From Russia With Love (DVD)

Reviews

"From Russia with Love" by Micky B - 12 April 2013

Future James Bond actors – Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig – both consider this film to be their favourite of the Bond series. For this, the second of the Sean Connery-James Bond productions, United Artists doubled the budget that they had allocated to <i>Dr No</i> with full confidence that the picture would earn it back. It did, and many times over! So this time around, the producers started introducing “gadgets” which soon became one of the most looked-for features of the James Bond series – apart from the Bond girls, of course! And for the first time, we meet Major Bothroyd (Desmond Llewellyn, who became more affecionally known as simply “Q.”) Filmed largely on location in Istanbul, James Bond is sent to assist in the defection of Soviet consulate clerk Titania Romanove ( Daniella Biacci) in Turkey, where SPECTRE plans to avenge Bond's killing of Dr. No. There are many highlights. Not only do we have a car chase or two...but also a well-filmed boat chase mear the end. Then of course there's the now-famous fight on a train between Bond and Red Grant (Robert Shaw.) Apparently the two actors did most of the stuntwork here themselves! And we mustn't forget the gypsy camp womens' to-the-death fight that took six weeks of rehersals before director Terence Young was satisfied. And if you play chess, then this movie is <i>definitely</i> for you! There's an exciting scene right near the start that will really get you going!