Simplicity of Dr. No
DieAnotherDay
Glasgow, ScotlandPosts: 460MI6 Agent
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.
....and the best he ever managed was a sermon on the mount.
Comments
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
real step back in time to Bonds Literary era. -{
"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!"
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
Another very perceptive fan! -{
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.
1. GE 2. MR 3. OP 4. TMWTGG 5. TSWLM 6. TND 7. TWINE 8.DN 9. GF 10. AVTAK
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.
Understated, very cool and intro now seems cooler than ever. Perhaps the most unforced of the Bond films.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
the movie reminds me of a warm breezy evening at the beach. and despite its hectic ending, it never loses its 'relaxed' vibe.
" I don't listen to hip hop!"
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.
How did I know you were gonna say that?
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
Clairvoyant perhaps?
But then, the 60's movies & Dalton's two really ARE the Best of Bond, aren't they? -{
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
No argument from me there
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
And Norman's Bond theme was and is thrilling.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
early 60's.
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
#1.TLD/LTK 2.TND 3.GF 4.GE 5.DN 6.FYEO 7.FRWL 8.TMWTGG 9.TWINE 10.YOLT/QOS
So, yeah . . . I have a low opinion of it.