Dr. No (1962)

A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.

Director:

Terence Young

Writers:

Richard Maibaum (screenplay), Johanna Harwood (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bernard Lee

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	James Bond
Ursula Andress	...	Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman	...	Dr. No
Jack Lord	...	Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee	...	M.
Anthony Dawson	...	Professor Dent
Zena Marshall	...	Miss Taro
John Kitzmiller	...	Quarrel (as John Kitzmuller)
Eunice Gayson	...	Sylvia Trench
Lois Maxwell	...	Miss Moneypenny
Peter Burton	...	Major Boothroyd
Yvonne Shima	...	Sister Lily
Michel Mok	...	Sister Rose
Marguerite LeWars	...	Photographer (as Margaret Le Wars) (as Marguerite Lewars: end credits)
William Foster-Davis	...	Superintendent (as Wm. Foster-Davis)

Storyline

James Bond 007 is Britain's top agent, and is on an exciting mission, to solve the mysterious murder of a fellow agent. The task sends him to Jamaica, where he joins forces with Quarrel and a loyal C.I.A. Agent, Felix Leiter. While dodging tarantulas, "fire breathing dragons", and a trio of assassins, known as "the three blind mice". Bond meets up with the beautiful Honey Ryder and goes face to face with the evil Dr. No.

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Plot Keywords:

british secret service | official james bond series | felix leiter character | west indian | 007 | 

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Taglines:

Spend a night with James Bond! (1972 reissue US one sheet poster)

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Thriller

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

7 October 1962 (UK)

Also Known As:

Dr. No

Filming Locations:

2171 Magenta Drive, Jamaica

Box Office

Budget:

$1,100,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$16,067,035

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$59,600,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor) (as Technicolor ©)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to Lois Maxwell, Ursula Andress made quite an impression at the wrap party. "At the party, she danced with all the crew and she was the first grown woman I had ever known who didn't wear a bra. As she danced, those wonderful breasts were just swaying. I remember thinking how marvellous it must be to be that uninhibited and I wanted to throw my bra off, but I didn't have the courage."

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Goofs

When Bond, Honey and Quarrel are hiding underwater in the reeds, he warns not to disturb the mud which would cloud the water. When the guard approaches just before Bond kills him, the water is completely clouded. In the next shot, the water is clear again.

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Quotes

James Bond: [Bond has overpowered Mr Jones on an isolated road] Now talk!
Jones: [Breathlessly] Alright! Let me have a cigarette.
Jones: [Bond gives him the packet of cigarettes. Jones starts gasping for air. Bond grabs him] To hell with you!

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Crazy Credits

In the closing credits, John Kitzmiller's name is misspelled "John Kitzmuller".

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Alternate Versions

During the Dent execution, most TV prints omit Bond's second gunshot into Dent's back. Some foreign prints omit the scene entirely.

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Connections

Referenced in Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Life Serial (2001)

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Soundtracks

The Island Speaks
(uncredited)
Written by Monty Norman
Performed by Monty Norman

User Reviews

The Film That Started It All

Bond. James Bond. One of the most well-known cinematic icons of all time, Agent 007 has lit up the silver screen and wowed audiences for over 50 years, and this franchise shows no signs of slowing down. The character first appeared in author Ian Fleming's 1953 novel "Casino Royale," but he's best known for the long-lived film franchise by Eon Productions. James Bond has since been ingrained as a major component of popular culture, redefining the film industry upon the release of the early films. Audiences hadn't seen anything like it at the time, and they couldn't get enough of it. Bond has since blown up on a global scale, and it all ties back to this first film, "Dr. No."

Despite being the first film in the series, "Dr. No" is actually based on Fleming's sixth novel in the series. As the inaugural Bond film, director Terence Young had a blank slate to work with. The clichés and archetypes that are instantly connected with the franchise today had not yet been established. Fleming wanted David Niven to play Bond, but the studio ultimately went with Sean Connery, who played a major role in defining what the popular view of Bond would become. He simply exudes confidence through his voice, appearance, and attitude. From that genre- defining first moment where we're introduced to Bond, he instantly slips right into the character. It's no wonder people often cite Connery as the definitive Bond, because his performance laid a lot of that groundwork for future incarnations. He's easily one of the best aspects of the film.

The film sends agent 007 on a mission to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow MI6 agent, Strangways. While there, he teams up with CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord), a native fisherman named Quarrel (John Kitzmiller), and eventually, a woman named Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) to investigate the goings-on at a mysterious island called Crab Key, owned by the sinister Dr. No, played with an eerie calmness by Joseph Wiseman. The plot itself is relatively standard Bond fare by now, but Dr. No makes for a satisfying villain, his plan is suitably evil ("World domination. Same old dream"), and his affiliation with the criminal organization SPECTRE leads to their recurring involvement in subsequent installments.

"Dr. No" has a unique, naive quality about it. There's no tongue-in-cheek self-awareness here, this is the first glimpse that audiences had to all the different tropes that would develop in the series, and they're done supremely well. I've already gushed enough about how perfect Connery is as Bond, but his supporting cast is also suitably talented. Ursula Andress sets the bar high for all subsequent "Bond girls" that would follow suit, and to this day, she's still one of the best. The production design by Ken Adam, while not yet achieving the grandeur of later films, is still brilliant, establishing the iconic island lair that has since become a staple of the series. Dr. No himself, while underused, is a suitably formidable foe, and Joseph Wiseman makes the most of his limited screen time.

The film is incredibly dated, and in many respects, it doesn't hold up well. However, I don't necessarily fault the film for that. It's definitely a product of its time, and if looked at through the proper context, it functions as a brilliant time capsule film, giving audiences a unique look into the cultural and geopolitical beliefs of the time. I would have loved to see audience reactions to this movie back when it first came out. It's a really revolutionary film, and at the very least, it's worth checking out if only to see where it all started.