Anya Amasova
Soviet agent who rivals and then loves James Bond.
Major Anya Amasova, a KGB agent codenamed XXX, appears in the 1977 film The Spy Who Loved Me, played by Barbara Bach. She starts as Bond’s rival, seeking revenge for her lover’s death, but later falls in love with him and spares his life.
Quick Facts
- Series
- James Bond
- Portrayed by
- Barbara Bach
- Gender
- Female
- Affiliation
- KGB (film); SMERSH (novelisation)
Facts from the source article.
Biography
After the theft of a submarine, M recalls James Bond from a mission in a cabin in Austria. While leaving, Bond is ambushed by a Russian team and kills one of them in self-defence before parachuting off the mountain. The agent he killed is Anya Amasova's lover Sergei Barsov. Anya has also been recalled from a mission by General Anatoly Gogol of the KGB. She meets Bond during a showdown at the Pyramids in Egypt, where her thugs fight with Bond when she believes he has killed Aziz Fekkesh, an Egyptian contact whose body was found in a pyramid; the real killer was Jaws. They are formally introduced in Cairo at Max Kalba's club, where they exchange biographical details and attempt to outbid each other for a secret microfilm. Anya outwits Bond for the microfilm, but Bond had reviewed it. They report to the Abu Simbel temple where Gogol and M have decided to work together to find out how and why their submarines are being stolen. While travelling to Sardinia by train, Anya is attacked by Jaws; Bond saves her, and after a brief fight they spend the night together. On Sardinia, Anya accompanies Bond to meet Karl Stromberg posing as Bond's wife. Afterwards, Anya learns that 007 killed her lover and tells Bond she will have her revenge once their mission is complete.
Analysis
According to one analysis, Anya Amasova initially appears as Bond’s equal, but that balance fades as her emotional reliance on him increases. Once they sleep together, Bond uses his sexual conquest to belittle and control her, making her jealous and reducing her to the role of a dull wife. Another scholar contends that Amasova is a groundbreaking Bond girl because she feels more believable than earlier characters. However, her moments of independence and assertiveness are limited by the standard requirements of the Bond franchise.
Reception
Anya Amasova is often cited as a groundbreaking Bond girl. Entertainment Weekly readers ranked her fifth, with critic Joshua Rich calling her 007’s first true equal and a response to women’s liberation, equally capable in a desert fight or a bedroom. Kim Morgan of Fandango placed her among the top ten Bond girls, while About.com ranked her seventh. Bond-Girls.net described her as one of the sexiest and most beautiful, representing a brand-new type of Bond girl.
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