Dr. No
Time to Meet the Gentleman Spy !
Dr No was the very first James Bond film, that introduced the famous Martini Drinking, Gadget Spinning, Womanising Secret Agent to the silver screen, this was 1962 and the world had never seen the likes of 007. Albert Broccoli and Harry Saltzman had stunned the cinematic public with the the character, fast paced plot and music, even the open titles captivated everyone. However few people realised that Dr No was actually the sixth book in Ian Fleming’s espionage series, the first being Casino Royale, which didn’t get a proper Bond adaptation until 2006.
This iconic series of films begins with a scene shot in a Casino with Sean Connery at a poker table, playing cards, whilst smoking and flirting with sultry women on either side of him. This specific four-minute sequence is to this day one of, if not the most famous scene in the entire series, that not only established Bond as a cool, stylish and charismatic, yet dangerous character. It also proved that Connery was more than suited to play James Bond, even though the character has changed significantly over the years, for me Connery will always remain the quintessential 007.
Dr No sees Bond travelling to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a fellow MI6 agent, named Strangeways, which in turn introduces us to the wonder of the dark organisation Spectre and Dr No, played by Joseph Wiseman as Russia attempts to overtake the USA in the Space Race, a massive talking point of the time. Even though this is a somewhat good start to the Bond series, there isn’t a lot in this film which is memorable or particularly spectacular, other than Connery’s performance and the opening scene at the poker table. Granted there are a few exciting car chases and the climax, just like with any Bond is visually enthralling and very intense. Then there is Ursula Andress, emerging from the sea as the first Bond girl, local shell diver Honey Ryder, which no red-blooded male will ever forget. Invariably and maybe unfairly, you find yourself comparing Dr No with all subsequent Bond films and as such, it is at best mediocre, yet it was good enough to spawn this remarkable series, a staggering achievement that none of us should ever forget.
6/10 – Calum Roberts
