Page - 126 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

In The Spy Who Loved Me the villain is Karl Stromberg, whose ocean research laboratory, which rises from beneath the sea on spider-like legs, is called Atlan- tis. “Atlantis” refers to a mythical, pre-historic submerged island. It is an allego- ry for the hubris of nations in Plato’s works and, in later retellings, the inhab- itants of Atlantis survive to found new civilizations. In fact, Atlantis has been a constant utopian resource for the mythical imagination in European history, referring to an ideal lost world and also to a forthcoming world (including the Americas and other unknown areas) where desires and fantasies are to be ful- filled.25 Although the myth of Atlantis has not been part of any established “reli- gious” cosmography as Ellis argues,26 it has certainly been a myth that has been utilized in many “religious” formations. For instance, the Theosophists, Helena Petrova Blavatsky in particular, considered Atlanteans as cultural heroes who preceded Blavatsky’s own Aryan race,27 and one of the great New Age figures, Edgar Cayce, suggested that Atlantis was the centre of human civilization and that one of the five key races – the red race – was developed there.28 To name the tanker Atlantis is not simply a superficial reference to add a sense of significance; the myth of Atlantis fits perfectly with the villain’s plan to start a new civilization by making doomsday happen to the human race. Stromberg hijacks both British and Russian ballistic missile submarines and plans to trigger mutual nuclear annihilation between the superpowers. The reason for this is that the villain considers modern civilization corrupt and decadent. City-like Atlantis has the capacity to support life above and below water, and it is meant to be the cradle of a new civilization, indifferent to human idiosyncrasies of the con- temporary social order. The mythical and cosmic nature of Stromberg’s mission is emphasized when he calls nuclear weapons “instruments of Armageddon”, a biblical reference to the location of the final battle between good and evil. The apocalyptic theme that downplays the role of ordinary humans on earth is heightened by repeatedly showing how human beings are “dwarfed by the physical environment around them”.29 This is evident in shooting locations such as the Pyramids, the Temple of Karnak and the Valley of Kings. Such locations also emphasize how civilization moves from Ancient Egypt’s crumbling edifices to the metallic future of Atlantis.30 25 Sprague de Camp 1970. 26 Ellis 1999, 5. 27 Ellis 1999, 58. 28 Hanegraaff 1998, 309–312. There are more references to (mainly Greek) mythology in Bond films. For instance, the Greek woman Melina, whose parents have been killed, in For Your Eyes Only (John Glen, GB/US 1981) is compared with Elektra: “Greek women, like Elektra, always avenge their loved ones” (Chapman 2007, 177). Only some of them, such as the reference to Atlantis, are relevant to my study. 29 Chapman 2007, 153. 30 Chapman 2007, 153. 126 | Teemu Taira www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 119–139