Dr. No

Year of Release:  1962

Director:  Terence Young

Screenplay:  Richard Maibaum, Johanna Hawood, Berkely Mather, based on the novel Dr. No by Ian Fleming

Starring:  Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord, Anthony Dawson, Zena Marshall, John Kitzmiller, Eunice Gayson, Bernard Lee

Running Time:  109 minutes

Genre:  Thriller, action

British secret agent James Bond (Connery) is assigned to investigate the disappearance of a diplomat and his secretary in Kingston, Jamaica.  Quickly becoming a target himself, Bond's investigations lead him to a mysterious private island owned by the sinister Dr. No (Wiseman).

This adaptation of Ian Fleming's 1958 novel Dr. No has a place in cinema history as the first film to feature British super-spy James Bond, and the inaugural instalment of one of the most influential and popular film franchises in cinema history which has chalked up 25 films to date.  Produced on a low budget the film's mix of action, adventure, high living, exoticism and a dash of eroticism made it a huge hit with British audiences in the grey early 1960s. Mixing charisma, intelligence and sex appeal with a strong thread of ruthless brutality, Sean Connery became the quintessential James Bond, and is arguably still the best, and "Bond Girl" Ursula Andress has one of the most iconic entrances in cinema coming out of the tropical sea clad in a bikini.  Unlike most of the later Bond films, this is relatively faithful to Fleming's novel, and, even though the series didn't really hit it's stride until the third film, Goldfinger (1964), it does introduce sone of the elements that would become hallmarks of James Bond, including the trademark "gun barrel" opening, the rousing theme by John Barry, stylish title sequence, elaborate secret lairs for the villain, and the flirtatious banter between Bond and secretary Miss Moneypenny (Lois Maxwell).  As with most of the Bond films, this is a bit problematic by today's standards, and it also suffers from having a fairly bland villain in Dr. No, who barely appears in the film.  It remains a hugely enjoyable adventure film though, and a fantastic slice of escapist entertainment.

     Bond... James Bond:  Sean Connery in Dr. No