And of course Cary Grant was Fleming’s preferred choice for Bond (my dad always says that North by Northwest is the original Bond film).
I object most vigorously AND I maintain that had Lois Maxwell and Sean Connery had participated in this even in 2002 there would be no dry eyes in the multiplex. Or unsatisfied ones. All right, R used to be in Monty Python. Yet Q was on DAYS OF OUR LIVES as an annoying psychic, yet he still got Gurney Halleck to surrender while wearing a funny hat 15 minutes into the pilot. So in the end....
From Russia with Love has an overt Hitchcock influence in its stylings and atmosphere, which is part of what makes it, in my estimation, the objectively best Bond film (though TLD remains my personal favorite).
FRWL is, if anything, underrated. OHMSS is, obviously, vastly underrated. But as a friend once said of OHMSS (and forgive me if I already said this in this very thread) "This is the best James Bond movie with the worst James Bond!"
FRWL is a wonderful film...but I always think it feels a trifle dated (ducks). Seriously though, in the 60s Bond was new, it was vibrant and fantastical and forward thinking, whereas FRWL feels like a throwback to the 50s, as has been said there's a North by Northwest feel to it.
Kerim Bey will always be one of my favorite Bond allies. He set the pattern for Marc-Ange Draco and Milos Columbo to follow in coming years.
@cooleddie74 , I thought you might get a kick out of this The Line It Is Drawn: Comic Book Characters As The New James Bond