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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A near-masterpiece from the Golden Age of Bond films . . ., 21 Nov 2002
From Russia With Love remains one of the greatest of all Bond movies, in my view eclipsed only by Goldfinger. We are only second in what would prove to be an enduring series (recently added to by the twentieth and latest offering, Die Another Day) so the movie remains relatively true to Ian Fleming's original vision. Fleming died suddenly in 1964, the year after FRWL, and thereafter the film Bond diverged more and more widely from the quite brilliant novels, but here we have a comparatively faithful rendition of the book. You don't have to be a Bond purist to be one of the millions who regard Sean Connery, with his brooding undercurrent of genuine strength and menace not to say brutality, as the definitive Bond, and the late lamented Robert Shaw (here muscle-bound and peroxide blond of hair) makes a splendidly evil villain in the shape of Donovan 'Red' Grant (marvellously malevolent but still toned-down from the homicidal Northern Irish psychopath depicted in the book). As other reviewers have observed, the luscious Daniela Bianchi was surely one of the sexiest in a long line of Bond girls, so, in short, magnificent characters brilliantly played all round in magnificent sets, Istanbul in particular. Add on a tuneful title song from the velvet-voiced Matt Monro and the greatest fight sequence ever filmed (Connery and Shaw hurl themselves at each other on the train with jaw-droppingly realistic savagery) and you have Bond (almost---see above) at his very best. Buy film in format of your choice: watch: repeat regularly.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You may know the right wines, but you're the one on your knees.", 3 Nov 2008
With an embryonic and not entirely successful Robert Brownjohn title sequence of credits projected onto body of belly dancer (some great spelling mistakes here, as `Monte' Norman and `Martin' Beswicke's agents probably pointed out!), Barry's first official Bond score and Blofeld's first (off-screen) appearance, the formula is clearly beginning to fall into place. This was also the first of the series to have a pre-title sequence, one of the few that relates directly to the film's plot, and it is still by far the most successful of any of them.
The gadgets that were to eventually get so out of hand make first appearance in form of Bond's ingenious attaché case, but at least here they are still entirely credible - nothing more extravagant than a well kitted-out briefcase and a breakaway sniper's rifle. Series regular Walter Gotell also makes his first appearance, though not as General Gogol but as the head of a S.P.E.C.T.R.E. training school. Unlike the cute and lovable old Russian bear at SMERSH in the Moore films, here he is cheerfully ruthless and businesslike, using live targets in training courses.
Bond's snobbery is much to the fore here. "Red wine with fish, that should have told me something," he tells Robert Shaw's working class homicidal paranoiac, the best and most genuinely threatening of the Bond heavies ("You may know the right wines, but you're the one on your knees."). It also establishes the sexual deviancy of the villains in Rosa Klebb's lesbian tendencies (very apparent as her hand wanders onto Daniella Bianchi's knee). With Bond such an amoral figure, the villains had to be even more immoral and perverse: always bastions of authority, usually millionaires they get their kicks planning global crimes, so depravity is simply foreplay to them. Even Vladek Sheybal's chess master Kronstein, looking for all the world like Vladimir Putin with mild indigestion, seems at a remove from mere mortal pleasures.
It's still the best of the series and most convincingly plotted, an excellent crane shot of the chequered setting for a chess tournament sets the scene for the chess-like nature of the plot as factions co-existing in uneasy truces are set off against each other. Indeed, directorially this is considerably more ambitious and assured than its predecessor, evident in the skilfully handled church scene and a beautifully blocked scene as Bond is followed along a train platform by Shaw inside the train.
Sadly, while pitched as the `Ultimate Edition,' the transfer on this repackaged two-disc edition is still problematic. The picture quality is certainly improved over the original single-disc issue, but rather than the original British 1.66:1 ratio, it's presented in the cropped 1.85:1, but worse still, the ending is still missing footage of Bond examining the reel of compromising 8mm film in the gondola before the end title. As with Dr No there's not a huge amount of new extra material over the extras from previous release, all of which are carried over here, but it's pretty good - extracts from Ian Fleming on radio show Desert Island Discs, a TV interview with the author and a featurette on Fleming and Raymond Chandler.
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13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely brilliant, 19 Oct 2008
My favourite bond film From Russia with love is a timeless classic now 45 years old it remains as taught and thrilling as it ever was.
Bond is dispatched to pick up a Russian defector who has apparently fallen in love with him and more importantly get his hands on the lecktor a code breaking device vital to British intelligence pursued by a ruthless assassin bond makes his way across the country to get the lecktor into safe hands.
This is the ultimate spy thriller no volcano lairs or laser guns or invisible cars in sight. An intelligent script with great performances, particularly from Connery as the suave 007 created a masterpiece an intricate story of betrayal and violence blended the film with a gritter edge more in keeping with Ian Fleming's novels, the brawl between red grant and bond on the train still remains one of the best fight sequences in the bond franchise which is saying something after 21 films.
Crystal clean picture and sound as well as plenty of extras such as audio commentary, insightful documentaries on Fleming, making of, plus the original marketing to name a few which give a comprehensive look into from Russia with love.
Exotic locations, beautiful girls, menacing adversaries,thrilling action sequences everything associated with bond can be seen being put to outstanding use and its just in time for the release of Quantum of solace. fancy that. A cash in though it may be if you don't have from Russia with love what are you waiting for?
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