From Russia with Love [Blu-ray]

I saw this movie as a kid when it was first out. It was great, it was different. Pre-Goldfinger.

When the James Bond spy thriller, 'From Russia With Love', was released it came to myattention, as a young boy, that the Catholic Church's Legion of Decency had banned thisfilm (Also banned that year, 1964, was, "Of Human Bondage"). This is a PG rated film andas usual the Special Features disk is not rated.Now, I had read all the Ian Fleming 007 books and loved the almost pulp nature of theirpresentation. Bond was not as sophisticated in the books as he was presented in the filmsbut when you are a young teen viewing beautiful babes and violence galore who caredabout those details.When I saw the list of banned movies posted at my church I decided to see this film. I wasjust old enough to get into the film and loved the gritty, fun attitude it exuded. The film, tome, was the best Connory/Bond he had ever made. Characters were more fleshed outand the bon vivant attitude of the protagonist was much more refined.I think 'Goldfinger' started the bad habit of Bond films going over the top on special stuntsand bits. But that's another film and issue for another time. Although, "From Russia WithLove" did introduce the 'gadget' Bond, which became a trademark part of each Bond filmfor decades afterward.The budget on this film had been doubled from the Dr. No production due to the incrediblesuccess of Dr. No world wide. Len Deighten had been screenwriting 'Russia' but was replacedby two writers from Dr. No., who appeared to have worked on a faster time schedule for theproduction team.One of the better casting coups was Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb. The director had hearda musical recording of hers and like it so he cast her. True? Don't know. Makes for a goodstory though.The film was restored frame-by-frame and contains DTS 5.1 Dolby Surround sound audio.You can also play the film in the original mono if you so choose and are feeling a bit nostalgicfor the old cold war mentality...and sound. The film is presented in 1.66:1 widescreen andlooks wonderful; clean and clear.On the second disk, Special Features, there is an interview with the book's author, Ian Fleming.Mr. Fleming had actually worked for MI5 for a short time, or so he said. Whether this was apress agents imagination at work or Mr. Fleming's, who really knows. He allegedly was a deskjockey and allegedly did no 'field work' at all.There are also original trailers, TV spots and Radio communications included on the specialfeatures disk as well as Audio commentary from the director, Terence Young, and members ofthe cast and crew.If you were to see only one Connory/Bond it would be this one. Less frivolous than those thatfollowed and yet better realized than the first, Dr. No. In short ,it is just a lot of good oldfashioned fun served up with a wink and a smile.

This was actually the next to the last "novelistic" Bond movie. "Goldfinger" was the last, and, oddly enough, started the overproduction juggernaut that would eventually kill the "cool spy" genre in movies. Bond, driven mainly by "Goldfinger"'s incredible combination of music, acting, gadgets, outsized goals of the villains and Connery's charm as the hero, sparked more imitators than just about any other franchise you can name, before or since. I say "mainly", because "FRWL" also had a lot of charm...in fact, there are people who would argue that THIS is the best pre-"Thunderball" Bond film, not "Goldfinger". What set the first three Bond films apart from their successors was the "pulp" quality to the settings, the faithfulness to the print origins and the perfect casting of just about every part. Who else could play Red Grant or Rosa Kleb if not Robert Shaw and Lotte Lenya? In "Dr. No", the movie would have had a much different flavor if there had been no Quarrel or Strangways or that spitfire photographer. Compare this with the eventual condition of the franchise where ridiculously elaborate equipment and escapes were mapped out for Bond at the last minute...heck, in Brosnan's last film, his Aston Martin could turn INVISIBLE, fer crissake!! No...the first three films were 1) More realistic 2) More involving 3) More cerebral, and this one is a prime example."FRWL" starts out all business and is a mix of humor AND business from the word go. "M" calls Bond via old radiophone while the randy field agent romances Sylvia Trench lakeside somewhere in the country. Bond drops everything, heads to MI6, gets debriefed and heads off to Istanbul to meet a pretty Russan agent who, indeed, has a crush on him. There is supposed to be an exchange of a Russian decoder that the West thinks is being given them by a defector, when SPECTRE is actually behind everything. Along the way, they run into a SPECTRE-trained psychopath, Grant, as well as Ali Kerim Bey, an affable old colleague of 007's, a gypsy band that supplies local color, and the inimitable Rosa Kleb, played by Lotte Lenya, the wife of Kurt Weill, co-author of "The Threepenny Opera".Things hadn't quite gotten cartoonish yet in the Bond universe, and this was an adventure with all the cues that kept it from feeling juvenile...a good movie for Dad and older brother, rather than a puerile quip machine for pubescents and tweens like the later ones turned into.All hail Connery/Dalton/Brosnan!BOOOOO! Roger Moore!!

For me personally, the best James Bond movie. Old style Hollywood type movie from start to finish. Excellent actors, excellent acting. Believable plot. Not too much violence, but enough to make it real. Watched multiple times.

As a fan of the James Bond movies he will always be the one and only Bond. Ian Fleming said he didn't think Sir Sean was a good choice to play the character but after seeing him in Dr No he changed his mind. I've never read the James Bond books but from excerpts I've seen Sean Connery's portrayal was very close to the character written. While the film Dr No was good and introduced Sean as the character it was From Russia With Love that really got the ball rolling. From M to Q to Moneypenny to Sylvia Trench(considered the first Bond Babe) this movie established the character more than in Dr No. Of course there are several mistakes in this movie that no field agent would do like use a gun as first choice to get rid of the bad guy except possibly the scene where Karim Bey kills Krilencu the Bulgarian assassin working for the Russians. Covert field operatives from any govt. would prefer accidents to kill another agent and only if absolutely necessary. There are other actors who have portrayed Bond well like Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby but none as good as Connery. I was somewhat surprised to hear of Sean Connery's death on Oct 31st but they said he died in his sleep and I hope it was without pain.

James Bond goes to Turkey to team up with Russian defector in order to get the British a Lektor decoder, unknown to both of them this is only a set-up by S.P.E.C.T.R.E. so they can get the decoder and get revenge on Bond for the death of Doctor No.Second film in the franchise is one of Connery's best. He grows far more into the role slightly upping the charm factor whilst keeping the rugged "real man" feel, he was becoming a more well rounded character in this film. The film also boasts excellent performances from Robert Shaw as the memorable killer "red" Grant, Pedro Armendariz as Bonds sidekick in Istanbul and the great Lotte Lenya as the villainous & lecherous Rosa Klebb. Desmond Llewelyn makes his minor Bond debut as Major Boothroyd (known as "Q" from the next film on), the gadgets start appearing from here on as well, the bobby trapped suit case a standout & Bloefeld takes his bow in this film also, as does his white cat, in a couple of small but important scenes. The film contains some of the most famous and sequences of the series, Bond's fight with Grant on the train is the one of if not the best fight scene in the history of the series, Klebb an 007's confrontation is excellent and his first meeting with Tatiana Romanova is great. Terence Young returns in the chair and delivers a past paced and thrilling adventure with something always happening to hold the viewers interest & John Barry takes over from Monty Norman on the music (1st of his 11 films) and doing arguably an even better job.If there are any minor negatives I would a say that although she is a beautiful woman Daniela Bianchi as Tatiana Romanova, never really stands out as one the great Bond Girls, not that she gives a bad performance but unlike the previous Ursula Andress and what was soon to come, she was for me not that memorable.Well written, well acted and made, fast-paced Bond adventure definitely one of Sean's and the series best. A classic. 4.5/5

You know what, some films over the years genuinely never deserved to be shown the light of day. Fortunately 'From Russia with love' does not fall into that category.I've never seen it before. I'm in my late sixties. The bond films just seemed to pass me by. I've read all the books four times and am just beginning to read them again.Time I thought to watch some bond films. I am going to work through in order. This is number two and what a cracker it is.Having loved Dr No the first I can now say I loved From Russia with love the second.OK I can see how it could be possible to be judgemental over these films. But I just enjoyed the simplicity of it all. I mean Bond will get the girl, the baddies will get shot or whatever. Gadgets and kitsch it's all here.Sean Connery is the man (RIP). He just looks like the real thing, but I mustn't condemn his followers. I want to enjoy my journey with all these films.Goldfinger next.

Very much a period piece now (showing many scenes of the 60s), this is classic James Bond action film. Sean Connery is established in his role of OO7 after the strong entrance of Dr.No, and plays it cool once more with the ladies. The film is not overly violent or sexist but does introduce some 'new' gadgets to the screen. Of all the 'old Bonds', and personally I rate this as one of the best. It captures the mood (both politically and internationally) at the time and sits well amongst my top 5 favourite Bond movies up to now. It's appropriate for all ages (unlike some of the newer productions) but does show show clear signs of a more leisurely way of life and gentlemanly code of behaviour, even from 'the baddies'. It is good value for money and comes with some entertaining and many informative extras. Certainly worth a score of 8/10 in my opinion.

Another fantastic Blu-Ray transfer. From Russia With Love is many people's favourite Bond outing, my own included. It retains the grittier Bond evident in Dr No, and starts racking up both action and tension as Bond battles it out with Spectre agents and terrorists for a Soviet decoder. In this, the characters first sequel, Sean Connery definitively becomes 007 James Bond. John Barry's music stays with you forever, and director Terrence Young also deserves great credit for some of the series's finest entry's at the helm. It's the cold war espionage thriller at its most sexy, the perfect matinee Bond movie.

I have always enjoyed this film and regard it as one of the finest Bond films. Everything about this film works, it has good action scenes and two of the best Bond villains in Rosa Klebb and Red Grant. Daniella Bianchi also makes a good Bond girl and she has great chemistry with Sean Connery in the film. I know that most Bond fans regard Goldfinger as the quintessential Connery Bond film but, for me, this is much better and less sillier than Goldfinger. I give it four stars and it is well worth checking out, if you are a Bond fan and if you haven't already seen it. It is a pity that none of the Connery films that followed matched this, but that is just my opinion.