From Russia with Love
Rent/Purchase
Agent 007 is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.
What critics thought
Near-universally embraced as a triumph of tongue-in-cheek adventure filmmaking, From Russia with Love is celebrated for its propulsive pacing, globe-trotting atmosphere, and self-aware wit — though even admirers noted it couldn't quite match the freshness of Dr. No. The critical quibbles were minor: this is a film critics enjoyed too much to argue with seriously.
“the film is highly immoral in every imaginable way; it is neither uplifting, instructive nor life-enhancing. Neither is it great film-making. But it sure is fun.”
Richard Roud·The Guardian
“the nonsense is all very amiable and tongue-in-cheek and will no doubt make a fortune for its devisers”
The Times
“a preposterous, skillful slab of hardhitting, sexy hokum. After a slowish start, it is directed by Terence Young at zingy pace. The cast perform with an amusing combo of tongue-in-cheek and seriousness and the Istanbul location is an added bonus.”
Variety
“the way the credits are done has the same self-mocking flamboyance as everything else in the picture.”
Penelope Gilliatt·The Observer
Genres
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTerence Young
StarringSean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendáriz, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya
ComposerJohn Barry
From Russia with Love
Agent 007 is back in the second installment of the James Bond series, this time battling a secret crime organization known as SPECTRE. Russians Rosa Klebb and Kronsteen are out to snatch a decoding device known as the Lektor, using the ravishing Tatiana to lure Bond into helping them. Bond willingly travels to meet Tatiana in Istanbul, where he must rely on his wits to escape with his life in a series of deadly encounters with the enemy.
What critics thought
Near-universally embraced as a triumph of tongue-in-cheek adventure filmmaking, From Russia with Love is celebrated for its propulsive pacing, globe-trotting atmosphere, and self-aware wit — though even admirers noted it couldn't quite match the freshness of Dr. No. The critical quibbles were minor: this is a film critics enjoyed too much to argue with seriously.
“the film is highly immoral in every imaginable way; it is neither uplifting, instructive nor life-enhancing. Neither is it great film-making. But it sure is fun.”
Richard Roud·The Guardian
“the nonsense is all very amiable and tongue-in-cheek and will no doubt make a fortune for its devisers”
The Times
“a preposterous, skillful slab of hardhitting, sexy hokum. After a slowish start, it is directed by Terence Young at zingy pace. The cast perform with an amusing combo of tongue-in-cheek and seriousness and the Istanbul location is an added bonus.”
Variety
“the way the credits are done has the same self-mocking flamboyance as everything else in the picture.”
Penelope Gilliatt·The Observer
Genres
Action, Adventure, Thriller
Cast & Crew
DirectorTerence Young
StarringSean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendáriz, Robert Shaw, Lotte Lenya
ComposerJohn Barry
Rent/Purchase