From Russia With Love

:For the video game see From Russia With Love (video game)

The film

Plot summary

The film follows the plot of Fleming's novel almost to the letter, however, the villain is the major change between the literary and cinematic versions of the story. At the Cold War's height, EON Productions felt it inadvisable casting the Russians as villains, so, SMERSH was replaced by S.P.E.C.T.R.E., the criminal organization who is a mutual enemy of both superpowers, introduced in the first James Bond film, Dr. No. As such, this film is a sequel to the previous film in that S.P.E.C.T.R.E. seeks revenge upon James Bond for his killing Dr. Julius No.

Related Topics:
Cold War - S.P.E.C.T.R.E. - Dr. No

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The film features the first appearance of Ernst Stavro Blofeld, leader of S.P.E.C.T.R.E., although he wouldn't directly confront Bond for several more cinematic adventures. To integrate S.P.E.C.T.R.E. to the storyline, minor changes were made so that SMERSH agent Red Grant is responsible for actions committed by other characters in the novel. Other than these topical changes, the movie's plot is the same as the novel's?James Bond lured to Turkey, where Corporal Tatiana Romanova is stationed to assist her defection, as well as obtaining a LEKTOR decoder (renamed from the novel's Spektor to not confuse the audience with S.P.E.C.T.R.E.).

Related Topics:
Ernst Stavro Blofeld - Turkey

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Cast & characters

• James Bond — Sean Connery
• M — Bernard Lee
• Miss Moneypenny — Lois Maxwell
• Q — Desmond Llewelyn
• Tatiana Romanova — Daniela Bianchi
• Rosa Klebb — Lotte Lenya
• Donald 'Red' Grant — Robert Shaw
• Sylvia Trench — Eunice Gayson
• Kerim Bey — Pedro Armendariz
• Morzeny — Walter Gotell

The film notes the first appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as Major Boothroyd, known as Q, the character he would play in nearly all of the series' films, until his death in 1999. The Q character appeared in the previous film, Dr. No, but was portrayed by actor Peter Burton, and addressed only as the armourer. The cast includes Robert Shaw, perhaps best known as Quint in Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975).

Related Topics:
Q - 1999 - Dr. No - Steven Spielberg - Jaws - 1975

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Author and James Bond creator Ian Fleming makes a cameo in the Istanbul train scene (following Bond's stealing the LEKTOR decoder), standing outside on the right of the train. He is wearing grey trousers and a white sweater.

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Crew

• Directed by: Terence Young
• Produced by: Albert R. Broccoli, Harry Saltzman
• Written by: Ian Fleming
• Screenplay: Richard Maibaum
• Music composed by: John Barry
• Cinematography by: Ted Moore
• Film editing by: Peter R. Hunt
• Production design by Syd Cain

Soundtrack

From Russia with Love is the first series' film with John Barry as the primary soundtrack composer. The theme song, "From Russia With Love" was composed by Lionel Bart of Oliver! fame and sung by Matt Monro, although the title credits are instrumental. Monro's vocal version is later played during the film. John Barry, arranger of Monty Norman "James Bond Theme" for Dr. No, would be the dominant Bond series composer for most of its history. In this film, Barry introduced the percussive theme "007", action music that came to be considered the "secondary James Bond Theme" and is used in the James Bond films of both Sean Connery and Roger Moore.

Related Topics:
John Barry - Lionel Bart - Oliver! - Matt Monro - Monty Norman - James Bond Theme - 007 - Roger Moore

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Track listing

• Opening Titles / James Bond Is Back / From Russia With Love - (instrumental) / James Bond Theme
• Tania Meets Klebb
• Meeting In St. Sophia
• The Golden Horn
• Girl Trouble
• Bond Meets Tania
• 007
• Gypsy Camp
• Death Of Grant
• From Russia With Love - Matt Monro
• Spectre Island
• Guitar Lament
• Man Overboard / Smersh In Action
• James Bond With Bongos
• Stalking
• Leila Dances
• Death Of Kerin
• 007 Takes The Lektor

Vehicles & gadgets

• Briefcase — Technically, James Bond's first gadget. The briefcase issued to 007 by Q-Branch contains a folding AR-7 sniper rifle with ammunition, a flat throwing knife, and fifty gold sovereigns in secret compartments accessible from outside the case. In addition, the briefcase has a trick safety mechanism that detonates a magnetically attached tear gas bomb if the briefcase is improperly opened.
• Pager — Although From Russia With Love was filmed in the 1960s, before this gadget's invention, Bond carried one, enabling MI6 to contact him at once; also, Bond's Bentley automobile had a radio-telephone.
• Bug detector — A small device that is designed to detect the presence of a phone tap device in a regular telephone when placed against such a device.
• Tape recorder disguised as a camera.
• The LEKTOR decoder, though never actually seen in use, could also count as a gadget (Fleming based it directly on the Enigma machine, a cryptology device used by the Germans during World War Two) .

Locations

Film locations

• London, England
• Istanbul, Turkey
• Belgrade, Yugoslavia
• Zagreb, Yugoslavia
• Venice, Italy
• Aboard the Orient Express
• S.P.E.C.T.R.E. Island (location unknown)

Shooting locations

• Pinewood Studios
• Switzerland
• Argyll, Scotland
• Istanbul, Turkey

Trivia

• Alfred Hitchcock was originally considered as director for the film version in 1958, with Bond to be played by Cary Grant and a possible return to the screen for Grace Kelly as Tatiana Romanova, but the deals fell through when Vertigo flopped at the boxoffice. The helicopter scene in From Russia With Love mimicks the cropduster scene from the film Hitchcock did instead, North by Northwest.
• In recent years, the scene in which Bond first encounters Tatiana in his hotel room often has been used to screen-test actors for the James Bond and leading lady roles.
• Reportedly, Ian Fleming has a cameo appearance in this film. It is believed he can be glimpsed in an Orient Express train scene; some sources deny Fleming's appearance.
• Pedro Armendáriz, who played Kerim Bey, was sick with cancer during the production, and committed suicide after filming was completed. His son, Pedro Armendáriz Jr. later would portray the President of the Republic of Isthmus in Licence to Kill, the 1989 James Bond film.
• Lotte Lenya's character, Colonel Rosa Klebb, often is cited as prototype of the Frau Farbissina character in the Austin Powers spy spoof series. Klebb would be the first of several Bond villains with ambiguous sexuality. Lotte Lenya was the widow of Kurt Weill. In the film "Undercover Blues" starring Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner, in the mock-torture scene, Dennis Quaid refers to Kathleen Turner (who was pretending to be a Russian doctor specializing in pain) as "Dr. Lottelenya," a clear tribute to Lotte Lenya's portrayal of Rosa Klebb.
• The Bulgarian assassin Krilenku tries to escape from his apartment through a secret window in a billboard advertising Call Me Bwana, the only non-James Bond movie produced by EON Productions.