tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post144385796280620052..comments2024-03-11T01:39:11.362-04:00Comments on At the Scene of the Crime: 007 Reloaded: Dr. NoPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-49238219179062232752013-02-19T12:01:55.584-05:002013-02-19T12:01:55.584-05:00***mild spoilers***
But remember, Sergio, that sh...***mild spoilers***<br /><br />But remember, Sergio, that she got herself out of that death trap instead of relying on Bond's help. In fact, she was planning on avenging Bond's certain demise while he was planning to avenge her certain demise. The moment where they meet and explain this to each other is a pretty funny scene.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-60395011483170644372013-02-19T08:44:03.954-05:002013-02-19T08:44:03.954-05:00DR NO was also the first Bond novel that I read, p...DR NO was also the first Bond novel that I read, probably because it as the first to be filmed though it may simply have been the one that was on the library's shelf. It does feel a lot like a Sax rohmer penny dradful, even beyond the main character, what with the leading lady chained in the cellar so she can be gobbled up by srustaceans etc etc, which I think has stopped me going back to it. But I found it pretty darn thrilling at the time.<br /><br /><br />Really enjoying the new livery Patrick!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-23305016279925357392013-02-19T06:20:46.750-05:002013-02-19T06:20:46.750-05:00Tracy, as it happens, I read the series almost ent...Tracy, as it happens, I read the series almost entirely in order the first time around, with only two exceptions: THE SPY WHO LOVED ME before THUNDERBALL and skipping over YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (which my library lost at the time and I never got around to reading). So I can't say there's much of a difference for me. What I do enjoy about this is seeing how the series develops and how Fleming's attitude towards Bond changes.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-41287538628778376102013-02-19T06:17:36.160-05:002013-02-19T06:17:36.160-05:00I'm amused by the red cover I have pictured he...I'm amused by the red cover I have pictured here, describing Dr. No as a "James Bond Mystery". Granted, Strangways' death is a mystery to him, but not to us! The book is really far more of a thriller, but I guess "mystery" would've sold more.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-71267821549158301452013-02-18T18:13:39.560-05:002013-02-18T18:13:39.560-05:00I enjoyed this review. Very much. I like the level...I enjoyed this review. Very much. I like the level of detail. You are (re)reading these in order? Have you found that it makes a difference? I want to do that, too, so I am curious.TracyKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08303342674824383688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-88859780999156870492013-02-18T10:18:47.316-05:002013-02-18T10:18:47.316-05:00As I've told you, Patrick, in e-mails we'v...As I've told you, Patrick, in e-mails we've exchanged, and as mentioned in an essay (http://www.mystericale.com/historical/IMPOSSIBLEPLEASURES.html), DR. NO was the first Bond novel I read, and it remains my favorite. I was amused by Nick's comment because I'd also been reading the Fu Manchu novels at the time and Fleming's title reminded me of them. Well, that and the back-cover teaser that described Dr. No as "a six-foot-six madman with a mania for lust and torture." Barry Erganghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04305184548497082776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-48992617425777107782013-02-17T15:46:31.879-05:002013-02-17T15:46:31.879-05:00Ah, added the bit on Q in the review. Funny how I ...Ah, added the bit on Q in the review. Funny how I managed to forget the points I was supposed to make. I even had this jotted down among the notes I made before I wrote the review a little over a week ago. I guess I must've forgotten due to the stress of having four exams in five days last week!Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-57155150161997555282013-02-17T15:41:20.987-05:002013-02-17T15:41:20.987-05:00My experience with Sax Rohmer and Fu Manchu has be...My experience with Sax Rohmer and Fu Manchu has been very limited, so I didn't want to make the comparison. But I got that vibe myself, though maybe it was just having a "sinister Chinaman" as the villain. I never came across a maze of torture in the Fu Manchu tales, but it doesn't surprise me. Sounds like something he'd come up with!<br /><br />By Bond movie standards the movie is very close to the book, but it changes considerable stuff to accomodate the character of Felix Leiter for instance. The finale with the maze and the squid is almost completely different, but that's understandable seeing how CGI wasn't around back then. I don't think it'd work particularly well as a cinematic scene anyhow, unlike the thrilling car chases and steam-pressure pipes of MOONRAKER.<br /><br />One thing I forgot to mention is the introduction of Major Boothroyd, aka Q. Fleming named the character after a man named Geoffrey Boothroyd, who wrote to Fleming to explain why Bond should get a new gun. I believe the reply he sent back was along the lines of "it's too late to change it for the next book [From Russia With Love] but I'll give him a new gun next time". The classic cover of FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE features a Smith & Wesson .38 revolver that belonged to Boothroyd and was borrowed to use as a model for the cover.Patrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01844617192737950378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-499247432649483938.post-12320508814189465802013-02-17T11:27:04.998-05:002013-02-17T11:27:04.998-05:00As I commented before, "Dr. No" was the ...As I commented before, "Dr. No" was the first Bond book which I read and I do agree that it is brilliant. I have a feeling that Fleming drew some of his inspiration for the character of Dr. No from Sax Rohmer's Fu Manchu. The maze of torture reminds me a great deal of the elaborate forms of torture Fu subjected his victims to, and even the psychical descriptions of the two men are rather close.<br /><br />I also think it is interesting to note that for the most part, the movie version of "Dr. No" stayed fairly close to the book. It is for the most part an excellent adaptation and I feel like the first four Bond movies are good adaptations of their novels. After that, things just became really mixed, and while I love all of the Bond films, it would have been nice to see more adaptations done of Fleming's novels. Nick Cardillohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12941093024318184603noreply@blogger.com