RW322 - James Bond Rewatch - From Russia With Love

In this episode of the James Bond 007 Rewatch, Cory and Nathan outwit their opponents as they discuss "From Russia With Live."

Trailer:

The Music of From Russia With Love:

Our Favourite Trivia:

Following the financial success of Dr. No, United Artists greenlit a second James Bond film. The studio doubled the budget offered to Eon Productions with $2 million, and also approved a bonus for Sean Connery, who would receive $100,000 along with his $54,000 salary.

Most of the crew from the first film returned, with major exceptions being production designer Ken Adam, who went to work on Dr. Strangelove and was replaced by Dr. No's art director Syd Cain

For the opening credits, Maurice Binder had disagreements with the producers and did not want to return. Designer Robert Brownjohn stepped into his place, and projected the credits on female dancers, inspired by constructivist artist László Moholy-Nagy projecting light onto clouds in the 1920s. Brownjohn's work started the tradition of scantily clad women in the Bond films' title sequences.

Hoping for an end to the Cold War, Producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman didn't want James Bond's main enemy to be Russian, so for the movie version, his nemesis is the fictitious criminal organization S.P.E.C.T.R.E., seeking revenge for the death of their operative, Dr. No (1962).

Director Terence Young disliked Daniela Bianchi's legs, and used a stand-in for the scene where Bond spies on the Russian embassy in Istanbul with a periscope.

Sir Sean Connery was outfitted for this movie with eight specially tailored Saville Row suits, each one costing approximately two thousand dollars.

The scene in which James Bond and Tatiana Romanova first meet in the hotel suite has since been used as an audition scene for potential Bond actors and Bond girls. This can be seen in the "making of" documentaries for other Bond movies, including Octopussy (1983).

This movie marks the last appearance of the Sylvia Trench (Eunice Gayson) character, who also appeared in Dr. No (1962). The original plan was for Sylvia to appear in each movie as Bond's regular girlfriend, continually frustrated when Bond is called away for his next assignment. This idea was obviously scrapped.

Vladek Sheybal (Kronsteen the chess master) was a highly regarded Polish actor, and was hesitant to accept a role in a Bond movie because he thought it might not be a good career move. However, his friend Sir Sean Connery persuaded him to sign on, and it helped his career enormously.

The brutal fight in the train compartment between James Bond and Donald "Red" Grant lasts only a few minutes on-screen, but took three weeks to film. Most of it was performed by the actors, rather than doubles.

Desmond Llewelyn appears here as "Q"/Major Boothroyd for the first time. This character was played by Peter Burton in Dr. No (1962). When Burton was unable to return for this movie, Llewelyn was cast in the part. Llewelyn reprised the role of "Q" in sixteen subsequent Bond movies (seventeen performances in all, but he didn't appear in Live and Let Die (1973)). "Q" is referred to by his real name, Major Boothroyd, only in Dr. No (1962), this movie, and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).’

First Bond movie to end with the declaration "James Bond will return in ...", in this case, it was Goldfinger (1964). A tradition that continued until it was used for the last time at the end of Octopussy (1983).

During the helicopter sequence towards the end of the movie, the inexperienced pilot flew too close to Sir Sean Connery, almost killing him.

Behind schedule and over-budget, the production crew struggled to complete production in time for the already-announced premiere date that October. On 6 July 1963, while scouting locations in Argyll, Scotland, for that day's filming of the climactic boat chase, Terence Young's helicopter crashed into the water with art director Michael White and a cameraman aboard. The craft sank into 40–50 feet (12–15 m) of water, but all escaped with minor injuries. Despite the calamity, Young was behind the camera for the full day's work. A few days later, Bianchi's driver fell asleep during the commute to a 6 am shoot and crashed the car. The actress's face was bruised and Bianchi's scenes had to be delayed for two weeks while the facial contusions healed

This movie broke box-office records, and was responsible for launching Sir Sean Connery as a major star, rather than Dr. No (1962).

Steven Spielberg, a noted 007 fan, was convinced to cast Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws (1975) after watching his role in this movie.

Sir Sean Connery called this movie his personal favorite of his Bond movies.

Final James Bond movie viewed by Ian Fleming.

Then-President John F. Kennedy listed Ian Fleming's book as among his top ten favorite novels of all time. That list was published in Life Magazine on March 17, 1961. Possibly as a result, the producers decided to make this the second James Bond movie. According to the book "Death of a President" (1964) by William Raymond Manchester, this was the last movie J.F.K. ever saw, in a private screening in the White House, November 20, 1963.

What's Up Next?

Bond faces an iconic foe in "Goldfinger."

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