From Russia With A Love is a love-letter to the classic espionage movies. It is so brilliantly crafted with nuance and storytelling. Definitely a top 10 Bond movies of all time.
Fun Fact: The pre-title sequence of *FRWL* was originally filmed on April 16th & 17th, 1963, but had to be reshot in Mid-June as according to actor Walter Gotell and director Terence Young in the "Cast & Crew Commentary", the original actor who played "Faux 007" looked exactly like Sir Sean Connery after they removed the mask, so they had to hire another actor with a moustache.
This movie got me interested in Istanbul. I did get stationed in Turkey by the Aegean for 15 months and spent 2 days in Istanbul in 77! And a couple of train trips. What a time!
And by the way, amazing work my friend. I have been following your ascension since 2016 and have been a fan ever since. This revised episode was brilliant.
Fantastic Jeroen! Many thanks for taking the time to put this truly excellent retrospective together. One of the (only!) good things about being a little older is having been around (albeit as a child) in the sixties when these early Connery Bonds were released. I'll never forget the excitement of seeing a new Connery Bond in the cinema and this particular one remains my favourite.
Excellent review! For me, From Russia With Love is the single best Bond film which I know is sort of controversial since most fans will put either GoldenEye or Casino Royale at the top of the list. But they've have certainly come around to thinking that this is the superior movie to Goldfinger even though Goldfinger was the one that invented the Bond movie formula. Sean Connery is outstanding this entire movie, Red Grant is easily in the running for best henchman along with Oddjob and Jaws, Rosa Klebb is a good villain (I know Blofeld is above her but she's the villain of this movie), Kronsteen is such a slimy easy to hate dirtbag, Kerim Bay is maybe the best Bond ally and certainly the most likable, it's the most Cold War themed Bond movie, the espionage is intriguing, the locations are memorable, and every action sequence is entertaining. The fight between Bond and Grant on the train is the single best physical fight in all 25 movies. Plus I'm glad you and I are on the same page with Tatiana. She's my personal favorite Bond girl, both in terms of her character and the one I find most attractive. Daniela Bianchi is such a smoke show this whole movie haha. Everyone remembers the scene in the bedroom but she's so cute and endearing in the train scenes. I think she's overlooked as far as Connery Bond girls go. She's sandwiched in between Honey Rider who was not only the first true Bond girl but also had a very memorable entrance, and Pussy Galore who while also beautiful has the most memorable Bond girl name and was in the bigger movie. It's a shame because Bianchi is terrific. Keep up the good work, these in depth retrospectives are always entertaining!
From Russia With Love is definitely the sing best Bond film. Goldfinger, Goldeneye and Casino Royale all have their defects but this has none (except for the back projection and speeding-up at the end).
A very nice update from your earlier Recap! I thought you may have mentioned that Walter Gotell, who played Morzeny the head SPECTRE training instructor later played General Gogol the head of the KGB in the Roger Moore Bond films. I believe his last appearance was in a Bond film was in Timothy Dalton's "The Living Daylights". Again, a very refreshing recap of one of my favorite Bond films!
I see it all the time with first time viewers. I watched it with two friends before and my girlfriend. Each of them struggled to understand the plot early on. Hence why I brought it up.
1982 they had James Bond week in my hometown..I was fifteen...summer job and money..Me and a freind Took seat 13.00..then 15.00.then..17.00..then 19.00..and last 21.00..Sean Connery first five Bond...I dont remember the order in showing..But i do remember that day and evening.:)
Good revised retrospective! I'm looking forward to the rest. From Russia with love is not a child friendly Bond film. It's only as a adult that I appreciate it, as before I used to skip it when it came on TV. That's the thing about the Bond franchise. Different Audiences want or expect a certain type of Bond movie. Some want this type which is a more adult spy thriller closer to the novel's and more serious. Some want a more globetrotting, big set, more lighthearted, fantasy spy film and others want more like on her majestys secret service or no time to die where Bond is more emotional. I don't know if different audience expectations for what a Bond movie should be are a problem for the producers or a positive thing as they have more options as to what type of film they are going to make. I prefer the Roger Moore type films where he is globetrotting and it has a more of a epic scale to it, with really good action set pieces. But I would like that with a bit of a more serious tone (like moonraker would have been better had they took the plot more seriously) and a more deeper more complicated script that makes it more rewatchable.
As I was growing up, I'd be exposed to Bond movies due to my father being a big Bond fan. To a little 6-year-old me who still didn't quite understand the concept of a movie being more than just images and explosions, of course the plot made no sense to me and thus FRWL was not a favorite of mine. But as I recently re-introduced myself to the Bond franchise and able to understand intricacies of plot slightly better than a 6-year-old, FRWL has become one of my favorites. I love the classic spy thriller feeling and it has helped me to better enjoy later films like The Living Daylights for the similarities.
Another great video dude. About the dubbing stopping. I think she is kind of trying out the name her new identity. Saying it softly to herself to get used to it.
Just a little thing there on the dubbing "error" I like to think that's her just mouthing the name and memorizing it. Because think about it. It would be a little odd considering the conversation between Bond and Karembay was still taking place, and she is interrupting it by saying it aloud. A little cute detail that I found charming.
Interested that you point out that Lotte Lenya was a popular person on the film set, as the same has been said for the two villains in Goldfinger, Harold Sakata and Gert Frobe, as well as Richard Kiel in his two films. It must be fun being terribly evil!
From Russia with Love is my personal favourite bond film. I absolutely love how the film is definitely more sly and sneaky and more spy like, while still having amazing action. And Tatiana is definitely hot too.
Awesome Video!! Some really funny parts too, lol! It was crazy how you say you hardly see anyone rate From Russia with Love below Dr No, and I just did my ranking video and it was exactly as you said, HAH. This is for sure better. I learned a lot as well, thanks for putting in the hours on this project!!
Nice work on this revised review, I'm looking forward to more. If you want to know some more storys or if you want to get in touch with me my door is open and may Desmond and Sean rest in peace along with Bernard.
Great as always!. Peter Hunt would aprove of the jump cuts :). if you're making money from the revised, set the old one's on private as you deserve the money for your efforts. Thank you.
25:20 brilliant scene. If there is one scene from this movie that stands out, this is the scene. And yes, this scene is better than the train fight scene with Red Grant
28:39 Bond's tale about being with M in Tokyo also creates contuinuity issues further on, when in You Only Live Twice, it is supposed to be his first time in Japan.
man, you're so funny with your connery impressions. one of my fav bonds for sure. robert shaw's acting is top class and i think he would have made a great bond too.
IIRC, it’s Bond’s Beretta 418, with a silencer that had been tucked in his waistband, gets caught trying to draw it against Klebb that prompted the Beretta’s replacement with the Walther.
For now, the plan is to revise the early ones at the very least! (At least the first 7 or 8). But, who knows, with time I will probably end up revising more as the others age
Loved the movie and even been using the phrase "back to the saltmine" a few times haha :) - a tiny tiny detail at 11:06 you said that she "the colonel" was secreatly working with SPECTRE - altho in the movie she said (don't bash me for a full correct quote :) ) "Moskow only told a few people about my defection from SMERSH".
Tremendously enjoyable wallow in this superb & charming movie. You strike just the right balance between appraising the book and the film, and being serious and tongue in cheek. Bond movies and Bond critiques don't get better than this!
8:00 Wait, so Ken Adam's set work on Dr. No was so popular, Stanley Kubrick himself actually got him to work on the greatest Anti-Nuke film of all time (Doctor Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb), meaning a new guy was bought in for this film? Damn. Dr. No really did make a splash back then!
Great video! Thanks! I’d be interested in a video on your thoughts on Austin Powers. Do you think the way it parodied the lighter side of Bond was one of the reasons Casino Royale was a much more serious approach? Or any other thoughts and insights you have about it as a bond fan
I cannot wait to get to that one! Its going to be a Top 25 actually! I currently have it listed as reward on my Patreon, as a goal when a certain amount is reached! - When the goal is reached I will produce it! So its in the hands of the people supporting the channel when that goal will be reached!
That is correct as far as what is known. Another interesting fact in the same vein is that The Spy Who Loved Me is believed to be the last film Elvis Presley saw.
The behind the scenes documentary outlines that as well as suffering from a quite troubled shoot, they were concerned the story was hard to follow and getting the right pacing so had to mostly find the best way of telling the story in the editing room. For example, no pre-titles sequence was originally planned but came out of re-jigging the existing scenes.
32:08 thats when Bond gets serious and his playful demeanour quickly shifts to being serious but also tensed at the same time. 32:42 and yes, Terrence Young did up the ante in terms of film making for this movie.
Dutch bond fan I don't know if you have already done something similar to this before or not. But I was wondering, what certain Bond movies would be like if you changed the actor playing Bond in that film. Like what would Moonraker be like if Dalton was playing 007 instead of Moore, for example? It would change the tone, and the threat to the world would feel more serious and they probably would have Jaws more like what he was in the spy who loved me than the comedy character he was in MR. Would the movie have been better with Dalton? I would love to know your thoughts in a video. I don't know if you could do this with every Bond film as the actors are similar in alot of ways, but its interesting to think if a Bond movie would have been better with a different Bond actor and how they might be different. Connerys Bond in no time to die or skyfall, I wonder if it would work. Thanks.
@@DutchBondFan thanks for answering. Yes I saw that one and really liked it. I hope you do some more what ifs with switching around the six Bond actors in the film franchise, that would be brilliant. Thanks!
Let’s see, intimidating assassin, well acted villain who’s as determined to get Bond as she is horrified of the now iconic cat stroking villain Blofeld, a look into how Spectre functions with a genuinely despicable playing of the Cold War in their favor, Connery at the top of his game including an intense fight on the train, yeah this is my favorite film in the whole series.
@dutchbondfan you should do a video detailing the movie version of the gypsy catfight and compare it to the book version. Probably one of the sexiest scenes in all of cinema. Every man secretly wished those two were fighting over him.
Interesting idea that Tatiana killing Klebbe may have been inspired by Domino killing Largo in "Thunderball", as that book was NOT YET available due to the lawsuit with Kevin McClory! Regarding the music... years back, thanks to a fan online, I was able to assemble far more complete scores to the first 2 films, and have them tracked in the order of the movies. Monty Norman's score for "DR. NO" is far more impressive than that so-called "soundtrack album". Most of the music in the film is not on the LP, and most of the music on the LP is not in the film! A real "WTF?" moment. Further, there are at least 2 wonderful tracks on the "FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE" album not heard on the movie-- and one of them was written for the train fight! Speaking of light comedy, I've read Lotte Lenya was mostly known before this film for "musical comedy". NO KIDDING! While I'm at it... you know that famous, hilarious scene in "DR. NO" where Bond is kissing Miss Taro and looks at his wrist-watch, because he knows the cops are on their way? I was stunned the other day to see one of my favorite actors, Gerald Mohr, do this EXACT same thing-- 15 years EARLIER-- in the film "THE LONE WOLF IN LONDON" (1947). (You can see it on RU-vid-- it's at one hour 41 seconds in.)
Good call! I always assumed the novel was released to the public in 1961! Also, Rosa Klebb was called Spectre agent number 3, making me think they were already planning ahead in the future to make Largo number 2 for when they would get to Thunderball eventually And the other tidbits you raised were each new to me! Thanks a lot for your very insightful comment! 🍸
@@DutchBondFan Fleming & McClory (and Jack Whittingham) collaborated on a film project that would start a Bond series, and created SPECTRE to replace Smersh. But the project fell apart... and Fleming turned it into his next novel, "Thunderball". THAT's when the trouble started. McClory sued Fleming, the lawsuit dragged on for several years, and when EON formed, they could not get their hands on "Thunderball" (or "Casino Royale", as Fleming had foolishly sold the film rights to that outright when they did the TV adaptation). At the end of the lawsuit, McClory got the film rights to "Thunderball" and apparently hoped to do his own film of it. When EON did the first 3 films, they had no plans to do "Thunderball" as they couldn't! I believe I've read that on the earliest prints of GOLDFINGER, they announced the 4th film would be ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, the story having been Fleming's sequel to "TB". I only recently speculated that while a McClory series might have gone on for many films with SPECTRE and Blofeld (as THE MAN FROM UNCLE did with Thrush), when Fleming wrote the sequel, he "jumped ahead" to the end of "the big story" in order to have Bond meet Blofeld face-to-face, at a point where SPECTRE seemed to be on the run from "the law", rather than still a big international outfit who just happened to have one bigger-than-usual scheme foiled. The more I think about it, if this was the case, Fleming may have done it as a way of giving the middle finger to McClory. When GOLDFINGER exploded at the box office, McClory saw the handwriting on the wall, and approached EON to make a deal. That's why HIS name is listed on the film as "Producer". This is mostly old news for me (I've been reading about this stuff since at least the 80s). But that "LONE WOLF IN LONDON" thing was something I only noticed 2 days ago. 😄
"planning ahead in the future to make Largo number 2 for when they would get to Thunderball eventually " Another interesting thought. The lawsuit may NOT have been settled yet at the time they were making FOR RUSSIA WITH LOVE. They may have thought it could still go their way. You know, as I read several of the books before seeing the film versions of same, I'm often interested whenever I notice something from ONE book turn up in some OTHER movie. Like the business of Bond having to rescue a girl who's been kidnapped, which happened in "Casino Royale", "Live And Let Die", "Moonraker" and "Diamonds Are Forever"... but not in the book "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Meanwhile, the scene in DR. NO where the 3 guys in the hearse go over the cliff was not in the book-- but a scene very much like it appeared in the novel "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (but not that movie). In that case, I believe the scene in the movie was done before the one on the novel. I do know that when Fleming saw DR. NO, one of the few things he liked was Ursula Andress. In the book "OHMSS" (written shortly after), Tracy was modelled on Andress! (I always base characters on real people when I write stories.)
@@greatwuta According to Wikipedia, YES. Also, according to Wikipedia (I don't always trust them to be accurate), EON was formed in 1961, but the SAME page also listed it as being formed December 13, 1962. The latter sounds like a typo, as the movie DR. NO came out in England on October 5, 1962. (I doubt the company was formed AFTER the film was already finished--- HEH.) (IT SAYS HERE) Broccoli had wanted to do Bond films for some time, but a former partner disuaded him from doing so. Later, Harry Saltzman leased the film rights, but they were about to expire until Broccoli approached him to form a partnership. I've heard those 2 guys DIDN'T like each other AT ALL, but, they both wanted to make money. When they acquird the rights, "Casino Royale" was unavailable (having been sold outright back in 1954) while "Thunderball" was the subject of the Kevin McClory lawsuit. Sean Connery once famously said in an interview that he viewed Broccoli & Saltzman as 2 guys who hated each other, and would sit at a table, looking at each other, BOTH thinking... "Hey-- that BASTARD's got HALF my money!" I've often thought "Dr. No" was chosen as their first film because it had initially started as a film project before Fleming turned it into a novel, while other stories might have made a better starting point... like, say, "Moonraker". I think possibly, back then, and EVEN NOW, "Live And Let Die" was and continues to be a "controversial" story... although, personally, it's the only Bond book I've ever read TWICE! I also spent most of my senior year in high school writing a crime story about a war between 2 racist crime gangs-- one all-white, the other, all-black. (The heroes in the story were also white AND black, working together.) Somehow different people have interpreted it differently, but I always thought Solitaire was BLACK. And she had a LOT more guts than the version Jane Seymour played in that idiotic comedy film. ANYWAY... the ironic thing is, "DR. NO" was the lowest-budget Bond film... but the story really should have had a bigger budget to accomodate something like THE GIANT OCTOPUS (which, obviously, isn't in the movie). Pardon my ramble! 😆
Yeah, I showcased some of my plans in my Recap of 2022 and have been uploading all kinds of new content almost weekly since april of last year! Really trying to push of the diversity in content, take a look! 😄
@@DutchBondFan You are correct, apologies Jeroen. I'd forgotten about the plot holes in every bond video as well. Those are my favourite ones when you show one thing from each movie. Carry on sir 😄
I did! Take a look at the playlist on the channel! - For now the plan is to revise the early ones. But who knows, with time I may end up revising more as the later ones age!
I grew up with my parent's Finnish VHS copy from the 80's and it was censored for violence. It took me over 20 years to finally see how Bond killed Grant! On VHS Bond grabs the hidden knife and Grant just randomly dies. Still better than the censorship on The Golden Gun VHS: Bond bows to the first martial arts henchman and then it cuts to Bond crashing thorugh the window.
The novel goes into the difficulty of planting mikes in the Russian embassy. Also, lip reading is something that hearing people like us think is so prevalent, but it really isn’t.
“On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” is the best Bond film of all time. But very close behind is “From Russia With Love,” to this day the best constructed, best cast, and most absorbing and suspenseful of the earliest films. Sean Connery is more polished and comfortable in the role (and this film remained his own favourite). And with a supporting cast that includes Pedro Armendariz, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Vladek Sheybal, and Daniela Bianchi - how could you go wrong? It’s a neat, compact espionage thriller, thanks to Richard Maibaum & Johanna Harwood and, above all, to director Terence Young. (Both he and Connery grew tired later on of all the hardware and gadgets, beginning with “Thunderball.”)
Yeah! Things were great back then. Back when we could discriminate against women and minorities!! Bring back the good old days! 😒. “Political correctness” has nothing to do with politics, it’s just human decency.
@@adamp2029 “political correctness has nothing to do with politics” that, my incredibly stupid friend, is cognitive dissonance and a good example of an oxymoronic statement.
@@adamp2029 This is the problem with leftie types. You approve of political correctness while loving a movie that is politically incorrect. Hypocrites.
I love From Russia With Love a fair bit. I think there's an only 10 minute part that I don't like. The boat chase. It feels a little tacked on for me. The Rosa kleb fight though redeems the ending for me. They were only getting in these days.
Great video man! Just a word of advice if you are gonna continue remaking these... change the thumbnails or modify them a bit more. Since I'm familiar with the thumbnails for your recapping videos, I almost scroll down thinking it was the same old video, and then I noticed it was recently uploaded and the word revised in the title. A couple comments: regarding the Marilyn Monroe poster, I'm guessing they changed it because she recently died the year before this movie came out, and then also took the opportunity to advertise their other movie. The unconvincing "I love you, it's true I do" form Tatiana, can be bad acting, but I always thought she is just repeating the lie she is supposed to say. I think up until the train she is insincere and all she does is to maintain her cover. Remember also she is no spy but a just an office girl forced into this situation and wouldn't respond well to Bond being violent, she is terrified. It is only after she was drugged and Bond doesn't leave her that she genuinely y falls for him. This is my favorite from Connery, and this video is a great tribute, awesome work. Thank you and looking forward to the next ones.
I took your advice to heart and changed the thumbnails up more! Now, they should still feel like the classic episodes but at the same time instantly be recognizable as something new! (At least, that's the aim!)
@@DutchBondFan I really appreciate it man, I just hope it works on getting the videos more traffic now. Your work in these revised editions deserve as much recognition as it can get! All the best
It's a fun theory and each to there own. For me, Paris works fine for me as her own character-I like the idea that Bond does have adventures that we don't get to see to fill his life out a little [such as his first meeting with Zukovsky prior to Goldeneye or the 'Africa job' he's coming back from prior to Moonraker].
