In the above scene from Casino Royale (2006), Judi Dench’s M and Daniel Craig’s James Bond have a heated exchange at her abode about his disastrous, headline-grabbing mission at the start of the movie. His sloppy parkour chase ended with an unarmed man (albeit an international terrorist bombmaker) killed and a headache for MI6.
After grilling him for a bit, M is also perplexed as to how Bond found out where she lived. To which Bond replies that it was just as easy as finding out what the M actually stood for. M quickly interjected her disdain and threat of murder (!). I remember this exchange piquing a lot of interest in Bond fans when Casino Royale came out, but much to our chagrin her name was never referenced again for the remainder of the movie.
In later Craig Bond movies, however, her name is referenced a few other times, albeit in different circumstances and still leading to more questions than answers.
Most notably:
- “Mum” – In Skyfall (2012), Bond oddly (affectionately?) refers to her as ‘mum’ on several occasions. Maybe this is an MI6 inside joke/reference to her being a woman M, so “mum”? Or just British slang or a drawl?
- Emma/Em – Also later in Skyfall, Kincaid brazenly refers to her as “Emma” – leaving the question open as to whether that’s her actual given name, or just another English play on words of the letter M? Or does he think Bond is shortening “Emma” to “Em” and doesn’t know that M is her MI6 code name
But, all is not so. As seen in the below screenshot, Dench’s M’s real name is actually revealed at the end of Skyfall (2012), where Moneypenny hands Bond a box containing the dreaded figurine of Jack, the Union Jack bulldog.
The real name of M (Judi Dench) is revealed in Skyfall (2012) as Olivia Mansfield
It’s a single frame, but you can clearly see M’s full name Olivia Mansfield visible and the package recipient’s name, James Bond (here it is zoomed in):
The real name of M (Judi Dench) is revealed in Skyfall (2012) as Olivia Mansfield
As Olivia Mansfield was deemed as canon by EON Productions, the name speculation is put to bed. Some fans have gone a bit further though, and deemed the name a play on words of the male-dominated field of espionage and the head of MI6 (code named “C” in real life actually) as a “man’s” “field.” It would have been interesting to have heard Dench’s M finally referred to as Mansfield for once, but oh well.
Regardless, if the above revelation didn’t happen, I still like to guess what name Dench’s M could have possibly have been. Here are my top 007 “M” guesses (all of which according to Google were the most popular girls names in the 1930s, the decade when Judi Dench was born):
- Margaret
- Mary
- Marilyn
- Martha
- Marie
- Mildred
- Marjorie
The first minute of Skyfall (2012) is just awesome. Like other Craig Bond movies, it dabbles in change from the traditional Bond formula and in this case, the gunbarrel sequence with a blaring James Bond theme is nowhere to be found. The originalist in me was first skeptical against this change, but tacking it on to the end (as in this movie and in Quantum Of Solace (2008)) adds a certain awesome celebratory bookend to a James Bond movie. I remember feeling refreshed at the end of Quantum because of this.
But back to the start of Skyfall – I remember the high anticipation as the vanity logos appeared for MGM and their Leo the Lion roar, and the silent, classic Columbia logo. And instead of the traditional gunbarrel, the camera isn’t even in focus for the last 20 seconds of the first minute of the movie but it didn’t matter. When Bond’s figure appears and the horns make that signature James Bond intro sound – wow! The hair stood up on the back of my neck and I was locked in. A perfect way to start a James Bond movie!
Daniel Craig looking like a spy in Skyfall (2012)
Skyfall (2012) is easily the most beautiful James Bond movie. Of course, we have cinematographer Roger Deakins to thank for that. He was nominated for an Oscar for Best Cinematography after all, and as most of us know, Oscar talk for James Bond movies is rare. There are several scenes in the movie that are some of the most visually appealing in all of the James Bond movies ever, but the Shangai scene takes the cake.
At over 9 minutes long with barely any dialogue, the focus is truly on the visuals for the entire sequence. From the blue-hued rooftop Bond swimming session to the seemingly “dance” of a fight set against a fluid neon advertisement in the skyscraper, it’s so easy to just sit back and enjoy this part of what many consider Daniel Craig’s best James Bond movie.
A visually stunning fight sequence from Skyfall (2012)
Skyfall‘s pivotal shootout scene begins with the villain Silva catching up with Bond at 007’s boyhood abode. With machine guns loaded and ready to fight, Silva and his henchmen blare the above blues song by The Animals, Boom Boom (it’s actually a cover of the John Lee Hooker classic).
Great tune!
