SonyPictures
On the occasion of the TV broadcast of ” James Bond 007 – Skyfall ” on April 14, 2022 at 10:00 p.m. on Vox , we would like to once again draw your attention to a fan theory about the film that has been circulating for a long time, which reinterprets the events of the Bond adventure lets light appear. With this knowledge in mind, you can try for yourself how differently a film can work if you look at it with the eye for certain details.
The third 007, starring Daniel Craig , is a particularly intimate Bond, as we learn a lot about the secret agent’s childhood in Scotland. But according to Yale professor Stephen L. Carter ‘s theory, the really central blood connection in “Skyfall” is that between M ( Judi Dench ) and villain Raoul Silva ( Javier Bardem ).
Carter thinks he has realized that Silva is actually the son of M . With this theory, the entire basic motivation of the opponent suddenly changes. And that makes the end of the film even more dramatic.
Beware, massive spoilers for “Skyfall” follow!
Why Raoul Silva is the son of M
First of all, how does Carter come to this assumption? The professor’s main argument is an anagram he deciphered. The threat THINK ON YOUR SINS sent by Silva to M in the film can just as easily be transformed into YOUR SON ISNT IN HK . And indeed, up until the events of Skyfall, M still believed Silva was rotting away in a prison in Hong Kong , where she was once the intelligence chief.
But there are a few other indications that speak in favor of the theory:
Silva keeps calling M mother and mummy throughout the film .
Despite having two chances to do so, he cannot bring himself to shoot M face to face and would rather die with her.
His rivalry with Bond (“ I used to be her favorite ”) may be based on a kind of brotherly jealousy.
M seems to feel real guilt towards Silva.
Francois Duhamel / Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. A duel between brothers in spirit?
Another of Carter’s points is that M speaks of orphans as the Secret Service’s best recruits. Her thoughtful look implies that she doesn’t just mean the orphan Bond. From this, Carter concludes that while M isn’t her biological son, he at least adopted Silva as a child.
If this is true, Silva’s vengefulness, his pain and his absolute hatred because of M’s betrayal towards him are very understandable . And also his almost desperate wish at the end to die together with her. A harmonious family life in the tough day-to-day life of an agent is simply not possible.
“Skyfall”: a film about mother complexes.
Carter’s theory gives Skyfall an air of Greek tragedy, but ends up being pretty thin. Because it probably misses the basic theme of the film. Raoul Silva is a precursor and mirror of James Bond. A former top MI6 agent who became cocky and whom M ended up having to sacrifice, believing he would eventually kill himself. A bitter motive for Silva as well as the thought of having been lied to and exploited by M as a child. The viewer can understand that even without family ties.
On the other hand, director Sam Mendes has overwhelmed “Skyfall” with mother metaphors, albeit in a different way than Carter understands them. M has indeed become a kind of surrogate mother for the orphans and agents Bond and Silva. The two indirectly fight for her affection as brothers and hate her for what she has made of them. Because M is also the cold-hearted boss who has to sacrifice agents if necessary – a theme that runs through the entire film from the first scene. In the end, Bond not only defeats Silva (who may have genuinely felt something for M), broken by these facts, but also his own hatred of her with M’s death . This narrative thread will be used in the next film, Spectre’ seamlessly continued.
Francois Duhamel / Danjaq, LLC, United Artists Corporation, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. M stands for mother, not very subtle.
Forgiving his surrogate mother M, our favorite agent with a license to kill is able to relax and get back to work at the end of Skyfall . Silva being M’s son is a perspective that makes the Bond adversary’s motivation even more personal, but it’s not fundamentally necessary for “Skyfall” to work with its very own thoughts on motherhood.
Who will be the next James Bond? These are the top picks to succeed Daniel Craig
This is a re-release of an article previously published on FILMSTARTS.
Tags
