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Dr. No Movie Review

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Actors: Sean Connery Ursula Andress Joseph Wiseman
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Dr. No
The first James Bond film based on the novels by Ian Fleming. British agent Strangways and his secretary are murdered and the head of British intelligence M sends James Bond (Sean Connery) to Jamaica.

There his investigation turns deadly when his driver turns out to be a thug and he is pursued by a group of assasins. With the help of CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and local fisherman Quarrel, Bond discovers that a Chinese man on a private island is responsible for the deaths and may be responsible for the crashing of numerous U.S. rockets from Cape Canaveral.

Traveling to the island, Bond and Quarrel find a native girl named Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress) and and a trail that leads to the owner of the island and a member of the SPECTRE organization: Dr. Juilus No (Joseph Wiseman) who plans on destroying a NASA rocket aimed for a trip to the Moon. Bond must escape and stop Dr. No's evil plan.

--Matthew W. Kresal, Resident Scholar

A secret agent in Jamaica has been killed. No one knows who and why. James Bond (Connery) must find out who the killer is. He then hears about a man, Dr. No, who is about to destroy rockets that are being fired into space. Bond must stop him and on the way he meets a beautiful girl: Honey Ryder.
--Bjorn Bakker, Resident Scholar

Sometimes the best is saved for FIRST. In my estimate Dr. No is still the best of the 007 films. Why? It is AN ORIGINAL. And it is a thriller; not a stunt-driven spectacle. Sean Connery plays Bond with verve and an aura of danger (only FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE is comparable). The rough edges, and the hint of cruelty-if-provoked are there.
Bond can be hurt; know fear (the tarrantula assassination sequence,)and takes satisfaction in "license-to-killing" an unrepentant enemy (Professor Dent).
Dr. No is a worthy antagonist. He is one of Ian Fleming's most original and nefarious, criminal genius villains...second only...pardon me GOLDFINGER fans... to SPECTRE CEO Ernst Stavro Blofeld. Ursula Andress is a voluptuous Caribbean Queen. First of the Bond women; she may only be surpassed...briefly in OHMSS...by Countess Tracy/Diana Rigg, Lady Avenger herself.   The plot of Dr. No is believable and suspenseful. The climax has to be one of the most exciting finales filmed. (...the American missile has been launched; Crab Key island is seconds from being blown to smithereens; and 007 and Dr. No are slugging-it-out-to-the-death on a platform being lowered into the boiling, radioactive coolant pool of Dr. No's nuclear reactor!..)
Sean Connery's sings a few bars of "Underneath the Mango Tree". What else do you want? Here Bond is a bad, hot, super cool, super-spy. But not a CELEBRITY! Monty Norman's raunchy, trebble-bass driven theme song gets Bond into gear.
Now he's myth. And DR. NO...best of the 007's?...a licensed killer legend...

--Arthur F. McVarish, Resident Scholar

The film that launched the James Bond Saga. Agent 007 (Connery) is up against the evil and mysterious Dr. No who is trying to destroy the space program. Bond must travel to Jamaica where he meets the beautiful and lovely Honey Ryder (Andress) as he takes the evil madman at his island headquarters. A classic. Followed by From Russia With Love.
--Alan, Resident Scholar




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Analysis of James Bond
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie
Actual chase scenes or violence - 20%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 60%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%



Part of a series? - James Bond
Time/Era of Movie: - 1960's-1970's
Spying & Terrorists Yes
Cloak & Dagger Plotlets: - main char doing spying/sabotage
The terrorist enemy is... - terrorist group

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - spy
Age: - 20's-30's
Hair color? - brunette (Black)
Hair style - short/standard straight (man)
Body type - average (man) - muscular (man)
Unclothed? - Chest
Events of movie makes character more... - aggressive - tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Secondary Main Character
Identity: - Female
Hair color - blonde
Body type - ample bosom & buttocks (woman)
Unclothed? - very tight clothes
How much in movie? - 40%
Ethnicity/Nationality - White (American)

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - scientist
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - 40%
Hair color - brunette (Black)
Hair type - (man) short/standard straight
Body type - average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality - Chinese
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - missing body parts/abilities
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant

Setting
Jungles? Yes
Jungles - heat/bugs
Island? Yes
Island: - Caribbean Island
Misc setting - resort/hotel - scientific labs - building

Style
Accounts of torture and death? - non-gory references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel... - excited
How many deaths in film? - 4-8
Sex/nudity in movie? Yes
How much use of techno gadgets? - 1 ()
Kind of violence: - mission to destroy something - hand to hand - guns - knives
Unusual forms of death - poisoning - perforation--bullets
Any profanity? - None
If this is a kid's movie... - Ages 10-15
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE... - Orchestra/classical
Is this movie based on a - book
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