How 1950s Censorship Could Have Stripped 'James Bond' of Its Signature Style

On May 8, 1963, Dr. No arrived in US theaters, starring a little-known Scottish actor, Sean Connery. With a budget of just over $1 million, it astounded filmmakers when it went on to gross $16 million worldwide. With its success, the 007 formula of bombshell “Bond” girls and constant near-death situations tinged with humor was born.

“In my opinion, they started this whole larger-than-life approach to action-adventure pictures,” screenwriter Richard Maibaum said in a 1986 interview for Backstory 1: Interviews with Screenwriters of Hollywood’s Golden Age (via CommanderBond.net). But if the film had been made just five years earlier, the result could’ve been not only a much different film, but a lackluster response from filmgoers.

“With the censorship of pictures that existed then, you couldn’t even have the minimal sex and violence that we eventually put into the pictures,” he explained. “They just wouldn’t have been the same.”

In one of the few interviews in which he discussed James Bond, Connery explained that he thought the appeal of Dr. No stemmed from how different it was from the boring “kitchen sink” films being made at the time.

“It was refreshing and had a certain kind of style, although it didn’t cost anything because we only had a million to make the picture,” he told IndieWire in 2002.

It’s well-known that Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond novels, wanted a different actor to play Bond. His list included Cary Grant, Richard Burton, and David Niven, among others. However, the actor at the top of his list, Richard Todd, was unavailable. While Fleming originally didn’t want Connery, he came around after seeing his portrayal in Dr. No. He even gave Bond Scottish ancestry in his next novel, You Only Live Twice.

But even after agreeing to the role, it took some help from others to get Connery into character. For that, he gave full credit to director Terence Young, who even used his own tailor to help provide the right kind of suits he needed to convincingly play the debonair spy.

Despite wishing he’d been paid more, Connery took pride in making the films that changed action-adventure films forever.

“They were exciting and funny and had good stories and pretty girls and intriguing locations,” he said. “And it didn’t take anything for granted.”