his 1962 movie marked the cinematic debut of the Bond franchise, created by Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman (EON Productions). Sean Connery also made his debut in this film as the MI-6 agent, James Bond. Although many critics and fans consider film as one of the more impressive in the franchise, I honestly cannot say that I share their opinion.
”DR. NO”’s story starts with the murder of MI-6 agent Strangeways and his secretary by a trio of assassins in Jamaica. Bond is ordered by his superior, M, to investigate the agent’s death and eventually stumbles upon a plot by SPECTRE agent, Dr. Julius No to disrupt the U.S. space program for the Chinese Republic. The main problem I had with ”DR. NO” is its schizophrenic plot. What began as a mystery thriller ends as a fantasy-style adventure, when Bond (and CIA contact Quarrel) makes his way to Dr. No’s Crab Key Island and disrupts the villain’s plot. Even worse, the movie seemed peppered with stilted dialogue that made me wince.
Even Connery’s performance seemed as uneven as the movie’s story and production style. In many scenes, he seemed to be the epitome of the smooth British agent. And in other scenes – especially with Jack Lord (portraying CIA agent, Felix Leiter) – he came off as gauche and wooden. Much has been made of Ursula Andress’ performance as “Bond Girl No.1” Honey Ryder – especially her famous first appearance as her character emerges upon a beach. Frankly, I could not sense the magic. Nor did I find Andress’ presence in the movie that impressive. Not only was her character irrelevant to the story, she did not really aid Bond’s attempts to defeat Dr. No.
I first became a fan of Joseph Wiseman ever since I noticed his sly and subtle performance as a 1960s gangster in the TV series, ”CRIME STORY”. But I was not that impressed by his Dr. Julius No, who simply bored me to tears. I might as well say the same about Anthony Dawson’s performance as SPECTRE agent, Professor Dent. ”DR. NO” can boast first-class performances by Lord as the smooth and dominating Felix Leiter; John Kitzmiller as the exuberant Jamaican CIA contact, Quarrel; and Zena Marshall as Professor Dent’s secretary and SPECTRE agent, Miss Taro.
”DR. NO” can also boast some fine photography of Jamaica (probably among the best) by Ted Moore and a first-rate musical score by Monty Norman (the man who gave us the original “James Bond” theme). But some of the movie’s flaws – namely the uneven script, along with the choppy dialogue and direction – makes ”DR. NO” vastly overrated by other Bond fans critics in my eyes. But what can I expect from a movie that consistently puts me to sleep two-thirds into the story?
