Dr. No (1962) United Artists/Action-Adventure RT: 110 minutes No MPAA Rating (mild language, violence, implied sexual activity) Director: Terence Young Screenplay: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood and Berkely Mather Music: Monty Norman Cinematography: Ted Moore Release date: October 5, 1962 (UK)/May 8, 1963 (US) Cast: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Bernard Lee, Anthony Dawson, John Kitzmiller, Zena Marshall, Eunice Gayson, Michel Mok, Lois Maxwell, Peter Burton, Yvonne Shima, Louis Blaazer, Reginald Carter, Wm. Foster-Davis, Margaret Le Wars, Timothy Moxon. Box Office: $16.1M (US)
Rating: ***
Let the spy games begin!
Let’s begin with a brief history of James Bond, Agent 007 of MI6, the British Secret Service. The double zero in 007 indicates he has a license to kill. His weapon of choice is a Walther PPK handgun along with assorted gadgets provided by the agency’s resident weapons expert Q. He receives his orders from M, the head of MI6 played by Bernard Lee until his death in 1981. His tales of international intrigue typically take place in exotic locations around the world. He often finds himself involved in complex situations with villains who desire nothing less than world domination. Bond is a suave ladies man who ends up in bed with most of the women he encounters in his adventures. Oh, he likes his vodka martinis “shaken, not stirred”.
The first actor to portray Bond is Sean Connery (Darby O’Gill and the Little People). Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli, who then owned the rights to most of Ian Fleming’s original novels, originally sought Cary Grant for the role, but the actor committed to only one film. They needed somebody willing to commit to multiple films. After several other actors (e.g. Patrick McGoohan, David Niven and Rod Taylor) turned down the part, the producers went with Connery who played the super-spy in seven movies.
Dr. No is the first movie to feature James Bond. It premiered in America in May 1963. United Artists wasn’t entirely sure it would be a success. They opened it in 450 cinemas (mainly drive-ins) in the Midwest and Southwest regions of the US. It expanded to New York and L.A. a few weeks later. It ultimately became a hit. The character of Bond would go on to appear in 27 films including two unofficial ones- the 1967 spoof Casino Royale and 1983’s Never Say Never Again.
Of all the James Bond films, Dr. No is the most straightforward in terms of plot. 007 is sent to Jamaica to investigate the murder of one of their own who was onto something before being shot dead by a trio of assassins identified as “Three Blind Mice”. It might have something to do with the disruption of rocket launches at Cape Canaveral via radio jamming. Bond’s investigation leads him to a private island owned by the movie’s reclusive villain Dr. No (Wiseman, The Valachi Papers). Like all Bond baddies, he has an evil plan that he explains in detail to Bond because that’s what “Talking Villains” do.
Dr. No is the Bond movie featuring the iconic scene of Ursula Andress (The Blue Max) emerging from the ocean wearing a bikini. She plays a character named Honey Ryder. She gets snatched up too when No’s men come for Bond. Let me tell you, she is one hot number. WOW!
The inaugural James Bond film is a pretty good one. It set the standard for all the British secret agent movies that followed in its wake in the 60s. It’s a movie of many firsts for the series. It’s where we meet Bond’s American ally, CIA agent Felix Leiter (played in this one by Jack Lord of Hawaii Five-O), for the first time. It’s where we first hear the iconic theme by Monty Norman. We also get our first glimpse of Bond’s playful flirting with M’s secretary Miss Moneypenny (Maxwell). And most importantly, it’s where we first hear of the criminal organization SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion). These would all become recurring characters and motifs in future 007 adventures.
Director Terence Young (Wait Until Dark) takes a cheeky approach to the material which makes it more fun and more palatable. Bond may not have any special spy gadgets in Dr. No, but he does get to face off against a fire-breathing mechanical dragon (a security vehicle on No’s island). He also gets to have his final showdown with his nemesis in an underground lair filled with scientific types and goons, all working for No’s nefarious cause. Of course, we can’t forget the action which is never in short supply in one of these movies. There’s this one car chase that ends with our hero making one of his trademark quips as he surveys the fiery wreck that was his pursuer’s vehicle.
Connery is great as James Bond. He plays the British agent as a suave, charming and macho sort who doesn’t take himself too seriously. You can see he’s having a ball with the role. He’s a bad ass with class! Wiseman makes a great villain, one right out of a comic book with his prosthetic metal hands. Anthony Dawson (Dial M for Murder) shows up as a geologist who might not be on the up-and-up. Eunice Gayson, considered the first official “Bond girl”, has a few good scenes as Sylvia Trench.
With its beautiful Jamaican locations and sexy Ursula Andress, Dr. No is fun to watch and nice to look at. The action scenes are exciting and well orchestrated. The movie stumbles a little bit here and there, but I’m willing to cut it some slack as it’s the first of series that turned out to be fairly solid. Not all of the Bond films are great, but a few out of 27 (and counting hopefully) is damn good!
