Review: Dr. No

Sean Connery is British Secret Service agent James Bond, tasked with going to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a British agent named Strangways, whom the audience already knows has been murdered. Bond’s trail leads to a much talked about but rarely visited island called Crab Key, full of much superstition and rumour. CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) introduces Bond to a local named Quarrel (John Kitzmiller) who reluctantly agrees to help Bond get to Crab Key. Crab Key it turns out is owned by a Eurasian named Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman). Dr. No, who keeps people away from the island via the use of superstition and some technical ingenuity, is apparently up to no good and it’s up to Bond and island girl Honey Rider (Ursula Andress) to put a stop to his megalomaniacal plans. Anthony M. Dawson (in fine form) plays Professor Dent, a cohort of Dr. No, whilst Bernard Lee plays Bond’s superior M, and Lois Maxwell is flirty secretary Miss Moneypenny.

This 1962 flick from director Terence Young (“From Russia With Love”, “Thunderball”) was the first official entry into the James Bond film franchise. It was the second one I ever saw after “Tomorrow Never Dies”, and despite not having all of the typical Bond elements set in place, it’s still my favourite in the franchise to date. It gets all of the important stuff right, at the very least. We start off with a gun barrel theme that starts differently than normal but at least we get the full James Bond theme (guitar included) over the credits before we move into Calypso drums and the rather naff ‘Three Blind Mice’. That said, this is the ‘Calypso Bond movie’ so it’s fitting and far from the worst music for a Bond film you’ll hear. This was Bond finding its cinematic feet, and yet I’ve always felt this film and “From Russia With Love” (which in novel form actually came before “Dr. No”) were closer to Ian Fleming than the usual choices of Lazenby, Dalton, and Craig era Bond films. I appreciate the rather stripped-back feel of this film and “From Russia With Love”.

The music score composed by Monty Norman (“Call Me Bwana”) doesn’t have the greatest flow or seamlessness about it, but it has the Bond theme played the way I like it (Yep, it was Norman who created it, not John Barry, who merely arranged and performed it), so that’s a big tick in my book. I much prefer it to any of the disco/Brit-pop scores in the 70s/80s-era Bond films, that’s for sure. Eunice Gayson is lovely and elegant as Sylvia Trench (one of the franchise’s best Bond girls and she even turned up in the next film), but what you’ll remember about the opener is really Bond’s introduction. It’s one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history. The film also happens to be the second-best showing for Lois Maxwell’s Miss Moneypenny behind “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.

The most important thing it has though, is Sean Connery as James Bond. This was his first outing in the role, and in my opinion the quality of the performance matches the quality of the film. It’s his best work in the role, and it’s amazing how assured he was in the gig already. This guy is James Bond from moment one and forever will be in my opinion. Connery is at perfect ease here playing Bond as a suave ladies’ man but also a cool-headed, slightly rugged professional capable of ruthlessness when need be. What I also like is that rather than the gadgets and action-driven Bond films to come, this one has Bond doing some genuine investigative work, and relying more on his wits, his fists, and his gun. To the latter, Bond favours a Beretta 418 here but is encouraged by M to pick up the soon to be iconic Walther PPK. Scripted by Richard Maibaum (a series mainstay for decades), Johnanna Harwood, and Berkely Mather, it’s my second favourite Bond script behind “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” but the film has one distinct advantage beyond the central casting: Brevity. This one gets in, does its business and gets out in well under two hours. Amazing that it’s edited by one Peter Hunt, the future director of the very finely written but dreadfully overextended “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”.

It’s also a good film for the Bond Girls, including the aforementioned Sylvia Trench, as well as the treacherous Miss Taro (played by Zena Marshall), the series’ first Bad Bond Girl. Coming out on top though, is the greatest Bond Girl of all-time, the stunning Ursula Andress as the exotic and enchanting Honey Rider. One of the few flaws with the film is that Honey is introduced a bit too late into the film, but once she is…you’ll never forget her or her spectacular entrance. Ursula Andress’ emergence from the water is one of cinema’s greatest moments in a film that already has another great entrance, the aforementioned Bond entrance. Honey’s not the bimbo she’s often derided as being by critics, those people don’t get her or the film. The key to understanding both is the location: The Caribbean, a fantasy holiday destination for many (at least at the time). Honey is a Dream Girl, Bond is many guy’s fantasy of who they would want to be. We’re not talking about a Ken Loach/Tony Richardson kitchen sink drama here, folks. It’s Bond. Obviously there’s more to Honey than just the exoticism/fantasy aspect (she has a genuine gripe against our chief villain), but she’s certainly not there for purely decorative purposes. It’s a bit of a shame that Andress’ voice was dubbed, but let’s face it…that’s not important is it? And no, I don’t mean that in the way you think I do. She doesn’t get all that much dialogue. Yep, that’s totally what I meant.

As for our chief villain Dr. No, Joseph Wiseman gives a solid, Peter Cushing-esque performance. It’s a little on the nose to cast a non-Asian to play a clearly Asian character, otherwise I have no issues with him. My only way to counter the claims of white-washing would be to suggest that it’s once again fantasy, and we don’t know for certain that he’s even meant to be Asian. These aren’t the greatest counter-arguments I’ll admit, but still Dr. No (who as a member of SPECTRE, puts another Bond movie element in place) ranks pretty highly on the Bond villain list for me. Like Honey Rider, it might’ve been nice if we saw him on screen earlier, but we do get his voice and the film is set out like a mystery anyway. Look out for American TV actor Jack Lord playing CIA agent Felix Leiter. He’s basically Jack Lord playing Jack Lord, but it works and he’s the screen’s best Leiter to date.

The film looks gorgeous, and I’m not just talking about Andress and the island locales. There’s some really nice lighting by Ted Moore (“Killers of Kilimanjaro”, “A Man For All Seasons”), and the set design by Ken Adam (Like Maibaum, a series mainstay for decades) set the standard for such things. Dr. No’s lair is definitely one of the more memorable Bond villain lairs.

This may not be the archetypal Bond movie in many ways, but it’s the best Bond movie for getting all of the important stuff right. It still gets some of the little signifiers in that would become classic, and gets some of them in very fine fashion, too. A great hero, great girls, lovely locales, tight pacing, the Bond Theme, nice action, interesting plotting and characters, and good performances. It all adds up to my favourite in the long-running series. There’s not much missing here except perhaps an iconic song, but being one of the shorter and better paced Bond films is a more important asset than having a great song in my view. Must-see, they got it right on the first go here.

Rating: B+