Category: From Russia With Love (1963)

“From Russia with Love” (1963): From Denmark with Love

In this new blog series James Bond•O•Rama.dk will attempt to cover every connection to Denmark seen on-screen in the James Bond 007 film series. If you spot a detail that we have missed, please fill us in!

● When Rosa Klebb (Lotte Lenya) and Kronsteen (Vladek Sheybal) are reporting to their leader Ernst Stavro Blofeld (Eric Pohlmann) on a SPECTRE boat, he is sitting at a desk created by Danish furniture designer Bodil Kjær (born 1932).
Cabinetmakers E. Pedersen & Søn produced the free-standing working table from Pao Ferro wood on a chromium-plated steel frame. Kjær originally designed the desk in 1959 as part of the "Office Units" collection for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This very fotogenic example of Danish Modern later found its way onto the silver screen in "You Only Live Twice" (EON 1967) and "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" (EON 1969). Allegedly, both Sean Connery and Michael Caine privately owned Bodil Kjær desks. Today a company called Karakter Copenhagen is still manufacturing the Office Desk albeit in oak or walnut with an aluminum frame.

Bodil Kjær's Office Desk at Karakter Copenhagen (external site)

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“From Russia with Love”: First Danish retail VHS cover (1989)

VHS COVER

 
In 1989 Warner Home Video issued all of the James Bond 007 films (except the Columbia-produced "Casino Royale" from 1967) on retail VHS through local distributor Metronome Video. The Bond films had not previously been available for sale in Denmark.

This initial retail series had specially designed cover art with raster graphics on a metallic grey background which was obviously meant to resemble Maurice Binder's famous gunbarrel design.

The artist who made the artwork for the second film in the series, "From Russia with Love" (1963), is uncredited (with good reason, one might add):

FRWL_gunbarrel-dk-vhs_logo

Thanks to Jan Mouritzen.

“From Russia with Love”: Danish VHS rental cover (1986)

In 1983 Warner Home Video began releasing the James Bond 007 films on rental video (VHS) in Danmark through local distributor Metronome Video A/S.

The VHS cover below is for the first Danish rental of "From Russia with Love" (EON 1963) which was released in 1986. The front cover is adapted from Boris Grinsson's artwork for the French one-sheet theatrical poster.

● Danish release poster for "From Russia With Love" (1963)
● Danish re-release poster for "From Russia With Love" (yellow spot colour, 1970's)
● Danish re-release poster for "From Russia With Love" (b&w, 1980's)

FRWL DK VHS cover 1986

Scan courtesy of Hans-Jørn Reimer.

“From Russia with Love” (1963): Danish b&w theatrical poster

"From Russia with Love", the second James Bond 007 film from EON Productions, was released into Danish cinemas on 20 December 1963 by United Artists.

This striking monochrome theatrical poster was based on Renato Fratini's artwork for the UK Double Crown poster, in turn based on a promotional photo by David Hurn.

The name of the original Bond novelist, Ian Fleming, has been danicized into Jan Fleming in concordance with the spelling on the books' first editions in Denmark.

The film's Danish title, "Agent 007 jages", translates as "Agent 007 is being hunted".

“From Russia With Love”: Aktuelt’s film review (1963)

Film review, 21 December 1963

 
Several Danish film critics expressed their dislike of the James Bond 007 films during their original release in the early 1960's. The highly regarded Bjørn Rasmussen, M.A., who reviewed films for the Danish daily Aktuelt and hosted the film programme "Filmorientering" on national Danish television during the 60's, dismissed the Bond films as "sensationalist entertainment marked by poor taste" in his reference book "Filmens Hvem-Hvad-Hvor" (1967). He did however note that "From Russia with Love" (1963) was "the best in the series".

When EON Productions' "From Russia with Love"  was released into Danish theatres in December 1963, Bjørn Rasmussen was markedly less kind in his scathing review for Aktuelt:

”Agent 007” returns

Christmas programming at Nørreport Cinema is brutal entertainment

With the pulp thriller ”From Russia with Love” (1963), Nørreport [Cinema] picks up from ”Dr. No”. This is a coarsely brutal, sensational serial based on Ian Fleming's vulgar novels, issued in Denmark by [Sven] Hazel's publishing house (of all!). The films, as well as the novels, are brimming with straightforward suspense, devoid of probability and based on the spectator not having time to detect the obvious gaffes.

This time, a so-called ”Lektor” is to be smuggled out and change hands from Russian to English ownership. We are not dealing with a lecturer [”lektor” in Danish, ed.] but a decoding machine. Fights, murders, sex, and speed is mobilized as well as all kinds of spies for all kinds of nations. They are secretly spying on each other nonstop. The most repulsive of them all would be Lotte Lenja [sic], the widow of Kurt Weill, evil incarnate and an efficient member of the international crime organization ”Spectre” who are also out to get the Lektor.

In the middle of all this nonsense, a glimmer of something truly cinematic shines through as is often the case with rudimentary pulp thrillers such as this. But [the film] is dreadfully simple and unpleasant to watch.

Written by Bjørn Rasmussen
Translation by Bond•O•Rama.dk

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