From Russia With Love

[Windthrop]

Just saw the remastered version last night on the big screen. Still works rather well on the big screen and the remastering job (which has been on TV already) looks fantastic.

[earlb]

Does it include the bad music editing at the end credits?

[James Fox]

Nice! This is one of the very best Bond films imo.

[Windthrop]

Does it include the bad music editing at the end credits?

The weakness was the soundtrack - that could have been enhanced. It fairness it might have been that the cinema hadn't had time to check the print. I went for the early evening screening and found that the previous showings had been cancelled because the print hadn't been delivered and I had to wait for the late showing ( but got free seats, beverages and munchies !).

[Lord Brett]

If you're referring to the bit where Bond throws the reel of film over the side of his gondola at the end, that's due to a line of dialogue which was cut at a late stage. The BBFC objected to a line of Robert Shaw's earlier in the film where he is looking at the film he has of Bond and Tania in bed together and comments 'what a performance'.



At the end of the film Bond was supposed to look at the film and say something along the lines of 'he was right, you know' before tossing it overboard. As the Shaw line was cut (almost seemlessly - you can tell where it was meant to be, but only if you're really looking/listening for it) the end line made no sense and had to go, but the edit was very clumsy.



I saw a new print of FRWL at Bradford a few years ago and it was rather a disappointment - brown and muddy colours. I wonder if the new release is digital.

[m35541]

At the end of the film Bond was supposed to look at the film and say something along the lines of 'he was right, you know' before tossing it overboard. As the Shaw line was cut (almost seemlessly - you can tell where it was meant to be, but only if you're really looking/listening for it) the end line made no sense and had to go, but the edit was very clumsy.

As i recall the line "he was right you know" is in there but what's missing is the subsequent "what a performance" line from Bond which was meant to be the last line of the movie and that deletion causes the bad sountrack edit as presumably it was cut post all the scroing and everything..

[Windthrop]

If you're referring to the bit where Bond throws the reel of film over the side of his gondola at the end, that's due to a line of dialogue which was cut at a late stage. The BBFC objected to a line of Robert Shaw's earlier in the film where he is looking at the film he has of Bond and Tania in bed together and comments 'what a performance'.



At the end of the film Bond was supposed to look at the film and say something along the lines of 'he was right, you know' before tossing it overboard. As the Shaw line was cut (almost seemlessly - you can tell where it was meant to be, but only if you're really looking/listening for it) the end line made no sense and had to go, but the edit was very clumsy.



I saw a new print of FRWL at Bradford a few years ago and it was rather a disappointment - brown and muddy colours. I wonder if the new release is digital.

It is digital as I under stand it. It certainly isn't muddy and brown

[Lord Brett]

As i recall the line "he was right you know" is in there but what's missing is the subsequent "what a performance" line from Bond which was meant to be the last line of the movie and that deletion causes the bad sountrack edit as presumably it was cut post all the scroing and everything..

You're right, you know...



Here's a link to an interesting discussion on the subject:



DVD Savant Review: Gavin Salkeld on the censorship of From Russia With Love

[earlb]

that deletion causes the bad soundtrack edit as presumably it was cut post all the scoring and everything..

The obvious answer has to be - remove the soundtrack and redub. With all the money spent on the Bond movies, that would have cost peanuts.

[mrs_emma_peel]

From Russia With Love (1963)
ITV1 Saturday 13th August 2011 ... 3.45-5.55pm

My equal second favourite Bond movie ... along with Goldfinger ...

According to Barry Norman in the Radio Times ... From Russia With Love is Sean Connery’s favourite Bond film. The film adheres very closely the original source material of Fleming’s novel ... as IMO all the best Bond films do ... On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Casino Royale, and Goldfinger, although I think the wonderfully sharp script in Goldfinger actually improves upon Fleming’s novel.

In From Russia With Love Bond gets lured into a complex honey-trap finds when he helps a beautiful Russian girl, splendidly played by Daniella Bianchi, who wants to defect to the West with an invaluable Lector cipher de-coder machine. (Her voice was dubbed by English actress Barbara Jefford)

It soon becomes apparent that the girl is merely being used by SPECTRE ... stunningly powerful performances by Robert Shaw as the brutal assassin Grant, by Lotte Lenya as the ruthless former SMERSH executive Rosa Klebb (her lesbianism described fully in the book when she tries to seduce Tania, is only hinted at in the film) and Vladek Sheybal as the devisor of the perfect plan for Bond’s humiliation and death ... Kronsteen.

There is one chapter in the book which I wish had not been changed ... (the giant poster with trap-door in her mouth scene) was the marvellously titled chapter ... The Mouth of Marilyn Monroe advertising the film Niagara) ... but was changed in the film to Anita Ekberg in Call Me Bwana.

This superb thriller is one of few classic Bond films that can stand alone as a one-off spy-thriller in it’s own right, and has one of the best fight scenes of the entire Bond series.
It’s just a pity the film will probably not be shown in its entirety, completely uncut, with sensible end of scene break points.

In one showing of FRWL when Bond writes on the photograph of Tanya Romanova ... With Love ... ITV went into an ad-break ... cutting an iconic scene in the film ... when Bond completes the phrase for Miss Moneypenny by writing above With Love ... From Russia. A classic moment in the film.

BBC2 showed From Russia With Love uncut, in a late evening time slot a while ago ... the first time, I think, BBC has ever gained the rights to show a Bond film.

Yet, ITV may surprise us and show the film uncut ... but due to the time slot this seems unlikely.

Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendáriz, Lotte Lenya. Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya, Vladek Sheybal, Bernard Lee
Director: Terence Young

Emma

[Heinrich]

It had the one of the best songs sung by a great singer, Matt Monro.

[Wolfgang]

It is streets ahead of every other Bond film, although there are others I like just as much. I think it is only Bond film that carries any real sense of danger, and Daniela Bianchi is my favourite Bond girl too. Possible best ever Bond line too: Tatiana: I think my mouth is too big; Bond: Not for me...

[julian_craster]

And it has Lottie Lenya....

[GRAEME]

And some of the dodgiest rear projection effects of any famous top ranked film this side of Alfred Hitchcock!

[alan gowdy]

Saw this again recently on TV (presumably the restored version) and my attention was drawn to the use of the James Bond theme during the sequence where Bond checks out his hotel room for bugs. It is used without subtlety and really jarred - I'm sure that older versions did not have music all over the scene.
Is my memory playing tricks yet again?
Did 'someone' think that the effects audio alone was too thin to carry the scene unaugmented to a modern audience?
Was the mix used from a foreign version?

Questions questions

[m35541]

No - i remember the James Bond theme in the 'bugs' scene from when I saw it in the cinema. It's always been there. I am not sure whether it now seems louder due to a remix of the audio on the DVD.

[Edward G]

Great slideshow, Heinrich.
Ever since I first saw this strong entry in the 007 series, I have never been able to think of the film title without Matt Monro's soaring vocals; although I think the vocal version of the theme tune was only played over the end credits.
One of the absolute best thme songs ever enjoyed by the human ear!