M was the Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS/MI6). Loosely based on Ian Fleming's literary character, the role was portrayed by British actor Edward Fox in Kevin McClory's 1983 cinematic reimagining of Thunderball, titled Never Say Never Again.
Biography[]
- "I'll make you no secret. I hold your methods in much less regard than my illustrious predecessor did."
- ― "M" chastises 007.
After taking over from his predecessor as Head of the Secret Intelligence Service, the bureaucratic and cantankerous "M" took an antagonistic stance towards the double-0 section; effectively relegating it to a peripheral position in the agency. Despite his low opinion of its operatives and methods, he saw it as his duty to keep them "up to par" and consequently took steps to evaluate agents through a series of war games. An avid proponent of healthy living, he promptly sent an underperforming James Bond to the Shrublands Health Clinic where he was ostensibly placed on a strict regimen of diet and exercise. Shortly afterwards, the criminal organisation SPECTRE stole a pair of nuclear warheads – prompting "M" to reluctantly re-activate the double-0 section at the behest of the Foreign Secretary.
Following the defeat of Maximillian Largo and Bond's subsequent retirement from the Service, "M" apparently had a change of heart regarding the double-0 section; realising 007's importance and fearing for the security of the civilized world in his absence. He subsequently swallowed his pride and sent Foreign and Commonwealth Office representative Nigel Small-Fawcett to Bond's villa to plead for his return.
Trivia[]
- Commenting on the character's apparent stuffiness, director Irvin Kershner explained that he "wanted him to be very British - aristocratic. Obviously he went to either Oxford or Cambridge."[1]
- In Never Say Never Again, M was portrayed as more of a bureaucrat, contemptuous of James Bond — far removed from the relationship shared between Bernard Lee's M and Sean Connery's Bond; academic Jeremy Black notes that the contempt felt for the 00 section by Fox's M was reciprocated by Connery's Bond.
- Fox's M is also younger than any of the previous incarnations.
See also[]
- M (Literary)
- M (Bernard Lee)
- M (Robert Brown)
- M (Judi Dench) (classic film continuity)
- M (Judi Dench) (modern continuity)
- M (Ralph Fiennes)
References[]
- ↑ Irvin Kershner. (1983). Never Say Never Again [Commentary Track] (Blu-ray). 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. Event occurs at 00:04:40.