Dr. No (1962)

[slumcat]

Connery was made by nature to be Bond. I picture a slightly different man while reading the books. I would say such a man does not exist. Connery is the closest approximation.

One thing I feel only Connery captured was the feral nature of Bond - the sheer unpredictability. Bond is a very intelligent man but is not immune to bouts of sheer wildness, the lizard brain taking over.

I feel no other actor has portrayed that element. Not even Craig.

There is something so alluring about the character. Without doubt one of the greatest characters in fiction. There’s a reason we keep coming back to him.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by Deadend45

The only thing the Fleming books have in common with the films is the name. The characters and plots are entirely different and Bond is not 'suave' in his books.

Also Fleming hated Connery as Bond.

Literally nothing in this post is correct.

[Krynoid-Man]

Indeed. Fleming like Connery's performance so much he made Bond Scottish in the later books.

[Warm Gun]

I wish Bond had stayed canonically English only and Connery's Scottish accent was simply overlooked.

[Krynoid-Man]

Scots are British

[slumcat]

I think he means English.

[Warm Gun]

Right.

[Hindustani]

Originally Posted by Warm Gun

I wish Bond had stayed canonically English only and Connery's Scottish accent was simply overlooked.

literally.....The world can easily accept "bond" as.....

-English
-Welsh
-Scottish
-Iris
-Northern Irish

something about that area's culture, nuances that makes things flow smoothly

What the world have difficulty accepting "bond" as......

-American
-South African
-Ozzie (HINT: Lazenby)
-Canadian
-Kiwi

[FrancisP]

Originally Posted by zen007

With the 25th Bond film in the cinemas, it is a good time to revisit the first Bond film that started the Bond phenomenon.

When the 6th Fleming book, based on a screenplay iirc, came out in 1958, it was probably the first Bond book to face criticism from many quarters for "snobbery and sadism". However, Dr. No showed that while many may not find such "elements" good to read, they do work in film (with certain elements left out and/or changed).

Fleming's formula in combination with Bond producers imagination has worked wonders since 1962:

a) A suave secret agent with a license to kill on an interesting assignment, which would potentially alter the future of the world
b) A sophisticated villain, usually with a disturbing past and/or a disability, willing to use all his assets to achieve his goal
c) Skilled and dedicated henchmen, who would stop at nothing and could use unusual methods to accomplish their objectives
d) A leading lady with an unusual name straight out of fairytales
e) Stoic characters that support Bond on his missions

All of the above elements are weaved with exotic locations, gadgets, and a mesmerizing background score to create magic on screen.


Dr. No also had another great card up its sleeves - director Terence Young. Young appears to understand Bond completely and is said to have coached Connery on how to play Bond. Among those who have directed multiple Bond films, Young is arguably the best Bond director. His touch whether in DRNO, FRWL, or TB makes those films age relatively better.




Dr. No's score is a magic trick as well. If you like the Bond theme, it is used generously, a fresh tune at that point in time. Various elements of Dr. No's score have been tweaked and used in future Bond films.





Overall in 2021, the first Bond film still remains a magical experience and among the top films of the franchise.

Jack Lord was also very good as Felix Leiter as well.

[Hindustani]

Originally Posted by FrancisP

Jack Lord was also very good as Felix Leiter as well.

same detective work.......

different island......

different ocean.....

[Killer Meteor]

So in the tangled web of whether Barry or Norman wrote the Bond theme...what is this?

The James Bond Theme (For Dr. No) - YouTube

It's Track 17 on the Dr No album, and it's probably by Norman, rather than Barry as Youtube claims.

[roborunner94]

Couldn't get into this one.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

So in the tangled web of whether Barry or Norman wrote the Bond theme...what is this?

[Show spoiler]The James Bond Theme (For Dr. No) - YouTube

It's Track 17 on the Dr No album, and it's probably by Norman, rather than Barry as Youtube claims.

That was a piece of music that Norman had written for the film, originally intended to serve as the theme, but was ultimately discarded in favour of the famous piece we know today.

John Barry's only involvement with Dr. No was on the final James Bond theme that is heard over the film's opening credits.

Whoever posted that to YouTube probably just thought it was Barry who composed because they don't know any better.

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

That was a piece of music that Norman had written for the film, originally intended to serve as the theme, but was ultimately discarded in favour of the famous piece we know today.

John Barry's only involvement with Dr. No was on the final James Bond theme that is heard over the film's opening credits.

Whoever posted that to YouTube probably just thought it was Barry who composed because they don't know any better.

Was it Barry who selected the tune, or had the decision already been made to turn the "Good Sign, Bad Sign" tune into the Bond theme?

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Was it Barry who selected the tune, or had the decision already been made to turn the "Good Sign, Bad Sign" tune into the Bond theme?

I don't know what you mean by "was it Barry who selected the tune".

Monty Norman composed it based in part on the earlier work that you mentioned, Barry arranged it and performed the version heard over the credits.

You can look it up if you need more info, but Barry had no involvement with the piece of music you posted earlier.

[Killer Meteor]

Originally Posted by RCRochester

I don't know what you mean by "was it Barry who selected the tune".

Monty Norman composed it based in part on the earlier work that you mentioned, Barry arranged it and performed the version heard over the credits.

You can look it up if you need more info, but Barry had no involvement with the piece of music you posted earlier.

Sorry, what I meant was who made the decision to go from the track I posted earlier to the tune we now know as the Bond theme.

[harry o]

That wasn't Connery in the early gun barrel scenes which I'd wished he'd done.

[Markgway]

That track illustrates just how bad the Bond theme was before Barry got involved.

You'd need to be psychic to spot any talent in that snoozer.

It's shocking to me how a court of law was convinced that Barry didn't write (or more aptly co-write) the final version of the theme.

[RCRochester]

Originally Posted by Killer Meteor

Sorry, what I meant was who made the decision to go from the track I posted earlier to the tune we now know as the Bond theme.

Most likely the producers.

[captainsolo]

When court battle did eventually happen Norman had the better lawyers and Barry wasn’t in great health. It wasn’t really a fair battle. IMO it should have at the least been shared credit. I quite like Norman’s DN score because it’s so tied into the film and Peter Hunt edited it like crazy to have more punch. (Terence Young bemoaned it as “mining disaster music”) Outside of having the general basis for the theme and possibly a working track the theme as we know it was made by all of Barry’s energy and soul. His slightly later rerecording in stereo with additional flourishes is further evidence of this as are his later rerecordings on some of his compilation albums.
Later he would create the 007 theme as an alternative.

If it had been up to Norman, some others and Harry Saltzman it could’ve been Underneath the Mango Tree over the titles.