Broken Bond: Skyfall and the British Identity Crisis

Abstract

This article argues that Skyfall (2012) was influenced by and responded to the contemporary debate over the future of the British Union and the referendum on Scottish independence. This is most evident in the film's preoccupation with Britain and Britishness; moreover, this article contends that Skyfall's overt patriotism and largely patriotic reception obscured its more contentious representations of Britain and British identity. Arguably no character symbolises Britain and British identity more than Bond, yet Bond's Britishness has assumed an overtly English form. Bond's Scottish origins, both literary and cinematic, thus problematise elements of the later Bond films which allude to Britain and Britishness. At this significant period in British history when issues of national and political identity are at the forefront of national consciousness, the release of another film starring what the Telegraph referred to as ‘Britain's favourite spy’ merits particular critical attention.