Into the Blu

Dr. No

Posted on 20. Oct, 2008 by Gino Sassani in 1.66:1, 1080p, AVC MPEG-4, Action, DTS-HD Lossless Master Audio 5.1 (English), Dolby Digital 1.0 (Spanish), Dolby Digital 5.1 (French), Drama, MGM, Reviews

In just a few weeks from this release Daniel Craig will star for his second time in the 22^nd film in the James Bond franchise. A lot has changed over the decades, to be sure. It’s hard to imagine that it was back in 1962 (1963 here in the US) when a relatively unknown film actor named Sean Connery took on the role of 007 for the first time in a film. There was a forgotten television event that was not a part of the official film franchise. Now with the release of another new Bond film, this is an excellent time to go back to where it all began. The Blu-ray release of that original film, Dr. No, is the perfect opportunity to rediscover the roots of Ian Fleming’s super spy. No matter how long you’ve been a fan or how many times you’ve seen Dr. No, I promise this will be a new experience for you. As I’ll explore in more detail in the A/V sections of this review, I can honestly say I’ve never seen any of these Bond films quite like this before. James Bond is the longest running film franchise still going today and has become a multi-billion dollar industry in the last 45 years. Journey with me back to its not so humble beginnings.

James Bond first appeared in the pages of Ian Fleming’s novel, Casino Royale. Fleming was himself a former British Intelligence Officer and had been engaged in what he liked to call “shenanigans” in that role. He admits that many of Bond’s tastes are lifted from his own preferences. It can be safe to say that Ian Fleming was as much James Bond as any of the men who have played him. The books were written one a year during his 2 month vacation as a news writer. He would escape to his vacation home in Jamaica during those 6-8 weeks and in short order produce a Bond adventure. It’s likely not a small coincidence that the first Bond film would feature the island location predominately as its setting. While Dr. No wasn’t the first Bond novel, it was considered one of the easiest to film, and that’s very likely true. Still, Dr. No features for the first time on film many of the trademark Bond elements, all of which are essential parts of any Bond film decades later. There are the lavish locations and settings. Dr. No would originate a long line of over the top Bond villains usually content with nothing less than global domination. The stylish title sequence with the gun barrel open is already firmly in place, as is the tremolo heavy guitar rift that still signals the arrival of 007 even now. And, of course, there are the “Bond Girls”, beginning with one of the all time best in Ursula Andress. Her emerging from the waters to the beach of Crab Key has become an iconic Bond moment, even later reproduced by Halle Berry in Die Another Day. Dr. No might not be the very best of the Bond films, but it is certainly in the top 5. Finally, it can’t be argued that it set the tone for each of the films that followed and will continue to follow.

Sean Connery, for me at least, will always be the James Bond by which every other version will be measured. He is still my favorite, followed closely by (now don’t laugh) Timothy Dalton. Unfortunately I count Daniel Craig and Roger Moore as the lower versions of the spy. Dr. No is the perfect example of why Connery was so good in the role. He wore it as comfortably as the tailored suits that his alter-ego so cherished. Each line was natural and spoken with such ease that it’s honestly hard to define where Connery ends and Bond begins. Many of the flippant one-liners were Connery’s own contribution to the character. Next to Connery, you really have to credit director Terrence Young with creating the Bond we know from the films. By all accounts he was every bit as cultured and suave as Bond himself. The balding middle aged director wasn’t all that good looking, but he had a charm and magnetism that made him the ladies’ man that we associate with Bond. Connery himself credits Young with providing the overall persona that his character would inhabit. From his manner of speech to his impeccable dress, Terrence Young might have been more James Bond than Ian Fleming himself.

It’s not just Bond that makes Dr. No the unmitigated classic it is. The casting was near perfect. Again it was Young who could visualize these parts like no one else could. He cast Connery even though few knew his name at that time. Andress was known only as a model and not as an actress at that time, but who can argue with her placement in the film. It would have been easy to cast merely a body or look, but she develops wonderful chemistry with Connery, making her more than mere eye candy. Jack Lord would later rule another island paradise on television as McGarrett, but here he becomes the first of many to play Bond’s CIA friend Felix. Lois Maxwell starts her long running stint as M’s flirtatious secretary, Moneypenny. Joseph Wiseman takes his place in Bond history as the first of Bond’s eccentric bad guys and our first glimpse of the evil organization, SPECTRE. Finally, Bernard Lee is still the longest running M in the franchise. All of these casting elements add the essential believability to the mix. If the audience was unwilling to stay for the ride, think of all of the later Bond adventures we would have missed out on.

We are first introduced to James Bond at a gaming table, sparring with the intended franchise regular Sylvia Trench (Gayson). It was expected she would be the steady girl in his life, but that plan was scrapped after just the first two films. While Trench didn’t become the character that many intended, she does elicit for the first time our hero’s trademark, “Bond, James Bond”. Called away from the tables, Bond is informed that another 00 agent has broken contact and is feared killed. When Bond flies to Jamaica to look into the incident, an attempt is made on his life by an agent posing as his chauffeur. On the island Bond meets up with a CIA operation that is also looking into strange events on a neighboring island, Crab Key. It is here that 006 was taking geological samples when he was killed. On the Island Bond discovers naïve “island girl” Honey Ryder who is able to get him around the secretive installation. Of course, they’re captured and treated to the hospitality of Dr. No, a disfigured man who lost his hands in a radioactive experiment. He has built a massive underground facility where he intends to sabotage American missiles and eventually control the world. Bond has to save himself, the girl, oh, and the world, before the facility explodes.

Video

Dr. No is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1. You get a splendid 1080p image out of the AVC/MPEG-4 codec. Most of the film delivers a solid 30+ mbps bit rate. The time has finally come to see these films in a way that hasn’t been possible maybe even in the theaters during their original releases. This benefits from not only a wonderful HD transfer but the recent 4k restoration from the camera negatives. The result is something far better than I had expected to see. Most impressive of all has to be the film’s flesh tones. They are near reference, and this is a 45 year old film. You notice it in the film’s opening scene where a woman is turning dials on the shortwave. Her hand is so detailed that I see the makeup and her skin pores as well as incredibly realistic color. There are moments of high grain, but you have to remember the film stock and the director’s intent in considering if that’s a flaw or not. Black levels are also simply fantastic. There is a scene where Bond is preparing to sail to Crab Key. It’s rather dark, but just take a look at how the deep blue of the water manages to assert itself even in such low lighting. The picture does tend to get soft at times, but again consider the film stock. Sharpness isn’t that good if you compare it to a modern film, but I think it’s rather remarkable looking anyway. No Bond fan will have any complaints about this transfer.

Audio

The DTSHD lossless 5.1 track is somewhat better than the image. I’m actually pretty happy that there wasn’t a footloose effort to overengage the surround mix. Most everything is up front, and that’s actually pretty fine by me. The quality of the sound is all there, however. From the opening moments of the familiar Bond theme to the dialog, you’re going to get everything you came here for. The dynamic range is considerably stronger than previous releases have provided. Not as much sub as I would have liked, particularly when Dr. No’s facility explodes at the film’s ending, but it pleases just enough. It’s an overall strong presentation, providing audio at 1.5 mbps.

There is an audio commentary featuring many cast and crew participants, but it is a hosted affair. None of the participants were at a screening. It was put together from various archive interviews and such. It’s informative but sounds too much like a documentary lecture.

Special Features

Most of these features are imported from the last edition of the films.

The extras are grouped under menu headings that I will provide in italics:

Top Level Access:

License To Restore: Lowry Digital personnel provide a good look into how the Bond films were restored. This was the same 4k process I talked about in my Godfather review. You get to meet the folks who did the actual restoration and see the equipment used for the job. It clocks in at just under 12 minutes.

Declassified – MI6 Vault:

The Guns Of James Bond: This is an old black and white feature hosted by Sean Connery. It appears that Fleming’s original use of guns for Bond was challenged by a gun expert who talked Fleming into changing the weapon. Here the expert explains why. It’s a rather short 5 minute piece.

Premiere Bond: This is another vintage piece in both black and white and some color. It traces many of the red carpet openings for many of the Bond films over the years.

Mission Control: These are direct scene access bookmarks for particular subjects like Women, Villains… and so on.

Mission Dossier: These are the only HD extras

Inside Dr. No: This is a very nice 42 minute documentary not only of the making of the film but the birth of the Bond franchise. It covers Fleming and the acquisition of the film rights by Saltzman and his then partnership with Cubby Broccoli who formed EON Productions to do the Bond films. Terrence Young is talked about at great length, and deservedly so. From casting to set design, you’ll see and hear how it all began. This is a Bond fan must feature.

Terrence Young – Bond Vivant: I’ve already talked about how important director Terrence Young was to the film character of James Bond. Don’t take my word for it. Hear it from the folks involved at the time.

Dr. No 1963 Featurette: At just over 8 minutes, this is another vintage piece. It’s in terrible physical shape but worth the historical vantage point. The host is a bit dour faced, but he introduces us to the watermarks of the Bond franchise, for the first time.

Obviously this piece is not in HD.

Ministry Of Propaganda: This is a collection of trailers, TV spots, and radio ads for the film.

Image Database: A collection of still galleries, the most interesting of which is the lost crab scene with Andress.

Final Thoughts

For most of you Dr. No will likely appear awfully dated and perhaps irrelevant. It is my hope that bringing these films to HD in this restored form will allow the more recent generations of Bond fans to explore and finally fully appreciate Bond’s origins. It’s amazing how many of the conventions are still with us over 22 films and almost 50 years. So, yes, the film is terribly dated, but in some ways it is still very relevant. There aren’t really the gizmos and gadgets that became a staple over the years, but you get Bond here in his most human form. If you think about it, have Bond’s missions changed that much over the years? The means may change and the faces morph into more modern heroes, but the motivations are still the same. “Global domination, the same old dream.”