An interesting
>stage in the development of the Bond franchise. With
>more ambition and humour, bits of this film work and
>others don't, though generally it's a worthwhile entry
>into the canon.

The first SPECTRE scene is one of
>almost unbridled exposition, with a hint of parody
>creeping through. Rosa Klebb is a very daft creation,
>while there's an early post-modern moment as Matt
>Munro's sublime theme song plays on a radio.

Desmond
>Llewelyn makes his debut as Major Boothroyd (Q), a
>telling sign of how silly the series was to become,
>given that here he plays the part completely straight.
>Connery seems a tad smugger than last time, yet
>despite the odd signs of laziness it's still a
>considered performance.

Sexism makes its first real
>appearance in the series, from the belly dancer titles
>to the cleavages and Klebb's stereotyped lesbianism.
>Also a shock to see Bond slapping a woman. Best of all
>though is a wrestling match between two scantily-clad
>gypsy women which is entirely superfluous to the
>plot.

The dynamic of this one is the polar opposite
>of Dr. No: here the first half meanders, while
>the conclusion sees the pace tighten. This comes
>largely from the plot being more set-piece led than
>before. What exactly is the whole point of hte gypsy
>camp sequence anyway? Despite lasting for nearly ten
>minutes the film's structure would be unaffected by
>its removal. The whole film is a lot of effort for
>such a meagre premise (the transport to the West of a
>cipher machine) though again this is more espionage
>thriller than daffy action movie and so it's suitably
>rewarding.

The best scenes involve the nice
>direction of James being filmed making love and his
>clash with Red Grant. The film-twisting conceit of
>Grant's plan ("I get a kick out of watching the great
>James Bond find out what a bloody fool he's been
>making of himself.") is a brilliant touch and hugely
>advances the picture's standing. Thankfully these key
>scenes are delivered with gusto, and lack the sense of
>the ridiculous that these "villain talks before hero
>unexpectedly gets the upperhand" scenes usually
>incur.

As usual for a Connery Bond it contains -
>filmed backdrops and dubbing notwithstanding -
>impressive production values that went astray for the
>sloppier Lazenby/Moore entries. Though being well put
>together cannot fully compensate for a paucity of
>plot, as is the case here.

As a carefully mounted
>love letter to Hitchcock From Russia With Love is one
>of the better 007 movies, if not the best the series
>had to offer.