Not many films are good enough to have films made about them.
The creation of 'Dr. No' is a vivid piece of social history, full of the brutal irreverence of the 60's, yet with its roots in a social scene about as remote as you could get from the antics of 007.
At 44 (not 41 as they state), Etonian journalist Ian Fleming had to do the decent thing, after breaking up the marriage of Lady Rothermere by making her pregnant. Profoundly jittery about the prospect of marriage, he decided to soothe his nerves by sitting down and producing the great spy novel he'd always boasted about, but had never got round to writing. The first James Bond story sold only moderately, but attracted a core of readers who asked about the next one. Each Bond sold more than the last, and two film producers, Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, felt so certain they were looking at a future hit-series that they didn't offer the part to their first choice Cary Grant, because they knew he would never commit to more than one film.
So they changed tack and interviewed actors who were experienced but unknown, selecting Sean Connery, apparently because Broccoli's wife said he would pack-in the female audience. Fleming had a poor first impression of street-kid Connery, who could see the other man only as a patronising snob. But both were professional enough to change their attitude, as they started to see the possibilities. The key factor was director Terence Young as a one-man finishing-school, who would convert Connery into a polished sophisticate. Connery's upper-class accent is a very good try, but may have encouraged the casual one-liners that would not place it under too much of a test. These would become a favourite stylistic of 60's spy films.
And so, the cast took off for Jamaica on a schedule so tight that they often had to work on Sundays. For her iconic beach scene, emerging from the surf, Ursula Andress had to be plastered all over in makeup, as she had no suntan, and cut herself badly on the coral. Her German accent was also too heavy, so her speech had to be dubbed. But one besotted admirer was Fleming himself, by then a dying man, who lived half the year in Jamaica, and had a deep knowledge of the country. This would add authentic local touches to the production.
To this day, that opening logo, with Bond viewed through the rifled barrel of a revolver, retains its impact, along with the immortal John Barry theme tune that went with it. Audiences knew they were watching something entirely fresh and inspiring in cinema history - except Fleming, who loathed the film, and was heard muttering about it as he left.
