going into 007 first light i was a little worried they'd pull their punches with regard to the camp aspect integral to bond. that they'd tone it down, or become cynical about it in the way that action movies seem to love to do recently, or even use the bond setting as nothing more than a backdrop for your run-of-the-mill action game. that being said i am happy to report that none of that happened and the game instead sees a smooth rising action from relatively down-to-earth infiltration levels reminiscent of hitman all the way to ridiculous action movie bullshit in secret evil lairs with explosions and expensive cars and boat chases. 10/10 they got it so right
new bond fans playing 007fl: oh all the time in the world? that’s a fun mission name
me: … oh shit here we go again
So. Hi lifelong Bond fan here. Let me tell you why [spoiler] is subtextually Bond’s first real love interest because of this mission alone
analysis and explanation below. spoilers for 007 First Light’s "All The Time In The World" mission
Monroe!!! We all love Monroe! He’s a guy! God this level took so much out of me with his death. I think he had good chemistry with Bond and definitely acted as a best friend roommate sort and-
… nope you read that first bit, I won’t weasel out of it. This man seems to be a very clear parallel to one of Bond’s most famous classic era and novel Bond girls.
And it’s all to do with this phrase:
So what’s so important about the phrase? Well, it’s less to do with its exact wording, more so its full version.
We have all the time in the world.
“We have all the time in the world” is a phrase that originates from the 1969 movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, the sixth in the Bond continuity. It’s a bit of an odd phrase. I personally associate it way more with that film than its own title.
The reason for that is that OHMSS is one of the only Bond films (at least the only one post the introduction of unique Bond opening credit songs) not to have its main song be used in the opening sequence. While OHMSS does have its own main credits song, it’s an instrumental and not the one that jumps to mind immediately. The song much more associated with this film is We Have All The Time In The World by Louis Armstrong, which plays later on. But why did the Bond team go to such lengths to emphasise this back then? What does it mean for First Light - and more importantly Bond and Monroe?
Because in OHMSS, Bond finds what could be considered to be his one and only true love in the Bond timeline. A Bond girl who even actors away gets mentions, indirect and direct, in the later classic era. And that is Teresa di Vicenzo - better known by her nickname Tracy. While I think she inspired both Monroe and Cressida, I think there’s a stronger argument for Monroe.
Tracy is the main Bond girl in this film, and one of, if not, the most important in this era. She honestly makes me think a lot of Monroe and Cressida - she’s downright stubborn when she wants to be. In fact her first meeting with Bond was in fact in the sea (much like how he met them at Malta) under very different circumstances - he sees her attempting suicide and pulls her out of the oncoming tide. She’s even seen driving her own car in the pre-credits scene, much like with Cressida and her driving lessons. She does beat the stereotypes observed with Bond girls as harmless, stupid and just lackeys.
Their relationship starts off as hostile - she’s annoyed that he keeps trying to protect her from threats, has a man attack him when she lures him to her room, then turns a gun on him when she heads to his room. You get the picture. The point is their relationship is originally not one that you would deem “positive.” Bond tries to be kind to her, she sees their relationship as nothing more than transaction. It makes me think about how Bond begins his friendship with Monroe as the odd one out - Monroe was forced to look after Bond and didn’t necessarily want to. He did after all call it the “old boys network” that got Bond into the 00 program in the first place.
Similarly to Monroe, Tracy was forced to look after her Bond by her father Draco, who offers Bond information on terrorist organisation SPECTRE and his archenemy Blofeld if he courts Tracy, thinking it would be good for her. What is originally very transactional starts to deepen. And when the two get close enough, we get the song.
If you can’t tell, We Have All The Time In The World is not a typical Bond song. It’s a love ballad.
We have all the time in the world
Time enough for life to unfold
All the precious things love has in store
We have all the love in the world
If that's all we have you will find we need nothing more
Every step of the way will find us
With the cares of the world far behind us
We have all the time in the world just for love
Nothing more, nothing less, only love
I think you understand the romantic significance of this phrase being used now!
But there is one more aspect to the Tracy comparison I want to touch upon. The reason why as soon as that phrase came up, I knew what would happen and my breath was held the entire mission.
At the end of OHMSS, Bond and Tracy actually do get married and head off on a drive to begin their honeymoon. About an hour down the road, they stop for a bit and Bond gets out to stretch his legs while Tracy remains inside and picks at a flower. It’s honestly a cute scene, it makes me think of Monroe a bit.
Tracy: (picking at the flower) He loves me…
Bond: Instinctively.
Tracy: Infuriatingly.
Bond: Intensely!
Tracy: In… in…
Bond: In?
Tracy: … in?
Bond: Indubiately!
Blofeld and his henchwoman Irma Bunt drive past and shoot at the car, having survived the events of the film. Bond, startled, heads back in the car to tell Tracy that Blofeld was behind it, looks to the side and…
It’s a scene that has no musical backing, just silence. A policeman drives over and sees Bond cradling her dead body. When Bond notices the policeman, he gives a response, before there is muffled sobbing.
It’s alright. It’s quite alright really. She’s having a rest. We’ll be going on soon. There’s no hurry, you see? We have all the time in the world.
Compare that with Bond’s reaction to Monroe’s death.
… no… Hang on, mate. Breathe. Okay. Breathe… Monroe… Monroe…? (…) Cressida? It’s Monroe. He’s… (…) … all the time in the world.
With them both being in denial about their deaths - Lazenby’s Bond tries to convince himself that Tracy’s sleeping while Gibson’s tries to convince himself that while Monroe has been injured, he can still be saved despite showing no signs of life. In fact the worst part is neither of them actually sees the moment of death. By the time the shooting has stopped, Tracy is dead on impact, while Monroe’s comms had already been cut. They’re both doomed either way.
I think there’s a clear cinematic comparison.
So when that phrase is used, it’s clear that this is Bond’s first ever real loss. The beginning of the tragedy and the search for retribution that will linger in his mind ever so slightly. There’s a passing of the torch here, because no one ever uses that symbolism lightly.
Monroe IS Bond’s first true love, and you can say Cressida as well due to her own similarities, but the symbolism featured is exclusively Monroe. That homoeroticism is placed there on purpose. Monroe is this timeline’s Tracy.
