Ian Fleming's James Bond character's humble on-screen beginning is just that — humble. "Dr. No" is more of a mystery than an action film, so despite being the film that introduced the world to the most successful movie character of all time, it's not often considered a favorite of Bond die-hards.
Yet the foundation for the Bond franchise's DNA is all here. The famous Bond theme, the opening down-the-barrel gunshot, "Bond, James Bond" the Walther PPK, banter with Moneypenny — all originated in "Dr. No." Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman honed the essence of Bond the first time through, including casting the best actor to play the role the first time in Sean Connery.
Connery isn't the only thing that makes "Dr. No" work, but it's hard to imagine James Bond becoming the icon he is today without him, and more specifically, his performance in the film. That starts with the look. As Bond is a ladies man (and more than a few women get all out of sorts around him in this movie), Connery had to have a natural sex appeal and natural is the best way to describe it. Simply, he's a man's man, far from a pretty boy, and he cleans up like a boss. And while he's pretty smart and skilled, Connery adds some grit into the performance. Bond gets put through the ringer in this movie and he doesn't always look good doing it.
"Dr. No" introduces Bond as a playboy, but one whose duty to country calls. A fellow 00 agent who was investigating the jamming of Cape Canaveral's rocket launch signals has gone missing (permanently, a.k.a. he's dead) in Jamaica and so MI-6 sends Bond to investigate. From the moment he lands he finds he's being closely watched and everyone he tries to question won't talk. He soon collaborates with CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and a boatman named Quarrel, where he learns of the reclusive Dr. No and his heavily manned island of Crab Key. Bond and Quarrel travel to the island where Bond discovers the beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), but not without finding himself a bit trapped.
A good deal of "Dr. No" is slow-going, and the script relies on our curiosity about the title character in order to maintain our interest. Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is revealed late in the game and he's worth the wait, even if we don't get nearly enough of him. Creating the mysterious aura around No is one of the best things about this movie as it set the stage for the grandiose Bond villains to come. Most of the film is steeped in reality, but once we get onto the island, we see a bit more imagination and Bond gets rightfully larger than life.
Wiseman and Andress are also examples of top-notch casting decisions. Andress is absolutely magnetizing despite her character's complete and utter lack of importance to the film. She is something for Bond to do (in all senses) and something for the audience to look at (and she rocks that bikini). As much as she started the great tradition of Bond girls, she amounts to a shell-collector who found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oh well, it was the early '60s.
"Dr. No" has to be considered a wild success, however, because it introduced us to a character who clearly caught our interest. No matter how you feel about "Dr. No," it ends leaving you wanting to see more of this Bond, James Bond fellow and what beautiful women he might sleep with next while saving the world at the same time. The foundation this film builds is rock-solid, embodying nearly everything about the Bond character that we know today.
~Steven C
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Yet the foundation for the Bond franchise's DNA is all here. The famous Bond theme, the opening down-the-barrel gunshot, "Bond, James Bond" the Walther PPK, banter with Moneypenny — all originated in "Dr. No." Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman honed the essence of Bond the first time through, including casting the best actor to play the role the first time in Sean Connery.
Connery isn't the only thing that makes "Dr. No" work, but it's hard to imagine James Bond becoming the icon he is today without him, and more specifically, his performance in the film. That starts with the look. As Bond is a ladies man (and more than a few women get all out of sorts around him in this movie), Connery had to have a natural sex appeal and natural is the best way to describe it. Simply, he's a man's man, far from a pretty boy, and he cleans up like a boss. And while he's pretty smart and skilled, Connery adds some grit into the performance. Bond gets put through the ringer in this movie and he doesn't always look good doing it.
"Dr. No" introduces Bond as a playboy, but one whose duty to country calls. A fellow 00 agent who was investigating the jamming of Cape Canaveral's rocket launch signals has gone missing (permanently, a.k.a. he's dead) in Jamaica and so MI-6 sends Bond to investigate. From the moment he lands he finds he's being closely watched and everyone he tries to question won't talk. He soon collaborates with CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and a boatman named Quarrel, where he learns of the reclusive Dr. No and his heavily manned island of Crab Key. Bond and Quarrel travel to the island where Bond discovers the beautiful Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), but not without finding himself a bit trapped.
A good deal of "Dr. No" is slow-going, and the script relies on our curiosity about the title character in order to maintain our interest. Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman) is revealed late in the game and he's worth the wait, even if we don't get nearly enough of him. Creating the mysterious aura around No is one of the best things about this movie as it set the stage for the grandiose Bond villains to come. Most of the film is steeped in reality, but once we get onto the island, we see a bit more imagination and Bond gets rightfully larger than life.
Wiseman and Andress are also examples of top-notch casting decisions. Andress is absolutely magnetizing despite her character's complete and utter lack of importance to the film. She is something for Bond to do (in all senses) and something for the audience to look at (and she rocks that bikini). As much as she started the great tradition of Bond girls, she amounts to a shell-collector who found herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Oh well, it was the early '60s.
"Dr. No" has to be considered a wild success, however, because it introduced us to a character who clearly caught our interest. No matter how you feel about "Dr. No," it ends leaving you wanting to see more of this Bond, James Bond fellow and what beautiful women he might sleep with next while saving the world at the same time. The foundation this film builds is rock-solid, embodying nearly everything about the Bond character that we know today.
~Steven C
Thanks for reading! Visit my site moviemusereviews.com