The DVD Dissection: Dr. No (Blu-Ray)
Posted by Chad Webb on 11.05.2008
Bond’s first big screen adventure in glorious Blu-Ray!
Sean Connery: James Bond
Ursula Andress: Honey Ryder
Joseph Wiseman: Dr. No
Jack Lord: Felix Leiter
Bernard Lee: M.
Anthony Dawson: Professor R.J. Dent
Zena Marshall: Miss Taro
John Kitzmiller: Quarrel
Lois Maxwell: Miss Moneypenny
Directed By: Terrence Young
Written By: Johanna Harwood, Richard Maibaum, and Berkely Mather
Theatrical Release Date: May 8, 1963
DVD Release Date: October 21, 2008
Running Time: 110 minutes
Rated PG
The Film
Dr. No is the Bond film that started it all, a legacy that is impossible to surpass, and the first appearance of the character that would become a household icon. Well, sort of anyway. A television adaptation of Casino Royale was out and about in the 1950’s (not to be confused with the 1967 film of the same name), but it was swiftly dismissed and forgotten. In 1962, Dr. No sprang onto the big screen with flavor, adventure, and entertainment personified. Although Dr. No is a bit rough around the edges, and Bond had yet to find his proper footing, it remains a solid beginning that is certainly in Bond’s top 10.
Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli did not rest until they reached a deal and acquired the right to the Bond series. They also knew enough to alter Ian Fleming’s novels to better suit movie audiences. Purists may disagree, but sometimes the cutting and snipping of the source is healthier in the long run. Having said that, many have argued that Dr. No is one of the more faithful interpretations of Fleming’s stories, though Director Terence Young and Sean Connery certainly put their stamp on the final result. Fleming had plenty of his own personal choices for various roles, including the lead, but most did not go his way. After all, he is an author, not a casting director. Nonetheless, few would contend that Connery is not the definitive example of Bond to this day. He was immediately accepted, and if not for his perfect fit, this might not be the longest running franchise in history.
Dr. No is not nearly as intricate or smooth flowing as other Bond tales would be, but its modesty and infectious atmosphere struck viewers instantly. It follows British agent Strangways (Timothy Moxon; voiced by Robert Rietty) who has disappeared from his post in Jamaica. M (Bernard Lee) sends 007 James Bond (Sean Connery) to the country to investigate the situation. As soon as he exits the plane, Bond is the target of assassins. The more he unearths, the more dangerous his predicament becomes. All the commotion and mystery centers on Crab Key Island, so Bond enlists the aid of CIA agent Felix Leiter (Jack Lord) and local boat owner Quarrel (John Kitzmiller) for passage to the guarded island that the enigmatic Doctor No (Joseph Wiseman) rules over. He does find a very beautiful young woman named Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress), but he also discovers the truth behind the island and why few escape alive.
The producers found their ideal leading man in the form of Sean Connery, and approved of the decision based on his work in the fantasy Darby O’Gill and the Little People. His talent was obvious, but he needed to be coached by Terence Young in order to attain the sheer suaveness and charm that has stayed by his side for so many decades. Connery is magnetic in every scene, and while the story did need refining, his performance was brilliant from the onset. Bond was introduced as a debonair superspy who was urbane, handsome, and intelligent. He had it all, but was not arrogant. Watching him “get the girl” and “defeat the bad guys” was thrilling because Bond was likable, and Connery was the master at expressing that.
The supporting cast is uniformly excellent. Bernard Lee is flawless as M, head of the British Secret Service, the part he reprised for years. He exudes all the appropriate notes of power, wisdom, astuteness, and support. Lois Maxwell is superb as Miss Moneypenny, the partner of numerous flirtatious exchanges with 007. She too would be a regular. Jack Lord of Hawaii Five-O fame stepped effortlessly into the role of CIA agent Felix Leiter. Leiter would be played by many different actors, but Lord is still fantastic. Joseph Wiseman would set the standard for all Bond villains to follow him. He is the epitome of the calm, cool, and collected brand of evil. Wiseman captured a great blend of ruthlessness and calculative strategy. As for the women, Ursula Andress walked up from the beach and into legend for one of the most memorable moments in cinematic history.
Taking the slight thinness into account, Dr. No possesses marvelously gritty undertones that would be polished after this. For instance, Bond shoots and kills one man in cold blood with little remorse in one sequence, but this was necessary to reveal the meaning of a “00” agent. He is also seen as being unquestionably beaten, bloody, and bruised. This can definitely be labeled a simple Bond exploit, but looking back, those with less silliness have aged better. Thanks to Connery and Young, the terrific dry humor Bond is known for shows up more than once, but this is primarily serious much of the time. Terence Young’s method of filmmaking was stylish and sharp throughout. He obtained so many key shots that unraveled the plot with such elegance such as the first shot of Bond at the card table. Young’s panache would establish the formula all other Bond directors would emulate.
Despite a layer of skin that seems ordinary, Dr. No rests among the finer Bond films due its reticence and intentions of getting straight to the point. It would take From Russia With Love and Goldfinger to iron out the minor kinks, but the commencement of this series, which Harry Saltzman and Albert Broccoli desired to have continue was successful. Maurice Binder’s opening titles are snappy and neat, but would obviously get more interesting, and the theme provided by Monty Norman and John Barry weaves in and out of the picture with an addictive quality hardly any franchise can match. Other songs such as “Under the Mango Tree” meshed competently as well.
In the end, Dr. No launched the phenomenon with a genuine bang. It is similar to the first Saw in that the first installment might not be as outstanding as the sequels, but it was immediately evident that something special had just changed cinema forever.
The Video
When you glance at the back cover and it reads “Blu-Ray was made for Bond”, trust me when I say it is an accurate statement. This hi-def transfer has been presented with its original aspect ratios and in 1080p high definition with AVC MPEG-4 encoding. It is crystal clear, pristine, and unquestionably gorgeous. All the defects of an older film like this has vanished. Honey Ryder’s iconic scene is nothing short of jaw-dropping. This was the first “classic” film I have seen in the Blu-Ray format, and it is worth the extra money. The fact that so much meticulous work went into making a 1962 picture look so fresh and alive is astonishing. This is the same efforts that were put forth in the previous “Ultimate Edition” DVDs, but this elevates that to a whole new level.
The Audio
The sound mixing is certainly stunning to the ears. The music and every single effect from gun shots to explosions are adjusted appropriately. The dialogue does not match the other sound elements, but every character is understandable and lucid. That means you must turn the volume up a little so that the action does not overwhelm everything else. This disc offers a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound track, as well as the original presentation which is a two-channel mono track. The disc also contains a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound track in French, and a two-channel mono Spanish track. Subtitles in English and Spanish are also available.
The Packaging
Dr. No on Blu-Ray disc is distributed in a slimline clear blue case with a cardboard slipcover on top of that. The artwork of both is the same. The slipcovers for Blu-Ray seem to reveal shelf wear quicker than normal keep case slipcovers, but they're included to prevent theft so we have to deal with them. The menus are typically aggravating for Bond films. Don’t get me wrong, they are always neat looking, but the "Initiate Mission" instead of play, and other coded entries get old. Actually, these are a bit easier to navigate through, until you get to the extras. The smart-menu design is neat with the 007 logo and clips from the film. Also inserted are advertisements for other Blu-Ray titles, and a note on how to update firmware. A sticker for movie cash to use when Quantum of Solace is released is on each individual title, but it difficult to peel off.
The Extras
Since this is the first appearance of Bond on Blu-Ray, I’ll refrain from giving you the history of the standard DVD releases. As a reminder, Blu-Ray disc and standard discs should not be compared since they are two different formats. It would be like me giving the history of a film on VHS while I do a DVD review.
M16 Commentary - The commentary track on Dr. No, and every Bond Blu-Ray disc recycles a commentary which was included on a standard release. It really doesn’t matter, as the original commentaries are as effective as any new one would be. Here, John Cork from the Ian Fleming Foundation hosts an assortment of interviews with Director Terence Young, in addition to various members of the cast and crew. On occasion, collage commentary tracks can grow bland because they have no flow. It is simply clips spliced in, and that can be fabulous and also irritating. This one is a bit of both actually, but the information revealed is quite intriguing and educational as long as you’re patient.
TOP LEVEL ACCESS 007: License to Restore (11:56) –This exposes an in-depth look at how painstaking and cautious the restoration process from the folks at Lowry Digital Images was. As a DVD buff, I find this riveting to see just how they work their magic, but others might skip this one.
DECLASSIFIED: M16 VAULT The Guns of James Bond (5:06) – This is the first of many vintage featurettes. This has a man perusing Bond’s weaponry, and demonstrating how each works. Sean Connery also appears in interviews. He shows the stopping power, hoslters, and so forth.
Premiere Bond: Opening Night (13:09) – This is fairly self-explanatory as it shows the world premiere for Dr. No, and goes longer to show the same for other Bond flicks.
007 MISSION CONTROL
Boy was this section a pain to weave through. The point is you can click on various categories and be whisked away to the scene in the film that covers the topic you clicked on. The categories are: 007, Women, Allies, Villains, Mission Combat Manual, and Q Branch, with sub-categories inside each of those. The only semi-neat bonus here is the Bond gun barrel sequence textless from under the “007” name. “Exotic Locations” looks at the various locations for Dr. No. Most of these range anywhere from 1 to 5 minutes in length.
MISSION DOSSIER Inside Dr. No (42:10) – This is definitely the prize on the disc as it is your basic documentary, “making-of”, and “Behind the Scenes” featurette. It begins by discussing the novels, and goes through the entire timeline up until opening night. This includes interviews with Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, and others. Casting, the theme music, set design, humor, and anything you could ask for is talked about here.
Terence Young: Bond Vivant (17:57) – This is a tribute to the director of Dr. No, and the filmmaker behind 3 of the first four Bond films. I was floored at how everyone here genuinely loved and admired this man. Usually you can spot phony compliments, but none of these are artificial. I also found it funny that Young had so many Bond qualities. I am anxious to see some of his other films now as well.
Dr. No 1963 Featurette (8:40) – Here is another vintage piece, this time with a rather geeky looking individual promoting Dr. No by going over the weapons and the star, Sean Connery. The best parts were reading the Fleming description of the characters’, and then seeing a picture of who was cast.
MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA Theatrical Trailer (3:23) – Remember that trailers in the old days were overly long, and this is no different, but still, they are fun to skim through.
Theatrical Spots (7:34) – There are three of these, and they can be viewed all at once by pressing “Play All.” Nothing of note to say about these.
TV Spots (1:23) – Two TV spots are included, and can again be played all at once. These are all about Dr. No, so the above statements apply.
Radio Spots (6:38) – We have six of the radio spots, and they are cool to listen to for a couple minutes since not many DVD releases attach them.
IMAGE DATABASE
A series of image galleries can be found in this section. There are 8 in all, and are fun to glance at after watching the film.
The Film: 8.0/10.0
The Video: 10.0/10.0
The Audio: 9.0/10.0
The Packaging: 8.5/10.0
The Extras: 9.0/10.0
The 411: Dr. No is just a damn enjoyable James Bond film when you look back at it. It might not be the top choice when you have the desire to pop in some Bond spy action, but affording some respect is mandatory since it did set the standard for so many Bond themes and elements that would follow for decades. The acting is fantastic, the sets are terrific, and the direction is crisp. The plot is a bit rough, but certainly satisfactory. This Blu-Ray edition of the film will knock you socks off as far as the technical specifications are concerned. They are supremely dazzling. The extras department is a bit aggravating to navigate through, but once you find the meaty featurettes, it is entertaining and informative. If you want to avoid buying the box sets, that is understandable, but Dr. No should be on your list of Bond Blu-Ray purchases.
