Simplicity of Dr. No

DieAnotherDay

After watching a lot of the more OTT Bond films recently like TSWLM & MR it actually felt genuinely refreshing when I gave Dr. No another watch today. I have always enjoyed Dr. no but have never really appreciated it for much more than being the film to start the best series of films ever. (IMO) When I watched it today however I was just taken back by the sheer simplicity of the whole thing. The plot is easy to follow, the action isn't stupid or crammed in and the characters and locations are all extremely enjoyable to view. It is just genuinely a fantastic spy/detective story (more so than FRWL I feel) which actually has Bond act like a very intelligent and witty spy himself instead of a huge hero who cannot be killed or even harmed. I know CR brought back the simplicity somewhat but still compared to Dr. no it still seems slightly overblown, the first Bond film actually is a gem and sets remarkably high standards which the series often tried to hard to live up to.

hehadlotsofguts

I like how there is a minimum amount of gadgets in the film

Peppermill

I love Dr. No. It is a great introduction to Bond.

Thunderpussy

I love the card game at the start and all the mens fashions, a
real step back in time to Bonds Literary era. -{

hehadlotsofguts

I like the banter between Leiter and Quarrell.

"Hey Quarrell if you see a dragon, you get in on him first and breath on him ya hear?,with all that rum in ya he'll die happy!"

doctor maybe

I was just going to start a thread on this! Dr. No is just such a fun film all the way through. Maybe (IMO) one of the best in the series. It is very simple but in such a good way. Everything about it from the fashion, to the locations, to the characters.... I am just in awe of how good of a movie it is. It really set the stage for me when it comes to Bond films. Being as how I am a total beach bum, most of my favorite Bond films are the ones set near the ocean. Dr. No, Thunderball, Goldfinger, YOLT. These movies just give you a glimpse into what the culture was like back then. Plus, its a Connery Bond, so automatically its tops in my book...

Blackleiter

doctor maybe wrote:

Plus, its a Connery Bond, so automatically its tops in my book

Another very perceptive fan! -{

Strangeways

It is indeed a fabulous movie. I enjoy it every time I put it on.

Firemass

Dr. No is always a delight. My favorite of the classic Connery Bonds.

I slightly disagree that's DN is simplistic when you consider Dr. No's elaborate plan to topple US rockets with radioactive beams. There was definitely some over-the-top elements already in the works here.

DieAnotherDay

Firemass wrote:

Dr. No is always a delight. My favorite of the classic Connery Bonds.

I slightly disagree that's DN is simplistic when you consider Dr. No's elaborate plan to topple US rockets with radioactive beams. There was definitely some over-the-top elements already in the works here.

There is certainly some OTT things in play but they seem so toned down compared to the later instalments. The ending was actually quite a disappointment to me because it just got randomly complicated and slightly obscure (Dr. No's death) but overall it certainly takes on a much simpler and easier to admire take on a British spy doing what he does best.

Sherbrook

Minimalist Bond - hard edge, not many gimmicks, cool clothes, set in an era I like, nice ladies

Napoleon Plural

Remember my folks taking me to see it when I was 10, at London Pavilion I think it was, made a big impression and first Connery film I saw in colour, having had a black and white telly.

Understated, very cool and intro now seems cooler than ever. Perhaps the most unforced of the Bond films.

Halcon

#3 on my list

the movie reminds me of a warm breezy evening at the beach. and despite its hectic ending, it never loses its 'relaxed' vibe.

hehadlotsofguts

I thought Dr No's death was too quick

superado

As I've mentioned elsewhere, lol, I'm just enjoying my new blu-rays, which I thought I would never get and the first Bond I watched was Dr. No, naturally. At that time, they had a vision but had no inkling how the series would develop, so what came out inherently became the most sincere film in the series. As with FRWL, there was an obvious attempt to extract key essential qualities from Fleming, such as the exotic island feel set by the tropical night club dancers in silhouette, the 3-blind mice and the lush Jamaican locales, which I think just reverberated in the cockles of Fleming's heart. Then, there's the swanky lifestyle of Bond's world, including the open displays of sexual attraction (and of course, the actual casual sex).

I liked the depiction of the secret service here and by extension, the British Foreign Service since both were prominently depicted in Fleming's books. They seemed very "government," busy yet organized, still showing aspects of the then declining presence of the Empire (scenes with the expats' social activities and Government house) but bearing little resemblance to how MI6 came to be portrayed in the series with that aspect becoming condensed in the M-Tanner-Q-Moneypenny segments.

The nature of the mission itself was simplistic, with Bond in the beginning performing more like a police investigator (a stupid police man), interviewing people and following up leads, whereas nowadays the same activities are done in some high-tech, clever and often convoluted manner.

As with any starting movie and even with a freshman Bond, Connery hadn't nailed what would become his trademark portrayal and was sincere, most noticeable when playing "hard-edged" scenes like when confronting the photographer in the night club; Connery sacrificed finesse as he barked out orders with so much urgency, which would be normal in a police-procedural TV show, so in DN that could be a good or bad thing depending on how one looks at it (check out how his face shakes when he pulls out the film from the girl's camera. IMO, despite the characterization, Connery's attempt at playing a gentleman doesn't quite come through and he's not that convincing as a product of a public school, old boys club, but then again I think there was much leeway given there for the sake of making the character cool and attractive.

Then, the fantasy element enters almost dramatically once Bond is on Crab Key. Just like with the novel, Fleming occasionally strayed from the plausible and dipped into the bizarre, going to the limit with YOLT and of course, DN. Fleming is said to have been a fan of pulp novels as a boy and it seems that DN was an experiment in that vein. But because EON chose to make this the first film, it must have been tough deciding on different elements of their treatment. The product, however, indeed delivered and the Crab Key portion of the movie was a respectable interpretation that somehow attained dignity for those overly-fantastic elements of the novel; what we got was some excellent escapism and adventure to finish the movie.

The blu-ray just made it all the more better, the cinematography became all the more vivid and the colors just popped out, beginning with the title sequence and throughout the tropical locales. When I struggled with my purchase of the set, I even considered just getting the Connery movies because IMO, because of their age and how these movies were shot, they would benefit the most from the digital remastering and blu-ray conversion, so watching DN was a fantastic way to begin the Bond blu-ray experience.

Charmed & Dangerous

Blackleiter wrote:

doctor maybe wrote:

Plus, its a Connery Bond, so automatically its tops in my book

Another very perceptive fan! -{

How did I know you were gonna say that? ) -{

always shaken

I remember a new agent who joined asking our advice on what Bond film
should he start with ? i said start at the beging ,where it all began and watch DR NO
i remember having to duck to avoid the verbal eggs SO i was right )

Blackleiter

Charmed & Dangerous wrote:

Blackleiter wrote:

doctor maybe wrote:

Plus, its a Connery Bond, so automatically its tops in my book

Another very perceptive fan! -{

How did I know you were gonna say that? ) -{

Clairvoyant perhaps? )

chrisisall

I love Dr. No. Awesome simplicity and economy of storytelling.
But then, the 60's movies & Dalton's two really ARE the Best of Bond, aren't they? -{

DEFIANT 74205

chrisisall wrote:

I love Dr. No.
But then, the 60's movies & Dalton's two really ARE the Best of Bond, aren't they? -{

No argument from me there

Minister w/o Portfolio

Yes, its simplicity is its USP I believe.

Kent007

I really like Dr.No, more so than FRWL. I'm not entirely sure why, I just watch Dr.No a lot more and think it's more iconic.

AlphaOmegaSin

Dr know was the perfect Launching Point for the Franchise.

chrisisall

Kent007 wrote:

I really like Dr.No, more so than FRWL. I'm not entirely sure why, I just watch Dr.No a lot more and think it's more iconic.

Dr. No turned into a real Bond movie (like they would become later) when Bond & Honey got captured; FRWL was a pretty straight drama most of the way through with not so much of the fantastic.

ixtore

Dr. No was, in its time, groundbreaking. The only film that came close to it's 'cool, dangerous and humorous' aspect until then was North By Northwest. It had as much substance as it did style. And Connery's Bond was more driven, to the point and all hands on deck for the job than any other film in the series (until the Craig remodeling). It had everything and laid the groundwork for the following films very nicely, I think.
And Norman's Bond theme was and is thrilling.

chrisisall

ixtore wrote:

Dr. No was, in its time, groundbreaking. The only film that came close to it's 'cool, dangerous and humorous' aspect until then was North By Northwest.

-{

Thunderpussy

To see how good Dr No was just watch any other action/thriller from the
early 60's. )

chrisisall

Thunderpussy wrote:

To see how good Dr No was just watch any other action/thriller from the
early 60's. )

Yeah, Hitchcock & Young ushered in a new era!

davidelliott101

My ONLY complaint about Dr No is the music at the fight scene in the end... where Dr No dies (the whole sequence)... it sounds like something out of a 1930's or 1940's Movie Serial.

chrisisall

davidelliott101 wrote:

My ONLY complaint about Dr No is the music at the fight scene in the end... where Dr No dies (the whole sequence)... it sounds like something out of a 1930's or 1940's Movie Serial.

Blame that on Norman; Barry would have made it work better!

L Jones

Groundbreaking or not, I still have a low opinion of DR. NO. A good deal of the acting was pretty bad or mediocre, except for Jack Lord and John Kitzmiller. Honey Ryder's character was irrelevant. Connery's performance switched from smooth to stilted, whenever he had a scene with Lord. I couldn't tell whether DR. NO was an early 60s crime drama, an espionage tale or an adventure fantasy. Terence Young and the script didn't handle the combination of the genres very well. On the other hand, I was very impressed with the score, the songs and the photography.

So, yeah . . . I have a low opinion of it.