Film & Water #76 – Dr. No

THE FILM & WATER PODCAST

Episode 76: DR. NO

Rob starts off 2017 by welcoming artist Jarrod Alberich to discuss 1962's DR. NO, the beginning of the James Bond franchise!

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17 responses to “Film & Water #76 – Dr. No

  1. I started Bond with Roger Moore as well, but Connery possesses a charisma that no other actor has matched in the role. I also admire that he was able to do lots of good work apart from 007. Just check out his performance in Sidney Lumet’s The Hill (1965) to see what he could do even in the midst of his Bond heyday. Below is Connery’s AFI Lifetime Achievement speech. It’s both humble and profound.

  2. That was a lot of fun. I grew up on Moore, but as soon as I was exposed to Connery, I switched camps, and he’s still my favorite. I like Moore, but my problem with him is the same as Jeff’s. He’s just too nice to believe as a cold-blooded killer. My favorite Moore film is his first and least silly, Live and Let Die, and my favorite Bond overall is Goldfinger. It gets extra points for the Fort Knox connection, because I’ve been there!

    I haven’t seen Dr. No in many, many years, but the last time I watched it, their radiation suits battle was slightly ruined by the Austin Powers bit where Dr. Evil slips out of his chair due to his plastic suit, which also keeps riding up every time he moves his shoulders.

    Looking forward to more Bond, but let’s skip Die Another Die, shall we? Even though they homage Honey Ryder’s bikini intro, it’s just not the same.

    Chris

    1. I want to do an entire episode where Rob & I do the whole thing in Connery impressions. I can already tell mine will be technically better, but his will be most popular by far! Lol!

  3. Excellent discussion. Thank you guys.

    I realized some time ago that, left to my own devices, I’d watch the same Bond films over and over again. So, for the past 15 (or so) years, I watch the series in order. Every movie gets a fair shake and I always know which Bond movie to watch next. Dr. No had been one that was semi-ignored by me. Now, I watch it probably once every year to year-and-a-half.

    I really like the film. It’s set up as a mystery variation with gradual revelations of major plot points/ characters in a way that (I think) none of the others really were. Of course, it’s not a regular mystery because there’s nothing for the viewer to solve. But, it’s great to know exactly what Bond knows and learn as he does. As opposed to, say, From Russia With Love, where the SPECTRE scheme is laid out very precisely in the first 15 minutes and we know what Bond is getting into but he doesn’t. Sean Connery is, obviously, brilliant. I grew up with Moore but the way I view these films has made it so I like each Bond in different ways. There are many movies and many Bonds but I don’t feel like we’re in danger of suffering from overnumerousness. At least, not yet. Maybe in 25 years from now…

    Joseph Wiseman played a Eurasian man (and not a very nice one) in an episode of the short-lived TV show The Magician with Bill Bixby. It was the episode called “The Illusion of the Lost Dragon” and his character has a hidden lava pit that he drops people into.

    Oh, one more thing, the fun Italian bond rip-off Lightning Bolt steals the premise of Dr. No. Anthony Eisley has his charms as the faux-Bond in that movie but he was better on Hawaiian Eye.

  4. I’ve been moaning about James Bond never coming to Canada, but now I have economic reasons to do so.

    Great tangent!

    DJ Nath and I chugged all the Bonds in two big chunks (two summers) and Dr. No seems a bit far away now, but on Ken Adam’s work: Watching all these movies, we came upon the idea of starting our own luxurious theme hotel where each room/suite is based on a hotel room in a Bond film. Imagine that.

    I’m also a fan of the Bond role-playing game, which has some handsome scenarios based on many of the films, with full color hand-outs etc. These feel familiar but at the same time have details changed to still surprise the players. I’ve played a few, including the Dr. No one. I’m not sure he ended up in an acid bath, I can’t remember now. I should check my folders…

    1. (A) The hotel idea is brilliant! Not so sure about that weird Man with the Golden Gun shooting gallery room though…
      (B) I loved the 007 RPG as a kid! So few remember it! Played with my brother a lot – good memories! Thanks for bringing them back for me.

  5. I like DR. NO quite a bit. I am by no means an expert on James Bond but I have watched more than half of the series and it is on my geek bucket list to watch the rest at some point. DR. NO is one of my favorites because I like the fact that Bond is a little rougher in this one. Not that I want to see a woman get her arm broken but as much as I should love Roger Moore’s film as those were the ones that were out when I was a kid I thought that at times his movies were a bit too silly. NO is far from grim and gritty but there was a grit to his performance. I will also agree that the cinematography for this film is freaking amazing. I need to track down the Blu Ray at some point because Jarrod made it sound so much better than the DVD I watched a few years back.

    Great episode as always. I look forward to more Bond themed episodes.

  6. So now that you have put up the first episode of the Bond and Water podcast I look forward to future shows.
    You should have a poll of the community for ranking all the bond movies.
    I just have to say that all the Bond-girls are HOT.

    1. I’m more than happy to turn this into a series with Rob. It may not be clear, but I’ll run my mouth about 007 at every opportunity! Thanks for listening! 🙂

  7. One great scene that didn’t come up was Bond laying the trap for Dent in Taro’s residence. As a kid, better believe I started rigging my pillows and blankets to fool the parents, fooling w/ my dad’s cards w/o a clue how to play…

  8. I was a little bummed to see that you were taking on Dr. No, since I’ve already recorded three episodes of an upcoming James Bond podcast. Thankfully, the two shows are such different animals that I didn’t feel at all crowded, and enjoyed your coverage of the movie.

  9. I feel like I should go back and rewatch this because it’s been so long… but I kind of don’t want to. Not that it’s a bad movie. But at this point the overriding memory I have is two things, and they kind of cancel each other out and leave me “meh” on the film. On the good side of things, Honey Ryder’s intro. On the other side, the entire “dragon” thing and Quarrel’s death are just laughably goofy, and I can’t help but notice you glossed over that whole bit.

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