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Sean Connery's favourite James Bond film is a welcome addition to any DVD collection and undoubtedly a must for 007 fans. The low-key tone is a vast contrast from the outlandishness of Roger Moore's eyebrow, sarcasm and stunt spectaculars. More recently, one could even be forgiven to think that the dire Die Another Day (2002) belongs to a different franchise entirely. Even though the film is over forty years old, quality never ages, and director Terence Young produces one of the scenes of the entire series on-board the Orient Express between Connery's Bond and Robert Shaw's Red Grant. Believability like this also influences Bond's gadgetry, with the only 'gift' from Q branch being the standard attache case, with realistic goodies inside naturally. Rivalled only by the prequel Casino Royale (2006), From Russia with Love is the most serious of the original Bond films, mixing the rarities of an excellent protagonist, a believable plot, an intimidating (instead of laughable) villain and exceptional henchmen to equate to what many consider the ultimate spy yarn.
The extras
Does the film receive the 'ultimate' treatment though? Firstly, all 'Special Edition' extras are included over the two discs, so these 'Ultimate' entries are worth buying if one is starting the DVD collection from scratch as you are losing nothing and gaining material. However, the brilliant Harry Saltzman and "Inside From Russia with Love" featurettes are already on the MGM (Special Edition) discs and only devout fans should upgrade to the new releases for the insightful Ian Fleming segments and the all new DTS 5.1 Audio. The cheapest way to do this is via the various "Buy Bond, Get Bond Free" outlets on the internet which can equate to approximately 8 pounds each for a double-disc set or alternatively wait for the prices to drop.
The summary
President Kennedy named Fleming's novel as one of his all-time favourite books and he, like everyone who has seen the second James Bond adventure, would be thrilled with how EON's film adaptation resulted.
