Dr No

Following the disappearance of the head of the local secret service station in Jamaica and his assistant, M send James Bond to investigate. Bond quickly teams up with the CIA’s Felix Leiter and with the help of the CIA man and his local hand, Quarrel, Bond follows up a series of leads.

His investigations point him towards Crab Key, home to the enigmatic Dr No, and he and Quarrel set sail at night to investigate. After arriving, Bond awakes to find a bikini-clad girl collecting shells on the beach.

It turns out that Honey Ryder also sailed overnight, but alerted by the sail on her dinghy, Dr No sends a motor patrol boat to deal with the trespassers. Disappearing into the mangrove swamp, the three come face to face with a march buggy armed with a flame-thrower dressed up to look like a dragon.

After seeing Quarrel being scorched to death, Bond and Honey are taken to Dr No’s base after surrendering, where the two are surprised to find they have been expected in what appears to be some kind of luxury clinic. After dinner with the Doctor, during which he reveals that he has been interfering with American missile tests on behalf of SPECTRE, Bond is taken to a cell.

Escaping though a ventilation shaft, Bond tracks Dr No down to his laboratory and kills him. While a chain of gigantic explosions begins to rock the complex all around, Bond rescues Honey, and they make their escape from the island in a boat.

Connery’s hard edge, flawless delivery of one liners, a simple plot and absence of gadgets all work in the film’s favour and with a freshness that has evaded the series since Goldfinger, Dr No remains one of the best Bond films.

What we say

Dr No is often overlooked, but it sets many of the elements in place for the later James Bond movies and Ursula Andress’ appearance on the beach is now an iconic screen moment. Although it features the James Bond Theme, one notable thing lacking is the “Bond sound”, first introduced by John Barry in From Russia With Love.

Locations

Original release

Premiere: 5th October 1962 at the London Pavilion
UK: 8th October 1962
US: 8th May 1963

Principal crew

Director
Terence Young
Screenplay
Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood & Berkely Mather
Producers
Albert R Broccoli and Harry Saltzman
Music
Monty Norman and John Barry (uncredited)
Editor
Peter Hunt
Production designer
Art director
Syd Cain
Cinematography
Ted Moore

Cast

Sean Connery James Bond
Ursula Andress Honeychile ‘Honey’ Ryder
Joseph Wiseman Dr. Julius No
Jack Lord Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee M
Anthony Dawson Professor R.J. Dent
Zena Marshall Miss Taro
John Kitzmiller Quarrel
Eunice Gayson Sylvia Trench
Lois Maxwell Miss Moneypenny
Peter Burton Major Boothroyd
Yvonne Shima Sister Lily
Michel Mok Sister Rose
Marguerite LeWars Photographer, Annabelle Chung
William Foster-Davis Superintendent Duff
Dolores Keator Mary Trueblood
Reggie Carter Jones
Louis Blaazer Pleydell-Smith
Colonel Burton General Potter
Martine Beswick Dancing Silhouette During Opening Credits (uncredited)
Anthony Chinn Decontamination Technician (uncredited)
Eric Coverley Three Blind Mice Assassin (uncredited)
Margaret Ellery Stewardess (uncredited)
John Hatton Radio Operator (uncredited)
Bettine Le Beau Prof. Dent’s Secretary (uncredited)
Byron Lee Singer at Puss Feller’s (uncredited)
Henry Lopez Three Blind Mice Assassin (uncredited)
Stanley Morgan Concierge in Casino (uncredited)
Tim Moxon Prof. John Strangways (uncredited)
Malou Pantera Hotel Receptionist (uncredited)
Lester Prendergast Puss Feller (uncredited)
Milton Reid Dr. No’s Guard (uncredited)
Robert Rietty John Strangways (voice) (uncredited)
Maxwell Shaw Communications Foreman (uncredited)
Bob Simmons James Bond in Gunbarrel Sequence (uncredited)
Nikki Van der Zyl Honeychile ‘Honey’ Ryder / various (voice) (uncredited)

Drinks

  • Vodka Martini in hotel room in Jamaica
  • Scotch and soda at Queen’s Club
  • Black & White Scotch at Puss Feller’s
  • Schmirnoff Blue vodka  in hotel room
  • Vodka martini with Dr No
  • A glass of red wine

Cars

Sunbeam Alpine series II roadster

Quotes

  • “Bond… James Bond.”
  • “That’s a Smith & Wesson, and you’ve had your six.”
  • “Are you looking for shells too?”
    “No, I’m just looking.”
  • “Tell me Miss Trench, do you play any other games?”
  • “Sergeant, make sure he doesn’t get away.”
  • “East, West, just points of the compass, each as stupid as the other.”
  • “That’s a Dom Perignon ’55. It would be a pity to break it.”
    “I prefer the ’53 myself.”

Buy Dr No DVD/Blu-Ray from Amazon

Poster Art


Buy a Dr No Poster or print.

Soundtrack


Read more about the Dr No Soundtrack or buy it online.

From Russia With Love

David Leigh founded The James Bond Dossier in 2002. A fan of 007 since the age of 8, he is also author of The Complete Guide to the Drinks of James Bond. You can order a copy here if you don't own it already.


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