From Russia with Love [Movie]

So this is my first (guest) post on Demian's blog. As my Hesse-inspired friend wrote, we've started a James Bond marathon (a marabond if you will). From Russia with Love (1963) might be considered one of the best Bond films but I wasn't terribly enthusiastic after watching the movie.

Yes, I do agree that the plot is better devised and enacted than Dr. No's. And yes, Daniela Bianchi, the Bond girl, is definitely a better actress than... oh wait, Ursula Andress (Dr. No's Bond girl) shouldn't even be considered an actress, so no comparison here. Apart from this, I don't know... Dr. No was the first film of the series, so there's an inherent charm to it. We forgive everything because it was the first, it started an era, it created an industry. It defined Bond. However, I didn't end up with the same fondness for From Russia with Love. I found the action scenes choreographically (is this a word?) poor, I didn't like the oh-so-stereotypical portrait of Turkey and the gypsies (should I say travellers?), I didn't like the casting, and I was quite fed up with those cliché Bond lines that seemed too excessive, including the ending scene. But then again, I might have been in the wrong mood.

Of course there are good things about the movies, and the second in particular: the opening scene that's a distinctive feature of James Bond's movies, the gadgets we all love, the spy story that captivates so many of us... and, ha!, the famous hand petting the cat that Mike Myers perfectly mimics in Austin Powers. Ok, I admit I don't have much to write. It was an ok film and I'm tired of writing about it. Let's wait for the next movie.

One interesting note: Tatiana Romanova's (Daniela Bianchi's character) voice was dubbed by another woman.

One odd note: while I was watching the film I wondered if Margaret Mead had the opportunity of watching the first Bond movies, or reading the novels. Weird thought.