| From Russia with Love (1963) | |
|---|---|
 |
Rating: 7.3/10 (145,047 votes) Director: Terence Young Writer: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, Ian Fleming Stars: Sean Connery, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya Runtime: 115 min Rated: PG Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller Released: 27 May 1964 |
| Plot: James Bond willingly falls into an assassination plot involving a naive Russian beauty in order to retrieve a Soviet encryption device that was stolen by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. | |
If Dr No laid the foundations, then this second film added the cement. The essence of Bond was refined in this second outing, from the now well-known ‘gun barrel’ intro, here perfectly melded to the iconic theme music, to the title sequence images. This is also the first film where we get a pre-opening sequence scene, introducing us to an agent for SPECTRE who is on a training exercise to see how long it takes for him to track and kill someone who, for no real reason, has a mask to look like Bond (why this would make any difference to the training exercise I have no idea, but it does make for an exciting moment when you are led to believe Bond has been ambushed). As the main film begins, we find that SPECTRE, now led by a mysterious figure, who we only see the lower torso of (sat down stroking a white cat) and hear referred to as ‘Number 1’, have plans to steal a device from the Russians and sell it back to them, at the same time trapping Bond and killing him (as revenge for his killing of Dr No). A cunning plan that doesn’t really make a lot of sense when you really think about it, but it does give chance for a Russian agent Romanova to be manipulated into stealing the device to plan to defect to the West, and thus become the love interest for Bond, and also the lure for him to accompany her so that SPECTRE can kill him, steal the item, and sell it back.
The budget for this film was double that of the first film, and they also used locations effectively, which leads to the production values being more polished in this outing. Sets are grander in scale, and sequences are even more excitingly handled than previously. Robert Shaw plays the assassin we see in the opening segment, and who is sent to kill Bond and take the device, and is a formidable presence throughout the film. The fight between him and Bond, whilst a drugged Romanova lies in the next room on the train, is quite brutal and tense, with the enclosed space making for a dirty fight. Again, mention must be made of how exciting these sequences are as we can actually see them.
Action sequences are now also spiced up by way of a new addition to the score, which will become a regular through the series, as John Barry gives us the percussive 007 theme. This is also the first Bond film to have a helicopter chase – something that becomes a common occurrence throughout the series.
With this second film, all was coming together well, with Connery now much more comfortable in the role, and lending a devious charm to many moments with a sly grin, or a line imbued with dry wit. But it would be the next two films in the series that would really perfect the routine…but those are reviews for another day.
Extras on the Bond 50 disc this time focus on Ian Fleming, the creator of the character and books of Bond. We are presented with a series of interviews or discussions with the author, and find out what made him tick (and what ticks him off), lending some ideas as to where the Bond personality came from. There is also, again, additional extras such as commentary and promotional materials from the film’s release to peruse. All-in-all, another worthy addition to anyone’s collection
