A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.A resourceful British government agent seeks answers in a case involving the disappearance of a colleague and the disruption of the American space program.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 4 nominations
John Kitzmiller
- Quarrel
- (as John Kitzmuller)
Marguerite LeWars
- Annabel Chung - Photographer
- (as Margaret Le Wars, Marguerite Lewars: end credits)
Reggie Carter
- Jones
- (as Reginald Carter)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaContrary to popular belief, Sir Sean Connery was not wearing a hairpiece in his first two outings as James Bond. Although he already was balding by the time this film was in production, he still had a decent amount of hair, and the filmmakers used varying techniques to make the most of what was left. By the time of Goldfinger (1964), Connery's hair was too thin, so various toupees were used for his last Bond outings.
- GoofsWhen the patrol boat is firing at Bond and Honey, the bullets have ricochet sounds even though they are firing into sand.
- Quotes
[James Bond's first scene, winning a game of chemin-de-fer]
James Bond: I admire your courage, Miss...?
Sylvia Trench: Trench. Sylvia Trench. I admire your luck, Mr...?
James Bond: Bond. James Bond.
- Crazy creditsThe title sequence is a sequence of flashing lights (set to the James Bond track), dancing people (set to Caribbean calypso music) and finally the Three Blind Muce walking around (set to the "Three Blind Mice" nursery song).
- Alternate versionsFor the UK cinema version the BBFC made cuts to reduce the number of gunshots fired by Bond at Dent from 6 to 2, to remove blows and a knee kick during Bond's fight with the chauffeur, and to replace Dr No's line "I'm sure she will amuse the guards" with "The guards will amuse her." Most releases feature the edited print, except for a considered-legendary 1982 VHS/Betamax release, which was confirmed in 2019 to contain the uncut version of the film
- ConnectionsEdited into We Are the Robots (2010)
- SoundtracksUnder the Mango Tree
Music by Monty Norman
Lyrics by Monty Norman
Performed by Byron Lee, Diana Coupland and Sean Connery
Featured review
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.
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.
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- El satánico Dr. No
- Filming locations
- Dunn's River Falls, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Jamaica(Bond and Rider take a tropical dip - Crab Key shoreline - Bond and Quarrel arrive at the Crab Key falls)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- £392,022 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $16,067,035
- Gross worldwide
- $16,120,643
- Runtime1 hour 50 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
- 1.66 : 1
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