Hello dear readers. To celebrate 100 posts on this blog, it seems appropriate to feature the film clip that was the major inspiration for it. I will never forget seeing this in the cinema for the first time. This visualisation of girl power had a huge impact on me. To see women fighting with men and beating them so comprehensively in a mainstream movie was both shocking and exhilarating at the same time. My heart was pounding as we watched an army of scantily clad women totally destroy the male palace guards. We'd never seen anything like this before. The fact they were wearing sexy, revealing outfits made the whole thing that much more exciting and pleasing to watch. There was no doubt that these fighters were female, but they were stronger and better at fighting than the men. Their skill grace and power was overwhelming, the men had no answer for it and were crushed easily. Despite the devastating display of physical dominance, the women looked beautiful and feminine throughout. This of course went totally against the grain of what we were used to seeing. This time women were in a different role and although initially surprising, it felt good, it felt right to me. For the first time I was fully engaged in an action sequence in a film.
As we left the cinema, me and my friends were all buzzing and energised by what we had just seen. As girls our collective egos had just been boosted through the roof, I felt invincible, superior and in a strange way like I had been freed. I also had a wonderful feeling that the truth had just been revealed, not only to me and my friends, but to all the boys and men in the audience too. They would now have to accept the idea, that women CAN beat men up and they must be hating it ha ha. I was so inspired by the effectiveness of the graceful acrobatics that I just could't wait for my next gymnastics lesson...I also started fantasising about using some of the moves I had just seen on certain nasty boys at school and maybe one or two male teachers...
For years this scene has stayed with me as a genius bit of film making. There has not really been anything quite so effective since and although it was just one scene in just one film, I always had the strong conviction that there was way more milage in the concept....
Please share your thoughts and memories of Octopussy....
Hey Xaan, happy 100th post! I didn’t know you were a gymnast :) you must have seen you superiority to guys very early on, I can tell you are a ferocious dominant man beater, do you have any martial arts training/experience of beating on guys too? Lol
ReplyDeleteThe Octopussy clip is indeed a genius bit of female empowerment, great clip and screenshots, Q's understatement of the movie 'they seem to be doing quite well' lol. A whole army of men getting trashed by a squad of pretty women in bad arse outfits yes!!!! You can say it was before its time (or a good prediction of things to come!) A lot of feminism and feminists at that time were off the notion that aspects of femininity like make-up or stilettos was seen as disempowering, strong amazon women were portrayed as butch and manly but we are seeing an evolution in philosophy - a melding of amazon feminism with the so called 3rd wave lipstick feminism - feminism that emphasizes female physical prowess as a means to showcase female gender superiority blended with feminism which proposes that a woman can be empowered — psychologically, socially, physically – by the wearing of cosmetic make up, sensually-appealing clothes, and the embrace of sexual allure for her own self-image as a confidently superior being.
Ironically in a way patriarchy, through its own desire to patronise its concept of the weak physically inferior female, is inadvertently speeding this process on – take the lfl which started as a circus to objectify and laugh at ‘big bosomed pretty girly models’ running around a football pitch ‘trying’ to play sports. It is fast resulting in these so called weak ‘big bosomed pretty girly models’ becoming aspirational women to all girls stronger, faster more powerful than men yet still feminine fashionable to girls - a new breed of ‘pretty strong’
And we are now seeing this in mma too with the lingerie fighting championships. http://lingeriefc.com/
At first when I saw this I was disgusted – a thinly veiled excuse to put women in even skimpier outfits than fighters already routinely wear, women with (initially) no martial training cat fighting in a cage for the amusement of men - denigrating all the work and achievements womens real mma has done these past few years. But if you see how the lfc has and is developing - Kim Kardashian look a likes (who the vast majority of girls still aspire to be) are developing professional fighting skills and strength on a par with and slowly becoming better than men highlighting that you can be girly and winsome, if that is your choice, and at the same time be strong and kick (male) arse? Most men now cannot mess with these ladies. They'd destroy them. It teaches men and women not to believe that females are defenceless. We can take care of ourselves, overpower men and still look good doing it. The very definition of lipstick amazon feminism! Ronda Rousey is even endorsing them now, they have olypic athletes and even an fighter who was an undefeated wrestler in high school (which will almost certainly include mainly victories over boys) on their roster. So now I see this as a positive way of accelerating the awakening to female supremacy enabling women greater social freedom to assert their dominance over men in all phases of life xD Ace
I'm a stiletto femdom amazon feminist ;) lol polegirl x.
DeleteHi Ace. Yes I was a gymnast from an early age and loved it too. And yes I was aware of my superiority over boys from the get-go. One of my earliest memories of this was that my mother had a friend who was French and when she came to visit she would bring her youngest son with her. He was older than me by a couple of years, 8 to my 6. We would be left on our own to play. He had a nasty habit of biting and giving Chinese burns (His new trick). One day he started to play too rough and hurt me. I retaliated by unleashing a comprehensive beating and he went screaming and crying to his mother. I ran and hid to avoid being told off. How embarrassing it must have been for him? Come to think of it this was probably my "when did you realise" moment. I think I have commented elsewhere on the blog that I couldn't remember it, but this was probably it.
DeleteAlas the gymnastics as well as many other things gave way to tennis and I was never involved in any martial arts unfortunately. I wish I had been and it may sound strange, but I wish I'd had more fights growing up. Looking back I was too passive and should have stood up for myself and others more. That's why I'm keen to encourage girls not to be afraid of their physicality, but to embrace it and use it to their advantage.
As you know, it's a firmly held conviction of mine that women do not need to eschew the trappings of femininity in order to become physically empowered. To become physically empowered and dominant is not to become more male. It is to become more female, so why should we stop wearing heels, lingerie and make-up just because we can kick male butt? As I've said before, men only have a rudimentary appreciation for these things anyway, they are for us to enjoy ourselves.
Thanks for bringing the LFC to my attention - I will check it out - if Ronda Rousey is endorsing them it must be OK.
BTW Fit shaming article is on the way....every time I sit down to write it I get disturbed by something....Cheers
Interesting comments re lfc and eschewing the trappings of feminity in order to become physically empowered. It reminds me of the backlash protests by women tired of being "slut shamed" I remember once stumbling on a slutwalk demonstration where I witnessed a martial arts demonstration performed by buff Amazonian girls dressed as "sluts" surrounded by similarly attired females brandishing "woman power" muscle banners. It was both an impressive and (as a man) terrifying sight to behold. The confidence and strength of the girls and women as they shattered all notions of their vulnerability and displayed acts of dominance and female physical supremacy that hit home my masculine inferiority like this scene from octopussy does. I think the days of male rule are numbered and the rise of a gynarchy is only a matter of time if more females take up this cause. If lfc and slutwalking melded this will happen even quicker!! Paul
DeleteWhile good use of heels has been explained by Ace in another post and lingerie actually benefits freedom of movement, I don't think make-up affects femininity in any way - plus, it is bad for the skin.
DeleteStriker
All women are feminine just by definition of our gender no matter how we dress or behave. Striker you are right about makeup I feel no less feminine shopping in a supermarket wearing my pjs slippers and dressing gown because it's morning and I haven't got dressed yet, hair a mess no slap on not caring what anyone thinks as I do in full glory on the pole
DeleteBut I do like makeup provided it is cruelty free and natural ingredients. There is something tribal about putting it on and wearing it like a boss, sometimes I almost feel like a First Nations warrior women applying war paint to strike fear in inferior male warriors. Not many guys wear makeup and I think as such this preening helps define our divinity
Paul you are right women are going to rule the world and with the discovery of female physical superiority we will take power as easy as taking candy from a baby
Ace love the lfc link, I sooo want to have a cage fight wearing my lingerie, except not against another woman but against a male mma fighter and beat the living crap out of him that would be sooo cool and fun
Xaan you asked me if there is anyone i look like welll actually not too dissimilar to this lfc fighter Sheila crash cardinal http://lingeriefc.com/sheila-crash-cardinal/ except I'm taller and have a darker complexion <3 polegirl
Yes striker all women are feminine by virtue of their gender no matter what their appearance, dress, makeup etc I often go to the supermarket in the mornings still in my pjs wearing dressing gown and slippers hair a mess, no slap on not caring what anyone thinks and am just as feminine as when I'm on the pole. But I do like makeup as long as it is cruelty free and made from natural ingredients. I think it is normal to preen yourself if you look good you feel good. Makeup is almost tribal to me when I put it on I feel like a strong warrior woman indestructible superior to men and as men don't wear makeup it is definitely a girl thing
DeleteYou are right Paul and I'm glad amazons intimidates you, girl power is in the ascent women are getting stronger and more confident and courageous and we will take over
The lfc is awesome ace thanks for that! I would soooo love to cage fight in my lingerie but not against another woman, against male mma fighters and beat the living tar out of them!!!! it would be soooo much fun and sooo cool. <3 polegirl
I wear heels on the pole and they really aren't a problem, lingerie and skimpy outfits are an agility bonus, but for me I adore makeup, provided its cruelty free and made from natural ingredients. It makes me feel tribal, like a warrior sqwar or amazon applying it actually makes me feel more confident and stronger and superior to men. I do also feel equally feminine in a onesy and slippers no slap on hair a mess buying my breakfast from the local supermarket not caring what anyone else thinks:)
DeleteThe lfc looks awesome! I would love to cage fight in lingerie, except not against another woman but against a male mma fighter and smash him up :) xx polegirl
As most people's opinions are dictated by arbitrary stereotypes, I think we should never care about their opinions on our looks.
DeleteStriker
To the cretinous anonymous poster: Your comments only serve to show how ignorant you are about Amazonian women and who we do what we do. You are stuck in the mindset that only men can have muscles & strength even though this is evidently incorrect. We are not concerned with whether or not pathetic man-lets like you find us attractive. We do not seek any kind of male approval. The comments you've made show just how threatened the patriarchy is. Why should women not fight especially against the bad guys? Why can't women fighters be the good guys? Honestly your summing up pf the Octopussy plot makes no sense whatsoever....Jess
DeleteI'm not ignorant about amazoninan women at all, nor am I a cretin, nice to see you throwing personal abuse into the debate
Deleteevidently female muscle strength and power is a real thing and also a movement that is developing at an alarming rate, but it is not real female strength, real female strength is when woman refuse to pander to the machinations of feminists and instead stick by the status quo!
And you are lying all women care about their attractiveness and get easily upset just by mentioning if they have a big bum or not! why else do women put make up on!
even the amaozon attire promoted on this blog is all about puffing your chests out and showing cleavage as a form of gloating and trash talk during your man beating!
Your are vocally threatening patriarchy so yes it is a threat and yes I don't like the way you seem to be growing in confidence and assertiveness, I don't want to be bossed about by women, why should I allow that?
The Octopussy plot sucked because it inspires bad girls to defeat men and think they are in the right!
Terrified little man scared of strong sexy women
DeleteI see men like you all the time, you feel insecure because off our power and beauty you know we are too good for you a league above you know we are making you redundant to you cry and come up the most feeble of arguments to put down women but all your are doing is reaffirming what we already know, girls are best girls win girl power!
Polegirl
And what is so right about patriarchy?
DeleteFor me, I remember Octopussy as a kind of fulfillment of something that was already in motion and began with the Bambi and Thumper scene in that earlier Bond movie and before that, the classic Faster Pussycat, Kill Kill. But instead of women ending up losing in the end, the women prevail. The theme of women prevailing physically over males has become so established now that very few people are surprised by it any more, but back then these scenes were shocking. As a male I was actually fascinated by seeing these scenes of female superiority play out because I knew from my own experiences that male superiority was a myth that had to be exposed. No one can legitimately question the physical power of women any more. Young women are no longer afraid to assert their physical superiority and women are redefining strength in feminine terms.
ReplyDeleteThe revealing clothes in such scenes are controversial in feminist terms because feminism generally objects to using the female body as an object, but what really needs to change is not women choosing to display their bodies ... what needs to change is for men to recognize that those bodies are not simply "candy" for men, but those bodies are powerful weapons that should inspire fear and envy in the male psyche.
Oh .. and congratulations on the 100th post!
ReplyDeleteHi Xaan,
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the 100th post and it's befitting that you chose the Octopussy scene for this milestone. I read your post and I must say that I had similar feelings when I first saw the film Octopussy. When I was in my 20s and looked back, I discovered there were two clear events that changed me. It started when I witnessed that fight as a teenage boy where three women successfully defended themselves against a couple of obnoxious men. After that fight I started to believe that - as well put by yboy - male superiority was a myth. After watching Octopussy, I was convinced that women were superior. Later on, I often watched only the end of the film, where the women stormed the fortress and easily overpowered the male guards. When you compare the role of women in movies from the 80s, 90s with the role women have in today movies then there is a big difference. Then women were often portrayed as weak, subdued, docile while nowadays women are portrayed as independent, powerful and strong ( both in mind and in body ). This is a much better example for girls growing up today and will help them discover their full potential.
My wife holds a black belt in karate and says that the girls in her dojo really kick ass and love beating boys. What fears me a bit is that girls will turn into - as Ace puts it - ferocious dominant manbeaters. If they do, then we have probably deserved it. No man is innocent after all.
hi may i ask what movie is this? it looks old.
ReplyDeletecongrats to xaan on the 100th post. Lets not lose touch with our goal - female physical empowerment to fulfill women potential as the superior sex.
I am really hoping to see intergender mixed boxing in the olympics within my lifetime.
Hi Madge
DeleteIt's the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy....
Hey xaan why haven't you published my comment on this and also on the recieving end of girl power, I know my language can be strong at times but I only say it as it is, feeling disappointed, polegirl
ReplyDeleteSorry hun, I didn't see it.....certainly haven't deleted any of yours...some weird things have been happening on the blog recently...try again and I'll publish...
DeleteSo here's a question for you amazon ladies: Do you get aroused when you see a girl beat up a guy, furthermore do you get aroused when beating up a guy yourself? I've heard several girls say that fighting guys is a lot like sex, so is it?? just wondering Dave
ReplyDeleteFor sure Dave. I love seeing girls beating up guys and yes it does turn me on! I remember I saw a girl in my year absolutely destroy some tough guy on the way home from school one day. I was fascinated watching her go to town on him and I noticed afterwards when I got home, my panites were soaked. I thought I had peed myself with the excitement, but was too young to realise what had actually happened. The link below sums it up nicely. Lexi -x-
Deletehttp://qjojotaro.deviantart.com/art/clumsy-waiter-got-beat-up-by-mistress-590011384
I suppose the answer differs from woman to woman, maybe even from mood to mood...
DeleteStriker
As striker says it depends from mood to mood having physical and mental power over men is hot but it doesn't mean I want sex with that man. When I do however like to beat them them while having sex ;) polegirl
DeleteEach woman has her own preferences on how to show the man how much weaker than her he is.
DeleteStriker
The scene in man with golden gun where the karate nieces protect James Bond by demolishing an entire dojo of men in minutes was a really inspiring gender role reversal twist as well, I think bond looked a little bit intimidated as well as impressed when the previously giggling girls suddenly turned deadly!!
ReplyDeleteHey pole girl have you seen the Bollywood actress priyanka chopra she has trained in many martial arts, is really exotic and beautiful and has said that she wants to be the next James Bond, not a Bond girl but actually bond, not that likely but would be pretty amazing (I'd much rather cheer on female heroines and sports stars) !!!! Why not turn the bond franchise on its head and make her a woman of Indian descent! Now that would be progress :)
Very good idea:)
DeleteStriker
That would be awesome! <3 polegirl
DeleteHave you noticed that although the girl squad all have side arms and the place guard not only outnumbered them but were heavily armed with assault rifles at no point did the girls need to draw their weapons such was their skill and meticulous planning and coordination they overwhelmed and beat the men with their bare hands in a contemptuous display of girl power!
ReplyDeleteYesterday the movie was shown on tv again and I still love watching this james bond movie. For me personally, this is one of the best and the palace attack scene is still my favorite part of the movie.
ReplyDeleteThis had the same effect on me when i was a little girl. I remember watching in awe, and i do love it when Octopussy comes on the tv on a sunday afternoon! Love it
ReplyDeleteGrace jones as the henchwoman mayday was another definitive statement of female supremacy from the bond makers I find her character both attractive yet incredibly terrifying (she was the one bond villain who genuinely scared me, to the point I even had nightmares!) In the film she was by far stronger and fiercer than any man and it always implied that bond was no match for her, the scene where she dominates bond in the bedroom I think was meant to state that and a showdown where bond would have been defeated was avoided by having her switch sides. Paul https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeNMp8CDd24
ReplyDeleteI'm a male who learned early on that martial arts are a girl's best friend. Bambi and Thumper, Octopussy, the karate nieces--started a life long passion for Black Belt Women. I love it when the so called weaker sex beats a cocky over-confident male in a hand to hand fight. It arouses me and I'm pleased to hear that it turns on and empowers women as well. I follow 500 Black Belt women and catalog photos from all the movies and TV shows I can get. There are a whole bunch of us males out there turned on by bad ass women. Check my pinterest posts on Octopussy. msscott33
ReplyDeleteThat movie has been such a turn on when I was a kid. The first time I watched women beating men, and easily! As a boy I wasn't totally ready to see that, but inside me, I enjoyed it a lot! Now I know it's not only fantasy, and women outmatch men, mentally and physically.
ReplyDeleteI can remember watching that movie as a kid on cable with my cousin & her friend Melissa & they thought that it was like the coolest action movie they ever saw! I thought it was cool as well, but they where really digging it and telling everyone about it the rest of the day!
ReplyDeleteThe only issue I can take with your post is the comment that "They would now have to accept the idea, that women CAN beat men up and they must be hating it ha ha." Actually I don't think that was true. The chances are they loved it too. I'm a male who, like most men, is endlessly aroused by scenes of women beating up men. This fact alone establishes the superiority of women.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous brings up a good point. I think if accurate statistics could be found that we would find the vast majority of males are in fact aroused by scenes of strong women beating up men. However many are also in denial about this and push down their feelings which results in an unstable psyche.
ReplyDeleteMale instability is an unfortunate reality and more proof of male inferiority. Ultimately powerful women will keep it in check and teach men that they don't have to hide their appreciation of truly superior females.
I think that women like watching women beat up men in movies and on TV. I think that men like it as well--its a win win. Hence, so many shows and movies have martial arts women kicking male ass! Watching martial arts trained women defeat men in hand to hand combat arouses me every time. I'm embarrassed to watch such mixed fights in the company of other women and men for some reason.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the reason is related to social pressures?
DeletePlease elaborate. Social pressures in what regard?
DeleteAs if you didn't know. This kind of scenes is dreaded on because it challenges a very popular (no matter how false) belief. This disanalogy between popularity and falsehood of this belief leads to what others in here name "social conditioning". Haven't you noticed how haters try to bring fit women down? In some comments on this blog it is very evident (one of them even says "Women and men will all turn against you"). If this is not a clear example of social pressure, I don't know what it is.
DeleteAll I know is that I get a hard-on when watching and simultaneously feel like men are inadequate and losing power, especially when I'm watching with a woman.
ReplyDeleteAs a male, I also get great pleasure when sharing with a Woman friend, the experience of witnessing scenes of Women demolishing male pretense of authority or power. We share the sense of fulfillment She experiences in knowing She is superior and I am fulfilled by worshipping Her and being reminded of my proper inferior place as a male. Any healthy Female/male relationship is benefitted by engaging in such rituals of reinforcing Female power.
DeleteHi yboy,
DeleteIt is great pleasure if she is already in touch with her superior side. I've also watched such scenes with a female friend who was not into such things who thought that it was not natural for a woman to beat a man. She preferred the old ways, where the man should protect the woman. I knew that I had to hide my personal feelings and that made the experience of watching a skilled female martial artist beating up a few men a lot less enjoyable. Luckily I don't have to hide anything when I'm watching something like that with my wife.
Indeed, Tasslehoff, you 're lucky to have a wife who knows her stuff. Women who don't know are extremely hard to convince, until something random happens and forces them to see the light.
DeleteYboy, please note that, the more real the scene, the better your point works. Badly-staged scenes don't have any significant effect. Constantina
Constantina, you are of course correct that reality is better than some campy 'play acted' domination scene. It's always awe inspiring when a well toned muscular male goes up against an athletic woman and, even if he is larger, she will demolish him! I've always found seeing a woman's reaction to seeing such scenes as exciting as the scene itself. Of course, Her excitement comes first, always.
DeleteMost part of realism is played on the woman's actual physical condition. A woman with properly developed athletic skills will always add enough realism even to a scripted scene. On the other hand, an untrained and unworked woman won't be as convincing, even in a real, unscripted scene - unless the man is untrained too, which is an extremely rare case. Constantina
DeleteI agree with you Constantina that if a woman is in great physical condition, it is very easy to believe she is actually capable of doing what she does in a scripted scene. And like yboy, I also find it fascinating to see the reaction of other women on such scenes. Watching a very convincing scene in which a woman is superior can be very empowering for other women.
DeleteA fit woman makes it easy to believe because she can actually do it without "but" and "maybe". Martial art training leads to good fitness rates because you have to move fast, but also hones technical skills, helping therefore the woman see that she can do much more than she thought possible. Once a woman knows she can do it, convincing other women they can also do it is not as hard as before. Constantina
DeleteI've just watched this again, and you can tell they used Olympic gymnast and highly trained women, the choregraphy is fantastic teha ction and fights are like woah that could really happen, the only unconvincing things are the success of the big burly male villain, I don't think he would mangae that in reality these women are both acrobats, black beltys and assains skilled over all men. The other unconvinving thing as Constantina points out "an untrained and unworked woman won't be as convincing" and unfortunately in all politeness to Kristina Wayborn, she is clearly that, she makes a good attempt though, but I do remember an interview with her saying she thought this scene was stupid and women couldn't really be able to do that. It's a shame she hadn't heard of the kunoichi ninja that Ace explained was the inspiration for the Octopussy Girl Army. Dan the man
DeleteI would expect all members and contributors of this specific scene to know where it was inspired from. I am not an actress, but I presume studying the role's full background is key to getting in the role and acting it out properly - please correct me if I 'm wrong. So I guess someone should be responsible for handing out the necessary study material together with the basic script so that everyone would get into their roles properly. Sounds like nobody cared to do that for this scene. All in all, it was a poorly filmed scene, despite the great talent of all its actresses.
DeleteI find it most sexy when I know the woman holds a Black Belt. Mark
ReplyDeleteNice little article talks about the Palace fight scene
ReplyDeletehttp://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/octopussy-james-bond-comes-to-udaipur/1/392211.html
Dan the man
Great to read this scene can both inspire and arouse female viewers. As a male viewer I remember how shocking, exhilarating and arousing this scene was. There were some amazing aerial stunts that followed this scene, but they barely registered for me, as I was still reeling from the all-girl assault I'd just witnessed, slumped back in my cinema seat, as if in a post-orgasmic slumber.
ReplyDeleteBut I was also strongly threatened by being subjected to this scene in a cinema, where - God forbid - women were also present, and might be cheering on the domination of their sex over mine. I've avoided watching this scene again with females present. There's an insight into the male ego! (It's funny to think of it now, but I was also incredibly frustrated that the girls victory left my male member in a fully erect, throbbing (i.e. applauding!!) state.)
As a male, the scene plays like an unbearable, relentless tease: the men are armed with rifles (ha, phallic power!), but the women almost exclusively defeat them without weaponary; rather using a very feminine acrobatic grace and female smarts to make a mockery of male brute force. The stunning flips and cartwheel kicks, followed by the heavy thumps of contact and the helpless cries of the men, quite literally rub male supremacy into the dirt.
Also, a group of the guards are trounced by the women's trick them of alluring dancing. I remember gasping when the dancing girls turn on the men in punishing style: one guard is struck in the balls; another is whacked so hard with a wooden instrument it lifts him off his feet. I knew our sex deserved this punishment for our objectifying eyes, but it was still heart-poundingly threatening to observe. And thrilling to see the women using their objectification to defeat the men.
I think the women's revealing costuming could be criticised for keeping the women as "eye candy", but as a male I can only say the revealing costuming never let me forget it was females beating up males. I couldn't fool myself into thinking it was anything else.
I also love how the guard who tries to raise his rifle is subjected to the most relentless barrage of kicks and chops. A nice moment of symbolic castration!
What a scene!
Zenguy, That's a great description of the feeling I'm sure many males have had watching that scene, especially the awareness of the way seeing such a display of outright female power also affects women and how humiliating it is to be a male among women witnessing it. This was definitely one of the pivotal moments in popular culture which heralded the new age of female superiority for all to see.
DeleteWow! I am so happy that I found this blog site! It is just a great experience to share my thoughts and feelings about this incredible scene, as a lot of my ex girlfriends probably thought I had a weird obsession it!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting when you listen to various commentaries on the DVD about this scene, but I think the makers of the film wanted to go a long the lines of showing strong women instead of just being objectified sex objects. This theme does exist in some earlier films, such as Goldfinger with Pussy Galore's Flying circus,Bambi and Thumber along with a few others, but Octopussy takes it a lot further. Women are really in control of this film as Prince Khan is the junior partner in the partnership with Octopussy and seems to fear her and be jealous in equal measure. When Khan recruits the "yo-yo" gang to take out Bond, they are reluctant to make enemies with the, "woman".
The scene is a triumph, on the screen and off, as it is so well planned out and choreographed. I love how it starts out with the all female army using twilight to their tactical advantage, as it allows them to stealthy surround the palace. The women are all well drilled and fully aware of their individual tasks. By comparison the male guards seem to be going through the motions and lack discipline, especially when the first sentry is drinking and pulled of the battlements. That was moment I fully got into the scene, as he is caught easy by the women and carried off, because of the realism. The women look like they carry him off easily. Another interesting aspect is that the women are only lightly armed, where as the men have rifles, making this assault even more daring. Maybe because they wanted to carry out their raid without lose of life to the men, although I am not sure if one guard is gunned down in the Palace interior by a woman. It contrasts the gender stereotypes, with men using firepower but women using graceful hand to hand combat, especially when James Bond swings into to action and just shoots the guards cold bloodlessly. Don't get me wrong as the women are intense in their attack, as they leave the guards no chance to use their firearms. I love the fact the guards find themselves in a hopeless situation, they try and regroup but then are taken out by the tumblers, many of them are already trapped in nets or by overwhelmed. They get increasing desperate as the bodies pile up and they have nowhere to go. The absolute apogee is when a female ninja does a black flip of a rope and catches a guard between her thighs! God knows how she didn't break his neck, definitely a brave stunt man.
All in all a great scene!
100th post? It appears to be the 36th.
ReplyDeleteNot all posts are currently viewable...
DeleteWill they be viewable in the future?
DeleteMaybe some will...I've removed a lot of posts, mainly because they no longer get many views or comments. Also because I've had a few complaints that the blog is less appealing to women Amazon fans than it is for male Amazon fans. Whilst I have no problem reading comments from supportive males. it seems it is upsetting for some of the female readers to have to read comments for example that refers to things like "masturbation". So a bit of judicious pruning of articles has taken place and I've also removed most of the comic book work. This is available on Deviant Art and also Patreon.
Delete