'Dr No' revisited

With 'Quantum of Solace' due to hit our screens soon, we take a daily look back at the 21 official Bond films. Day 1: 'Dr No'

Dr No (Terence Young, 1962)
Villain: Dr Julius No
At stake: world domination
Totty: Ursula Andress
Gizmo: incessant back-projection
Theme Song: 'James Bond Theme', Monty Norman
Quote: 'I misjudged you; you are just a stupid policeman whose luck has run out.'

The first cinematic outing for Ian Fleming’s soulless, misogynistic and unutterably lurid ideal of MI6’s best and brightest. Arrived on British screens that were stale and baggy from reflecting the grim, expressionistic interiors that hallmarked imported Film Noir and the postwar, mouse-that-roared pluck of homemade boosters like ‘Whisky Galore!’ and ‘The Cruel Sea’. ‘Dr No’ was colourful, truly exotic and thoroughly transgressive.

Cocksure, dismissive and elegant beyond the dreams of mortal (English)man, the imperious Sean Connery sauntered through an overripe cocktail of Caribbean intrigue as Her Majesty’s not-so-secret servant James Bond. He is abetted by Jack ‘Hawaii Five-O’ Lord as his shifty CIA opposite number Felix Leiter and Ursula Andress as vengeful cockler, Honey Ryder. They are all hot under the collar for the bionic hide of Dr Julius No – a ground-level member of the SPECTRE spy organisation we shall become all-too familiar with in further instalments.

The bad doctor is the first of many Bond supervillains to crave global domination, but when ‘Dr. No’ parlayed its million-dollar budget into receipts of $109m, it was immediately clear that 007 had come out on top – and would soon be back for more.

James Bond will return tomorrow in ‘From Russia With Love’…

Read our original review of 'Dr No'

 

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