On introducing James Bond in Dr. No, producers
Broccoli & Saltzman could not have foreseen the phenomenon that the series
of films would soon become. But the material already had a certain glamour.
Here was an anti-hero who was terribly British, who killed in cold blood and
yet was able to charm numerous beautiful women and solve the deadliest of
crimes, all in a day's work. This adaptation from the novel by Ian Fleming was
one of the films most faithful to the original story.
James Bond is sent
to Jamaica with a mission: to investigate the mysterious circumstances
surrounding the death of fellow agent John Strangways. The trail leads him to
the island of Crab Key, the base of the SPECTRE headquarters of
corrupt scientist Dr. No, whom Bond believes to be the murderer. Dr. No informs
Bond of his aim of world domination and the destruction of the US space
programme. Battle commences between Bond & Dr. No, until the villain
finally falls into his own trap and dies. Mitchell Hooks painted the iconic
image of Sean Connery as Bond, with a smoking pistol in one hand and a cigarette
in the other.
This image was used internationally at the time, as well
as in later poster campaigns. The posters featured Bond surrounded by several
glamorous women, a visual shorthand that was to make the secret agent
immediately recognizable to cinema audiences worldwide. Joseph Caroff designed
the 007 logo, which, with a few variations, has been used throughout the
series.
A word about his female partner in Dr. No, namely Ursula
AUrsula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss-American actress
and sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her role as Bond girl Honey Rider in the first
James Bond film, Dr. No (1962), for which she won a Golden
Globe.
This card was
sent to me by Barbara from Corpus Christie.
