Bond Music: Dr No
In belated tribute to Skyfall, which everyone and their Mum has seen although I haven't here are some thoughts on the most important bit of the Bond Films - the music. The opening sequence of Dr No.
This is the first Bond film and so the first time this music gets used. Things to note:
- The twiddly bit at the start of the main theme which is soon[1] lost, followed by a shot and the big band jazziness of that now over-familiar music. I don't know if I can ever recreate the feelings, which included shock and excitement, the first time I heard it. (It would have been a Roger Moore film, not this one)
- The weird, almost psychedelic dotty credits, and the way Dr No jumps around the screen. Crazy.
- Then it goes all bongo dance party! It says this film is going to the Caribbean.
- And a third change, to the pop-calypso Three Blind Mice, which moves us neatly into the first scene of the film (unless my memory of it is wrong).
What to make of it? It's a bit of a mess frankly - three perfectly good pieces of music, all of which would do fine to introduce the film, but just jammed together like me DJing. Still, this is par for the course, and I really like all those dots running around the screen like some kind of out of control computer program.
Also, Under the Mango Tree
More Calypso. They really wanted to use the music to localise us in this film. On an unrelated note, see the stunt sequence from 1.35 to 2.05. Connery and Andress run along a pier past a couple of dozen extras, climb down to the boat, have a brief fight with the guys on it, untie it and sail it away, all in one shot. Pretty cool!
Sadly I have less to say than I thought. Maybe I'll do better with From Russia With Love.
[1] Soon as in next year's From Russia With Love unless I'm mistaken
This is the first Bond film and so the first time this music gets used. Things to note:
- The twiddly bit at the start of the main theme which is soon[1] lost, followed by a shot and the big band jazziness of that now over-familiar music. I don't know if I can ever recreate the feelings, which included shock and excitement, the first time I heard it. (It would have been a Roger Moore film, not this one)
- The weird, almost psychedelic dotty credits, and the way Dr No jumps around the screen. Crazy.
- Then it goes all bongo dance party! It says this film is going to the Caribbean.
- And a third change, to the pop-calypso Three Blind Mice, which moves us neatly into the first scene of the film (unless my memory of it is wrong).
What to make of it? It's a bit of a mess frankly - three perfectly good pieces of music, all of which would do fine to introduce the film, but just jammed together like me DJing. Still, this is par for the course, and I really like all those dots running around the screen like some kind of out of control computer program.
Also, Under the Mango Tree
More Calypso. They really wanted to use the music to localise us in this film. On an unrelated note, see the stunt sequence from 1.35 to 2.05. Connery and Andress run along a pier past a couple of dozen extras, climb down to the boat, have a brief fight with the guys on it, untie it and sail it away, all in one shot. Pretty cool!
Sadly I have less to say than I thought. Maybe I'll do better with From Russia With Love.
[1] Soon as in next year's From Russia With Love unless I'm mistaken
Comments