Dr. No (1962)

James Bond's newly assigned Walther PPK handgun in Dr. No (1962)

“Like a brick through a plate glass window”

James Bond's newly assigned Walther PPK handgun in Dr. No (1962)

James Bond’s newly assigned Walther PPK handgun in Dr. No (1962)

James Bond (Sean Connery) kisses Miss Taro (Zena Marshall) while checking his watch in Dr. No (1962)

Who smoked it better?

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995)

Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye (1995)

Dancer silhouettes from the title sequence of Dr. No (1962)

Happy Global James Bond Day 2016!

The first James Bond movie, Dr. No, was released on this day, October 5th, in 1962.

Dancer silhouettes from the title sequence of Dr. No (1962)

Dancer silhouettes from the title sequence of Dr. No (1962)

Celebrate! Dance! Have a martini shaken, not stirred!

Neuf à la banque - baccarat in Dr. No (1962)

“Neuf à la banque”

Neuf à la banque - baccarat in Dr. No (1962)

“Nine for the bank.”

James Bond and Sylvia Trench play baccarat in Dr. No (1962).

Boxes of Jamaica's signature Red Stripe beer surround Quarrel in Dr. No (1962)

Hooray beer, 007!

Boxes of Jamaica's signature Red Stripe beer surround Quarrel in Dr. No (1962)Boxes of Jamaica’s signature Red Stripe beer surround Quarrel in Dr. No (1962).

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No: A Haiku

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

Sean Connery as James Bond in Dr. No (1962)

The premiere James Bond
Nobody does it better
Simply iconic

Sean Connery as James Bond, with the tarantula in Dr. No (1962)

Craig handled arachnids better than Connery

Sean Connery as James Bond, with a tarantula in Dr. No (1962)Sean Connery as James Bond, with a tarantula in Dr. No (1962)

Daniel Craig as James Bond, with a scorpion in Skyfall (2012)Daniel Craig as James Bond, with a scorpion in Skyfall (2012)

Tonight

Every six months or so, as I re-watch and analyze all of the James Bond movies for fun, I always find myself temporarily forgetting, and then remembering, the awesomeness of Dr. No (1962). Yes, it’s the first James Bond movie, and yes, Sean Connery’s Bond sets the stage for the remaining movies, and there is definitely a reputation it has since it’s the first James Bond movie. But more often than not, I’d say Dr. No is underrated in fans’ top Bond movies lists, and the above Professor Dent (Anthony Dawson) interrogation scene is one of the many reasons why I’d argue as such.

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Portrait of the Duke of Wellington - Francisco de Goya in Dr. No (1962)

Dr. No’s de Goya

As Bond and Honey Ryder make their way to dinner in Dr. No’s lair in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (1961), you’ll notice 007 do a double-take on a particular piece of artwork before walking up some stairs:

Portrait of the Duke of Wellington - Francisco de Goya in Dr. No (1962)

The painting (Portrait of the Duke of Wellington by Francisco de Goya) was notable at the time of the movie as a pop culture reference, since in real life it was stolen. Bond’s look at the painting shows his surprise that Dr. No is the perpetrator.

Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench in Dr. No (1962)

Gayson has some amazing eyebrow action

Eunice Gayson as Sylvia Trench in Dr. No (1962)