Category: Dr. No (1962)

“Dr. No” (1962): From Denmark with Love

In this new blog series James Bond•O•Rama.dk will attempt to cover every connection to Denmark seen on-screen in the James Bond 007 film series. If you spot a detail that we have missed, please fill us in!

● In this scene from "Dr. No", the receptionist at the Jamaican hotel where James Bond (Sean Connery) is staying hands him a telegramme and a car key. On the wall behind the receptionist (Malou Pantera) you can clearly see the Danish flag known as the Dannebrog. It's the second flag from the left with a white cross on a red backing.
Time code (Blu-ray): 00:41:22

● A year before Marguerite LeWars appeared as the villainous "freelance" press photographer in "Dr. No", the young actress was crowned Miss Cherry Heering in a Jamaican beauty contest. The title was named after a internationally successful Danish brand of cherry liqueur which at the time was produced in the Copenhagen neighbourhood of Christianshavn.


Thanks to flag spotter Rikart Købke.

“Dr. No”: First Danish retail VHS cover (1989)

VHS COVER

 
In 1989 Warner Home Video issued all of the James Bond 007 films (except the Columbia-produced "Casino Royale" from 1967) on retail VHS through local distributor Metronome Video. The Bond films had not previously been available for sale in Denmark.

This initial retail series had specially designed cover art with raster graphics on a metallic grey background which was obviously meant to resemble Maurice Binder's famous gunbarrel design.

The VHS cover for "Dr. No" (1962) is distinguished by its terrible artwork reminiscent of African or Indian wall-posters:

Scan courtesy of Jan Mouritzen.

“Dr. No”: Danish theatrical poster (1963)

FILM POSTER

 
On 5 April 1963, United Artists released EON Productions' "Dr. No" theatrically in Denmark. The film's Danish title reads "Agent 007 mission: drab" [Agent 007 Mission: Kill].

The theatrical poster pictured below, measuring 83x62 cm, was produced for the first Danish cinema release of "Dr. No.". The poster was clearly inspired by the UK campaign, with the addition of a striking yellow-black-white color scheme. The uncredited artist who traced Mitchell Hooks' artwork of the four Bond girls from the UK poster might have been an employee at United Artists' distribution office in Denmark.

Ian Fleming 's name is Danicized to Jan Fleming on the poster, concordant with the first Danish editions of his James Bond 007 novels. The director's name, Terence Young, and EON Productions are both misspelled.

“Dr. No”: Danish ad sheet (1963)

"Agent 007 mission: drab" (1962) - oprindelig dansk 33mm annoncekliché
"Dr. No" (1962) - original Danish 33mm ad slick

Today, we'll take a look at United Artists' original Danish ad sheet for "Dr. No" (1962), the first James Bond film from EON Productions.

The duplex-printed A4 sheet (reproduced below) was distributed to Danish cinema owners as part of the "Dr. No" press book. The film premiered in Nørreport Cinema in Copenhagen on 5 April 1963 followed by a nationwide roll-out release.

DR NO Danish ad sheet 1A

Original Danish press book (1963) for "Dr. No" - front

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“Dr. No”: Politiken’s film review (1963)

Danish daily Politiken’s review of “Dr. No”, 7 April 1963

Bang on Jamaica

”Agent 007, Operation Murder” [sic], adapted from Ian Fleming's eponymous detective novel, starts out with a terrific bang, but quickly turns silly before ending in utter balderdash.

The agent James Bond, 007 to his friends and colleagues, is sent to Jamaica partly to investigate the homicide of a few English security men, partly to figure out who have been thwarting the American rocket launches from Cape Canaveral through mysterious radiation.

The perpetrator of all this evil-doing is a mad half-Chinese who has built a nuclear station so huge that it makes Risø [a Danish atomic research facility opened in 1958, ed.] look like a village school. Bond solves all of this in stride; the Americans finally manage a successful launch; the nuclear man and his extensive staff go up with a loud uranium bang, and the hero celebrates by being indecent towards a cute lass in a bikini.

007 is played by Sean Connery, who isn't half bad an actor. In America, they call him the new Lemmy; he plays the lead in a series of adaptations of Ian Fleming's other books. May they be somewhat more substantial than the film mentioned.

Written by "fano"
Translation: James Bond•O•Rama.dk

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“Dr. No”: Berlingske Tidende’s film review (1963)

Danish daily Berlingske Tidende’s review of ”Dr. No”, 7 April 1963

Childish cynicism

English detective film at Nørreport [Cinema]

The most amazing thing about the screen version of Ian Fleming's ”Dr. No” is really that it was made in England. Its shameless exploitation of violence and sex, and the pulpiness of its whole approach, differs substantially from the many recent British detective films dealing with serious problems.

”Dr. No” is entirely devoid of that kind of ambition. The protagonist is the unscrupulous Secret Service agent James Bond, a hard-boiled and hard-hitting comic book hero. He divides his time equally between vodka martinis, forthcoming girls and the disarmament of nasty gangsters, and his gamut of emotions is exceptionally limited. This superman for all immature souls is confidently played by Sean Connery, although his steely lack of conscience is by no means a match for Ralph Meeker's unforgettable Mike Hammer in ”Kiss Me Deadly”.

The skilled director Terence Young places Connery in a long series of effectively hair-raising situations without skimping on the semi-sadistic seasoning. The tone of the entire film is so incredibly cynical that it borders on the harmlessly infantile, so shamelessly ”pulpy” in its effects that it almost becomes entertaining.

By pim (Morten Piil)
Translation: James Bond•O•Rama.dk

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