Bond Girls Are Forever: The Women of James Bond is a 2003 book co-written by John Cork and actress Maryam d'Abo, who had played the role of Kara Milovy in The Living Daylights. It is a tribute to the elite club of women who have played the role of a Bond Girl in the franchise's history. It followed a documentary, Bond Girls Are Forever, released in 2002, hosted by d'Abo.
It was first published following Die Another Day and features interviews with a number of Bond girls who were featured throughout the film franchise between the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962) starring Ursula Andress and the then-current 20th film Die Another Day starring Halle Berry.
Synopsis[]
The authors offer summaries and studies of every Bond film to that date, emphasizing the Bond Girl's role in each one, and share quotes from numerous Bond Girl actresses. The book addresses such issues as the feminist criticisms in the 1960's and 1970's of Bond Girls being used and seen as "sex objects" to the transition of modern Bond Girls as more self-confident, sexually assured role models. In her interview, Jill St. John stated that the movies were only make-believe and shouldn't be judged as a representation of the real world, and that feminists who were criticizing the films were "just bad sports".
The authors mention the positive impact that Bond Girls have had, particularly in recent years, of being inspirational figures. It highlights examples such as the character of Holly Goodhead from 1979's Moonraker being portrayed as a fully trained astronaut and space shuttle pilot, years before the first real-life woman achieved such a position. Similar words are said of Christmas Jones, from The World Is Not Enough who had a doctorate in nuclear physics and spoke fluent Russian. Denise Richards, who played the part, said she only took the role due to it being a strong example for young women.
Bond Girls interviewed in order[]