When Dr. No premiered at the London Pavilion on October 5, 1962, no one predicted that it would launch the longest-running series in cinema history. It introduced the James Bond formula that has been a box-office fixture ever since: sensational plots, colorful locations, beautiful women, diabolical villains, thrilling action set pieces, and a tongue-in-cheek tone. An explosive cocktail of action, spectacle, and sex, Dr. No transformed popular cinema.
James Chapman provides a lively and comprehensive study of Dr. No, marshaling a wealth of archival research to place the film in its historical moment. He demonstrates that, contrary to many fan myths, the film was the product of a carefully considered transnational production process. Chapman explores the British super-spy’s origins in Ian Fleming’s snobbery-with-violence thrillers, examining the process of adaptation from page to screen. He considers Dr. No in the contexts of the UK and Hollywood film industries as well as the film’s place in relation to the changing social and cultural landscape of the 1960s, particularly Cold War anxieties and the decline of the British Empire. The book also analyzes the film’s problematic politics of gender and race and considers its cultural legacy.
This thorough and insightful account of Dr. No will appeal to film historians and Bond fans alike.
Table of Content
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Sex, Snobbery, and Sadism
2. Everything or Nothing
3. Monkey Business
4. Underneath the Mango Tree
5. A Bizarre Comedy Melodrama
6. I’m Just Looking
Conclusion
Appendix I: Dr. No Production Credits
Appendix II: Dr. No Production Budget
Appendix III: Dr. No Daily Progress Reports
Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
James Chapman is professor of film studies at the University of Leicester and editor of the
Historical Journal of Film, Radio, and Television. His books include
Licence to Thrill: A Cultural History of the James Bond Films (second edition, 2007),
Hitchcock and the Spy Film (2018), and
The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945–1985 (2022).
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