Other changes include a shortening of the assassination planning which took up a lengthy section of the novel. Maibaum's script capsulizes the plotting into a few scenes that total about fifteen minutes of screen time. There is also an additional well-written scene between Bond and Tania aboard the Orient Express in which Bond confronts the girl with Kerim's death. This scene took place off-screen in the novel; its inclusion in the film adds a moment of authentic dramatic conflict between the two characters (a kind of scene that rarely occurs in a James Bond film).
Finally, the producers told Maibaum to add two outdoor chase sequences toward the end of the film, perhaps feeling that the film would be claustrophobic up to this point. Although unnecessary, these scenes are exciting and do open up the film visually. Fans of the novel will also find that the ending is different. In the book, Rosa Klebb kicks Bond with the poison-tipped shoe, leaving him to crash "headlong to the wine-red floor." The film version couldn't end this way, so Rosa Klebb receives her just reward in the final scene. It is a nice touch having Tania, rather than Bond, shoot the woman.
Otherwise, almost everything else in the novel remains intact in the film. The gypsy camp battle, the assassination of Krilencu (although the actress' face on the billboard was changed from Marilyn Monroe to Anita Ekberg), and the Orient Express sequences all translate wonderfully to the screen.
DIRECTION
Terence Young is back at the helm for his second James Bond film. Much of the same stylistic qualities which made Dr. No a success are present in the new film: a fast tempo, hard-edged action scenes ending with moments of humor, and lively editing. But there is also a more sophisticated feeling in From Russia With Love. More attention has been paid to the story-telling (due largely to the fine script by Maibaum and the excellent ensemble acting by the cast), and the transitions between set-pieces are smoother. Moreover, Young has made the film as realistic as possible. Dr. No had its flights into fantasy, but From Russia With Love is for the most part believable throughout. The events in Fleming's story were not that far removed from things that could actually happen in the world of espionage, and Young managed to keep the action credible.
The film appears a little sloppy when compared to later Bond films. Young blames this on the "frantic shooting schedule" associated with the Bond films. The director told an interesting story to Bondage magazine about Pedro Armendariz's best scene as Kerim Bey having to be cut because it featured a character who had been killed in an earlier scene. There was to have been a scene before Bond's rendezvous with Tania on the ferry in which Bond is followed by the Bulgar with the glasses. Bond's taxi stops by a curb, and the Bulgar's car pulls up bumper-to-bumper behind it. Another car pulls up behind the Bulgar's car, blocking it between the two cars. When the Bulgar steps out to chew out the driver of the third car, he finds none other than Kerim Bey at the wheel. Another car pulls up beside Bond's taxi—he immediately enters it and is driven away, leaving the Bulgar pinned against the curb. Kerim, flicking a long ash from his cigar, says to the Bulgar, "My friend, that is life." When the rough cut of the film was screened, someone's son pointed out that the Bulgar was the same man killed earlier in the St Sophia mosque, and the scene had to be eliminated.
ACTORS AND CHARACTERS
Sean Connery delivers another fine performance in From Russia With Love. He seems more relaxed and confident than he did in Dr. No, although one misses the hard edges that were present only in that first film. But Connery, at this point, was growing into the role; he adds more sophistication to the way Bond carries himself. The character also shows a side that never appeared in any of the Fleming novels. This is during the new scene aboard the Orient Express, in which he confronts Tania with Kerim's death. James Bond actually slaps Tania, and spits out his questions with spite. One can hardly blame him, since his best friend has just died and he now believes that the girl, whom he has trusted all this time, has been lying to him. When Tania tearfully claims that she loves him, Bond mutters, "I'm sure you do," and walks into the next compartment Connery plays the scene beautifully, and one can sense the harsh anger that emerges from within when he's crossed.
Daniela Bianchi makes an impressive film debut in From Russia With Love as Tatiana Romanova. Even though her role is boosted considerably by the fine script, Bianchi is convincing in presenting the essential qualities of her character—innocence, intelligence, and romantic idealism. Yet Tania is also a dedicated citizen of the Soviet Union, and when she is ordered by Rosa Klebb to accept the unusual assignment on behalf of the State, she doesn't hesitate. Bianchi, an extremely beautiful actress, exhibits all of these desires and internal conflicts between heart and mind; it is a shame she hasn't been seen in too many other films. One scene that stands out particularly is when she is trying on the new nightgowns Bond has bought for her. Through her playful attitude, one realizes that she is no longer pretending her love for him. She has warmed to her role of romantic spy and is playing it with conviction.
Bond's friend and ally in Turkey, Kerim Bey, is played by the late Pedro Armendariz, a fine character actor. The role is well-cast, and Armendariz manages to flood the screen with the warmth and good nature of the character. It is Kerim who is the Obligatory Sacrificial Lamb of this picture, and it is truly a blow when he is murdered. Most of Fleming's descriptions of the man apply, although not enough time is spent on the character's interesting background.
The film contains two strong performances by its main villains: the late Robert Shaw as the killer, Red Grant; and Lotte Lenya as the evil Rosa Klebb. Shaw, noted at the time of the film mainly for his stage work, underwent a body-building course which transformed him into the muscular SPECTRE assassin. It was wise on the scriptwriter's part to keep the Grant character silent until Bond finally meets him as Captain Nash aboard the Orient Express. Up to this point, Grant appears several times in the film, watching and waiting for the appropriate time for the killing. This helps build suspense, and when Grant finally speaks to Bond, the effect is even more frightening. Shaw delivers a cold, menacing, brilliant performance.
The late Lotte Lenya, widow of the composer Kurt Weill and once a member of Bertolt Brecht's famous ensemble in Germany (she created the role of Jenny in The Threepenny Opera), might have seemed too glamorous for the role of an ugly, evil Russian murderess. But casting Lenya was a brilliant ploy on the producers' part. She delivers perfectly the "toad-like" qualities of the character, as well as the "perverse" aspects. The character's Lesbianism is even vaguely hinted at in the film. During the briefing with Tania, Lenya circles the girl like a cat ready to pounce on its prey. At one point, Klebb lays her hand momentarily on Tania's knee, causing a quick shock of negative electricity between the two characters. The audience feels the shock as well, which is a tribute to Lenya's acting ability.
Another well-cast character is that of Kronsteen, the master planner for SPECTRE. Played by Vladek Sheybal, Kronsteen is portrayed just as Fleming created him—cold, methodical, and confident.
This brings us to the problem of SPECTRE's leader, Ernst Stavro Blofeld, aka No. 1. In From Russia With Love, all we see of Blofeld are his shoulders and hands. Blofeld remains faceless until the fifth film, You Only Live Twice, which was a clever idea on the filmmakers' part. Blofeld is also associated with a long-haired white cat, which constantly sits in his lap receiving attention. The animal is purely an invention of the filmmakers, for the Blofeld of the novels never showed an affectation for pets. This was fine until Blofeld's face was revealed in the films, since the image didn't live up to expectation. The part of Blofeld has never been cast successfully, which is another source of frustration for Bond fans. But in From Russia With Love Blofeld serves his function and lends a certain mystery to the SPECTRE conception. The uncredited actor playing the role in this film was Anthony Dawson (who played Professor Dent in Dr. No), but the voice was dubbed by Eric Pohlman (also uncredited).
Desmond Llewelyn makes his first appearance as Major Boothroyd (or Q, as he will be called in
subsequent films) in From Russia With Love. Usually a source of laughs, the Q Branch scenes (in which Q shows Bond the newest set of weapons and how they work) began rather simply but in later films have gone overboard, as have the gadgets themselves, in attempting the most outrageous visual jokes. Llewelyn has managed to make something of the character, and delivers his weapons lectures with a straight British face which is always amusing.
Bernard Lee and Lois Maxwell, as usual, deliver crisp performances as M and Miss Moneypenny. There is one amusing moment when Bond first enters the office and flings his hat across the room to the hat rack. He proclaims, "For my next miracle. . ." but suddenly realizes M is standing behind him. Bond shuffles his feet a moment, looks embarrassed, and walks on into M's office. M glances at Moneypenny, rolls his eyes, and follows Bond.
OTHER ASPECTS
As mentioned earlier, Ken Adam did not design this film. Instead, the previous film's art director, Syd Cain, is in charge. Cain's work in the film primarily utilizes existing locations. Some interiors were built, such as the cabin of the Orient Express, but the realism of the story was emphasized by the authentic locations.
Peter Hunt is editor again, and continues his fine work in keeping the pace and action moving. His editing of the gypsy camp attack is an especially well-constructed sequence and of course, his work on stunts is still a marvel. There is one flaw in the Bond/Grant fight scene, however; we don't see the tear gas cartridge explode in Grant's face when he opens the attaché case. Instead, the editor chose a reaction shot from Bond and a quick cut to Grant in a cloud of smoke. This doesn't quite work, but the editing of the fisticuffs that follow more than makes up for it. Peter Perkins choreographed the now-famous fight. It's certainly one of the longest screen scuffles ever staged, and it's quite brutal. Bob Simmons doubled for Connery, but it's impossible to tell when the cuts are made between Connery and Simmons, as well as between Shaw and his double. The fight is less bloody than the Fleming version, but it's made more interesting by the use of the gadgets inside the attaché case. (A word of warning to television viewers: ABC edited the scene drastically. In fact, ABC did a poor job of editing all of the early 007 films for television.)
Ted Moore's cinematography seems more colorful than before, and the special effects, created by John Stears and Frank George and consisting mainly of helicopters and boats exploding, are well executed. Jocelyn Rickards' costume designs are worth mentioning simply because of their believability in period and locale.
John Barry composed, arranged, and conducted the score for the film, save for the title track. The sound of the score is quite different from that of Dr. No, (except for "The James Bond Theme") in that Barry uses a full orchestra, emphasizing brass and percussion. The From Russia With Love score is serious and moody, with many levels of dynamics. Barry likes to emphasize fight scenes with sudden increases of volume and syncopation. One tune, entitled "007," is featured during the gypsy camp battle and the raid on the Russian consulate. This highly syncopated piece has become a standard tune in most of the Barry-scored Bond films. Lionel Bart's title theme is lush and romantic, and works well as the first of the Bond vocal tunes. From Russia With Love features Matt Monroe crooning the main theme at the film's end.
From Russia With Love received even more critical and popular attention that its predecessor. Knowing that they now had a valuable investment on their hands, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman added an announcement to the end credits of the film, stating that "James Bond will return. . . in Goldfinger." This was to become another standard device in the films—the announcement of the next one.
This film was the last one that Ian Fleming saw. Luckily, it is one of the best in the series, and something of which he could be proud.
GOLDFINGER (1964)
PRODUCTION
Goldfinger represents the peak of the series. It is the most perfectly realized of all the films with hardly a wrong step made throughout its length. It moves at a fast and furious pace, but the plot holds together logically enough (more logically than the book) and is a perfect blend of the real and the fantastic.
(John Brosnan, James Bond in the Cinema)
I agree totally with this statement Goldfinger is the representative film of the James Bond series. It's also an excellent action/adventure picture on its own: it has suspense, sex, and satire. It is the first Bond film to actually poke fun at itself, but it never loses sight of the central character. The Broccoli and Saltzman formula was perfected with this, their third film. The remaining pictures simply are slight variations on the formula.
One and a quarter million pounds were spent on the making of Goldfinger, almost four times the amount spent on Dr. No. United Artists also spent more money promoting the new film, and the resulting publicity made James Bond a household name. Released in December of 1964, Goldfinger was a blockbuster hit, and the catalyst of the big spy movie boom in the sixties.
Goldfinger differs from its predecessors in that a new director is at the helm, bringing the film a tighter, wittier style without diminishing the level of suspense. As Steven Jay Rubin points out in his book The James Bond Films, a sequence like the Aston Martin car chase around Auric Enterprises is fun and amusing. Then suddenly--Oddjob's hat kills Tilly Masterson, and the mood abruptly switches to one of foreboding. There are also more fantastic elements in Goldfinger than in the first two Bond films. This is due mainly to Ken Adam's designs for the film, and also to the swarm of gadgets. This was a time of fascination with "gee whiz" technology. The film is the first to include a realistically presented laser. An atomic bomb features prominently in the plot. The audience is given a glimpse of the test center for Q Branch, where employees experiment with the latest in exploding parking meters, bulletproof vests, and other gadgets of the spy trade. Here, Bond is issued the ultimate company car. James Bond's now-famous Aston Martin DB-V was actually made by the Aston Martin plant in Newport Pagnall. By using a control box inside an arm rest, Bond could release a smoke screen, an oil slick, raise a bulletproof shield, or slash another car's tires. The car has a radar homing device, as in the novel, but it also comes equipped with machine guns behind the front and rear parking lights. And the coup de grace is an ejector seat, controlled by a red button located in the stick shift. At the time of the film's release, the Aston Martin was a fantastic, outrageous put-on; yet audiences all over the world wanted to believe it was real. The ideas behind the car are not that far from reality—the car could exist. This is precisely why the gadgetry in Goldfinger works, but doesn't in some of the later films. Though the simulated technology of the film places it in a genre resembling science fiction, the gadgetry is believable.
Sean Connery and the gold-painted Shirley Eaton on the set of Goldfinger. (UPI Photo.)
Goldfinger is also significant in that it is the last Bond film to actually attempt to be erotic. Bond's scenes with Jill Masterson early in the film are the most sugges tive of any Bond film, as is Shirley Eaton's near nudity. There has never been nudity in a Bond film; we see a flash of leg here, a glimpse of back there, but nothing beyond the titillation level. Miss Eaton's role was a departure from those constraints, and the Bonds have never been the same since. Additionally, the film is probably the most sexist of them all. When Bond slaps the masseuse, Dink, on the rear after sending her away because he and Felix Leiter must perform "man talk," the situation is embarrassingly chauvinistic.
SCREENPLAY
Steven Rubin calls the Richard Maibaum/Paul Dehn script for Goldfinger the "key script" which became the "blueprint" for future Bonds. This is very true. One can easily pinpoint the elements from the screenplay that have been repeated in later films: a car chase; Bond's seduction of a female enemy to gain an ally; a climax featuring two "armies" battling it out; a countdown which must be stopped to save the world; a villain employing a super-strong henchman; and a final scene with a "sting"—just when the audience has been led to believe Bond's danger is past, the peril resumes.
The Maibaum/Dehn script
is very clever. It is full of ingenious plot twists and witty dialogue. I feel it's the only film in the series to improve on Fleming's original story. There are several reasons why this is so. First, the script calls for Bond to discover Jill Masterson's gold-painted, dead body. In the novel, Bond leaves Jill early in the story and learns about her death secondhand in the middle of the book. The screen version is far more effective – we actually see the body. It's an eerie, ghostly scene. Bond has been knocked unconscious by Oddjob, and wakes to find Jill lying face down on the bed. Her body seems to radiate in the bronze-colored room, and the music takes on a somber tone. The scene captures perfectly the serious side of the James Bond films. There's certainly nothing amusing about it.
A second improvement over the Fleming original is the elimination of Tilly Masterson early in the film. In the novel, Tilly becomes a major character, and is with Bond all the way through the raid on Fort Knox. There, she finally meets her death by Oddjob's bowler hat. Her presence in the novel is gratuitous after we learn that she is Jill Masterson's sister, and this is corrected in the film. Tilly is killed in the first half of the story, which makes more sense. Goldfinger would have killed her anyway, once he had found out she was Jill's sister. His failure to do so in the book is implausible.
The James Bond Bedside Companion Page 37
