From Russia With Love

From Russia With Love (PG)

Grade: A+

• Directed by: Terrence Young
• Produced by: Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli
• Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum and Johanna Harwood.  Based on From Russia With Love by Ian Fleming
• Starring: Sean Connery (James Bond), Daniela Bianchi (Tatiana Romanova), Pedro Armendariz (Kerim Bay), Lotte Lenya (Rosa Klebb), Robert Shaw (Donald "Red" Grant), Bernard Lee (M), Walter Gotell (Morenzy), Vladek Sheybal (Kronsteen), ? (Ernst Stavro Blofeld), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny,  Desmond Llewelyn (Q), Eunice Gayson (Sylvia Trench)
• Cinematographer: Ted Moore
• Music by: John Barry
• Studio: Eon Productions
• Distributed by: United Artists
• Released: October 10, 1963 (London), October 11, 1963 (UK)
• Running Time: 115 minutes/1 hour and 55 minutes
• Language: English

"There's a saying in England: Where there's smoke, there's fire."

-James Bond

When James Bond says the quote above, he's in a speedboat being chased by bad guys.  Things don't look good for him, until he shoots a flare gun at oil drums he dropped, causing a fire, which engulfs the surrounding water.  Yes, the scene has all of that, but "From Russia With Love" has so much more compared to the previous Bond film "Dr. No".  It has love, introduction to gadgets, and best of all, memorable villains who are worthy to our hero.  The first time I saw "From Russia With Love" as a child, I didn't like it, but now that I'm older, I think it's one of, if not, the best James Bond film.

"From Russia With Love" is about revenge, at least in the beginning.  The villainous organization SPECTRE has a plan to get back at James Bond for a past vendetta.  Number 1 is the leader of the organization, and hires Number 3 and Number 5 for the assignment.  Number 5 (Kronsteen), is a chess master who has planned out every possible outcome, while Number 3 (Klebb) has to run his plan.  Their plan is to lure James Bond with a Lektor decoding machine, which is an object the British Secret Service and CIA have wanted for years.  As expected, Bond takes the job, but when Tatiana Romanova is set up as well, sparks fly and things get difficult, especially with a killer following them.

Sean Connery is still top notch as 007, but he's not alone.  In my opinion, the whole cast is great in this movie.  Vladek Sheybal looks the part of a chess master, Lotte Lenya really looks like an evil old woman, and Number 1?  Well, we don't see his face in this film, but his presence is felt by his actions, and of course, the white cat he always holds.  Along with the villains though, there's Daniela Bianchi and Pedro Armendariz as Bond's allies.  They get significantly more screen time, so we see their relationship with Bond evolve, which is a strange, yet wonderful sight to see.  

That's what I think is so great about "From Russia With Love".  Yes, it came out a long time ago, but it set the early standard for what Bond films would eventually have.  It has a pre-title sequence, gadgets, stunts, and villains, but the plot isn't ridiculous or video gamey like some of the later Bonds will be.  The relationship with Bond and Tatiana is also wonderful because we see how much they care for each other, which makes us root for them, and keeps us glued to the screen.

Bond fans everywhere will have different opinions on who the best Bond is, and what the best film in the series is, but if you ask me, it's "From Russia With Love".  Like I said before, it's not something I always thought, but re-watching it again, I saw myself being caught up in the love affair the was 007.  I may not know all there is about films, but I know what I like, and "From Russia With Love" is one of those films.