Dr. No (1962)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay) &
Johanna Harwood (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

8 May 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

Tagline:

NOW meet the most extraordinary gentleman spy in all fiction!...JAMES BOND, Agent 007!

Plot:

James Bond's investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program.

Plot Keywords:

James Bond | Island | CIA | Scientist | Jamaica

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 2 wins

Cast

Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Ursula Andress	...	Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman	...	Dr. No
Jack Lord	...	Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee	...	M.
Anthony Dawson	...	Professor Dent
Zena Marshall	...	Miss Taro
John Kitzmiller	...	Quarrel (as John Kitzmuller)
Eunice Gayson	...	Sylvia Trench
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Peter Burton	...	Major Boothroyd
Yvonne Shima	...	Sister Lily
Michel Mok	...	Sister Rose
Marguerite LeWars	...	Annabelle Chung - Photographer (also as Marguerite Le Wars) (as Marguerite Lewars)
William Foster-Davis	...	Superintendent

Also Known As:

Doctor No (UK) (alternative spelling)
Ian Fleming's Dr. No (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Norway:12 (re-rating) (1979) | Singapore:PG | West Germany:16 (nf) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | Portugal:M/12 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) | Ireland:PG | Norway:15 (re-rating) | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (certificate #20322) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1971) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1994) | UK:A (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

2171 Magenta Drive, Jamaica

Company:

Eon Productions

Trivia:

It is long standing misconception that John Barry wrote "The James Bond Theme". It actually originated from a song, "Good Sign, Bad Sign" composed by Monty Norman, from an aborted musical, "The House of Mr. Biswas". Barry arranged and orchestrated Norman's theme to produce the theme as it is known throughout the world.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After Honey is finished being showered and decontaminated, the technician passes a Geiger counter over her and reports, "Practically zero - she's clean." However, in the very next shot, from the side, Honey is plainly seen removing her hands from the machine used to decontaminate radioactive particles from the fingernails. This action is redundant.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John Strangways: That's it. Hundred honors and ninety below.
Professor R. J. Dent: Nicely done, Strangways. I have to give it to you.
John Strangways: I must leave you for a few minutes. Order a round on my chit, will you Professor.
Professor R. J. Dent: Right.
Gen. Potter: Damn it all! Must you break off at this time every evening?
John Strangways: Sorry, General. My managing director is a creature of habit. There's a call booked through to me every day about this time.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Balls of Fury (2007)

Soundtrack:

Jump Up

A respectable start for 007...

The first Bond epic is a little rough around the edges in spots (for instance, notice how the Bond theme accompanies even the most mundane of actions, such as Bond lighting a cigarette). But it remains very watchable, and is actually one of the more violent installments in the series, even by contemporary standards.

Sean Connery, of course, is the best of all possible Bonds, and right from his first appearance assumes command of the role with a suave sex appeal and tough masculinity that nobody else (not even Brosnan) has been able to surpass. One thing about this movie that I really liked is the fast-paced editing (courtesy of Peter Hunt). That, and its relatively brief running time (only Goldfinger is shorter, I believe, whereas many of the later Bonds would run on and on far too long, proving that less is sometimes more) make this one of the leaner, more effective Bond films.

Ursula Andress, with her memorable entrance as she rises out of the water like some Greek goddess, sets the standard for the countless beauties who would follow. Joseph Wiseman, as Dr. No, is not really seen until well into the second half, and this works to the movie's advantage, allowing the tension to build as we wonder exactly who this guy is, who is able to put such fear into his subordinates and others. Wiseman delivers a performance that is low-key yet chilling.

Jack Lord is the first and best Felix Leiter (one of my gripes about the Bond series is the treatment of Leiter, who seems to be played by a different actor each time he appears -- and they're not all of the same caliber). The movie was made on a relatively small budget, but it doesn't show.

Dr. No is a superior entertainment, both a respectable start to the adventures of 007 and actually far superior to many of the episodes that would follow.