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Director: Terence Young, Screenplay: Richard Maibaum, based
on a novel by Ian Fleming, Producers: Albert R. Broccoli, Harry
Saltzman, Original Music: John Barry, Title Song: Lionel Bart,
James Bond Theme: Monty Norman, Cinematographer: Ted Moore,
Editor: Peter Hunt, Art Director: Syd Cain, Costumer
Designer: Jocelyn Rickards, Makeup Supervisors: Basil Newall, Paul
Rabiger, Hair Stylist: Eileen Warwick, Production Manager:
Bill Hill, Assistant Director: David Anderson, Set Dresser:
Freda Pearson, Assistant Art Director: Michael White, Sound
Recordist: C. Le Mesurier, Dubbing Editors: Harry Miller, Norman
Wanstall, Sound Designer: John W. Mitchell, Special Effects
Supervisor: John Stears, Special Effects Assistant: Frank George,
Special Effects: Wally Armitage, Jimmy Harris, Garth Inns, Jimmy Snow,
Jimmy Ward, Visual Effects: Roy Field, Stunt Co-ordinator:
Peter Perkins, Stunt Doubles: Jack Cooper, Bob Anderson, Peter
Brace, Ken Buckle, Gerry Crampton, Leslie Crawford, Bill Cummings, Peter
Diamond, Cliff Diggings, Joe Dunne, Max Faulkner, Tex Fuller, Sol Gorss, Richard
Graydon, Arthur Howell, Jimmy Lodge, Terence Plummer, Dinny Powell, Eddie
Powell, Nosher Powell, Terry Richards, Jack Sholomir, Bob Simmons, Rocky Taylor,
Conductor: John Barry, Title Designer: Robert Brownjohn,
Assistant Title Designer: Trevor Bond, Location Manager: Frank
Ernst, Wardrobe Supervisor: Ernie Farrer, Production Assistant
(Istanbul): Ilhan Filmer, Camera Operator: John Winbolt,
Camera Operator (Second Unit): Bob Kindred, Continuity: Kay
Mander, Singer (Title Song): Matt Monro, Assembly Editor: Ben
Rayner, Wardrobe Supervisor: Eileen Sullivan, Helicopter Pilot:
Captain John Crewdson, Music Contractor: Sidney Margo,
Technical Advisor: Charles Russhon
Cast: Sean Connery
(James Bond), Daniela Bianchi (Tatiana), Pedro Armendáriz (Kerim Bey), Lotte
Lenya (Rosa Klebb), Robert Shaw (Grant), Bernard Lee (M), Eunice Gayson
(Sylvia), Walter Gotell (Morzeny), Francis De Wolff (Vavra), George Pastell
(Train Conductor), Nadja Regin (Kerim's Girl), Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny),
Aliza Gur (Vida), Martine Beswick (Zora), Vladek Sheybal (Kronsteen), Lisa
Guiraut (Gypsy Belly Dancer), Hasan Ceylan (Foreign Agent), Fred Haggerty
(Krilencu), Neville Jason (Kerim's Chauffeur), Peter Bayliss (Benz), Nushet
Ataer (Mehmet), Peter Brayham (Rhoda), Desmond Llewelyn (Boothroyd), Jan
Williams (Masseuse), Peter Madden (McAdams, Chess Player), Barbara Jefford
(Tatiana (voice)), Bill Hill (Capt. Nash), Muhammat Kohen (Mosque Tour Guide),
Anthony Dawson (Blofeld), Eric Pohlmann (Ernst Blofeld (voice)), Monica van der
Syl (Receptionist (voice)), Terence Young (Extra)
"From Russia With Love", the novel, was published in 1957 and famously made it into John F. Kennedy’s list of Top 10 books. Little surprise so that following the success of Dr. No (1962) it was decided to adapt that particular James Bond book for the cinema next.
Some things needed changing – the first 120 pages of the novel are entirely taken up with detailed descriptions of Red Grant’s defection, the plan against Bond, Tatiana’s daily chores in Moscow including just about anything you ever needed to know about Russian girls’ make-up choices and perfume preferences before James Bond finally arrives on the scene; the villains were changed from SMERSH to SPECTRE -, but overall the film was pretty faithful to the original source material.
It’s a perfect example of a classic cold war drama: It practically reeks of dangers lurking around every corner, and you feel the threatening presence of the enemy even when just walking down an airport corridor or observing a game of chess. The film is choke full of memorable set pieces (the rat infected sewers, the attack on the embassy, the fights in the gypsy camp, the journey on the Orient Express, the helicopter chase and and and….), brilliant dialogue (Blofeld drawing parallels between certain types of Siamese fighting fishes and SPECTRE) and overall demonstrates a flair for truly gritty atmosphere.
It is also charmingly old-fashioned when it comes to Bond’s more snobbish attitudes. Ordering red wine with fish could still easily get you killed then! Mind you: In the original novel Bond even smells a rat when Grant appears with the wrong choice of knot for his tie!
Eunice Gayson repeats her
part as Bond’s ever suffering girlfriend, Sylvia, from the first movie. After
running off to Jamaica to confront Dr. No, Bond has finally made time to meet up
with Sylvia again for a romantic picnic when he gets a call from Moneypenny: M
wants him and Sylvia has to say goodbye to him again…. this time for good. From
Goldfinger on Bond never again had time to spend with local flames and
only belonged to Moneypenny or the numerous International Jet Set chicks he
encountered along the way.
From Russia… should also prove to be Gayson’s last proper film role. In the following years she would only occasionally appear on television. On two of those occasions she ended up meeting future Bond Roger Moore in episodes of The Saint. Though they didn’t actually share scenes in From Russia… Francis De Wolff (Vavra) and Gayson had previously worked together in the little seen Miss Robin Hood (1952). De Wolff also appeared in a string of Hammer movies: The Hound of the Baskervilles (1958), The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1958), The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1959) and The Curse of the Werewolf (1953).
From Russia… was Martine Beswicke’s first Bond appearance and the film that properly started her movie career.
Her part, though very short and without dialogue,
is extremely memorable. As gypsy girl Zora (indeed "handsome in a rather leonine
way") she and Aliza Gur’s character Vida are in love with the same guy and need
to settle that dispute "the gypsy way". What follows is one of the most
formidable examples of cat fighting the cinema has ever seen. The two girls
lunge into each other and wrestle as if their (love) lives really depended on
the outcome of that fight. It’s a very lurid scene, full of cheap thrills and
exploitation with Bond looking on just as amused and titillated as the male part
of the audience. This is the kind of politically incorrect scene that made the
franchise initially so appealing, and that regrettably the recent batch of
modern Bond movies does not even attempt to emulate these days in fear of
upsetting the moral guardians. Pity the fight had to be interrupted by
Krilencu’s (Fred Haggerty) Russian killers.
Some sources claim that the realism of this scene may have been a result of some genuine dislike between the ladies. It does, however, appear more likely that this was more down to a very rigorous three-week choreography training prior to the shoot. Both Beswicke and Gur were Beauty Pageants. Gur was a Miss Universe finalist and had actually shared a room with Daniela Bianchi during that contest. Beswicke was a former Miss Jamaica. The two were chosen for From Russia…. during a contest in which eight hopefuls were gradually reduced to the final two who made it into the movie.
When the movie was finally released Beswicke must have received quite a shock when she noticed that her first name had dropped the last letter in the title credits and turned her into a "Martin". Luckily enough for her the producers remembered her spelling – and gender! - better for her next Bond outing in Thunderball (1965).
The film also stars for the first time Desmond Llewellyn as Q, though at this stage he is still credited as "Boothroyd" working for "Q branch". Walter Gotell also gave his debut in the series. He plays a SPECTRE agent called Wallace. In later movies he should reappear as General Gogol. Christopher Lee’s most regular double, Eddie Powell, performs some of the stunts in the film. The identity of the actor who played Blofeld remained a mystery even in the final credits. The character was only ever seen from behind. He was in actual fact played by Anthony Dawson (Dr. No’s Professor Dent), though his voice was that of Eric Pohlmann.
Further Reading:
Allwatchers' very unusual movie summary by plot elements
Another review of the movie, a bit more traditional than Allwatchers
Amazon.co.uk
Buy:
Amazon.co.uk