From Russia with Love (1963)

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Ian Fleming (novel)
Johanna Harwood (adaptation)

Release Date:

27 May 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

The world's masters of murder pull out all the stops to destroy Agent 007!

Plot:

James Bond willingly falls into an assassination ploy involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by SPECTRE.

Plot Keywords:

Fish Tank | Speedboat | Periscope | Powder | Shootout

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Daniela Bianchi	...	Tatiana Romanova
Pedro Armendáriz	...	Ali Kerim Bey (as Pedro Armendariz)
Lotte Lenya	...	Rosa Klebb
Robert Shaw	...	Donovan 'Red' Grant
Bernard Lee	...	M
Eunice Gayson	...	Sylvia Trench
Walter Gotell	...	Morzeny
Francis De Wolff	...	Vavra - Gypsy Leader (as Francis de Wolff)
George Pastell	...	Train Conductor
Nadja Regin	...	Kerim's Girl
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Aliza Gur	...	Vida
Martine Beswick	...	Zora (also as Martin Beswick)
Vladek Sheybal	...	Kronsteen

Also Known As:

Ian Fleming's 'From Russia with Love' (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

115 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Russian | Turkish

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Germany:16 (DVD rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Ireland:PG | South Korea:15 | Canada:G (Quebec) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Brazil:12 | Iceland:12 | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (1964) | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (original rating) | Peru:14 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (original rating) | USA:GP (re-rating) (1971) | UK:A (original rating) (cut) | Finland:K-16 (re-rating) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

"The Canals", Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Eon Productions

Trivia:

The James Bond ally character of Ali Kerim Bey was known as Darko Kerim in the original Ian Fleming novel of the same name.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the helicopter attacking Bond blows up, its skids are blown off in the initial explosion. But in the next shot it is seen crashing to earth with the skids still attached.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Morzeny: [after Grant kills a look-a-like Bond] Exactly one minute, fifty-two seconds. That's excellent.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Harry Saltzman: Showman (2000) (V)

Soundtrack:

James Bond Theme

Classic Bond

Following the surprising success of Dr No, it became obvious that Broccoli and Saltzman's next step as producers would be other cinematic adaptation of Ian Fleming's work. Their choice this time was From Russia With Love, a novel once pointed out by US president Kennedy as one of his favorite books.

Trying to capture the unique mood and look of Dr No, the producers brought back almost everyone involved in the first Bond outing ( excepting mediocre composer Monty Norman, whose clumsy tunes were replaced by a magnificent John Barry's score, in his first "official" collaboration in the Bond series). This includes Broccoli's long-standing collaborator Terence Young, screenwriter Richard Maibaum ,and, of course, Connery, that rough Scottsman, initially despised by everybody as a "lorry driver" , who nevertheless delivered an unforgettable performance as James Bond.

All these talents combined to produce what no doubt is one the best Bond films of all time. Contrasting with the over the top story lines which would very soon become synonymous with Bond, From Russia With Love is a gritty and realistic Cold War thriller,filled up with sex violence and pure excitement. Terence Young considers this to be his best Bond film, and the movie proves him right. It is full of stylish shots( the famous close-up of Romanova's lips while Bond says "your mouth is just the right size") and really hot( by the 60's standards) seduction sequences. Even the back projection, a technical device often unfairly criticized , works wonderfully. Although many have criticized the action sequences following Bond's scape from the train, I think they're excellent, adding to the film's sense of danger and excitement. The helicopter chase, in particular, is a moment of brilliant film-making.(And it's even better than the sequence From North By Northwest that inspired it) The shot of Bond and Romanova embracing in the foreground with the helicopter exploding in the background perfectly encapsulates what the entire movie is about:danger, romance, violence.

As for the cast, Connery seems more confident and relaxed this time, but when it comes to his job, he is as ruthless and cold as Fleming originally envisioned the character. Lotte Lenya wonderfully portrays SPECTRE mastermind Rosa Klebb ("..such a disgusting woman..." as Romanova states at one point) . But it is legendary supporting actor Robert Shaw who nearly steals the show as a cold-blooded hit-man with a psychotic strain to him.

All in all, From Russia With Love is definitely a must-see not only for Bond fans, but for every discerning film lover.A true classic.