James Bond's womanising and predilection for killing may not make him
the most godly of characters, but he has been sanctioned by no less an
authority than the Vatican, through its official newspaper.L'Osservatore Romano devoted an entire page and five articles in praise of the fictional spy on Wednesday.
As the latest Bond film, Skyfall, opened in Italian cinemas, the Vatican paper said it was one of the best of the 23 films made since the franchise began 50 years ago.
The newspaper, which was founded 151 years ago, used to run only editorials on Catholic saints, articles on theology and notices of the Pope's official engagements.
Since a new editor was appointed in 2007 and urged by Pope Benedict XVI to make the publication more relevant, it has commented on everything from Harry Potter to The Blues Brothers.
Under the headline "007 – licence to cry", the newspaper said Skyfall contained all the classic ingredients of a Bond film, from "adrenaline-pumped action to exotic locations, beautiful Bond girls, and the inevitable vodka Martini – shaken, not stirred", but had been given a contemporary twist by the director, Sam Mendes.
The article said Daniel Craig, who plays Bond, was "less cliched, less attracted by the pleasures of life, more introspective and more vulnerable physically and psychologically".
Javier Bardem's villain was on a par with some of the classic antagonists of the past such as Dr No, Goldfinger or Rosa Klebb, while Dame Judi Dench was "perfect" as the spymaster M.
The newspaper also ran an interview with Craig, who was described as "the 44-year-old Anglo-Saxon actor with deep blue eyes".
Craig said Skyfall represented an attempt to bring "more realism" to the Bond formula, without betraying the franchise and character.