Dr. No (film)

Broccoli had originally hired Richard Maibaum and his friend Wolf Mankowitz to write Dr. No's screenplay, partly because of Mankowitz's help in brokering the deal between Broccoli and Saltzman.[21] They wanted to rewrite the character of Dr. No since they saw him as little more than a "Fu Manchu with steel hooks".[7] An initial draft of the screenplay was rejected because the scriptwriters had made the villain, Dr. No, a marmoset.[22][23] Mankowitz left the film, and Maibaum then undertook a second version of the story, more closely in line with the novel. Mankowitz eventually had his name removed from the credits after viewing early rushes, as he feared it would be a disaster.[9] Johanna Harwood and thriller writer Berkely Mather then worked on Maibaum's script.[24] Terence Young described Harwood as a script doctor who helped put elements more in tune with a British character.[15] Harwood stated in an interview in a Cinema Retro special on the making of the film that she had been a screenwriter of several of Harry Saltzman's projects; she said both her screenplays for Dr. No and her screenplay for From Russia with Love had followed Fleming's novels closely.[25]

During the series' decades-long history only a few of the films have remained substantially true to their source material; Dr. No has many similarities to the novel and follows its basic plot, but there are a few notable omissions. Major elements from the novel that are missing from the film include Bond's fight with a giant squid, and the escape from Dr. No's complex using the dragon-disguised swamp buggy. Elements of the novel that were significantly changed for the film include the use of a (non-venomous) tarantula spider instead of a centipede; Dr. No's secret complex being disguised as a bauxite mine instead of a guano quarry; Dr. No's plot to disrupt NASA space launches from Cape Canaveral using a radio beam instead of disrupting US missile testing on Turks Island; the method of Dr. No's death by boiling in overheating reactor coolant rather than a burial under a chute of guano, and the introduction of SPECTRE, an organisation that was not to be introduced in the books until Thunderball.[23] The introduction of Dr. No's disruptions of NASA launches was added because of a perception that the United States was falling behind the Soviet Union in the Space Race. Additionally, although the series would be associated with the Cold War, Saltzman and Broccoli introduced SPECTRE as a substitute for the Soviet Union to avoid commenting on the international political situation.[7] Components absent from the novel but added to the film include the introduction of the Bond character in a gambling casino, the introduction of Bond's semi-regular girlfriend Sylvia Trench, a fight scene with an enemy chauffeur, a fight scene to introduce Quarrel, the seduction of Miss Taro, Bond's recurring CIA ally Felix Leiter, Dr. No's partner in crime Professor Dent, and Bond's controversial cold-blooded killing of this character.[23]

Sometimes episodes in the novel retained in the film's altered narrative introduce elements of absurdity into the plot. Bond's "escape" from his cell via the air shaft, for instance, originally conceived as a ruse of Dr. No's to test Bond's skill and endurance, becomes an authentic break-out in the film. Features carried over from the novel's obstacle course, however, such as the torrent of water and scalding surface, have no logical justification in the script. Such incongruities recurred in subsequent Bond films.[23]

While producers Broccoli and Saltzman originally sought Cary Grant for the role, they discarded the idea as Grant would be committed to only one feature film, and the producers decided to go after someone who could be part of a series.[9] Richard Johnson has claimed to have been the first choice of the director, but he turned it down because he already had a contract with MGM and was intending to leave.[26] Another actor purported to have been considered for the role was Patrick McGoohan on the strength of his portrayal of spy John Drake in the television series Danger Man: McGoohan turned down the role.[27] Another potential Bond included David Niven, who later played the character in the 1967 parody Casino Royale.[28]

There are several apocryphal stories as to whom Ian Fleming personally wanted. Reportedly, Fleming favoured actor Richard Todd.[29] Fleming's stepson Paul Morgan claims that Fleming preferred Edward Underdown.[7] In his autobiography When the Snow Melts, Cubby Broccoli said Roger Moore had been considered, but had been thought "too young, perhaps a shade too pretty".[30] In his autobiography, My Word Is My Bond, Moore says he was never approached to play the role of Bond until 1972, for Live and Let Die.[31] Moore appeared as Simon Templar on the television series The Saint, airing in the United Kingdom for the first time on 4 October 1962, only one day before the premiere of Dr. No.[32]

Ultimately, the producers turned to 31-year-old Sean Connery for five films.[9] It is often reported that Connery won the role through a contest set up to "find James Bond". While this is untrue, the contest itself did exist, and six finalists were chosen and screen-tested by Broccoli, Saltzman, and Fleming. The winner of the contest was a 28-year-old model named Peter Anthony, who, according to Broccoli, had a Gregory Peck quality, but proved unable to cope with the role.[33] When Connery was invited to meet Broccoli and Saltzman he appeared scruffy and in unpressed clothes, but Connery "put on an act and it paid off" as he acted in the meeting with a macho, devil-may-care attitude.[34] When he left, both Saltzman and Broccoli watched him through the window as he went to his car, both agreeing that he was the right man for Bond.[35] After Connery was chosen, Terence Young took the actor to his tailor and hairdresser,[36] and introduced him to the high life, restaurants, casinos and women of London. In the words of Bond writer Raymond Benson, Young educated the actor "in the ways of being dapper, witty, and above all, cool".[37] The casting was announced on November 3, 1961.[7]

For the first Bond girl Honey Ryder, Julie Christie was considered, but discarded as the producers felt she was not voluptuous enough.[38] Martine Beswick was also rejected for being too inexperienced as an actress while Gabriella Licudi was rejected as too young.[7] Just two weeks before filming began, Ursula Andress was chosen to play Honey after the producers saw a picture of her taken by Andress' then-husband John Derek.[9] Kirk Douglas persuaded Andress to take the part at a party hosted by Derek.[7] To appear more convincing as a Jamaican, Andress had a tan painted on her and ultimately had her lines redubbed by voice actress Nikki van der Zyl due to Andress' heavy Swiss-German accent.[9] For Bond's antagonist Dr. No, Ian Fleming wanted his friend Noël Coward, and Coward answered the invitation with "No! No! No!"[39] Fleming considered that his step-cousin, Christopher Lee, would be good for the role of Dr. No, although, by the time Fleming told the producers, they had already chosen Joseph Wiseman for the part.[40] Harry Saltzman picked Wiseman because of his performance in the 1951 film Detective Story,[41] and the actor had special make-up applied to evoke No's Chinese heritage.[9] Swedish actor Max von Sydow was also offered the role as Dr. No, but turned it down. He was later to appear as Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the unofficial James Bond film Never Say Never Again.[42]

The role as the first Felix Leiter was given to Jack Lord. This is Bond and Leiter's first time meeting each other on film and Leiter does not appear in the novel. Leiter returns for many of Bond's future adventures and in the 2006 reboot of the film series, Casino Royale, Leiter and Bond are seen meeting one another again for the first time. This was Lord's only appearance as Leiter, as he asked for more money and a better billing to return as Leiter in Goldfinger and was subsequently replaced.[43]

The cast also included a number of actors who were to become stalwarts of the future films, including Bernard Lee, who played Bond's superior M for another ten films, and Lois Maxwell, who played M's secretary Moneypenny in fourteen instalments of the series.[44] Maxwell received the part after beginning to look for film roles to support her family when her husband Peter Marriot suffered from a severe heart attack and was expected to die.[7] Lee was chosen because of being a "prototypical father figure",[45] and Maxwell after Fleming thought she was the perfect fit for his description of the character.[46] Maxwell was initially offered a choice between the roles of Moneypenny or Sylvia Trench and opted for Moneypenny as she thought the Trench role, which included appearing in immodest dress, was too sexual.[47][48] Eunice Gayson was cast as Sylvia Trench and it was planned that she would be a recurring girlfriend for Bond throughout six films,[36] although she appeared only in Dr. No and From Russia with Love. She had been given the part by director Terence Young, who had worked with her in Zarak and invited Gayson saying "You always bring me luck in my films",[49] although she was also cast due to her voluptuous figure. One role which was not given to a future regular was that of Major Boothroyd, the head of Q-Branch, which was given to Peter Burton. Burton was unavailable for the subsequent film, From Russia with Love, and the role was taken by Desmond Llewelyn.[50][51]

Anthony Dawson, who played Professor Dent, met director Terence Young when he was working as a stage actor in London, but by the time of the film's shooting Dawson was working as a pilot and crop duster in Jamaica.[15] Dawson also portrayed Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE, in From Russia with Love and Thunderball, although his face was never seen and his voice was redubbed by Austrian actor Eric Pohlmann.[52][53] Zena Marshall, who played Miss Taro, was mostly attracted by the humorous elements of the script,[54] and described her role as "this attractive little siren, and at the same time I was the spy, a bad woman",[55] whom Young asked to play "not as Chinese, but a Mid-Atlantic woman who men dream about but is not real".[56] The role of Taro was previously rejected by Marguerite LeWars, the Miss Jamaica 1961 who worked at the Kingston airport, as it required being "wrapped in a towel, lying in a bed, kissing a strange man". Talitha Pol, Lina Margo, and Violet Marceau were also considered for the part.[7]

Dr. No's lair was this bauxite terminal near Oracabessa, Jamaica

Dr. No is set in London, Jamaica, and Crab Key, a fictional island off Jamaica.[57] Filming began on location at Palisades Airport in Kingston, Jamaica, on 16 January 1962.[7] The primary scenes there were the exterior shots of Crab Key and Kingston, where an uncredited Syd Cain acted as art director and also designed the Dragon Tank.[58] Shooting took place a few yards from Fleming's Goldeneye estate, and the author regularly visited the filming with friends.[59] Location filming was largely in Oracabessa, with additional scenes on the Palisadoes strip and Port Royal in St Andrew.[60] On 21 February, production left Jamaica with footage still unfilmed due to a change of weather.[15] Five days later, filming began at Pinewood Studios, Buckinghamshire, England with sets designed by Ken Adam, which included Dr. No's base, the ventilation duct and the interior of the British Secret Service headquarters. The studio was used on the majority of later Bond films.[9] Adam's initial budget for the entire film was just £14,500 (£329,095 in 2021[61]), but the producers were convinced to give him an extra £6,000 out of their own finances.

After 58 days of filming, principal photography was completed on 30 March 1962.[62] Filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith, who visited Pinewood with his Wellington College film society during the shooting of the film, noted that Bond's awakening and first sighting of Honey was a pick-up shot filmed in a ten-foot-long space on an otherwise empty soundstage, and that Adam's set for the nuclear reactor was "a lot smaller than it looks on the screen. That opened my eyes to the power of lenses when I saw the finished movie a year later."[63] Costume designer Tessa Prendergast designed Honey's bikini from a British Army webbing belt.[7]

The scene where a tarantula walks over Bond was initially shot by pinning a bed to the wall and placing Sean Connery over it, with a protective glass between him and the spider. Director Young did not like the final results, so the scenes were interlaced with new footage featuring the tarantula over stuntman Bob Simmons.[15] Simmons, who was uncredited for the film, described the scene as the most frightening stunt he had ever performed.[64] In line with the book, a scene was to feature Honey tied to the ground and left to be attacked by crabs, but since the crabs were sent frozen from the Caribbean, they moved little during filming, so the scene was altered to have Honey slowly drowning.[9] Simmons also served as the film's fight choreographer, employing a rough fighting style. The noted violence of Dr. No, which also included Bond shooting Dent in cold blood, caused producers to make adaptations to get an "A" rating – allowing minors to enter accompanied by an adult – from the British Board of Film Classification.[65]

When Bond is about to have dinner with Dr. No, he is amazed to see Goya's Portrait of the Duke of Wellington. The painting had been stolen from the National Gallery by a 60-year-old amateur thief in London just before filming began.[66] Ken Adam had contacted the National Gallery in London to obtain a slide of the picture, painting the copy over the course of the weekend, prior to filming commencing on the following Monday.[18]

Editor Peter R. Hunt used an innovative editing technique, with extensive use of quick cuts, and employing fast motion and exaggerated sound effects on the action scenes.[67] Hunt said his intention was to "move fast and push it along the whole time, while giving it a certain style",[68] and added that the fast pacing would help audiences not notice any writing problems.[15] As title artist Maurice Binder was creating the credits, he had an idea for the introduction that appeared in all subsequent Bond films, the James Bond gun barrel sequence. It was filmed in sepia by putting a pinhole camera inside an .38 calibre gun barrel, with Bob Simmons playing Bond.[9] Binder also designed a highly stylised main title sequence, a theme that has been repeated in the subsequent Eon-produced Bond films.[69] Binder's budget for the title sequence was £2,000 (£45,392 in 2021[61]).[70]

As soon as late 1961, United Artists started a marketing campaign to make James Bond a well-known name in North America. Newspapers received a box set of Bond's books, as well as a booklet detailing the Bond character and a picture of Ursula Andress.[79] Eon and United Artists made licensing deals revolving around the character's tastes, having merchandising tie-ins with drink, tobacco, men's clothing and car companies. The campaign also focused on Ian Fleming's name due to the minor success of the books.[80] After Dr. No had a successful run in Europe, Sean Connery and Terence Young did a cross-country tour of the US in March 1963, which featured screening previews for the film and press conferences. It culminated in a well-publicised premiere in Kingston, where most of the film is set.[79][80] Some of the campaign emphasised the sex appeal of the film, with the poster artwork, by Mitchell Hooks, depicting Sean Connery and four scantily clad women.[81] The campaign also included the 007 logo designed by Joseph Caroff with a pistol as part of the seven.[82]

Dr. No had its worldwide premiere at the London Pavilion, on 5 October 1962, expanding to the rest of the United Kingdom three days later.[83] The North American premiere on 8 May 1963 was more low-profile, with 450 cinemas in Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States.[84] On 29 May it opened in both Los Angeles and New York City – in the former as a double-bill with The Young and the Brave[83] and the latter in United Artists' "Premiere Showcase" treatment, screening in 84 screens across the city to avoid the costly Broadway cinemas.[79]

Dr. No has been distributed[85] on CED Videodisc (1981),[86][87] VHS (1982, unredacted),[88] Betamax (1982, unredacted),[89] LaserDisc,[90] DVD,[91] Blu-ray,[92] Multi-Format[93] streaming,[94] and other formats.

Upon release, Dr. No received a mixed critical reception. Time magazine called Bond a "blithering bounder" and "a great big hairy marshmallow" who "almost always manages to seem slightly silly".[95] Stanley Kauffmann in The New Republic said that he felt the film "never decides whether it is suspense or suspense-spoof." He also did not like Connery, or the Fleming novels.[96] The Vatican condemned Dr. No describing it as "a dangerous mixture of violence, vulgarity, sadism and sex",[97] whilst the Kremlin said that Bond was the personification of capitalist evil – both controversies helped increase public awareness of the film and greater cinema attendance.[98] However Leonard Mosely in The Daily Express said that "Dr No is fun all the way, and even the sex is harmless",[99] whilst Penelope Gilliatt in The Observer said it was "full of submerged self-parody".[100] The Guardian's critic called Dr. No "crisp and well-tailored" and "a neat and gripping thriller."[101]

In the years that followed its release, it became more popular. Writing in 1986, Danny Peary described Dr. No as a "cleverly conceived adaption of Ian Fleming's enjoyable spy thriller ... Picture has sex, violence, wit, terrific action sequences, and colorful atmosphere ... Connery, Andress, and Wiseman all give memorable performances. There's a slow stretch in the middle and Dr. No could use a decent henchman, but otherwise, the film works marvelously." Describing Dr. No as "a different type of film", Peary notes that "Looking back, one can understand why it caused so much excitement."[102]

In 1999, it was ranked 41 on the BFI top 100 British films list compiled by the British Film Institute.[103] The 2005 American Film Institute's '100 Years' series also recognised the character of James Bond himself in the film as the third greatest film hero.[104] He was also placed at number eleven on a similar list by Empire.[105] Premiere also listed Bond as the fifth greatest movie character of all time.[106]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, Dr. No has a 95% rating based on 60 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "Featuring plenty of the humor, action, and escapist thrills the series would be known for, Dr. No kicks off the Bond franchise in style."[107]

In the United Kingdom, playing in 168 cinemas, Dr. No grossed $840,000 in just two weeks and wound up being the fifth most popular movie of the year there.[108] The box office results in mainland Europe were also positive.[79] The film ended up grossing $6 million, making it a financial success compared to its $1 million budget.[79][80] The original North American gross rental was $2 million, increasing to $6 million after its first reissue in 1965, as a double feature with From Russia with Love. The following reissue was in 1966 paired with Goldfinger, to compensate the fact that the next Bond movie would only come out in the following year.[109] The total gross of Dr. No ended up being $59.6 million worldwide,[110] IGN listed it as sixth-best Bond film ever,[111] Entertainment Weekly put it at seventh among Bond films,[112] and Norman Wilner of MSN as twelfth best.[113] The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes sampled 56 reviews and judged 95% of the reviews as positive.[114] President John F. Kennedy was a fan of Ian Fleming's novels[115] and requested a private showing of Dr. No in the White House.[12]

In 2003, the scene of Andress emerging from the water in a bikini topped Channel 4's list of one hundred sexiest scenes of film history.[116] The bikini was sold in 2001 at an auction for $61,500.[117] Entertainment Weekly and IGN ranked her first in a top ten "Bond babes" list.[118][119]

The character James Bond was introduced towards, but not at, the beginning of the film in a "now-famous nightclub sequence featuring Sylvia Trench",[120] to whom he makes his "immortal introduction".[48] The introduction to the character in Le Cercle at Les Ambassadeurs, an upmarket gambling club, is derived from Bond's introduction in the first novel, Casino Royale,[121] which Fleming had used because "skill at gambling and knowledge of how to behave in a casino were seen ... as attributes of a gentleman".[122] After losing a hand of Chemin de Fer to Bond, Trench asks his name. There is the "most important gesture [in] ... the way he lights his cigarette before giving her the satisfaction of an answer. 'Bond, James Bond'."[123] Once Connery says his line, Monty Norman's Bond theme plays "and creates an indelible link between music and character."[124] In the short scene introducing Bond, there are portrayed "qualities of strength, action, reaction, violence – and this elegant, slightly brutal gambler with the quizzical sneer we see before us who answers a woman when he's good and ready."[123] Raymond Benson, author of the continuation Bond novels, has stated that as the music fades up on the scene, "we have ourselves a piece of classic cinema".[125]

Following the release of Dr. No, the quote "Bond ... James Bond", became a catch phrase that entered the lexicon of Western popular culture: writers Cork and Scivally said of the introduction in Dr. No that the "signature introduction would become the most famous and loved film line ever".[126] In 2001 it was voted as the "best-loved one-liner in cinema" by British cinema goers.[127] In 2005, it was honoured as the 22nd greatest quotation in cinema history by the American Film Institute as part of their 100 Years Series.[128]

On 5 October 2012, fifty years after the release of the film, Eon Productions celebrated "Global James Bond Day", a series of events around the world.[142] Events included a film festival of showings of the James Bond films, a documentary of the series, an online auction for charity and further events at the Museum of Modern Art and the Toronto International Film Festival.[143] A concert of various music was held in Los Angeles in conjunction with the New York event.[144] The day also saw the release of "Skyfall", the theme song of the 2012 James Bond film of the same name; the song was released at 0:07 BST.[145]