Turned out she could.
Bright surprised everyone, bringing what Welles called "a carnality rarely encountered in Anglo-Saxon players" to Fleming's policewoman heroine Gala Brand.
The role of "M", meanwhile, was filled more than adequately by stage and screen veteran A.E. Matthews, adept at conveying crusty benevolence.
And as for Bogarde's Bond?
"Pretty convincing," recalls cinematographer Conrad Dwight, now a still-sharp, sprightly 87. "Smooth. Classy, glamorous, charismatic. Maybe not the physical hard man Connery showed us - and Dirk wasn't a big, beefy guy, so some skilful shooting was necessary - but anyway, the script didn't call for him to use his fists or physically push guys around - apart from one scene where he kicks that guy - what's his name? Krebs? - in the ass after catching him snooping around in his room. It was more a case of taking physical punishment, and Dirk was very good at showing that side of Bond, that kind of toughness. He was pretty much the character Fleming wrote, in fact. A lot of the Bogarde persona fitted pretty well. The charm. The quiet, sardonic humour. No smart-ass one-liners or fancy gadgets. Dare I say it - romantic? You gotta remember, at this time the only comparison was Barry Nelson in that Hollywood TV thing. This was way before the big '60s Bond craze, and all that stuff coming out about Dirk's sexual preferences. Nobody thought, Hey, this is James Bond, there are certain traditions that must be adhered to.
There were no Bond movie traditions in 1956 ... Sure, there was the gourmet food, cigarettes, fast cars, gambling, women - Welles understood what Fleming was doing, and found a visual equivalent for his prose. Mace saw the rushes and thought it was slowing up the picture, all this dwelling on small details - but then Orson would respond with that rich fruity laugh of his and intone in that sherry-ad voice, 'Dayton, Dayton, the magic's in the details...' And Dirk fought to keep the scar - you know, the scar on Bond's face - I don't remember which side - but the Rank suits said no way, absolutely not."
