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So yes, I have more than a passing affiliation and affection for the history of the enterprise and will most certainly be in line for all future Bond endeavors (if not first run, than with pizza and beer in hand at one of Portland's many fine second-run theater/brewpubs) but I have never been gaga over the Bond brand. I understand how the films represent a certain form of comfort food, but they aren't movies that I feel the need to return to over and over. In fact, the first and last time I saw many of the Bond films was during a self-programmed marathon of the series in 1990, after watching License to Kill upon its video release. I did my best to view them sequentially but had to wait a while on seeing You Only Live Twice and The Man With the Golden Gun, as neither of the two competing video stores in Sisters carried them. The only nearby establishment that did have them for rental was a KOA Campground convenience store about five miles out of the town. Such are the gentle vagaries and quiet absurdities of small-town life.

So, rewatching the first few Bond adventures for the first time in a couple of decades, including From Russia With Love, was a flooring experience to say the least. I truly did not have a grasp on how much Mike Myers pilfered from the iconography of 1960s-era Bond adventures for the Austin Powers series. I am not certain if this raises my love for what Myers and Jay Roach accomplished (at least with the first one) or lessens it, but it definitely forced me to keep my smirk-o-meter in check as I expected to see Robert Wagner or Will Ferrell pop out from behind a tall chair. Refraining from this was helped immeasurably by becoming reacquainted with Sean Connery's definitive portrayal of agent 007. From his first appearance on screen in Dr. No, eight minutes into the running time, the look on his face is eerily relaxed and composed, almost as if he had glimpsed into the future, seen just what a lucky bastard he turned out to be, and was aware that the days of small roles in films like Darby O'Gill and the Little People were firmly behind him forever. He owns the part and the screen from that instant onward.

From Russia With Love is a definitive example of a second chapter in a film series as it both ties into the plot of the first and continues on with it, bringing back elements from its predecessor while trying new ones on for size and manages to seem comfortable within its contained universe, all the while suggesting that there are new and unexplored avenues to pursue in future installments. Continuity in the director, producers and screenwriters adapting Ian Fleming's source material between the first two films certainly helped with this. The series was still two films away from reaching its commercial high watermark in terms of paying audience and gross adjusted for inflation (Thunderball) and at least one more (You Only Live Twice) away from slipping into the need for ever-increasing over-the-top spectacle and bizarre campy villains with colorful henchman eager to help them rule the world or the sea or outer space. True, these elements are on display in the first two films, particularly the jarring second half of Dr. No beginning with Ursula Andress' frolic out of the ocean, but Connery's grounded and wink-free performance brings something approaching dramatic realism to the proceedings.

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