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Rating: "From Russia with Love" (Terence Young, 1963)
The second chapter of the 00settimomilanese saga is, quite simply, a double somersault forward compared to its predecessor "Dr. No", just a year earlier.
First of all, because it makes a decisive contribution to the process of codifying and consolidating the Bond canon.
In fact, many details from "Dr. No" are taken up practically unchanged (and, likely, are destined to enter and become part of the Bond iconography): the so-called "gunbarrel sequence", the flirt with Miss Moneypenny, the hat toss as he enters the office, the close-up of the cigarette case.
Other historical elements, however, are introduced for the first time, above all the figure of Q and the gadgets that, when introduced, seem more useless and difficult to use than a hair straightener for a bald man lost in the middle of the desert, but if they weren't there, James would be dead by the third scene.
But, most importantly, the SPECTRE is presented in all its grandeur, the Great Mother of all international villain organizations, with offices and affiliates worldwide, constantly devoted to the conquest of planet Earth.
The idea of the pyramid structure and the "non-character" of Number One (never shown face-on, always intent on petting the cat) is applause-worthy.
If we add the criminal plan devised by the chess champion, the "final boss" with the personal masseuse, the training camp with flamethrowers, and the phrase "to better train our soldiers, we use human targets", we mere mortals can only stand up and beat our chests with our fists like gibbons in a show of respect.
Throughout the film, the sense of greater confidence is almost palpable: the interplanetary success of the first film likely allowed for raising the stakes in both writing and production.
"From Russia with Love" has a much more intriguing plot, drawing from the contemporary socio-political Cold War landscape, and a much more consistent rhythm.
Istanbul, the chosen location for over half of the film, is depicted as a fascinating and dangerous city, a sort of liminal space where all the world's major powers weave their plots among twisted alleys, enormous minarets, and navigable underground canals.
Connery himself appears, if possible, even more roguish and jester-like than in the first episode: it's only the second episode of the saga, yet his identification with the coolest secret erotomaniac of the 007 seas is complete, and frankly, it already seems impossible to me that any other actor could have attempted the same role without looking like a fool.
It's easy to categorize "From Russia with Love" as simply a better film than "Dr. No"; far more challenging is determining the winner between Ursula Andress and this film's Bond girl, the Italian Daniela Bianchi in the role of the Russian spy Tatiana Romanova.
Starting with the premise that Bianchi is an absolute beauty.
At the first shot, you already want to marry her and make love to her slowly, to watch her face as she reaches ecstasy thanks to the expert movements of your skilled loins.
At the first meeting with Bond, you glimpse her buttocks for a split second, from afar, through a veil... and without even realizing it, you're already on Amazon buying the film on Bluray, to pause it, print it at a 1:1 scale, and stare at it for hours, hoping to be the first case of anal Stendhal syndrome in the history of art.
The nuances of the character are clarified already in that little sadomasochistic masterpiece that is the scene where the ruthless dominatrix "Rosa Klebb" recruits the young Russian to seduce Bond.
Tatiana, shy and submissive, is immediately made uncomfortable: peremptorily, she is ordered to stand up, take off her jacket, display her body, and promise that she will "obey orders". To further embarrass her, it’s pointed out that she "has already had two lovers", revealing, in essence, that under that frightened bird appearance, there is actually a bold bird of prey.
The erotic short circuit that follows reminded me, even if only remotely, of Hitchcock's words in his famous interview with Truffaut: "When I address issues of sex on screen, I don’t forget that, even here, suspense commands everything. If sex is too evident, there's no suspense. Why do I choose sophisticated blonde actresses? You need to look for worldly women, real ladies who become whores when they’re in the bedroom."
Throughout the film, Tatiana's character wonderfully oscillates between perhaps overly sweet romanticism of the "I love you! I love you! I love you!" shouted in the long train sequence, and the shamelessness of "Oh, James, promise me we will always make love when we are in England."
Eventually leading to the definitive breaking of the "undergarment” barrier, when the beautiful Daniela delightfully reveals herself while Bond has her wear the same collar she wore the night of their first sexual encounter, in a shameless game of seduction/submission that I truly did not expect to find in a 1963 film.
All this is to say that she is, certainly, a beauty less explosive and "fiery" than Andress, but what she loses in passion, she certainly gains in refinement, elegance, and, why not, sensuousness.
Ursula does an impressive 360, yet you still end up imagining her soaked and sultry riding you like a mechanical bull at the smoked ham festival of Peveranza.
Bianchi, on the other hand, is more French erotic film-like, with a hint of bondage like Histoire D'O, with close-ups of her biting her lip when spanked.
High-class stuff.
Classy stuff.
Just like me.
And now, as promised, the updated rankings:
"Best Boom Bond Movie":
1) From Russia with Love;
2) Dr. No;
"Best Boom Bond Pussies":
1) Daniela Bianchi – Tatiana Romanova;
2) Ursula Andress – Honey Rider;
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