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MI6 Reviews the new James Bond Ultimate Edition
DVD of the 1962 outing "Dr. No"... |
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DVD Review - Dr. No
16th February 2007
The James Bond movies have been brought into
the 21st century with special 5.1 surround sound remastering,
new film transfers and extra special features in the "Ultimate
Editions" series. MI6 reviews the films and each of these
features along with all the special new content.
| Official Blurb
His name is Bond, James Bond. And here, in his explosive
film debut, Ian Fleming’s immortal action hero blazes
through one of his most spectacular adventures. Sean Connery
embodies the suave yet lethal cool of Agent 007 as he battles
the mysterious Dr. No, a scientific genius bent on destroying
the U.S. space program.
Data Stream
Region: 2
Release Date: 17th July 2006
Running Time: 105 minutes
Screen Format: 1.66:1 Anamorphic Widescreen Transfer
Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1
Subtitles: English, English Captions, Greek, Danish, Dutch,
Finish, Hindi, Norwegian, Swedish.
Audio Specs
English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English DTS 5.1 (768Kb/s)
English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 |
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Video
A respectable effort has been made in the restoration of "Dr.
No".
Some of the outlines in the composite shots remain obvious (fans
will distinctly remember the quality of Bond’s mountaintop
car chase). However, most of these scenes have been
significantly sharpened and are looking quite good considering
the age of this reel! On the whole, colour and skin tone are
much
improved, but the title sequence seems to lack the brightness
and flare it once appeared with.
Audio
There are very few noticeable differences between the previously
available Dolby Soundtrack and the newly released DTS edition.
In both cases the dialogue is clear easy to follow and the music
and foley lend nicely to the Jamaican atmosphere. The surround
sound is used sparingly in both editions, yet this never detracts
from the enjoyment of "Dr. No".
On The DVD
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TOP LEVEL ACCESS
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007: License to Restore - Featurette
Detailing the BOND Ultimate Edition Film Restoration
Process
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DECLASSIFIED: MI6 VAULT
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The Guns of James Bond
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Premiere Bond
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007 MISSION CONTROL
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Interactive Guide Into the
World of Dr. No
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THE COMPLETE SPECIAL FEATURES
LIBRARY - MISSION DOSSIER
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Audio Commentary Featuring
Director Terence Young and Members of the Cast
and Crew
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Inside Dr. No
Terence Young: Bond Vivant -
Dr. No 1963 Featurette
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MINISTRY OF PROPAGANDA, Original
Trailers, TV Spots & Radio Communications
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New Bonus Features
007: License to Restore – A detailed
account on the restoration and colour re-toning of the James
Bond DVDs for "Ultimate Edition" release.
The Guns
of James Bond – The story
of the real Geoffrey Boothroyd, who, with his interest
and knowledge of guns,
contacted and advised Ian Fleming of his errors in choice
of gun for 007. The footage is black and white and very
flickery,
but is an interesting feature.
Premiere Bond – Modern day Bond producer,
Michael G. Wilson narrates a documentary featuring the history
of Bond film premieres, featuring a slideshow of still,
black & white photographs of these events. |
One Last Thing...
Of the many cut scenes over the years, Ursula Andress being tortured by crabs
is one of the most famous. The scene was cut when the lethargic crabs failed
to exhibit much menace, and Honey was to be slowly drowned instead. Only a
couple of stills remain, so no "cut scenes" feature appears here.
Documentaries and features are slim on the ground on this “Ultimate Edition” DVD.
Could the powers that be not have included a wider range of Bond factoids or
retrospective documentaries?
MI6 Rating
| Video |
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| Audio |
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| Special Features |
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| Overall |
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Image courtesy Amazon Associates
