassion, even for her own agents, while Bond employs an absence of his typical cold-hearted killer archetype; he is suggested to be an outsider from MI6, and by extension Britain that it represents - of course, another ironic shift from how Bond is aligned with British culture: therefore, we understand Bond feels disconnected from it, introducing the film's themes of trust and later betrayal that Bond faces from M and MI6 when he is ordered to be shot. As soon as Bond enters the outside, the non-diegetic music indicates a foreign location, exoticized for western spectatorship, and we are thrust into the Bond action-packed opening that cross-cuts between MI6. The first antagonist is the Turkish Patrice who Bond chases during the first action sequence, presented to have no identity beyond his nationality/ethnicity/and conflict with Bond, reinforcing the xenophobic trends of Bond. One point for discussion is the introduction of Eve (Naomie Harris), later revealed to be the classical Bond character, Miss Moneypenny. She is the first black woman to be featured alongside Bond and the MI6, and the only black character important to the narrative in the film, making many critiques the franchise as being tokenistic rather than progressive. Similarly, all ethnic characters in the film have small roles within the narrative, supporting the white authority. To further this incautious handling of the film's represented minorities, Eve drives recklessly, knocking off the wing mirrors (relating to the harmful 'women can't drive' stereotype), missing shots, and of course shooting, and presumably killing, Bond by accident when tussling with Patrice on top of a train, thus establishing herself to seem incompetent in contrast to Bond's slick entrance. As we cut back to MI6, M looks out the window, the rain falling on London as it symbolically mourns for Bond, transitioning in a J-cut to the flowing rapids carrying Bond's body to the watery depths.
The title sequence is full of explicit symbolism and most unique for the 'Bond genre', it shows a representative lexical field of mystery, betrayal, and vulnerability that foreshadows the narrative. Bond is represented as a target, a gunshot bleeding from his torso, and alone in a wide frame, uncertain of where to shoot. He is literally pulled to the depths, relating to the film exploring his childhood roots, and for the first time, he is out of control. 'Instances of repetitions and differences' is shown through the typical silhouettes of sexualised women while the men are encoded with gun violence, yet this, unlike other self-aware Bond references in the film, is approached with its own stylised self-seriousness rather than self-parody as an attempt to update and sophisticate the used-to-be spoofy nature of Bond title sequences and Bond as a genre.
One interesting subversion of Bond is during his 'rejection' phase - where he decides to stay 'dead', retired from MI6 and his duty as a response to M's betrayal. He is presented as broken - the first shot of this sequence is Bond with an unnamed (disposable in the narrative) woman, his habits leaning to his promiscuity. Conventionally, the 'Bond girl' is just as part of Bond's identity as his nationality - his womanising characteristics are idealised - yet here his promiscuity is present at his lowest point, far removed from his MI6 position. Similarly, he partakes in machismo activities as he drinks alcohol with a scorpion on his hand, the crowd of men at the bar cheering. The fact that Bond partakes in a reckless, dangerous activity like this while men leer around him suggests Mendes is presenting this idea of masculinity (through Bond) as a critique; a performance for the surrounding men while internally Bond is melancholic. In a provoking cut, we see Bond in MS leaning at the same bar in the daytime, appearing bored and alone - emphasised by the lighting change from the warm crowd to a desolate, bleak blue, clearly unhappy with his current lifestyle. This is an intense subversion of Bond's conventional approach in the franchise, seeing his typical machismo archetype, that used to be used as as a tool for admiration for his viewers, be shifted into his extreme masculinity becoming something separate from Bond, something he uses as a distraction rather than as a part of his identity. Seeing the news of MI6's attack on the TV, his appearance in M's home is not unexpected. In this scene, he stands obscured in the shadows, claiming to have been 'enjoying death', following a snarky back and forth between the two that highlights their fractured relationship; the ideological bicker between mother and son. Yet, much like Bond, M is also old-fashioned, out of her depth, and behind the times as she is urged by the Governmental meddle Mallory to retire.
Skyfall, heavily in the first act, is full of British iconography and culture, its representations evaluated by Mendes. The china bulldog, a visual expression of Winston Churchill, sits on M's desk as a symbolic extension of her. London metaphorically mourns for the loss of Bond as pedestrians largely wear black, Big Ben chimes sorrowfully, and the streets portray dispirited activity, and therefore Bond is positioned as a British landmark, often presented alongside them above London such as Big Ben, Whitehall, and the London Underground, framed as the protector of it. In this sense, Skyfall can be seen as a heritage project for Bond's legacy. Bond is going back to his own roots just as much as the film is. Moving ahead of act one, there are references to previous Bond films; the scorpions of the Pierce Brosnan era, the occasional silliness and elaborate set pieces of the Roger Moore era within the casino, and Sean Connery's iconic Aston Martin. With the reinvented modernity of Bond, the cinematic self-seriousness, referencing its own tropes as a self-parodic wink to the spectators - such as when Q jokingly asks Bond 'were you expecting an exploding pen?' -, Skyfall ideologically presses nostalgia - going back to the old-fashioned ways that Bond views as better, mostly as a defence against the rapidly advancing world around him that he is out of touch with. By making him relatable in the first half hour, we side with this ideology; the world is pressing on at a faster, more advanced pace, a contextual representation of Britain; MI6 can be seen as this empirical family, being taunted by cyberattacks that even the fresh-faced, youthful Q can't grapple with. So when MI6 is blown up, it is an attack on Britain, and as Bond is the symbolic protector of this, he is immediately thrust into this conflict. MI6 goes back to its imperialist roots by relocating its headquarters to Churchill's WW2 bunker, symbolically returning to the security of the British 'glory days' to defeat the unfamiliar threat.
Socioeconomic factors affect how this film is presented. With the Bond genre that became dated and stagnated with audiences, Craig's reinvented Bond combined the familiar genres: action, romance, spy, and thriller, with new elements of drama and mystery. Skyfall has both a descriptive and functional approach to its genre - it relies on its own genre of Bond paradigms, belonging to several different genres that compile into its own bond genre from this established set of paradigms - and audiences needed something original to view Bond with in a fresh light while still retaining the familiar characteristics of a 'Bond film'. This is where the functional approaches to the bond genre come in; Skyfall brings questions to its audience that can be repeated over time as values change - in Skyfall the questions are around old-fashioned idealism versus the rapid advancement of technology, trust/duty/loyalty to the establishment and reflecting on identity. At the time of Skyfall, Bond is belonging to its paradigmatic set and simultaneously exists as a product of its socio-economic/historical context.
Perhaps the largest ideological discourse within the film, anchored and emphasised within the first act, is the clash between the old and the new. This is most apparent, as discussed, through traditional/old-fashioned technologies against advanced technology in the modern world. Yet it is also represented well between Bond and Q's first meeting inside the London National Gallery, Q commenting on a Turner painting about an old ship being hauled away, its past glory forgotten. This metaphor about Bond cleverly presents the perspectives of the old and young, representative of their respective technologies and approaches. Q implies that Bond is getting too old for his job and can/will be succeeded by a new 007, while all Bond sees is a 'bloody big ship'; formidable and still powerful, the only thing that matters. Through dialogue, the film presents this clash of ideals: (Q) 'age is no guarantee of efficiency', (Bond) 'and youth is no guarantee of innovation'. Through the side-by-side equal framing and OTS shots, they are brought together and mutual respect is gained. Represented through this exchange, in summary of this film's ideology: optimism for a new, fresh future has to be brought by communion with the past. Old versus new is also represented through the contrast of location in the final shot of the first act. Through the juxtaposition of colour and perspective, old versus new is apparent between London and Shanghai. London is dull, traditional, behind-the times and (relative to the spectator) familiar yet stagnant, while Shanghai, framed in an aerial shot, is modern, advanced, full of activity, noise, and colour despite being shown during the night. Despite 2012 for some being a time of patriotism with the monarchic Jubilee and London Olympics, the world was changing and global powers shifted/modernised. Therefore, Bond, found on imperialism, is put into this modern world and subsequently clashes with it.
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