Doctor No (Film Critique)

This review includes no introduction to the film Doctor No.
Click here the IMDB page for Doctor No.

Doctor no, before the time of the feminine M. There was a man in a grey suit thick glasses, very much a male boss. Doctor No is a film made for men, for both there entertainment, fantasizing and tears over male inadequacy compared to bond. Though it is entertaining to both men and women (Bond is quite the handsome gentleman).
It clearly reflects the times of both the film and the book of Doctor No by Ian Fleming. Smooth accent provided by Sean Connery himself, in the role that made him famous. Due to a combination of that accent, reaction times equally sharp as his wit and intelligence he made espionage the dream job of the day. Backed by an icon theme, especially that guitar riff. That just makes most people want to smile suavely and claim to be “Bond, James Bond”

Doctor no’s fight scenes are unconvincing, in both execution of the fight. The throws being incredibly stiff, the punches never giving the illusion of connecting and the cutting of the film used in an attempt to make the actor appear if he has been thrown brutally into the floor is a flunk. The music being a distraction from the fight and highlighting the awkwardness and incorrect pacing and overall speed of the fight.

A white Felix Lighter also reflecting the times compared to the modern casino royal’s African American version of Felix Lighter, (Lighter is also portrayed as an African American in some of the later films well before Casino Royal.) In Doctor No, Lighter is boring and immediately gives me a negative vibe. The pacing of the film is awful anyway until bond gets inside Dr. No’s Fortress

There is a strong level of racism and some sexism in the film; though it is existent in the book it is accentuated. With all the Black characters believing in sprits and superstition along with some of the women, women being “feisty” and just there to entertain or be protected. With the Chinese women obviously on the bad side or being “Smilers” grinning and apologizing, simply stupid. Doctor No’s name itself is a pun, taking oriental name that might actually be pronounced “noh” and turning it into no a sign of disobedience and unwillingness to co-operate. All of the good guys in the film are White American or Englishmen. Transforming Felix from black to white accentuates racism and removing Honey Riders disfigured nose (That was included in the book) along with her “Cutely Feisty” not “Strong Woman” adds to the objectivcation of women in Doctor No.

The ingenious nature of Bond still stands with using a hair to tell if a door has been opened and other tricks. If you can ignore or cope with the fact that the film was made to stroke the egos of middle aged white men of that era, who did not acknowledge other races or women as even half as good as they were.

Verdict,
“leave the movie alone and read the book, or listen to the talking book”
2.5 stars