ReBONDing: Dr. No
Reevaluating the Sean Connery Era (1962 - 1971, 1983)
When we last left James Bond, we were reminded that someone had to bridge the gap between Sean Connery and Roger Moore. And while that someone was kind of forgettable, the film wasn't.
Now we go back to where it all started...
My obsession with James Bond came in phases. Phase 1 was boyhood, where the floor to the ceiling was covered by Roger Moore (metaphorically speaking, that is). In my final year of high school, with the advent of disposable cash and trips to the mall, my James Bond obsession dramatically shifted into Phase 2. I'm not saying that I never watched a Connery Bond film before high school, I just don't immediately recall it from memory like I can with Roger Moore.
As stated previously, plenty of my time and money were wasted at Suncoast, where the purchase of the then 16-title James Bond VHS Box Set in letterbox (yes, I was that nerd) lead me down the path of denying Roger Moore. And who could blame me with this iconic introduction:
Just as effective as it was 55 years ago. Watching it now, just as I did back when I was 18, only made me realize how easy it was to make that shift; to conform. I'm sure that most Bond fans from my generation would agree that they too jumped ship at one point or another to join the ranks of their father, their mother, or whoever introduced them to James Bond. You know, the ones who always said that Sean Connery was the best. While Roger Moore was a charming and debonair playboy, Sean Connery was a man's man. His portraying of Bond oozed machismo in a way that no one else could pull off. He was the perfect embodiment of cool and collected, never showing vulnerability.
I was going to start talking comparing Sean Connery's ratio of good to bad films with Roger Moore, but honestly, who cares? Not me, at least not anymore. Let's stop wasting any more time and instead get to the movies!
DR. NO (1962)
Directed by Terence Young
Written by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, Berkely Mather
Ian Fleming (novel)
Running Time: 110 minutes
Original Verdict:
It didn't display all of the elements of a typical Bond film, but it was a great starting block: We get the womanizing Bond, the gambling Bond as well as the judge, jury, and executioner Bond. Connery nailed the role from the start and everyone else since him have been playing James Bond in his shadow.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
THE REEVALUATION
The Cold Open: The iconic trademark of all other James Bond films was not yet established with its first film. However, if you want to consider the gun-barrel sequence the cold open, you go right ahead (but you'd be wrong).
The Story: When investigating the disappearance of a fellow British operative in Jamaica, Bond practically stumbles upon the mysterious Dr. No and his plan to disrupt the American Space Program. One of the tamest (or lamest) Bond plots ever put on screen.
The Villain: Portrayed by the capable Joseph Wiseman, Dr. No is more like a prototype villain. What he brought to the table was used as a launching pad for the rest of franchise. He's maniacal, self-centered, but only a wee bit over the top, especially compared to most of his predecessors. When his brilliant mind (and metal hands) are dismissed by the Americans, Dr. No becomes an agent of SPECTRE (see below), sets up shop in Jamaica with his Hotel Spa & Murder Resort, and begins to Terrorize the U.S.-based rocket launches taking place in Florida. You can't argue that Dr. No is determined, albeit a little silly in his plans.
SPECTRE: A Very Brief History
SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion -- or SPECTRE for short -- is a global criminal syndicate and terrorist organization. (It's also a horribly awesome mouthful of an acronym if there ever was one.) The brainchild of Ian Fleming who felt that the Cold War would come to an end in the next few years, SPECTRE was created as a fictional criminal organization in 1959 while collaborating on an original screenplay. Rather than the fear of having the film look dated, he came up with this politically neutral enemy for Bond, and in the process created one of the most iconic super-villains of all-time: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. (I'll go into more details surrounding the Thunderball controversy when I cover Never Say Never Again in a later post.)
The Heavy: While half of the island of Jamaica appears to be on Dr. No's payroll, the film doesn't feature a heavy in the most traditional sense of the Bond formula. That role wouldn't be filled until the franchise's second outing. Instead, we're introduced to a few quasi-henchmen including the less-than-effective Professor Dent, and the trio of assassins know as the "Three Blind Mice."
The Girls: Sylvia Trench and Honey Ryder. Need I say more? While not my personal favorite, no one can deny Ursula Andress' emerging from the warm Jamaican sea. Although not a full-time Bond girl, Sylvia Trench is the only part-time Bond girl I can remember to appear in back-to-back films. They're both worthy of our undivided attention for the everlasting impression they made on the rest of the franchise. Too bad the producers of the film weren't impressed with either of their voices and had them dubbed.
The Gadgets: Dr. No was notorious for setting several standards for the franchise, but outside of some talcum powder, a strand of Bond's hair, and the use a Geiger counter, the film is void of anything spectacular from Q's laboratory. In fact, the only thing that sets the standard here is M issuing Bond his Walther PPK.
What Doesn't Work? Out of the gate, Dr. No is hitting like 75% of its iconic motifs, but what it lacks in those motifs, it makes up for it with a tarantula, bad voice dubbing, and Bond's horrible rear-projection screen driving. I wonder if the producers -- or Dr. No for that matter -- knew that tarantulas, while creepy-looking, aren't poisonous at all. Another clear point of contention: Why is Honey Ryder in this film? Her character serves absolutely no purpose other than to be a prize for Bond. Be that as it may, what I find most bothersome about Dr. No is the overuse of the Bond Theme. It's used five times in the film, and the most exciting use of this brilliant piece of music is when Bond says his name. Thankfully Monty Norman was replaced with John Barry in the second film.
Final Thoughts: While I wasn't keen on re-watching Dr. No (I normally don't gravitate to this film), I was quite pleased with the revisit. While dated, the film still seems fresh, and it has one of the most basic detective-style plots I can remember for a Bond film (once we're in Jamaica, we don't leave Jamaica). The pacing is well structured (especially for 1962), and since Dr. No is the shortest film in the franchise, it doesn't feel like it takes forever to sit through (at least for me). Director Terrance Young is credited for helping create one of the most iconic film characters in motion picture history. He was responsible for instructing Connery on how to dress, act, walk and talk like Bond. If he hadn't provided this guidance, who knows where this franchise would have ended up.
Reevaluation Score: 3.5 out of 5.
James Bond will return...
When we last left James Bond, we were reminded that someone had to bridge the gap between Sean Connery and Roger Moore. And while that someone was kind of forgettable, the film wasn't.
Now we go back to where it all started...
My obsession with James Bond came in phases. Phase 1 was boyhood, where the floor to the ceiling was covered by Roger Moore (metaphorically speaking, that is). In my final year of high school, with the advent of disposable cash and trips to the mall, my James Bond obsession dramatically shifted into Phase 2. I'm not saying that I never watched a Connery Bond film before high school, I just don't immediately recall it from memory like I can with Roger Moore.
As stated previously, plenty of my time and money were wasted at Suncoast, where the purchase of the then 16-title James Bond VHS Box Set in letterbox (yes, I was that nerd) lead me down the path of denying Roger Moore. And who could blame me with this iconic introduction:
Just as effective as it was 55 years ago. Watching it now, just as I did back when I was 18, only made me realize how easy it was to make that shift; to conform. I'm sure that most Bond fans from my generation would agree that they too jumped ship at one point or another to join the ranks of their father, their mother, or whoever introduced them to James Bond. You know, the ones who always said that Sean Connery was the best. While Roger Moore was a charming and debonair playboy, Sean Connery was a man's man. His portraying of Bond oozed machismo in a way that no one else could pull off. He was the perfect embodiment of cool and collected, never showing vulnerability.
I was going to start talking comparing Sean Connery's ratio of good to bad films with Roger Moore, but honestly, who cares? Not me, at least not anymore. Let's stop wasting any more time and instead get to the movies!
DR. NO (1962)
Directed by Terence Young
Written by Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, Berkely Mather
Ian Fleming (novel)
Running Time: 110 minutes
Original Verdict:
It didn't display all of the elements of a typical Bond film, but it was a great starting block: We get the womanizing Bond, the gambling Bond as well as the judge, jury, and executioner Bond. Connery nailed the role from the start and everyone else since him have been playing James Bond in his shadow.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
THE REEVALUATION
The Cold Open: The iconic trademark of all other James Bond films was not yet established with its first film. However, if you want to consider the gun-barrel sequence the cold open, you go right ahead (but you'd be wrong).
The Story: When investigating the disappearance of a fellow British operative in Jamaica, Bond practically stumbles upon the mysterious Dr. No and his plan to disrupt the American Space Program. One of the tamest (or lamest) Bond plots ever put on screen.
 |
| "That's a Smith & Wesson, and you've had your six." |
The Villain: Portrayed by the capable Joseph Wiseman, Dr. No is more like a prototype villain. What he brought to the table was used as a launching pad for the rest of franchise. He's maniacal, self-centered, but only a wee bit over the top, especially compared to most of his predecessors. When his brilliant mind (and metal hands) are dismissed by the Americans, Dr. No becomes an agent of SPECTRE (see below), sets up shop in Jamaica with his Hotel Spa & Murder Resort, and begins to Terrorize the U.S.-based rocket launches taking place in Florida. You can't argue that Dr. No is determined, albeit a little silly in his plans.
SPECTRE: A Very Brief History
SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion -- or SPECTRE for short -- is a global criminal syndicate and terrorist organization. (It's also a horribly awesome mouthful of an acronym if there ever was one.) The brainchild of Ian Fleming who felt that the Cold War would come to an end in the next few years, SPECTRE was created as a fictional criminal organization in 1959 while collaborating on an original screenplay. Rather than the fear of having the film look dated, he came up with this politically neutral enemy for Bond, and in the process created one of the most iconic super-villains of all-time: Ernst Stavro Blofeld. (I'll go into more details surrounding the Thunderball controversy when I cover Never Say Never Again in a later post.)
The Heavy: While half of the island of Jamaica appears to be on Dr. No's payroll, the film doesn't feature a heavy in the most traditional sense of the Bond formula. That role wouldn't be filled until the franchise's second outing. Instead, we're introduced to a few quasi-henchmen including the less-than-effective Professor Dent, and the trio of assassins know as the "Three Blind Mice."
The Girls: Sylvia Trench and Honey Ryder. Need I say more? While not my personal favorite, no one can deny Ursula Andress' emerging from the warm Jamaican sea. Although not a full-time Bond girl, Sylvia Trench is the only part-time Bond girl I can remember to appear in back-to-back films. They're both worthy of our undivided attention for the everlasting impression they made on the rest of the franchise. Too bad the producers of the film weren't impressed with either of their voices and had them dubbed.
The Gadgets: Dr. No was notorious for setting several standards for the franchise, but outside of some talcum powder, a strand of Bond's hair, and the use a Geiger counter, the film is void of anything spectacular from Q's laboratory. In fact, the only thing that sets the standard here is M issuing Bond his Walther PPK.
 |
| That's Top Secret British Government hair being used here. The latest in 1960's folic technology. |
What Doesn't Work? Out of the gate, Dr. No is hitting like 75% of its iconic motifs, but what it lacks in those motifs, it makes up for it with a tarantula, bad voice dubbing, and Bond's horrible rear-projection screen driving. I wonder if the producers -- or Dr. No for that matter -- knew that tarantulas, while creepy-looking, aren't poisonous at all. Another clear point of contention: Why is Honey Ryder in this film? Her character serves absolutely no purpose other than to be a prize for Bond. Be that as it may, what I find most bothersome about Dr. No is the overuse of the Bond Theme. It's used five times in the film, and the most exciting use of this brilliant piece of music is when Bond says his name. Thankfully Monty Norman was replaced with John Barry in the second film.
Final Thoughts: While I wasn't keen on re-watching Dr. No (I normally don't gravitate to this film), I was quite pleased with the revisit. While dated, the film still seems fresh, and it has one of the most basic detective-style plots I can remember for a Bond film (once we're in Jamaica, we don't leave Jamaica). The pacing is well structured (especially for 1962), and since Dr. No is the shortest film in the franchise, it doesn't feel like it takes forever to sit through (at least for me). Director Terrance Young is credited for helping create one of the most iconic film characters in motion picture history. He was responsible for instructing Connery on how to dress, act, walk and talk like Bond. If he hadn't provided this guidance, who knows where this franchise would have ended up.
Reevaluation Score: 3.5 out of 5.
James Bond will return...
This was always my least favorite "Connery" film and you've confirmed it.
ReplyDeleteWait till you read my review of Diamonds are Forever. You may change your mind on your least favorite Connery film.
ReplyDelete