007: From Russia with Love

Originally published on social media on January 12, 2022

The first time I saw this film, I was not a fan. Years later watching it in class, my viewpoint has transformed.

This was a really well done Bond film.

Bond fans enjoy the franchise for it’s escapist qualities, and somehow this film is escapist while also being realistic regarding Cold War politics. There is enough comedy in the film to balance the realistic plot qualities, allowing the viewer to not feel stressed, but enjoy the political intrigue, adventure, scenery, and excitement of it all. The cinematography deserves all the applause because many of the camera angles were incredibly artistic.

While I absolutely loved Sean Connery’s performance (as usual), I especially enjoyed the side characters of this film. Ali Kerim Bey delivered one of cinema’s finest comedic one-liners in the midst of holding a “bad guy” hostage: “I’ve had a particularly fascinating life, would you like to hear about it?”. Rosa Klebb is one of the most fascinating villains in the franchise, being more brilliant and strategic not only considering how to kill Bond, but international relations as well. Tatiana Romanova was actually less irritating to me this time around because I noticed she did not follow all of the Bond woman tropes. In fact, I am going to be bold and say that I think she inspired the character Madeline in the Daniel Craig Bond films.

The only thing I really did not enjoy about this film was the gypsy girls fighting scene…it was gross, unnecessary, and fairly cringeworthy.

Overall, I was amazed by how many things have been referenced from this film in other future films. This film set the standard strong not only for the rest of the Bond franchise, but for future films of all genres.