Dr. No
Dir: Terence Young
1962
****
1962's Dr. No is the first of Ian Flemming's 007 film adaptations but was not Flemming's first James Bond book. It was in fact the sixth of the series but personally I think it was by far the best choice of movie introduction for the character. Dr. No has everything you need to know about Bond, it is the Blue-Print to the entire mythology of the character and indeed the Spy genre. Bond is given his mission, he travels, he encounters henchmen, he meets an attractive young lady, he finds the villains secret base, he finally meets the villain and kills him in a horrific but inventive manner. The world is saved. The five Bond novels that preceded Dr. No had the same structure more or less but there is a wonderful simplicity that it has that makes it unique and therefore the perfect introduction. I'm also not sure that in 1962 they would have been able to do Moonraker (the third novel) any justice. Not only was the character of Bond born onto the big screen but so was so much that hadn't existed in the books. Sean Connery gave 007 substance and was perfectly cast, but it was Terence Young's beautiful direction (particularly the long shots), Maurice Binder's striking title sequence - complete with the now iconic view of Bond through the barrel of a Gun and Monty Norman's classic theme tune that really marked the golden beginnings of what is one of the most recognised and well loved franchises there has ever been. Everyone has their own favorite Bond and Bond era, I like them all for various different reasons but there is something classy about the original films. The newer films often rely on baffling computer technology, the science behind all of the Bond stories is questionable but there is beauty in the simplicity of a cyanide-laced cigarette. More so than in an invisible car anyway.