Textual Analysis

Thesis: The representation of men through propaganda, with an element of weakness.

The Utopian action thrillers, Mission Impossible 4 – Ghost Protocol and Skyfall correspond with one another in the representation of men through propaganda, with an element of weakness. In Skyfall and Ghost Protocol both of the male leads are represented as strong and independent despite having a team to back them up and support them. They are shown fighting most crucial situations independently to highlight their dominance. Although they are portrayed as classical heroes, both films include certain weaknesses in their characters. This is most likely an attempt to add an element of realism and for the audience to relate to the character better.

Skyfall presents a Britain that has an agency known as MI6. MI6 have some of the best agents, who can conquer any radical situations that come in their way, especially the unbeatable agent, 007. James Bond is presented as a courageous and fearless man, who has a strong and suave screen presence. However, he is shown to have his own weaknesses, such as depression, emotions and sensitivity towards his mother figure, M. In comparison Ghost Protocol presents a United States that has its own secret agency named IMF, which yet again is a surreal presentation of a team that is unbeatable, smart and powerful. The leader of the team, Ethan Hunt is shown as a strong and determined man, who conquers any situation he is placed in. He’s shown to be a driven individual who doesn’t want to see anything apart from his mission. However, just Bond, he also has his own personal background.

 Bond’s first weakness is shown after he accidentally gets shot in the first fight sequence and is considered to be dead. In his absence the MI6 building is attacked. Bond learns this and returns back to Britain. Unfortunately he isn’t welcomed back by the MI6, which touches on the disposability of these heroes, despite their training and expertise. Bond has to retake the tests to become a field agent again. This adds to the element of weakness as he fails the tests and displays poor physical ability. However, heroes being heroes this is justified by the presence of shrapnel in his shoulder which he bravely goes onto remove himself. The balance between weakness and heroism always tends to tilt in favour of heroism.

Bond’s sensitivity is revealed during M’s death scene. Bond successfully lodges a knife into Silva’s back, killing him, but M succumbs to her bullet wound and dies in his arms, leaving Bond distraught. Bond’s tears and affection towards M during that scene informs us of the depth of their relationship. He also affectionately closes her eyes and gives her a kiss on the forehead, showing her as not just a boss but like a mother-figure. This is supported by the cinematography. For example the camera angle is at a close up and goes back and forth from Bond and M’s perspective. This highlights the special bond that they share and we as an audience almost feel like outsiders. In particular, when the camera zooms out with Bond’s back turned to us. The lighting adds to create atmosphere, as it turns dark and dull when M falls to the ground. This also exemplifies Bond’s emotions and distraught feeling that he’s lost a guiding figure who he used to look up to and now he will have to find his way alone.

In Ghost Protocol, Ethan Hunt is portrayed as a tough and focussed individual, with seemingly little in terms of weakness. However, as the film progresses we find out that his apparently late wife is his biggest weakness. The main difference between Hunt and Bond is that Hunt has acknowledged his weakness and in a way dealt with it. Hunt has made the ultimate sacrifice for his line of work by detaching himself from his wife leaving him to be the ideal hero. However, he watches Julia discreetly from afar. The scene involves a crowd but the close up camera shots of both of their smiles gives us a sense of the intimacy of their relationship. This shows the softer side of Hunt and his sense of selflessness.

The representation of men through propaganda is a common feature in both films. Male dominance is shown through different scenes with respect to the heroes and the villains. For example, in Skyfall, Bond is juxtaposed against a fluttering Union Jack flag, staring confidently out at the Kingdom. This states that Britain’s responsibility is on his shoulders and also depicts him as a symbol of hope. This is male dominance at its extreme, as he is being compared to the entire population of Britain. The cinematography here supports this as a medium close up shot is used where the frame is split equally with Bond on one side and the flag on the other. The Union Jack flying at full mast is also a form of phallic imagery representing Bond’s return to his best performance.

Similarly, in Ghost Protocol, Hunt is also portrayed as dominant, but this time over women as oppose to the nation. When Hunt escapes jail and reunites with his team, he is immediately expected to take charge. Whilst in his absence, Carter, the only female member of the team was in charge. This follows the rules of a classical Hollywood narrative of a hero who always rescues the female of in this case relieves her of her duties. He then goes on to undertake tasks such as climbing the side of the Burj Khalifa using a glove-type gadget. Upon the gloves malfunctioning, Hunt takes a risk even after his team’s disapproval, and swings into the room. This resembles a typical Tarzan movement and adds to Hunt’s image of male dominance, as Tarzan is a human embodiment of animal strength and prowess. The use of a tall building portrays the use of phallic imagery and adds to the masculinity of the hero. The use of a crane shot shows Hunt’s dominance over the building as he is shown as looking down on the building, whereas the majority look up and in awe of tall buildings from the ground.

Ghost Protocol and Skyfall are quite biased in the way they present their male protagonists and antagonists. The male protagonists and their teams are shown to be using the same “terrorist” techniques and strategies in order to get their respective missions accomplished. However they’re shown in a positive light and energy, whereas the antagonists are shown as being evil. If the heroes are using similar strategies as the villains, then this means our ideal heroes are not so different from the villains, or does it? The fact that these heroes are British and American plays an important role in our perception of their activities. Throughout these films there is always a sense of national pride and a greatness of our way of life. The use of terrorist-style techniques is justified to us by the need to protect the freedom enjoyed by the British and Americans. Ghost Protocol follows the traditional and expected classical Hollywood narrative where the male antagonist is foreign. Skyfall is more sophisticated in a sense that the male antagonist is British and moreover, a former member of the MI6.

In Skyfall there’s Raoul Silva, who wants to destroy M and MI6, in order to take revenge for the sacrifices that he made for her, which were futile and instead destroyed his life. Silva is shown to have his own background story which is motivating his actions. The confrontation scene between M, Silva and Bond is a turning point in the movie. This is when the past draws in and the Mise En Scene reflects the twist in the story. We see M in the slightly darker side of the room, which now reflects her shadier past. Silva is contradicting to his character in this particular scene, as he is seen underneath the light, which shows us that he was a better person in his past, but the urge for revenge turned him into what he is. Then there’s Bond standing in between both M and Silva – the darker and lighter side of the room, which shows us that although Bond didn’t have anything to do with Silva’s past, he’s still a part of the MI6 agency. Here the lighting is crucial to aid our understanding of right and wrong. In contrast, Hendricks is more of a typical Hollywood villain out to destroy America. Hendricks wants to take over the world and Hollywood portrays America as a key target in this mission. This sends out the message of how important America is globally. Also, the bombing of the Kremlin demonstrates the apparent disposability of other nation’s key buildings.

Each of these films has a strong sense of national identity embedded in its roots. In Skyfall, when Bond is called to M’s makeshift office he is surprised that one of M’s less tasteful desk ornaments, a white china bulldog with a Union Jack flag painted on its back, survived the explosion. This is a metaphorical way to present Britain’s tough resilience. The significance of this is emphasized in the end of the film where Bond is handed this bulldog by Eve indicating how Bond is a symbol of British resolve in times of hardship. Ghost Protocol differs as it uses little symbolism and is more a show of Hunts strength and fearlessness. Hunt is often filmed bare-armed displaying his muscular physique and is headstrong in his decisions regardless of the risk involved.

Skyfall and Ghost Protocol both represent men as dominant and undefeatable. Both heroes adopt techniques that are more familiar with terrorists than law-abiding citizens but the use of propaganda enables the audience to justify this as a form of achieving the greater good. However, the male antagonist in Skyfall does make us question morality. The strong sense of national pride through propaganda helps to distinguish the male protagonist and antagonist as hero and villain, respectively. Moreover, the heroes themselves are representative of their nations; Bond is reserved, suave and resilient whereas, Hunt is driven, brawny and feisty.  The use of weakness and sensitivity within the heroes, whether due to a woman as in Hunts case or Bond’s physical ability, adds another dimension to the characters helping the audience to relate.