Research and Planning: Title Sequence Analysis

In order to analyse James Bond The Spy Who Loved Me (Lewis Gilbert, 1977) I will need to look at many aspects to see how they are used to set up character, narrative and genre.

The details of the cast and crew fade in and out, like the images, during the title sequence. This compliments the music. One of the first names we see is Roger Moore, he is a very famous actor most famous for his roles as James Bond. We then see the title, The Spy Who Loved Me. It is written in very plain writing however it is accompanied by silhouettes of Roger Moore and an unknown woman, possible wearing an ushanka, with a backdrop of a Union Flag. Throughout the title sequence there are silhouettes of guns and women. This may suggest the expectations of the audience, they may expect lots of guns and women throughout the rest of the fim and possibly a Russian influence.

The first few minutes of the film establish the main character very quickly. We see James Bond first with a woman, then being chased by men with guns this shows he is a “ladies man” and dangerous. We also hear him say England needs him and him using a parachute with a Union Flag on it, this shows he is very patriotic. The setting adds a mysterious outlook as we do not know where he is but he seems very comfortable in the location this may suggest he goes to many different places throughout his daily life. The audience are not aware of the year the film is set from the scene.

The first few minutes of the film create an action-packed mood with lots of patriotism. This is created by the use and sight of guns, the Union Flag and women. The “James Bond Theme” is one of the most famous theme tunes in the world, this can be heard during the pre-title scene until it eventually starts during the famous gun barrel shot. During the title sequence Nobody Does It better by Carly Simon (who is now in the Songwriters Hall of Fame) is used. As a running theme, famous artist are asked to create and perform the new Bond Song.

From the pre-title scene and the title sequence, the audience can see that the genre of the film is an action. It is action-packed including guns, skiing and danger. It is very male targeted, as there are many images of women with guns. The pre-title scene creates many questions that would intrigue the audience and therefore be more likely to continue watching. These questions might be “Why is he being chased?” “Who are they?” “What is his job?”.

The most obvious aspect is what the audience are likely to expect. From the pre-title scene and title sequence it is easy to see the running theme is women and guns and action. The editing is very fast-paced to exaggerate the action, this will most likely continued throughout the film. The mis-en-scene also shows what is expected to continue for example the use of props like guns and gadgets. Also the use of colour to determine the “bad guys” during the pre-title scene, which shows the “bad guys” wearing black, will be likely to continue. The use of close ups, point of view shots and long shots will be echoed during the film. The use of close ups shows the emotions of the character, this has many benefits including showing the female leads face, the male leads face and possibly the “bad guys” face so the audience are aware what they look like and are not confused during the fast paced cutting. The point of view shots show the action from the leads point of view. The long shot allows the audience to be fully aware of the location.

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