Unfamiliar Territory (Dr. No (DVD))

Member Name: litefoot

Product:	Dr. No (DVD)
Date:	04/09/00 (25 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: well plotted thriller

Disadvantages: No Q!

And so began a cinematic institution that would last for 40 years and beyond. ‘Dr. No’ debuted in 1962 and is a world apart from the other Bond films. Its more of a tight, well plotted thriller than an action spectacle.

The basic plot is like this: Britain’s man in Jamaica disappears suddenly, prompting the British Secret Service to send in 007. His investigations lead him to his first encounter with SPECTRE (Special Executive for Counterintelligence, Terrorism, Revenge and Extortion).

Sean Connery as Bond is completely in charge here: suave and sophisticated with a passion for living life to the full. He’s devoted to his job and won’t let anyone stand in his way, even if it is a beautiful woman.

You know you’re in for something quite different as soon as the film starts. Its the only Bond film without a pre-credits sequence, and the title song is simply the James Bond theme. John Barry, well known at the time with his John Barry Seven Jazz Group, and Monty Norman composed the theme. Norman did the score for the film, with a Jamaican motif.

Most of the Bond trademarks are there from the beginning - "Bond. James Bond.", his fondness for casinos, Vodka Martinis shaken not stirred, his Walter PPK (though only on M’s insistence - Bond preferred a beretta) and an assortment of beautiful girls. Missing though are the gadgets - no sign of Q yet, so no handy escapes for Bond, and the whole film is set in Jamaica, rather than travelling the world to many glamorous locations; which both make ‘Dr. No’ seem fresher than subsequent films.

The other regulars are all present and correct though - Bernard Lee as M and Lois Maxwell as Miss Moneypenny. Felix Leiter makes the first of many appearances, played by Jack ‘Hawaii 5-0’ Lord. Odd that they kept changing the actor with each film. Ursula Andress as Honey Ryder is the Bond girl, doing her infamous rise from
the sea which went down in cinematic history. The voices of all the girls aside from Miss Moneypenny, including Andress, were overdubbed by an English actress. The villain (Dr. No) isn’t seen till the last act, another deviation from later films.

However, its missing all the action set pieces you’ve come to associate with Bond and you keep expecting an exciting car chase or an amazing stunt just round the corner, which makes it less fun. The franchise was an unknown quantity back then; its budget only a million dollars, not cheap at the time but not expensive either.

While the film was popular, Bond had yet to soar to the heights that he would later achieve with ‘Goldfinger’. Its nowhere near as fun as later Bond films. Some critics of present day Bond suggest this is the kind of style a Bond film should have - more plot and less reliance on gadgets and action. Still, its worth watching for a different take on 007.

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