It’s often thought that Dr. No established the formula that all Bond films would later follow, but a more accurate description is that having accidentally struck gold the first time, thereafter producers Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli tried very, very hard not to fuck it up.
Dr. No enjoys a reputation as one of Bond’s best for good reason, although many elements have aged poorly: the fight choreography, the visual effects, Sean Connery’s singing voice and the racism that remorselessly marginalizes any non-white with the kind of unspoken, assumptive, good-natured bigotry Hollywood still excels at. Continue reading