Ian Fleming, James Bond and The Spectator

It’s 50 years since the death of Ian Fleming and The Spectator has always taken James Bond seriously. The writer of the Spectator’s Notebook in 1962 went along eagerly to see Bond’s first screen appearance. It hasn’t seemed to matter but it seemed odd that the director hadn’t explained some key parts of the plot.

‘Apart from the fact that Bond is played with an Irish-American accent—not particularly noticeable, of course, when he is throwing chaps around or conversing into his mistress’s left ear—what struck me most was the assumption on the part of the film-makers that everyone would know the plot of Dr. No. I imagine that much of Bond’s final obstacle race was cut because the script-writers feared it would be all too familiar, and some episodes became quite incomprehensible: the bit where Dr. No explains his life, achievements and motives for example. However, the scriptwriters’ point was proved for them by those critics who brought in the novel to supply the deficiencies of the film.