From Russia with Love (1963)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay)
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:

Russian | Spectre | Istanbul | KGB | Decoder

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	...	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 | Romany

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Iceland:12 | Ireland:PG | West Germany:12 (nf) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:12 | New Zealand:PG | UK:PG (2008) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1984) | UK:PG (video rating) (1987) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:(Banned) (uncut) (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 (cut) (1964) | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

"The Canals", Venice, Veneto, Italy

Company:

Danjaq

Trivia:

Assistant director Kit Lambert later became a record producer and manager for the rock band The Who.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bond and his party board the train in Istanbul, they board the train at the rear which shows passenger coaches. When the train passes Kerim's son and does not stop at the scheduled rendezvous because Kerim has been killed, the passing rear of the train is freight cars. When Bond and Tania escape from the train, the departing shot of the rear of the train is passenger coaches again.

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 Crackerjack (2002)

Soundtrack:

From Russia With Love

Bond as a spy, rather than an action hero

After the success of Dr. No, it was only a matter of time before James Bond returned for his second installment of espionage and adventure. Of course, it wasn't until the phenomenal success of Goldfinger that the Bond series really took off, and established the formula soon to be followed by every subsequent 007 movie and virtually every other action movie. But 'From Russia with Love' proved to be an equally effective, if slightly quieter little film, with more focus on the undercover espionage portion of James Bond's occupation, and less of the glamorous saving the world which would later become daily routine for him.

In fact, one of the things that makes 'From Russia with Love' interesting is that it is a 007 movie made before the "Bond movie" formula was established, and noticeable differences in the storyline can be seen. 'Russia' is more of a slower film, with fewer action sequences and more focus on Bond actually being a spy rather than an action hero. This leisurely, tension-building storytelling likely would have garnered terrible reaction in the 90s, but 'From Russia with Love' is still a very strong, if less formulaic addition to the Bond series.

Another noticeable difference is that Bond himself is much less the star of the show than is usually the case. Much more focus is placed on the supporting characters of the story, including minor characters such as chess master Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal) who likely would simply have been eliminated from the story had 'Russia' followed the standard formula more closely. And for once, Bond isn't completely all knowing, capable of solving any problem independently - he teams up with the wise Kerim Bey (the charming Pedro Armendariz, his last film role) who shows Bond the ropes of Istanbul. But more standard story elements from the Bond formula are still present, such as menacing villains Rosa Klebb (the terrifying Lotte Lenya) and hit-man Red Grant. (an utterly intimidating and menacing Robert Shaw, the film's standout) And of course, there is still a slew of beautiful women for Bond to seduce, especially Russian decoding clerk Tatiana Romanova, played by the immensely gorgeous Daniela Bianchi. Also watch for a tense boat chase near the film's climax, the kind of stunt frequented by future Bond films.

So 'From Russia with Love' is really a quieter, more suspenseful addition to the Bond series, with more focus on Bond doing some actual spying rather than explosions every five minutes and Bond saving the world from some elaborate scheme. It may drag at times, and may not prove quite as exciting as today's audiences might hope, but Connery is at the top of his game here as 007, and his opposers are genuinely menacing and intimidating. For those wishing the Bond franchise would place more emphasis of the espionage portion of Bond's occupation, 'From Russia with Love' should prove the perfect film for them.

-8/10