Happy Global James Bond Day, everybody! On this day, October 5th, 1962, James Bond was unleashed on theatergoers, with the release of Dr. No. The film went on to gross over $16 million — that is almost $170 million in today’s dollars. So what better day is there to celebrate the film that started it all? Let’s countdown 10 things to love about Dr. No.
10. Title Sequence
Dr. No set the stage for how the Bond title sequences would be executed. Though the film doesn’t feature a signature theme song, it does use color and graphics in a way that would provide a template for every (official) Bond film thereafter.
Winter is Coming
9. The death of R.J. Dent
As Dent holds Bond, with a gun pointed at him, Bond says, “That’s a Smith and Wesson. And you’ve had your six.” Upon which, Bond shoots and kills him “in cold blood.”
8. Jamaica.
The film takes us to the Caribbean, near the Bahamas, where Bond was born in Ian Fleming’s brain. But setting that aside, it also allows for stylish wardrobe choices, including linen suits and swimwear.
7. Car Chase
One of the hallmarks of the Bond franchise, the car chase–especially through winding, narrow roads–got its start here, when Bond is chased across the Jamaican countryside, ending in Bond’s pursuers driving off a cliff and to a fiery demise.
6. A Dragon
Legend has it that Crab Key is populated by a drago. We find out what that really means — and poor Quarrel meets his demise in the process.
5. Bond’s escape from a holding cell
Rarely has Bond seemed as vulnerable as he does in this scene, when an electrified screen sends him hurdling backward, to the floor of a holding cell. Regardless, Bond escapes and uses the intricate ducts of Dr. No’s lair to escape and foil Dr. No’s evil plans.
4. Dr. No
An evil villain with claws for hands? Yes, please, thank you. It doesn’t get much better than that.
3. The James Bond theme
Monty Norman’s guitar riff has become the signature of Bond ever since.
2. Honey Rider
If Dr. No is known for any one thing, it is Ursula Andress in a bikini. “Are you looking foir shells?” she asks Bond. “No,” he replies, “I’m just looking.” Indeed.
1. Sean Connery as “Bond…James Bond”
Where would Connery be if he had not been selected for the role of James Bond? And where would we be without his signature delivery of his introduction: “Bond…James Bond.” Lucky for Bond fans and filmgoers, it worked out the way it did.
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