The RBCFT Film of the Week is Dr No
Released 60 years ago on 6 October 1962, the film introduced the world to James Bond 007 of the British Secret Service.
The first adaptation of Ian Fleming’s popular series of spy novels established many aspects of the long-running series. The introduction of the character through the gun barrel, Maurice Binder’s title sequence, the iconic theme, M, Moneypenny, SPECTRE, Ken Adam's brilliant set designs, the quips, the vodka martinis, all here. Only the theme song, Q, and the pre-title sequence are missing.
The story is straightforward, Agent 007 (Sean Connery) is sent to the Caribbean to investigate the death of a fellow agent. The clues lead to a mysterious scientist called Dr No – but there's more going on than one simple disappearance. Along the way he encounters Felix Leiter of the CIA, teams up with local guide Quarrel, before meeting the mysterious Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) on Crab Key.
Sean Connery excels as Bond, suave, sophisticated, and brutal (“you’ve had your six”). The film is terrific and zips along at a great pace, the first hour mesmerizing as the still-raw Sean Connery finds his groove. He and Ursula Andress have unbelievable chemistry, and the supporting cast is terrific too, especially Bernard Lee as M. Joseph Wiseman's take on Doctor Julius No is sinister and still creepy by today's standards and the confrontation between No and Bond is still the standard of the series.
It's not the best Bond film but it's not far off. There isn't enough of Dr No and the final act comes and goes quickly but the low budget ($10m in today's money) forced the filmmakers to innovate. From Peter Hunt's superb editing to the then cutting-edge electronic sounds to Connery's star-making turn as 007, nobody had made a film like this before.
To celebrate 60 years of James Bond in cinemas, Dr No, along with all the official Bond titles, is on Amazon Prime.
|