If you’re here starting from the beginning, good on you, I appreciate it. I just want to warn you that this write-up does contain spoilers. So read at your own risk.

(What’s a Russtrospective? Click here for a little background info on this project.)

We have roughly 2 months, or more precisely, 66 days until Spectre. Let’s get started.

Dr. No was released in 1962, and set a precedent not just for later films in the series, but also for pop-culture in general. Many of the well-known tropes of the series, and and other franchises like it began here. From Bond’s famous self-introduction, to the role of the “Bond Girl,” to how he prefers his martini. It was also the first of the “Eon” Bond films, called so because of the company behind the films: Eon Productions.

The Story:

Dr. No tells the story of British Spy James Bond, codename 007, played in his first on-screen appearance by a 30-year-old Sean Connery, who is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of fellow agent John Strangways. In fact, Strangways was ambushed and killed for working with the CIA to investigate a scheme by our villain: Dr. No, a handless, German/Chinese businessman, played by Jewish Canadian actor Joseph Wiseman. I don’t get it either. He plans to interfere with American rocket launches from Cape Canaveral using atomically powered radio waves.

During his investigation, Bond meets up with CIA agent Felix Leiter, played here by Jack Lord, (that “here” will be important later, you’ll see) who is also on the case of Strangways’ disappearance. Eventually, Bond’s investigation takes him to the mysterious island of Crab Key. There, Bond meets Honey Ryder (subtle), played by Swiss actress Ursula Andress (Well…physically at least. Her voice was later dubbed over by German voice actress Nikki van der Zyl due to her strong accent), a young woman collecting shells to sell back in Miami (and whose introduction, emerging from the water in nothing but a white bikini, would be imprinted in the mind of movie-goers and young men alike for years to come).

Eventually, while Bond and Honey are taken prisoner by the mysterious Dr. No. Here he reveals his scheme and that he is part of the organization SPECTRE (SPecial Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion). I feel like that might come up again somewhere down the road. Maybe. Bond escapes his cell through an air vent, foils Dr. No’s plan, and, after a brief scuffle, knocks Dr. No into the water cooling his reactor where he is promptly boiled to death. No soup. For you. Sorry. Moving on. Bond saves Honey and they escape the exploding island by boat. Then they bang. In the boat. ROLL CREDITS.

Now, if you really want to get to my reaction, feel free to keep scrolling. But since this film, and this franchise in general, has had such an impact on film as an industry, I thought It’d be nice to go a little into what made it all possible. Starting with the founding of the now legendary Eon Productions. If you’re still reading, then it’s time for a little history lesson.

Saltzman, Broccoli, and Eon Productions:

Eon Productions had its beginnings a year earlier with film producers Harry Saltzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. In 1961, after reading Ian Fleming’s Bond novel “Goldfinger”, Saltzman excitedly bid on and won a six-month option to the film rights of Fleming’s novels. Saltzman did nothing with the rights for most of the six-months that he had them, until he was introduced to Broccoli by mutual friend Wolf Mankowitz. Broccoli had previously expressed a wish to make the Bond stories into films, but was repeatedly shot down by his former business partner. Now on his own, Broccoli sought out to make the films himself.

After meeting, the two decided to partner and produce the films together, forming Eon Productions in order to do so. Many Hollywood Studios initially turned down the idea of the films, considering them too “british” and sexual in nature. Eventually the two struck a deal with United Artists for 100% backing and distribution for seven films, and a $1 million ($7.9 million today) budget for the first film. Compared to other popular films of the year such as Lawrence of Arabia (budget of $15 million then, $118 million today), and even To Kill A Mockingbird ($2 million then, $15 million today), they weren’t exactly given much to work with.

Let’s Make A Movie!:

Now backed and funded, the duo chose to adapt Fleming’s 6th Bond novel, “Dr. No.” Terence Young was picked as director, as he had a history with Broccoli’s former studio Warwick Films. Young decided to inject many stylistic choices (that would continue to be present throughout future films) and humor into the film, which he hoped would take some of the edge off of the more sexual and violent moments in the story.

After an initial script by Wolf Mankowitz and Richard Maibaum was rejected (Dr. No would have been a monkey. Good call.), Mankowitz left the project and Maibaum took over a second, more faithful, draft. After further doctoring by writers Johanna Harwood and Berkley Mather, the script of Dr. No as we know (ha) it today came to be.

(For future reference, I’m not really going to give too much attention to the differences between the novels and the movies unless there’s really an outstanding case for it. I don’t have much background on the novels, and I want to focus primarily on the stories being told through the films. I’m not disregarding them in anyway though. I fully acknowledge their place in pop-culture history, and I respect the fact that without them we wouldn’t even have these films to talk about in the first place. Everyone okay with that? Cool. Alright. Moving along…)

So what did I think of Bond’s first outing?

My Reaction:

My initial impression of this film is that it had a lot of surprises. Most importantly, I found it surprisingly watchable and enjoyable despite its age and relatively small budget. Sure, those factors are more obvious in some places, but for the most part I found the story easy enough to follow, the dialogue wasn’t a total cheesefest the entire time, the plot moved along at a good clip, the characters were enjoyable and didn’t really grate on you (even if some were underdeveloped, more on that in a minute), and the film as a whole wasn’t overly long, coming in at just under two hours.

A lot of my enjoyment probably rests on the broad shoulders of Sean Connery’s performance. I’ve heard people go on about how Connery is their favorite, and the best, Bond, and based on this first showing I can see where they’re coming from. Connery, who had apparently shown up to his audition for the role looking “scruffy” and disheveled, absolutely owns the role with an irresponsible amount of swagger and charisma. From his charming line delivery, to the confident way he carries himself just walking through the room, Connery plays the role of the suave secret agent with seemingly little effort, probably due in part to the tutoring he received from director Terence Young on the highlife of London. It’s really no surprise to me when people say that, to them, Connery IS Bond.

All of this is made even more impressive when you know that Connery wasn’t even the first choice for the role. In fact, he wasn’t even close. A handful of actors were considered before him including Cary Grant, Patrick McGoohan, and even future Bond Roger Moore. It was Connery’s own macho personality and “devil-may-care” attitude that sold the producers, as well as everyone else, despite initial doubts. Even Ian Fleming himself was so pleased with the performance that he later changed Bond’s background in the novel to reflect Connery’s own Scottish heritage.

Another surprise for me was just how bare-bones and straightforward the movie was. Of my little knowledge of Bond lore, I do know that he’s known for his arsenal of clever gadgets, fancy cars, and campy scenes. This makes more sense now that I know just how small the budget was, but when watching I was surprised that James Bond went into his first adventure with naught but a pistol at his side, and that the most gadgety object he uses throughout the film is a Geiger counter; which isn’t exactly clever, or extremely portable.

I consider this a good thing, though. Showing Bond as just a normal spy in his first outing makes it a bit easier to grasp the world these stories take place in. You don’t have to stretch your imagination to the point of accepting the existence of a laser watch, or a car with guns and oil slicks built in. You can just sit back, relax, and let Bond just do what he’s best at: being a spy.

Perhaps the most surprising to me was the character of Honey Ryder (subtle…just like this joke). Especially the fact that the first “Bond Girl” doesn’t even show up until halfway (roughly an hour) into the movie. I was also taken a little aback at Honey’s backstory: raped by her former landlord, who she then went on to murder with a black widow spider. In an otherwise relatively light film, this came as a bit of a shock. While dark, It did help give her character some depth and allowed her to establish herself as someone who could actually take care of herself, and that she wasn’t just The Pretty Girl in The Bikini.

I also enjoyed seeing where all these tropes and running pop-culture gags come from. I couldn’t help cracking a tiny smile seeing the iconic “gun-barrel” title sequence, or hearing Sean Connery introduce himself in his first scene as none other than “Bond…James Bond” as the famous Bond theme kicks in. However, and this is just more of a fun fact than anything, you never actually hear him request his drinks “shaken, not stirred” in this one. But, there are still 22 of these films left to watch. I’m sure there’s plenty of chances left for him to say it.

It wasn’t a perfect film, however. I really wish some of the other characters had had more development. Felix Leiter is maybe in a handful of scenes, and I feel like he really got the shaft here. I liked the idea of Bond teaming up and being chummy with another covert agent, but ultimately Leiter doesn’t do much other than point Bond towards Crab Key and then just piss off for the rest of the movie. M and Moneypenny, played here by Bernard Lee and Lois Maxell respectively, who are obviously important and close with Bond, only get a few minutes of screentime each. We know M is in charge and apparently is good at it, but that’s about all we get. Moneypenny is M’s secretary. That’s about all the characterization she gets. Again, though, I know there’s still many of these movies left for me to see, and I understand this was primarily establishing the James Bond character. So I look forward to what these characters might offer the series going forward, especially since these actors hold on to the roles for awhile.

Other than that, my only real gripes can be chalked up to the time-period, and the budget with which the film was made. Some of the choreography wasn’t the most graceful, and some of the effects were a little wonky looking, but hey, they did the best with what they had and I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The End? Not even close:

In the end, Dr. No was a success. Despite initial mixed reviews upon release, it went on to make it’s budget back several times over and is now highly regarded as one of the best installments of one of the most revered film franchises of all times. So much so that fifty-three years and twenty-three films later, we’re still talking about it, and still anticipating the release of another Bond film. Not a bad start.

Thus draws to a close my first James Bond experience. I’m glad the first one was actually pretty enjoyable, since a series can be seriously derailed by a bad first installment…ahem. Anyway, I’m excited to keep watching and to see just where this series takes me. From what I’ve heard it’s mostly good, but when it’s bad…it gets pretty bad. But, we’ll get there when we get there. For now, I enjoyed Dr. No. That’s one down, only…twenty-two to go before November.

Next Up: From Russia with Love!