Rating: 
Summary: Doesn't Disappoint...
Review: DVD features are excellent, and this particular film is, like others have mentioned, undeniably one of the top 3 Bond films there is. You'll see many of the silly Austin Powers' references in From Russia With Love. Gadgets, belly dancers, decoders, car tailing, a countryside train scene, and dastardly conspiracies involving the manipulation of love and greedy desires make for an incredibly worthwhile 2+ hours of classic early 60's James Bond. The DVD menu effects, included trailor, music and over-all polish are top notch.
Rating:
Summary: connery met his match
Review: This movie is good mainly because of robert shaw ("shark in water") . I dont know how this film would be like if not robert shaw, the whole train scenes are film classic . and connery and shaw go together well (tough guys). its funny also to watch the fight scene in the train if you see in slow motion you can clearly see the faces of the stunts (skinny "robert shaw" with white wig)
Rating:
Summary: Almost better than the book!
Review: As a Fleming purist, I can't help but feel guilty when I say that the film version of "From Russia with Love" is just as good as the novel. However, this story is a very visual, sweeping one that, at some points, is better shown than told. Fleming's descriptions of Istanbul and the Gypsy camp were wonderful, but the movie really brings them to life. The DVD tells us that the inclusion of SPECTRE is there for political reasons, but it actually ends up making for a tighter and more suspensful plot. Rather than changing the story a great deal, the Film's producers added a new layer to it. Benifits of this are the inclusion of some action sequences and locations not used in the novel. If you like Bond for the movies, check this one out to see what the Brosnan ones are lacking. But, if like me, you're a reader hesitant to ruin a book's memory, you can relax. BUY this movie and be prepared to be pleasently surprised.
Rating:
Summary: Among the best of Bond
Review: This is the second film in the series released in 1963. It is one of the best of the Sean Connery era, with an outstanding story from Ian Fleming's novel, and a terrific screenplay by Johanna Harwood (who also collaborated on Dr. No). The story revolves around Bond's attempt at getting a Soviet decoding machine, which is the bait in a trap being set by SPECTRE to kill him. I consider this one of the best of the Bond series. After the success of the first film, "Dr. No", producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman doubled the budget and expanded the concept. For the Bond girls they found three former beauty queens, one of whom (Daniela Bianchi, Miss Italy 1960) was first runner up in the Miss Universe pageant. They also introduced Desmond Llewelyn as Major Boothroyd (codename Q) whose gadgets became a staple of Bond films for a quarter century. They filmed in Turkey and gave the film a very exotic (and erotic) ambiance with the inclusion of a racy gypsy belly dancer. The film was destined for success from the outset. Ian Fleming's novel was a best seller, and it was listed among President Kennedy's ten favorite books. The first film, "Dr. No" was so well received that a sort of mania was building in expectation of the sequel. When it was released, it was an instant success. It grossed over $75 million worldwide (about $450 million in today's dollars). Broccoli and Saltzman were so confident of the concept that they announced the next sequel, (including the title, "Goldfinger") at the end of this film. The production was not without difficulties, however. Pedro Armendariz learned during the filming that he was terminally ill with cancer. He was deteriorating so quickly that they shot all his scenes first. He was often so weak he couldn't stand. After his scenes were completed and before the film was released, he took his own life, unwilling to wait for the disease to do its worst. This film along with "Goldfinger" represents the best of the series. It was early enough that the concept was still fresh and unadulterated by excessive gimmickry. As the Bond series continued, there was always an obsession with outdoing the previous film. With each film, more aspects were added (stunts, pyrotechnics, gadgets, women, sexual innuendo, etc.), until the stories became trivial and the gimmicks became the point. "From Russia With Love" is the essence of Bond in its purest form, a straight spy story with more intrigue than action. Sean Connery was outstanding in this film. He was energetic and exciting in the role, in complete command of each frame. Daniela Bianchi was also excellent as the duplicitous temptress whose professed love for Bond is always suspect. The DVD offers an interesting behind-the-scenes featurette, with a lot of historical information and retrospective interviews with Connery, Bianchi and others. I've always felt that Connery was the Quintessential Bond, and this was among the best of his Bond performances. I rated this film a 9/10. If you enjoy 007 and you have never seen this film, your experience is incomplete.
Rating:
Summary: Ian Fleming¿s Bond Comes to Fruition
Review: "From Russia With Love" is one of the better Bond films in the series. It is probably Sean Connery's best depending if you prefer his performance here before he redefined his performance permanently in "Goldfinger." In "From Russia With Love" Sean Connery continued his portrayal of the character in the Fleming literary mold. It follows the directorial style of "Dr. No." In "From Russia With Love" Connery continued to refine his performance adding more depth to the character's worldliness, intellect, social graces and wry humor. The film's story and plot are very good. S.P.E.C.T.R.E. returns and we are introduced to Blofeld. This time the villains' plot is twofold as it lures James Bond and the Soviets into a tangled web of espionage from Istanbul to Venice as it unfolds like a travelogue of intrigue and adventure. There are so many superlatives to this film. The characters have real depth. The acting is excellent. The locations and sets breathe real life into the story. The fight scene in the gypsy camp is a triumph of choreography, cinematography and editing which is only equaled by the death struggle between Red Grant and Bond on the Orient Express. John Barry's first complete score brings a highly recognizable sound to the Bond series with his unique musical style. It works very well in this film as it works on both an intellectual and emotional level. I don't think Ian Fleming could not have asked for more.
Rating:
Summary: Come For The Movie, Stay For The Extras
Review: From Russia With Love, the second James Bond film, is one of the best (in my view, second only to Goldfinger). Unlike the later films in the series, From Russia With Love is extremely faithful to the Ian Fleming novel with only slight variations on the story. In order to obtain a Russian decoding machine, 007 must travel to Istanbul, Turkey to aid a beautiful Russian defector ... even though he and the British Secret Service know it's probably a trap. But unbeknownst to Bond SPECTRE is playing the Russians and the British against each other. This is the most realistic of the Bond films with a story that could probably happen in the real world of espionage. The film does contain a gadget -- a trick briefcase (also in the Fleming novel) that contains throwing knives, ammunition, a folding sniper's rifle, 50 gold sovereigns and a tear gas cartridge that explodes when the case is opened improperly. The film, however, takes a very realistic approach to the story with none of the cartoon antics present in many of the later Bonds. Terence Young, who also helmed Dr. No and Thunderball, does an outstanding job of directing. He makes wonderful use of the locations, especially in Istanbul. As with his other two Bond efforts, Young eschews a cartoon approach to the action in favor of a more brutal, realistic approach. And unlike many later Bond directors, Young concentrates on developing characters, making them real people with real emotions. The audience feels for the characters emotionally -- something unheard of with the cardboard cutout characters of the later films. Peter Hunt's editing is a marvel. The action scenes are tightly edited and the film's pacing and continuity are flawless. In addition, the DVD documentary shows just how much Hunt helped shape the final project. He went beyond simply editing the film and actually helped shape and improve the story. However, the best thing about the film is the casting. Young must have taken great care to properly cast From Russia With Love because every part matches their novel counterpart down to the last detail. Sean Connery, of course, is, and always will be, the best James Bond. Newcomer Daniela Bianchi is terrific as pseudo defector Tatiana Romanova. She is beautiful, sexy and appealing. It's too bad she didn't have more of a screen career. Lotte Lenya (Threepenny Opera), the famed German musical star, does a wonderful villainous turn as Rosa Klebb, former SMERSH agent who is now working for SPECTRE. Robert Shaw (A Man for all Seasons, Black Sunday, Jaws) is chilling as SPECTRE assassin Red Grant. And Pedro Armendariz (the Mexican who says "who don't need no stinking badges!" in Treasure of the Sierra Madre), in the performance of his career, plays Ali Karim Bey, the head of Station T, Turkey. Aremedariz's performance is especially poignant because he was dying of cancer during the filming. He shot himself while in the hospital soon after he was through filming. From Russia With Love is not only a good Bond film, but a good film alone, apart from the series. Along with Dr. No and Goldfinger, From Russia With Love represents a high point that the later films never quite matched. The DVD tranfer is spectacular, with terrific sound and picture quality. What makes the DVD special, however, are the special features which include three documentaries, trailers, TV and radio spots and cast & crew profiles. The main documentary is especially interesting as it details how the filmmakers drastically changed the story progression during the shoot. As with all of the Bond DVD's, MGM has done a superb job, giving the buyer much, much more than just the film to view.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best Bond movie
Review: It has been said before, but I'll say it again - Sean Connery IS James Bond. With that out of the way, why is this the best? It has one of the tightest scripts of the series and good supporting cast throughout, but it boils down to two things; or really, two villains (it always comes down to the villains). Lotte Lenya is chillingly creepy as Rosa Krebs, one of the greatest Bond villains ever. And Robert Shaw is magnificent as the bull-necked, dead-eyed killing machine. His fight with Connery in the train is maybe the most thrilling unarmed fight scene I have ever seen in a movie (okay, except for Bruce).
Rating: 
Summary: Widescreen?
Review: I agree with most reviewers that From Russia With Love is one of the best Bond movies but I was very disapointed that contrary to the cover claiming that it was a widescreen version it was full screen. I have the Criterion laserdisc which is widescreen and although the laserdisc is supposedly lower in resolution than the DVD I believe the laser is better. The extras with the DVD are nice but the screen format was a BIG disappointment! This refers to the 007 Volume 3 DVD which I assume is the same as the one listed here.
Rating:
Summary: From Russia With Love
Review: Truely one of the best of the series. This is the second of the Bond movies, Sean Connery and Terrance Young do a wonderful job of expanding the Bond character. This movie contains the first appearance of Desmond Llewelyn as the ever popular "Q" with the first in a long line of secret gadgets. It also has deliciously evil villans, gorgeous women, great action, and most importantly the most believable plot of any of the Bond movies. John Barry's second score of the series is very enjoyable and introduces the popular "007 Theme" (played during the fight at the gypsy camp and Bond's escape with the Lector). Sold singley or in the Giftset Vol. 3, a definite addition to or shopping cart for great action/adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: Second Bond Film Doesn't Disappoint
Review: Sean Connery returns to the role of 007 in the second film of the series. I won't give away too much of the story, but this film features excellent plot and dialogue with some swift action sequences squeezed in here and there. The movie is primarily set on a train traveling through Europe, so if you are looking for some of those exotic locales from other Bonds, this might not be the one for you ..... However, it is excellent nonetheless. Many critics call FRWL the best Bond in the series, but i disagree. I tend to like several films such as Goldfinger, Thunderball, Live and Let Die, and a few others more than this one simply because, although less realistic, the villains are more menacing, the sets more varied, and the schemes more creative. I do give this film credit for probably having the most down to earth and realistic plot in the series, along with For Your Eyes Only.
|
