Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Dr. No Review (Updated)










Dr. No


Release Date: 4th July 1963 - Australia


Production Companies
Eon Productions


Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 105 minutes


Budget: $1,000,000

Box Office Gross: $59,609,144 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
James Bond is a secret agent from the British Secret Service who goes by his codename 007. He is on a mission to investigate the death of a fellow agent that takes him to Jamaica. He joins forces with CIA agent Felix Leiter and native Quarrel for answers. Along the way, Bond must
fend off a trio of deadly
assassins and dodge a
poisonous tarantula and
"a fire-breathing dragon"
while uncovering an evil
plot from Dr. No with the help of the beautiful Honey Ryder.


Cast
Sean Connery - James Bond
Ursula Andress - Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman - Dr. No
Jack Lord - Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee - M
Anthony Dawson - Professor Dent
John Kitzmiller - Quarrel
Zena Marshall - Miss Taro
Eunice Gayson - Sylvia Trench
Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny
Peter Burton - Major Boothroyd
Timothy Moxon - John
Strangways (Uncredited)
Marguerite LeWars - Annabel
Chung - The Photographer
Dolores Keator - Mary Trueblood
Reggie Carter - Mr. Jones
Louis Blaazer - Pleydell-Smith
Colonel Burton - General Potter
Yvonna Shima - Sister Lily
Michel Mok - Sister Rose
Milton Reid - Dr. No's Guard (Uncredited)
Robert Rietty - John Strangways/Superintendent Duff (Voice) (Uncredited)
Nikki Van der Zyl - Honey
Ryder/Sylvia Trench/Various
(Voice) (Uncredited)
Diana Coupland - Honey Ryder
(Singing Voice) (Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Terence Young
Based on the Novel "Dr. No" - Ian Fleming
Treatment - Wolf Mankowitz (Uncredited)
Screenplay - Richard Maibaum,
Johanna Harwood and Berkeley Mather
Associate Producer - Stanley Sopel (Uncredited)
Producers - Albert R. Broccoli and
Harry Saltzman
Production Designer - Ken Adam
Art Director - Syd Cain (Uncredited)
Production Buyer - Ron Quelch (Uncredited)
Costumes - Tessa Prendergast
Director of Photography - Ted Moore
Location Manager - Chris Blackwell (Uncredited)
Stunt Arranger - Bob Simmons (Uncredited)
Special Effects - Frank George
Visual Effects - Roy Field (Uncredited)
Matte Artist - Cliff Culley (Uncredited)
Film Editor - Peter R. Hunt
Sound Recordists - John Dennis
and Wally Milner
Dubbing Editors - Archie Ludski
and Norman Wanstall
Main Title Designer - Maurice Binder
Music - Monty Norman
Arranger: James Bond Theme - John Barry


Review
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bond. James Bond on the big screen, here's my first-ever review of a Bond movie, the one that started it all, DR. NO. Sure, the film was a good entry and did have some exciting action scenes, but it has a spy/espionage feel than an action film. It may not have the same appeal to the mainstream audience as the later Bond films, but it is an important film because it was the first Bond movie ever made. It even introduced the iconic formula that subsequent films followed. I liked Sean Connery performing the title character as he was the best James Bond. Other actors who succeeded him, such as Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan, came close to matching his charisma, style and wit. The other things I find fantastic in the movie are the set designs by Ken Adam and James Bond's main theme music.

While DR. NO lacked a few things, such as cool gadgets, the film had set the benchmark for all Bond movies to come. I recommend this feature to anyone, including Bond fans, who have yet to see the character in his film debut.

Star rating: (4/5) Good Movie

2 comments:

  1. Great review, this is defintely a classic. I have been a Bond fan for as long as I can remember and I have seen everyone of the movies. My favorties are: Goldfinger, Casino Royal (2006), From Russia with Love and Dr. No.

    -James

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  2. Hi film guru lad. Great review, I think this film was a great beginning to a very successful franchise. Loved Sean Connery for Bond but have to say I prefer Roger Moore. Keep up the great work film guru lad. Over and out side winder : )

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