Dr. No

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For the title character from both the novel and film, see Dr. Julius No.

Dr. No (sometimes published as Doctor No) is the sixth James Bond novel by Ian Fleming, originally published in 1958. The novel was adapted as the first official Bond film in 1962, the success of which would lead to a popular, long, and continuing series of films made by EON Productions.

The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman with Sean Connery in the first of six official appearances (1 unofficial) playing the role of British Secret Service agent, Commander James Bond.

The novel

The novel marks the first time a number of James Bond signature elements are used. It is the first novel in which Bond uses his signature Walther PPK handgun and also the first time Major Boothroyd (also known as Q, the armourer) appears, although Bond's first gadget was in the previous novel, From Russia with Love.

The plot of the novel and the film are very similar, only differing when elements from the previous novels are referenced, primarily From Russia with Love and Live and Let Die.

Plot summary

From Russia with Love ended in a cliffhanger with the status of James Bond unknown. Bond was poisoned by SMERSH agent Rosa Klebb and collapsed at the end of the novel. In Dr. No M learns from the firm's neurologist that the poison was tetrodotoxin, which is obtained from the sex organs of the Japanese fish fugu. Tetrodotoxin paralyses the muscles of the victim while they stay fully conscious until eventually they die from asphyxiation. Bond is given first aid treatment by his friend Rene Mathis, whilst a doctor is summoned. The Doctor had spent time in Africa and had dealt with various poisons. He diagnoses curare poisoning and treats Bond accordingly. Even to date, there is no current antidote and the chances of survival are very slim.

Nonetheless, Bond survives. When he returns to duty, he is sent by M on a "rest cure" to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Strangways, the head of station in Kingston, who had previously appeared in Live and Let Die. He learns that Strangways had been investigating the activities of Dr. Julius No, a Chinese-German who lives on an island called "Crab Key" that is said to be the home of a vicious dragon.

With help of the returning character, Quarrel (previously in Live and Let Die), as well as the beautiful Honeychile Rider, who visits the island to collect valuable shells, Bond discovers that Dr. No, who ostensibly operates a business harvesting and exporting guano, is in fact working with the Russians. They have supplied him with several million dollars worth of equipment to sabotage nearby American missile tests. Bond and Honeychile are captured by Dr. No, but Quarrel is burned to death by the (mechanical) dragon. Doctor No's speciality is torture and he tortures Bond to discover and record his powers of endurance. But Bond survives, rescues Honey and kills Doctor No.

Author:	Publisher:	Hardback:	Paperback:	Alternate titles:
Ian Fleming	Glidrose Productions	UK) 1958 > (U.S.) 1958	UK) 1960 > (U.S.) 1959	Doctor No
Preceded by: From Russia with Love
Followed by: Goldfinger

Comic strip adaptation

Fleming's novel was adapted as a daily comic strip published in the British Daily Express newspaper and syndicated worldwide. The adaptation ran from May 23 to October 1, 1960. The adaptation was written by Peter O'Donnell (later the creator of Modesty Blaise) and illustrated by John McLusky. The James Bond 007 Fan Club published a reprint of the strip in 1981. Dr. No was reprinted in 2005 by Titan Books as part of the Dr. No anthology that also includes Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia with Love.

The film

The search for James Bond

Because James Bond was not that well known in 1961, the producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman originally sought to have a big name star as James Bond. Cary Grant was chosen for the role, but was not selected due to his commitment of only one feature film (it is also said that Grant refused the part because, then 58, he felt he was too old for it[link], ). Other actors purported to have been considered for the role include Patrick McGoohan (on the strength of his portrayal of spy John Drake in the TV series Danger Man), James Mason, and David Niven (who would later play an unofficial version of the character in the 1967 spoof Casino Royale).

There are a lot of apocryphal stories as to who Ian Fleming personally wanted. Some sources, specifically Albert R. Broccoli from his autobiography When The Snow Melts, claim that he favored Roger Moore due to having seen Moore as Simon Templar on the television series The Saint; however, this story is often debunked by fans pointing to the fact that the series did not begin airing in the United Kingdom until October 4, 1962—only one day before the premiere of Dr. No. It is known for sure that Fleming wanted Noel Coward for the role of the evil Dr. Julius No and David Niven for the role of Bond, both of whom he knew personally. Moore wasn't linked publicly to the role of 007 until 1967 in which Harry Saltzman claimed he would make a good Bond, but also displayed misgivings due to his popularity as Simon Templar. Moore was later selected as Bond in 1973 for Live and Let Die.

Ultimately, the producers turned to Sean Connery, a relative unknown at the time to play agent 007 for five films. It is often reported that Connery won the role through a contest set up to 'find James Bond'. This is untrue, however, the contest did exist and six finalists were chosen and screentested by Broccoli, Saltzman, and Fleming. The winner of the contest was a 28-year-old model named Peter Anthony, who according to Broccoli had a Gregory Peck quality, but lacked the technique to cope with the demanding role of Bond.

Themes

Dr. No introduced the many recurring themes and features associated with the suave, witty, and sophisticated secret agent: the distinctive James Bond Theme, the gunbarrel sequence, "Bond girls", exotic locales, the criminal organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E., narrow escapes, Bond's astonishing good luck and skill, Bond's signature Walther PPK and his licence to kill, an over-ambitious villain, quirky, villainous henchmen, and the first meeting with Felix Leiter of the CIA.

In fact, many characteristics of James Bond were introduced in this film (or brought in from the books), ranging from Bond's idiosyncratic introduction (as "Bond. James Bond."), to his taste for fine champagne, vodka martinis (shaken, not stirred), women, and weaponry.

This film established the tradition of venturing from Fleming's original novels to include topical references of the day. During the film series' forty year history, only a couple of films would remain substantially true to their source materials; Dr. No has many similarities to the novel, but almost as many differences.

Plot summary

The film begins in Jamaica, where British agent Commander John Strangways and his secretary mysteriously disappear; though nobody knows it yet, they have been killed. James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearances and determine whether they are related to recent disruptions of American missile launchings.

At the airport in Kingston, a taxi driver greets him, saying he's been sent to drive him to Government house. In reality, the man is an enemy agent who commits suicide after he is found out, rather than risk the wrath of his boss. Bond learns that Dr. Dent was Strangways' last contact before his disappearance. Unknown to Bond, Dent is an agent of Dr. Julius No, and is ordered to kill Bond. He is unsuccessful and, after a brief interrogation in which Bond learns Strangways is dead, Bond executes Dent.

During the mission, Bond meets CIA agent Felix Leiter and his Jamaican contact and assistant, Quarrel. Following evidence in the form of radioactive rock samples, Bond and Quarrel sail to Dr. No's island, Crab Key, meet Honey Ryder, and discover the Doctor's plot, which is, as suspected, to sabotage an American missile launch. Bond overloads Dr. No's nuclear reactor, kills the villain and escapes with Honey.

This is the first Bond film to mention the criminal organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E., though its role in this film is minor. Dr. Julius No, the film's villain, is also a member of S.P.E.C.T.R.E.; it would later be a more formidable foe in From Russia with Love through You Only Live Twice. The head of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., Ernst Stavro Blofeld, would continue to be Bond's nemesis until Diamonds Are Forever, and again (briefly) in For Your Eyes Only.

Cast & characters

• James Bond — Sean Connery
• Honey Ryder — Ursula Andress, voice Nikki van der Zyl
• Dr. Julius No — Joseph Wiseman
• Professor Dent — Anthony Dawson
• Quarrel — John Kitzmiller
• Felix Leiter — Jack Lord
• M — Bernard Lee
• Miss Moneypenny — Lois Maxwell
• Miss Taro — Zena Marshall
• Sylvia Trench — Eunice Gayson
• Major Boothroyd, also known as: Q — Peter Burton
• John Strangways — Timothy Moxon, voice Robert Rietty

Crew

• Directed by: Terence Young
• Written by: Ian Fleming
• Screenplay by: Richard Maibaum, Johanna Harwood, Berkely Mather, Terence Young (uncredited)
• Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
• Composed by: Monty Norman
• Cinematography by: Ted Moore
• Production design by: Ken Adam
• Art Direction by: Syd Cain (uncredited)
• Film editing by: Peter R. Hunt

Soundtrack

The original James Bond theme was written by Monty Norman, who also composed the soundtrack for Dr. No. John Barry, who would later go on to compose the music for eleven Bond films, arranged the Bond theme, but was uncredited—except for the credit of his orchestra playing the final piece. It has occasionally been suggested that Barry, not Norman, composed The James Bond Theme. This argument has been the subject of two court cases, the most recent in 2001. Some portions of the theme are, however, based on music Norman composed for a stage musical several years previously.

Track listing

1. "The James Bond Theme"
2. "Kingston Calypso"
3. Jamaican Rock"
4. Jump Up"
5. "Audio Bongo"
6. "Under The Mango Tree"
7. "Twisting With James"
8. "Jamaica Jazz"
9. "Under The Mango Tree"
10. "Jump Up"
11. "Dr. No's Fantasy"
12. "Kingston Calypso"
13. "The Island Speaks"
14. "Under The Mango Tree"
15. "The Boy's Chase"
16. "Dr. No's Theme"
17. "The James Bond Theme"
18. "Love At Last"

Vehicles & gadgets

Main articles: List of James Bond vehicles and List of James Bond gadgets

• Walther PPK — Technically the only so-called gadget in the entire film is the one where M and Major Boothroyd (Q) force Bond to trade in his Beretta for the new standard issue, the Walther PPK. Bond has since used a Walther PPK in every movie up to Tomorrow Never Dies, in which he takes a Walther P99 from a Chinese safehouse.
• 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air convertible - although not an official Bond car, 007 is a passenger where the driver is one of Dr. No's henchmen. The driver commits suicide by swallowing a cyanide pill, and then Bond drives the Bel Air to Government House in the film.
• Sunbeam Alpine Series 1 — James drives a Sunbeam Alpine during a brief and relatively tame chase scene with a LaSalle hearse and from Miss Taro's house to the dock where he meets up with Leiter and Quarrel. No gadgets were included on the car.

Locations

Film Locations

• London, UK
• Kingston, Jamaica
• Crab Key — island off Jamaica

Shooting locations

• Jamaica
• Pinewood Studios — London, England

Trivia

• A number of amusing stories exist about how the title was supposedly translated in various languages (as, for instance, "We Don't Want a Doctor"). Many of these stories are untrue.
• The film received titles with the phrase 'licence to kill' in them in Italy, Sweden and Portugal, which caused a minor problem during translations of the title of the sixteenth film.
• The actor in the famous gunbarrel opening is not Connery, but stunt man Bob Simmons. Connery wouldn't film the sequence himself until the fourth official Bond film, Thunderball.
• Thunderball was originally chosen to be the first Bond film, but due to a legal battle with its co-author, Kevin McClory, EON Productions, chose to film Dr. No instead.
• The infamous scene in which Bond murders Professor Dent is not in the original novel, and fans of Ian Fleming's novels protested, saying even the literary version of Bond was never so cold-hearted. The director defended his decision, saying such a scene was necessary to impress upon viewers the significance of Bond's licence to kill, since it was the first time such a character had been portrayed (outside wartime) in a major motion picture. Bond would rarely act this same way again, though he would act in similar fashion in The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence to Kill, and Tomorrow Never Dies. Originally, this scene showed Bond firing all bullets from his Walther PPK into Dent's body but this was deemed gratuitous and was edited down to two shots. Most commercial TV prints of the film shown in America and Canada have, until recently, shown Bond firing only once.
• During the scene where M replaces Bond's beretta with the Walther PPK, M claims that he is head of MI7. The scene is actually dubbed since it is clear that M says MI6 (the subtitles on the special edition DVD release also says "MI6", and at least one trailer features the undubbed dialogue). Prior to this however, there is another scene in the film where a radio operator talks about contacting MI6. The sequence with M is the only mention of MI7 in any James Bond film or novel. In reality there is no current MI7. The original MI7 was a temporary subsection dealing with propaganda that operated during World War I. It has been suggested that there might have been a prohibition on mentioning MI6 in the media at this time; if true this changed and not only would MI6 be cited frequently in future films, but also its real-life headquarters building is first seen and used in GoldenEye decades later (although the real-life MI6 is not known to have a 00-section).
• Sylvia Trench, the woman Bond meets in the casino at the start of the film, is not a character from Fleming's novels, but EON Productions had intended for her to be Bond's regular girlfriend. Ultimately, the character only appeared once more, in From Russia with Love before she was dropped in favour of further developing the playful relationship between Bond and Miss Moneypenny. (Eunice Gayson, the actress who played Sylvia, had a daughter who would later appear as an extra in GoldenEye.) Gayson herself was originally hired to play Miss Moneypenny, and Lois Maxwell was to have played Sylvia, but the two actresses swapped their roles.

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