Fun Trivia Fact - the studio, United Artists, wanted the producers to have the character's name changed to 'Kitty' instead in post-production with voiceover dubs (because the studio feared that they might have gotten negative backlash in the world press due to the original name of the character - however history shows, just the opposite actually happened, where everyone worldwide got chuckles out of the name instead), actress Honor Blackman & the producers themselves rightly said no to any change to the character's name and also felt a change would have been a disservice to Bond author Ian Fleming, who has just passed away after principal photography filming ended. Good call on their part 👍
4:10 “Do svidaniya” is Russian for “goodbye.” They’re all Russian girls. Then you turned on the subtitles and saw that she briefly spoke Turkish to the Turkish man.
The guy playing Karim Bey is Pedro Armendariz, a very popular film star in Mexico but also a real life pal of John Wayne. He was in several of Wayne's best westerns but his career in the Mexican cinema was epic. Sadly this film was his last. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer and forced his way through filming so his family would have the proceeds. His last scenes were performed by his double because he was too ill and he took his own life in the end. A very good man and a wonderful actor.
If you've never seen the original Taking of Pelham 123 it's a must see. He's a fantastic villain in that and the movie moves like gangbusters with this great blaring horn-section score. It's also pretty funny.
@@PeterEvansPeteTakesPictures Yep, Walter Matthau is also great as the put-upon transit cop. No reason at all to bother with the inferior Travolta remake.
This is the movie that establishes many of the core tropes of Bond, such as the sexy stylised opening featuring scantily clad or even naked women, Gadgets and the introduction of Q, as well as the theme songs for each movie
This film doesn’t _introduce_ Q as he’s in the first one. It’s just that Major Boothroyd (Q’s real name) is played by a different actor in _Dr. No_ so this is only the introduction of Desmond Llewelyn in the role Maj. Boothroyd/Q.
I’m so happy that you are doing Goldfinger! Many people think it is the best, but I don’t think anyone would deny that it is the most Bond-y of Bond films. It’s where they figured out the formula, and so many cultural references come from Goldfinger.
I think it's clear that Goldfinger is the best...but I never thought that Bond-films need to have one highlighted. All the films (the real ones written by Fleming, not the modern woke fake ones) create the whole story of Bond and they're all great.
5:39 the best thing about the hat trick in this one is that from their perspective neither of them can see who’s opening the door at first (the door itself blocks their view), and Moneypenny smiles immediately when she sees the hat land on the hatstand!
Attention to detail is one of the excellent things about the classic, proper Bond, films. My personal favorite is the double doors, with air gap and padding between them, for M's office to ensure nothing is overheard in the outer office where Moneypenny has her desk.
That little 2 part rifle is indeed real, it has been around since the 50's and is currently sold by Henry Arms as the US Survival rifle. It is a .22 LR semi auto.
The original designation was the AR-7. The AR stood for Armalite Rifle, the same manufacturer of the AR-15 rifles. The rifle was created as a survival rifle for pilots who have been shot down behind enemy lines both for protection and killing game to eat.
? - (James Bond fans know who this is) is the head criminal mastermind/Number One of S.P.E.C.T.R.E. I am getting Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget vibes. ;-)
@@alexius23 - 5th film is when ' the head S.P.E.C.T.R.E. mastermind' is finally first revealed in 'You Only Live Twice'...and Ashleigh may recognize the famous actor playing him too 🎃.
Doctor No was a profitable film. As a result more money was invested in production costs. From Russia With Love was very successful at the box office. Later it was released as a twin feature paired with Doctor No. There are many who consider this among the best of the Bond films.
I applaud your decision to watch the Bond series in order, and to share the reactions with us. I really hope you like the series enough to stick with it and keep sharing the reactions.
This is my favorite Connery Bond film. In my opinion it has the best story, great action, the prettiest “Bond Girl”, and you actual have Ian Fleming in the crowd at the train station. Top notch Bond 👌🏻
Even though some of the movies are better than others, Bond is timeless. The position of "Bond girl" is also a huge honor. It was like becoming a star on the cover of magazines.
@@vetarlittorf1807 It wasn't a career killer as most Bond girls didn't have a career prior to Bond. The ones who did (and you forgot a bunch, like Michelle Yeoh, Eva Green, etc.) kept on making movies after Bond. For the others, well, since they're being cast primarily as eye-candy, it's not really a surprise if they don't have the acting chops required to make it long term.
@@vetarlittorf1807 to be honest Halle Berry always had a career before being a Bond girl. In fast I believe she was the only one with an Oscar before being a Bond girl
This is actually my favorite Bond movie, because it feels like what a spy might actually do. Also the villain isn't just mindless muscle, he actually outsmarts Bond for most of the movie. I feel like most spy movies (probably as influenced by later Bond movies) turn out to be action flicks rather than about espionage/cloak and dagger type stuff.
Plus Grant was going to win, but Bond found a sore spot (“what lunatic asylum did they get you out of”), which caused the bad guy to go off-plan and make emotional, ego-driven choices.
Yeah, It is one of my favs too. And I'm into the Timothy Dalton movies, specially License to Kill. Another great movie, with a uncharismatic bond, is On Her Majesty's Secret Service. It is the only movie that has real character development for Bond (not accounting for the reboot Cassino Royale and later movies) and the rematch with Blofeld, the return of Spectre. Best screenplay of all bond movies.
I agree. This is also my favorite 007 movie for this very reason. It is a bit more action than a straight spy movie, but it doesn't cross the line into techno-thriller (let alone the exaggerated sort that the Bond movies later became).
Chess was enormously popular back during this time. The entire world was fascinated by it. They made Columbo episodes about it. And they made many series about the time.
Ashleigh, I highly recommend the short series "The Queen's Gambit". Chess is the centerpiece of the story, but it's really not about chess, it's about how childhood trauma affects a person. Only 7 episodes!
Also chess is very common in Russia and eastern Europe, they dominated chess in that time (until deep blue made it uncool). The chess play was misdirection to the audience think "they are communists"
The dad jokes run throughout all the Bond films. They become one of the things that fans of the series come to expect and enjoy. Gold finger has more of the gadgets, adversaries, and nicknames that have become synonymous with James Bond.
Rosa Klebb is played by Lotte Lenya. She was a famous Austrian/American singer and actress in the 1940s and 1950s. She is even mentioned in the lyrics of "Mack the Knife". There are a couple of criminal type organizations in the Bond films. You have SPECTRE (an acronym of Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion) and SMERSH (a Soviet counterintelligence agency. A conjunction of two Russian words: "SMERt' SHpionam", (Смерть Шпионам), which means "Death to Spies").
Yeah, I’ve been hoping she would do 2010, elevated or not. Roy Schneider and James McEachin have some great politicsl dialog and Helen Mirren (1/2 russian) plays a great russian commander. Easier to digest than 2001.
After the movie came out, one of the best selling toys was a briefcase that had all of the gadgets the original did. I got one for Christmas. I wish I still had it; probably worth a fortune today.
The coffee didn't spill because of the design of the tray. It is hanging from the top. If you carry a full bucket of water from the handle, it won't spill. If you carry a full bucket of water by holding the sides, you're likely to get wet. Physics!
YES, Deliver bikes in Japan use this to Deliver soba & Ramen to homes. the Counterbalance delivery bike is a JAPANESE invention. mostly mounted on Honda Super CUB bikes.
4:07 Ashleigh: Das vedanya…. I don’t know what that language is. It’s Russian, Ashleigh Turns on subtitles just as the Russian lady talks to a Turkish dude, because they’re in Tükiye Ashleigh: Oh, it was Turkish, I just turned the subtitles on! 🤦🏻♂️
Your reactions to this series are even better than I think you realize. The fashion, gadgets, sets, leading men and women, social changes over time. So much rich content for you and your great personality. Instead of many movies you have to get thru, try to think of the 007 series like a miniseries where you keep getting new characters and locations as it goes along. Like the hat toss you will keep spotting threads that tie everything together. Great reactions as always.
Ashleigh, I had a bad weekend, last week my mom fell, and was on the floor for almost 24 hours, couldn't get to the phone or get up. We found her the next day and she was not badly injured, has bruises and a gash in her leg, and but was cleared at the ER. She was very sore, and my husband and I stayed with her for a few days. It was especially hard on Sunday, Mother's Day, thinking I may not have another one with her. And when my sister too over, we came home to find a water pipe with a big leak, soaking the clothes in my closet. So I was in a rotten mood. But watching this, you made me laugh so many times, I feel better. Thank you.
Pedro Armendariz who plays Ali Kerim Bey actually suffered from terminal cancer while shooting this movie and took his own life shortly after wrapping his scenes on the movie. He had asked the producers to keep him for the part so that he could provide for his family. His son would end up playing à part in a much later Bond movie.
The movies had some continuity, but I like that they were virtually standalone stories. Interestingly enough, the books had a tighter continuity but were adapted out of order. DR. NO actually follows FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, not the other way around like on film.
@@scbeachblonde8836 and the claw from inspector gadget. And John Arbuckle. I know we dont see him as an evil character in the comics, bur just trust me on this one
Please keep doing these! It's awesome to see you react to them all. All Bond fans want to see you watch all 25. They get more humour, then more action, and then darker....but they are all worth watching
The more James Bond movies you watch, the more you'll get out of Austin Powers movies. It even helps to watch contemporary spoofs, like James Colburn's "In like Flynt".
I'd watch James Colburn's 'Flint' spy movies AND Dean Martin's 'Matt Helm' before Austin Powers!!! That's right, I've never watched a Mike Meyers film! Any of them! I draw the line at 'SOPHOMORIC' and BELOW!!! Some movies are just a waste of time, effort, and film!! And I DON'T have to watch something to know it's 'NOT FUNNY'!! Just READ the reviews! Or ask any member of it's target audience...10 yr olds!!? For my money, a movie has to have some level of sophistication. Peace out...
@@macmcleod1188 Some of the James Bond knock-offs, did a better job of capturing the psychedelic/groovy style of the late 1960's than the Bond movies did, so were also big influences on the Austin Powers movies.
_From Russia with Love_ definitely began building upon what _Dr. No_ set up for the James Bond franchise, and _Goldfinger_ definitely continues it. And glad you're liking this one a bit more, and cannot wait to see you continue these reactions!
Ashleigh. A fun fact about James Bond. The guy Henry Cavill plays in the new movie "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare" is believed to be the person Ian Fleming based James Bond on. The movie is set during WWII and is about a group of spies who were known to play outside the rules that are sent on an off the books mission. Ian Fleming was involved at HQ to keep it hush hush during his British military day.
If I recall correctly, they were also concocting fake missions to justify, in the mind of the Nazi high command, why the Allies had so much intelligence, when the real reason was that Turing, Welchman, etc., at Bletchley Park, had broken the Enigma and Lorenz ciphers, one of the biggest secrets of the 20th century.
@ReactDG-rk4imdude, the lazenby films are so much more corny and ridiculous. I'm honestly worried they alone might put Ashley off from finishing the franchise.
James Bond was obviously an influence on the style of quip that Arnie became known for. Just imagine Sean Connery saying "Let off some steam, Bennett"!
This one is actually VERY IMPORTANT to see before Austin Powers. This sets up most of the tropes, more than Dr No did. If you ever watch the Pink Panther movies, you'll see something similar. Clousseau is introduced in the first film, but they really build his world in the second movie, A Shot in the Dark.
@@markplott4820 🎶 The man called Flintstone 🎶 A whole animated feature film featuring Fred Flintstone and family in an exotic spy caper, that shows how pervasive the spy craze was becoming back then. It was released the same year as Our Man Flint starring James Coburn, another semi-parody of James Bond. Flint got a sequel and actually gets a mention in the Austin Powers films. Some of them were really terrible and have been completely forgotten. Dean Martin was Matt Helm, and Vincent Price was Dr Goldfoot (and the Bikini Machine).
Yeah in the fist one Clouseau wasn’t even the main character, but Peter Sellers did such a good job that the rest are about Clouseau. “A Shot in the Dark” and “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” are really funny.
Another big influence on Austin Powers was the Harry Palmer movies, with Michael Caine, staring with The Ipcress File (1965), and ending with Midnight in Saint Petersburg (TV Movie 1996). Also the Derek Flynt movies Our Man Flynt (1966), and In Like Flynt (1967) starring James Coburn.
@@CallOfCutie69- originally Sylvia Trench was supposed to be in even more Bond films as the recurring character and a big main role for her was slated for the 4th or 5th film (which were eventually Thunderball & You Only Live Twice) whereas she was supposed to be kidnapped by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. agents & Bond had to go rescue her. Shame that the original outline for her character was eventually scrapped. It did sound intriguing though. Oh well, the Connery Bond films that we got were very entertaining nonetheless.
The bad guy was Quint in Jaws. The actor playing number 1 played Prof. Dent in Dr. No. hence the hidden face. The lady he was having a picnic with was the same lady he met in the casino in Dr.No.
My personal favourite early Bond movie, it works really well as a pretty straightforward cold-war spy thriller and Robert Shaw is a great counter to Connery, glad that you didn't skip this one.
FYI the chess game featured in the beginning of the movie was an actual position from Spassky vs Bronstein 1960 featuring an elegant combination by Spassky or (the bad guy) to win the game. Those of us old chess Masters and geeks would pause such positions in order to solve the problem:)
Please keep going all these movies are great all the actors who played bond give there own flare its amazing to see i personally like sean , roger and Pierce ❤
This has always been my faorite bond movie. its not action packed. theres no doomsday weapon. ive always just enjoyed the calm, deliberate, fimiliar characters and locations that have inspired spy movies for years to come. also watching bond marithons every chistmas with my grandmother has always been some of my fovorite memories.
The reason they didn't show the face of the guy with the cat is because that was Sean Connery. By the way, the blonde haired assassin dude played Quint in the movie Jaws.
Actually the guy with the cat is technically played by two people, with the voice provided by actor Eric Pohlmann, while the body is actually played by Anthony Dawson, who portrayed Professor Dent in the previous film
This was my favorite Connery Bond flick. It’s the least out there one. Spy on a mission to escort a defector to safety, but the enemy sends an assassin to kill them.
@otherstar1 Too bad she was in the Lazenby one that everyone forgets. For those that don't know, Bond MARRIES her in that movie. The title is THUNDERBALL, isn't it?
@@lawr5764 It was "On Her Majesties Secret Service." Yeah, it's the one most forget, but I think it's highly under-rated and it's among my favorite Bond films.
@@otherstar1Diana was my crush and I left the theatre in a bad mood after that ending! Daniela Bianchi Is a classy chick and did well for a model, but Dame Diana Rigg was a real actress, versatile, smart, funny and with exquisite RP diction, good singer too. Did I say crush ? Ok, It shows...
This is the best Bond film, IMO. Goldfinger is where the series locked in the formula, and it is definitely the most iconic, but this is the best film.
Goldfinger gets all the attention, but this is my favorite Connery-era Bond film. I like intimacy of the train at the climax, and it has some fun gadgets while still keeping one foot grounded in believable espionage hijinks.
Glad to see you enjoyed this one a lot more, you still get the sense of the series trying to find its footing but it feels much more confident and you can see the pieces of the typical Bond formula (i.e. the gadgets, the elaborate action scenes, the terribly hilarious/hilariously terrible puns) fall into place. Even if it hasn’t quite perfected the formula yet, I personally think From Russia with Love is one of the strongest films in the series, with a more complex plot than usual, a more suspenseful Hitchockian tone and the Orient Express fight scene that pretty much became the template for how every close-quarters action scene would be filmed, right through to the action films of today. Anyway, I look forward to your reaction to Goldfinger, I have a feeling that’s going to be a really good one
Hi Ashleigh, thanks for continuing to watch them in order. I`d obviously like to see you react to them all, however, just the Sean Connery & George Lazenby films would be great. Sean is in 6 official films, in between his last two in 1967 & 1971 is George Lazenby`s one-off film from 1969. I`m glad you enjoyed this one more. :)
I don't think people know how popular this movie is, on it's $2 million budget it grossed over $78 million at the box office. Just imagine how successful a modern $200 million movie would have to gross $7.8 billion.
Thanks Ashleigh!! Keep up the great work. Ian Fleming wrote a whole series of very popular books creating James Bond. The movies follow the order of the books so everyone already knew what the upcoming titles would be Also the movie studios got better converting the books into movies as each movie did better at the box office so stick with it. I grew up in the 60's and read all the books and then loved seeing the movies. Starting with Golfinger the special effects and character names get wonderful...enjoy!!!
You nailed it on the head; hard (slow) part is over, from here on the pacing picks up! Goldfinger is the mold for the entire franchise, I think you'll like the rest more then the first two. It's way too early but I really hope one day you'll get to the Roger Moore era, it's already such a different vibe and time-period. And keep in mind; with over 20 movies everybody has their own favorite ones and less liked ones, they can't all be the best.
@@mkleaff It's difficult to read huh. That's your personal opinion and besides irrelevant; I never said which ones were the best, and once again: with 25 movies everybody has their own favorites. Arguing which ones are the best is pointless.
@@alexanderh9335 You wrote that the first two are slow and are the “hard part” of the franchise to get through. In my personal opinion, Goldfinger is dull and lethargic.
(4:07) "dosvidanja" is Russian and means "goodbye". Edit: and yes - I agree: Daniela Bianchi was a beautiful woman _(she's still alive, btw)._ Edit 2: (5:12) that's called a "cigarette holder". I believe it was used to keep the smoke from rising into one's eyes. It was also a fashion accessoire, mostly used by actresses and dames of the upper class.
Daniela was the most beautiful Bond girl for those who value Classic features over other charms and for a fashion model she acted just fine. Comparisons with bona fide actresses like Dame Diana Rigg and others would be unfair. Best bad girl? Fatima Blush anyone?
I always thought that Robert Shaw was one of the most dangerous counterparts to Bond. A clean, quietly dangerous killer, kills for the sport of it, effective, efficient and coldly ruthless… his arrogance being his actual Achilles heal
Glad to see you decided to not skip over this one and jump ahead to GOLDFINGER (1964). This one begins to set certain habits of Bond, such as making goofy puns and having a litany of beautiful women around him. Plus it introduces (but doesn’t name) Blofeld, the mysterious man with the fluffy white cat. We see Blofeld in future Bond movies. He’s also the inspiration for Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers movies.