Dr No (1958)
The sixth James Bond novel was chosen as the first film in 1962, only four years after the book was published, and thus many people assume it was written much earlier than it was. In a neat reversal, the film version strips out some of the most ridiculous and over the top elements of Fleming’s story, such as Bond venturing through a tunnel of tarantulas before wrestling with a giant squid. By the 1970s, the dial had swung firmly the other way. ‘Dr No’ was set on Jamaica, which Fleming had made his home, and has a subplot about the danger the villainous Dr No poses to marine and bird life as his machinations affect the local ecosystem. In world events, Prime Minister Anthony Eden had just resigned over the Suez Crisis. He stayed with Fleming at Goldeneye as he recuperated from the trauma. They weren’t close friends, but their wives were, and Fleming was a patriot. Buy The Folio Society’s edition of Ian Fleming’s ‘Dr No‘.
