Dr. No (1963)

Best Bond

Sean Connery is the penultimate Bond, mostly through sheer personality. There may not be the incredible effects as available today, but when it comes down to it - he's the Bond for all seasons. June 15, 2008

Dr. No

I gave it four stars because of its picture and sound quality.

It would have been better with a companion booklet.

Sorry Mr. Connery, but I'm NOT into this movie.

JC June 14, 2008

The Bond movie that started it all!!!!

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This movie is just over 45 years old (counting from the date of this review).

(Sir) Sean Connery made six EON (or "official") movies with him starring as James Bond. They were: (1) Dr. No (1962) (2) From Russia with Love (1963) (3) Goldfinger (1964) (4) Thunderball (1965) (5) You Only Live Twice (1967) and (6) Diamonds are Forever (1971).

As you can see from the above list, "Dr. No" is the first spy film of the British Bond series. As well, it is the first to star Connery as the fictional MI6 agent Commander James Bond (code number 007).

This movie is based on the 1958 novel "Dr. No" by Ian Fleming (1908 to 1964).

Briefly, Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the death of a British agent. The trail leads him to the island home of the reclusive Dr. Julius No. Bond uncovers Dr. No's plot to disrupt American rocket tests, and scuttles his operation.

Note that this movie does not show Bond earning his "double-0" status which gives him a licence to kill but presents him as a seasoned veteran.

There is no title song sung at the beginning of this movie. Instead there is instrumental music that has the James Bond theme music with lively Jamaican music.

This movie has several things it introduced to the James Bond series. Here are some: (1) the distinctive James Bond theme (2) the gun barrel sequence (3) Bond girls (4) the criminal organization SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion) and (5) Bond's signature Walther PPK handgun.

However, the real reason that this movie is so significant is that it introduces Bond to the world. This movie was such a success no doubt because of Connery's acting ability. He brings a certain savoir fare to the role. Who can forget Bond's memorable debut to the world:

At a card table smoking a cigarette telling a beautiful woman that he's "Bond...James Bond." As he speaks these words, the James Bond theme music plays in the background. Mere words can't adequately express this PRICELESS scene. You HAVE to see it for yourself.

The main Bond girl is Honey Ryder played by Ursula Andress (whose voice was dubbed). Joseph Wiseman gives an unforgettable performance as Dr. No, a reclusive member of SPECTRE. Jack Lord (who would be later known for the hugely successful and long-running "Hawaii 5-0" television series) plays Felix Leiter, a CIA operative.

Some say that Q (the gadget master) is not in this movie. Actually he is. But he's played by a different actor (not the actor everyone is used too) and is addressed as "Armourer" and Major Boothroyd. He replaces Bond's Beretta handgun with a Walther PPK handgun.

M and Miss Moneypenny are also in this movie.

This movie was filmed in Jamaica and London, England.

When first released, this movie made about sixty million dollars worldwide. That's about four hundred and twenty-five million in today's dollars.

The only problem with this movie was the ending. It seems that the screenwriters were overly-concerned with introducing James Bond to the world. They do a great job of this. But they may have realized that the movie was getting too long. Thus the actual time they give to Dr. No on-screen is minimal and they make things too easy for Bond thus wrapping up the movie much too quickly. In other words, I was disappointed with the ending.

The DVD itself (the one released in Sept. 2007) is flawless in picture and sound quality. This movie has been digitally restored and I'm sure the picture is just as good (if not better!!) than when it was released just over 45 years ago. As well, there is one extra in the form of an audio commentary.

Finally, here is some information to consider. This DVD is actually the first disc of the two-disc "Ultimate Edition." Bond fanatics might want to purchase this two disc Ultimate Edition since the second disc has "the best collection of special features ever assembled for Bond." (Unfortunately, the Ultimate Edition is no longer available but it can be purchased second-hand.)

In conclusion, this was the Bond movie that started it all! For the true Bond enthusiast, this movie is a must!!

(1962; 1 hr 50 min; wide screen; 32 scenes)

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June 14, 2008

Vintage Bond at its Best .... this one started the Franchise!

My wife and I are huge Sean Connery fans and 'James Bond' fans. When the first James Bond films hit the theaters I can remember an acrimonious discussion with my future mother-in-law about how my future wife was not allowed to see those "kinds of movies"! (My wife and I were high-school teenagers at the time.) In the ensuing years, we had lots of laughs over this episode .... but I was hooked on James Bond movies. There is only ONE James Bond and that is Sean Connery. Dr. No is the one that got me hooked and I have seen every episode several times. The simplicity of Dr. No is one of its attractions. This was a "pre-gadget" and "pre-Q" film! June 5, 2008

The very first Bond film....

Would you believe I had the Dell/Gold Key comic that was based on this film? Do you have any idea what that sucker'd be worth today? OUCH! Anyway...all hail the maiden voyage of the SS 007-Franchise! It would be one of the few of the series to adhere faithfully to the novel it was named for.

Sean Connery, (it was almost a year before I learned how to pronounce his name correctly, [like everybody else, I thought it was 'Seen Canary']) shows us immediately why he is still the quintessential 007: cool-minded, droll, all-business when needed....he would put his heir, Roger Moore, to shame!

One thing you could always date the 007 movies by was the style of the Bond girls in each movie, at least in the sixties....and Sylvia Trench is obviously being played by a woman whose aesthetic sense is rooted in the late fifties rather than the early sixties. Every OTHER woman in the movie pretty much sticks to a style that could be plopped in ANY post-war decade, but Trench pretty much betrays "Dr. No's" early-sixties origins.

The movie pretty much follows the book almost line for line, except for the way Dr. No himself looks and the very end, when Bond defeats him. I often think that, if they had used the book's ending, this film, before this series had garnered the great reputation it would eventually develop thanks to "Goldfinger", would have been its own self-parody. Cormorant guano, indeed! ;-)

The transfer I have is beautiful: sound, picture quality, etc....all good. And now I have all three of the BEST Bond flicks, the beginning Bonds, on dvd....Talk about hog heaven.

Now all I need to do is get up the bucks to buy the Aston Martin DB-5! March 16, 2008

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