Yea.. even if in my opinion... From Russia with love is... well not my favorite.. its always the second to look at. The problem is when you come to Casino Royal or Here majesties secret service.... Should you look at Casino Royal or not.. Then later its Never say never again or The man with the a view to a kill.
agreed, Even the "Bad" ones are worth the watch for the context of when they nail the franchise. And even some of the "Bad" ones transcend in to Proper "Cheese" classics, Moon Raker is one of those in my opinion :)
I also didn't like Never Say Never Again, but you are also right in that all of Sean Connery's Bond films should be watched. In fact I think all the Bond films should be watched.
I'd say that the next film, From Russia with Love is a must, as that feels like the first REAL Bond film where all the standard tropes are more established, and it's a stronger story than Dr. No.
This is one of the coldest moments in all the films. The sound mix on those bullet impacts, especially the ones where he's prone on the floor. Just brutal.
Exactly. Its been copied so many times he thinks he's seeing another copy. So many iconic scenes,__ the girl ( u know which one) the car, the raid on fort knox, the exceptional title song , the slam bang first scene, .I could go on....and Connery never looked better .
Even though this was the first James Bond movie they absolutely nailed it. It is in my opinion one of the best bond movies. Sean Connery gave an amazing performance.
there is older ones out there. seen a very old version of casino royale, they run it on TV and I just thought it was the one with Daniel Craig, but it sure wasnt. the book was released 1953, so the movie probably came soon after. but I cant find it when I try and search it. Im sure it wasnt just a movie with a same name but based on the book.
@@KossolaxtheForesworn there was a live TV version done in the 50s with Barry Sullivan as American agent "Jim Bond" which still exists.And due to Eon productions not owning that book,another company did a Casino Royale movie in '67 with David Niven,Woody Allen and Peter Sellers.It's a comedy,and the disastrous behind the scenes stories are more entertaining than the movie itself.
It doesn't have the baggage of later films of trying to pull off the same old formulaic tropes. That's why I like the first 3 and Casino Royale the most. No fan-servicey stuff. Just straight up Bond. None of the baggage other films in the series carry.
@Maya Nightwolf I have seen the 1967 movie, it wasnt that one. but what are changes there is an old black and white spy movie with same name that I cant find when I search it. so I probably remember wrong.
Shan, and everybody out there. Just a piece of trivia. What year did Roger Moore appeared as 007, James Bond, in any public capacity (it can be radio, tv, commercial etc....) Hint: It's before his first cinematic output as Bond, 1973's Live and let die.
"Objectification" was the norm back then for both men and women. House appliances and daycare hadn't fully liberated the woman yet, so most of them where still living in the old habit of making their living through men. Don't judge the past based on modern standards.
Goldfinger was always my favorite Bond movie, and had the best line of all the movies "Do you expect me to talk?!" - "No, Mr. Bond! I expect you to die!"
The way the villain delivers that line is, for me, the highlight of the Connery/Moore era...never bothered with the newer Bonds, saw one with Craig, good movie, but it all seems soooo familiar...I think people assume Arnie invented the action 'one-liner', but I think it's Bond
@@michaelbastraw1493 Well. Mr Leo, since the line is based on surprise, yeah, a spoiler. but was it in the film Shan said he saw? It's hard for me to believe there are 30-somethings unfamiliar with it, but possible
@@porkfrog2785 You could be right. As Shan was unclear how much of the film he actually watched, I probably would have erred on the side of caution. Now that the Pussy's out of the bag, here is Gert Frobe's actual voice in the scene: czcams.com/video/esOKJZnItX4/video.html Best. Leo.
The best thing is the Airplane where you could take your Car with you on the journey.. It actually existed a bref period in the 60-tys.... But Goldfingers car would be waaaay to heavy.
Thunderball, From Russia with love are great Sean Connery Bond films. Roger Moore Live and let die, The Man with golden gun, For your eyes only and The Spy who loved me. Dalton Living daylight and License to kill are some of my all-time favorites!!!
In the book, which wasn't the first Bond novel, the spider is instead a centipede, but later Bond has to crawl though hundreds of tarantulas (a test from Dr. No) as well as fight his pet GIANT SQUID.
And in the original cut of the film Honey was reportedly menaced by a horde of killer crabs while tied down. I think the scene was in the preview but they just couldn't edit it to not look ridiculous.
I understand you'd probably rather not commit to this but I'm bringing my hooded Kermit the frog to say: "React to them all!" Thanks from this Bond fan for any you choose to cover. Love your videos! Also, from my understanding, a shaken martini is more watered down because more ice melts when you shake it than when you stir it. Point being you can drink and get drunk slower. Useful for a secret agent...
@Shan Watches Movies: Only a couple of them are genuinely bad. For the most part, the Bond series is consistently very enjoyable, or would at least make for great reactions.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Some are bad but I love them anyway. They're never boring. I'd recommend: On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1967) - Lazenby's one off, it was unloved originally but many modern fans put it among their favorites. Live and Let Die (1973) - Moore's first. It's really fun and has a unique feel for a Bond film. Moonraker (1979) - many will say this one is bad they are dead wrong in my opinion. It rocks. Famously it's the one that puts Bond in space. However it's well executed. If you can accept that concept and roll with some of the silly elements it's so much fun. Top five for me. License to Kill (1989) - a flop in its day that was ahead of its time. It's my second favorite film in the franchise. It's Bond meets an 80s action movie (in the vein of Die Hard). For my money it's really well done. It also has my favorite villain of the franchise.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Honestly, even the bad ones have their charm. In fact, it may be entertaining to watch your reactions to the silly ones like Moonraker or Diamonds are Forever.
Martin Sheen as POTUS In The West Wing TV series (1999), pointed out in an episode that Bond, snootily ordering a shaken martini, is going to receive a watered-down drink. That's why martinis are stirred with a special spoon so as not to break the ice and dilute the beverage. Welcome to my house of useless knowledge. Best. Leo.
Yes, but there's a reason for that. Potato vodka - which would have been predominant when Fleming began writing the books - typically contains more fuselols than grain vodka, and a less stringent production process leaves them in, which would make a stirred vodka martini taste distinctly oily. Shaking is one method to reduce the oily flavour. Bond in fact discusses this with the barman in the novel of Dr No.
There are many Bond films worth a watch, but, imo From Russia With Love is a must. No spoilers, but it has one of the best hand to hand fight scenes that you will see in any Bond film
Although in my opinion the second one, License To Kill, takes that to a ridiculous degree with Bond becoming a vengeful renegade on a killing crusade which MI6 would never forgive.
For the spider scene, apparently they tried shooting the spider on top of a glass plate so it didn't touch Connery's shoulder, but it didn't work. So they got the spider to crawl up a stuntman's arm, intercut with closeups of Connery's face. The stuntman said it was the most terrifying stunt he ever had to do XP
With the spider scene, they did in fact use a piece of glass for the shots with Connery, for the shots with his stuntman they actually put the spider on him. And he was super scared and demanded a bunch of extra money for it, which is funny nowadays considering tarantulas aren't deadly poisonous.
HOLY S***!! I'm not giddy right now, YOU are! Thanks for this one, Shan. I'm so glad you're going down this road of early Bond. I hope you do Lazenby's 'version' as well. Up next: Hunt For Red October ;)
"This looks like a villain's lair for sure." Get used to Ken Adam designing some of the most gorgeously mind-bending abodes for the bad guys. Best. Leo.
His designs are so hyper-stylized and make no logical sense but are amazing. Drax's station is completely unsymmetrical and confusing, like it was designed by M.C. Escher.
Shan. The set design in this film was done by architect Ken Adam. He created the 'signature' bond feel in the series, i.e., using sleek materials, odd angles and minimalist and of course, those automatic stainless steel sliding doors. Other films include Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, Moonraker, The Spy Who Love Me.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Dr. No and From Russia With Love are definitely the most realistic or plausible movies. They are closer to a John Le Carre spy story than the unbelievable campiness of Moore’s Bond or the later superhero Bonds.
_From Russia With Love_ is the next film in the series, and it's among my favorites. It's the last one that could be called a "Serious spy film" before the series starts showing more extravagant gadgets.
Omg, I'm so happy you're reacting to the older Bond movies! I've been asking for this in your last few videos. This makes me so happy. I am a huuuuuuge Bond nerd. Will give you lots of additional info :)
@@ShanWatchesMovies here's the ones worth reacting to From Russia With Love(1963) Goldfinger (1964) Thunderball (1965) You Only Live Twice (1967) On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969) Live & Let Die (1973) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) For Your Eyes Only(1981) Octopussy(1983) The Living Daylights (1987) License To Kill(1989)
@@jesselester9722 What about Casino Royal from 1969... yea i know its not a "real" bond movie.. but.. well its a bond movie anyway. Never say never gain from 1983? That is sort of a real bond movie
@@jesselester9722 I don't exactly agree with the list, as the ones you left out are still worth reacting to Plus, if you're going to go on a James Bond journey, watch them all ... and seriously, are you going to deprive yourself the pleasure of watching him watch Moonraker?
I'm sure you'll watch them all sooner or later but here are my top 5 recomendations of the older films: From Russia with Love (the closest Bond comes to be a cold war spy thriller), Goldfinger (this is really where the franchise turned into high gear), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (people either really love or really hate this one, personally I love it), The Spy Who Loved Me (is to Moore era what Goldfinger is to Connery era) and Licence to Kill (the darkest, most brutal Bond).
The "stereotypical villain lair" was one of the first from which the type is derived. It's good to keep the sequence of tropes in mind. There were evil hideouts before Dr. No, but far, far more after the film made it sexy. Cheers on an overall good reaction.
The exterior of Dr. No's "lair" was filmed at a Bauxite Mine in Jamaica in Ocho Rios. The buildings look different, but it's still an industrial area(Look up Reynolds Pier )
Felix is played by the infamous Jack Lord who lands the role of Steve Mc Gaggart of Hawaii 5-0 in 1968. This show continues to play 24 hours a day on Hawaiian television today. "Book Em Danno!!"
I should point out that after Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton is my favourite Bond. They practically drew up the template for what makes the character of Bond for their respective eras (Connery for the cold war era, Dalton for the modern era). They both played the character almost the way they were written in Flemming's books, they looked excellent on the screen, and you really don't want to get on the wrong side of either of their Bonds.
Lois Maxwell, who played Moneypenny, had considered the part of Sylvia Trench but figured should get more mileage out of being M's secretary. Best. Leo.
You Only Live Twice. Fantastic sets, some of the best stuntwork and a beautiful film score. Ken Adams, the set designer outdid himself with the volcano set. All practical effects, simply stunning.
This film was done on $1 million dollars so it's considered low budget. The exterior was an actual business on the location and they could only shoot there on Sundays. They signed a contract with Monty Norman who got all the "music" rights, hence he claimed the James Bond theme as his own, even though John Barry arranged it and included two jazz parts (the opening jazz big band part was the theme for, I believe, Artie Shaw).
Bikinis were new when this movie came out, named after the Bikini Atoll on which the atomic bombs were dropped. The shot was iconic because it was the first time a bikini was warn in a major picture.
Holy shit, James Bond, this should take us the rest of the year, keep in mind not all of them are good films, but all of them work as a time capsule for the year it came out.
My fave Connery Bond effort is clearly You Only Live Twice. Yeah, ol' Sean is kinda phoning it in, but it's the only movie ever made to feature ninjas, piranhas and spaceships all in one.
DR No was the first, although techically Hitchcock's North by Northwest is the major inspiration for the Bond character because the books character was completely different and also inspired the look of this film, go and watch that one and you'll notice the similarities. Bur as this was the first Broccoli film they were still working out the style, characters and editing, which all get better as the series moved on and budgets were increased. Also every Bond fan has his own favorites and ones they don't like, so you should just do them in order and judge for yourself,
The character of Felix next appears in "Goldfinger." The character was recast with an older actor because it was felt that someone as cool as Jack Lord threatened to upstage Sean Connery.
Hey Shan, excellent movie choice today. I'll throw in my suggestion too and do "From Russia With Love" next as many others have suggested. And after that one do the third Connery 007 flick, the even more awesome "Goldfinger". Keep 'em coming, man! ✌️😎
Sean Connery was just a simple truck driver in Scotland when given the opportunity to play the legendary secret agent 007 James Bond. and soon a star was made and a franchise was born. without Sean there was no Bond.
Ian Fleming wrote a book called Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, The film adaption was directed by Albert R, Broccoli and features Gert Frobe AKA Goldfinger. Its a musical, comedy, adventure but the James Bondisms are going on in the background.
Hey Shan! I'm glad I discovered you, you're making videos in a concept I've had in my head for a while. You're making me excited to try it out like this! Also, the set-design, which you praised, was done by the great Ken Adam. He designed sets for 7 Bond films and went on to work with Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove (The War Room especially) and Barry Lyndon. Thanks for inspiring me and have a great day!
The scene where Honey was tied up was originally going to involve killer crabs like in the book but unfortunately the crabs they got for the film were frozen and lifeless when it arrived and they had to make do by drowning.
@@ShanWatchesMovies It was well on its way when I bought the soundtrack album on release. They were still figuring out where to go with the music, but some of the original themes have held through all the movies. His Bonds grew in popularity to Thunderball (1965). Best. Leo.
My friend’s mom was one of the dancers during the scene with the photographer. She was chilling there that night and they needed extras and it was a cheap film.
So the woman sneaking pictures of Bond was Marguerite LeWars and was Miss Jamaica the year before this movie. The people making this movie saw her working at the Kingston airport and just asked her to be in the movie.
Original scene the girl being tied up and the water coming in was to be straight from the book where she was being tortured with crabs. Dr no Love to experiment on how much pain people can endure. Unfortunately the live crabs I ordered to be shipped into the studio we're half Frozen and half dead. They would barely move if at all. Time and money made them scrapped the scene. But they left in the rescue scene minus the crabs. Keep watching the movies in order. You are going to Love from Russia with Love
Wow, a James Bond reaction, never thought I'd see the day. I'd prefer you react to all of them (the Connery/Moore era anyway), as I love to hear your insight. Even though they work as standalone films, the Connery films actually have a Continuous storyline, that pretty much ended when Moore took over the role. They do establish that he's the same Bond though. Here's the order of the first films after this one: From Russia With love Goldfinger Thunderball You only live twice In her Majesty's secret service. Starring George Lazenby Diamonds are forever. Connery reprises his role in his last Bond movie (not counting the Thunderball remake of the 80s) This is when Roger Moore took over and the franchise took on a more comedic approach. Personally I love the Roger Moore films as they are very entertaining, but I have to admit, the writing was mostly better in the Connery era.
The Moore era has its own storyline from The Spy Who Loved Me to A View to a Kill. Instead of having a recurring enemy in SPECTRE, Bond instead has a recurring sometimes-ally, sometimes-rival in General Gogol of the KGB.
"Thunderball" was kind of remade in spirit with an older "retired" Bond recalled to active service in 1983 "Never Say Never Again". Connery reprised his role, but for legal reasons some familiar Bond-esque touches were missing from the film. It was produced by a different movie studio, but hey.....Connery is back as Bond.
This movie was done on a low budget, and was considered by the studios as a B movie, was first shown at the drive ins where most B movies were shown at the time. However it became more popular than they expected and because of it's popularity a James Bond movie was never shown again at a drive in. You are use to Bond movies, remember, up to this time, this was not like anything audiences had seen before. Terence Young, the director, and Seans favorite director to work with in this franchise, was responsible for Connery's style in this movie as Sean was a little rough for a gentleman spy. The next Bond adventure From Russia With Love was Sean Connery's favorite out of all his Bond films and mine too. The first gadget is in that movie you will see what I mean. It had a lot spy intrigue that reminded you of a Hitchcock style. Highly recommend it.
Dr No only had a budget of 1 Million and Ursula Andress who played Honey Rider was paid only 6 000 $ can you imagine that now in modern movies . Sir Sean Connery in his two Bond movies was not wearing a hairpiece , althought he was already balding he still had a decent amount of hair and he was also deathly afraid of spiders.
The gadget craze began with Goldfinger. After that, Broccoli and Saltzman just followed a formula and the ingenuity and charm of Ian Fleming's books were lost.
Yes, i had previously noticed that there was a pane of glass between Sean Connery and the spider. Just like the snakes close up scenes in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
"I wonder how many on the stunts were actually done by Connery, because this was clearly done by him" - meanwhile the worst body double shot I've ever seen is on screen
From Russia with Love is my favorite Bond film. Plus, the plot derives from Bond's actions in this film. I think you should watch them as, even though they are largely standalone films, there is something of a continuity (On Her Majesty's Secret Service leads straight into Diamonds are Forever and the relationships between Bond and M, Moneypenny and Q grow with each installment).
One of my favorite Bond movies has always been 'Live and Let Die'. Partially nostalgic because it was also the first of his movies I saw. I remember the skulls in the opening sequence scared me. I was a few yrs younger back than.
Please watch ALL the Bonds through 1989’s LICENCE TO KILL on your channel. Would love to see you react to the progression of the series. Watch them in order and rank them. YES!
These were the Bond movies that I grew up on in the 60s! I can still remember going to the movie theater for a quarter, Saturday matinee to watch the James Bond movie and then at the end (which you will see if you continue to watch these in chronological order) it will say "the next Bond movie is due out such-and-such a date" and we would be so excited and couldn't wait for that day to come and we could go back to the theater and see another episode of James Bond!! So for me Sean Connery will always be the quintessential Bond!! None of the others ever quite measured up, in my opinion, although most of them were not bad! But I would say at least the first five Bond films which I believe the next one in line would be From Russia with Love and then Goldfinger You Only Live Twice and Thunderball. Watch those films and I believe you will be a true Sean Connery as Bond, James Bond 007 fan!! RIP MR. CONNERY!
In the original novel, Doctor No had a hobby that involved “studying” the endurance of the human body. Bond’s escape from his cell was actually a setup for an “obstacle course” of various tortures that ended with Bond fighting the Doctor’s pet giant squid. When Bond rescues Honey she is being attacked by hundreds of crabs, not just left to drown. They tried to use the crabs in the movie but couldn’t get the crabs to do what they wanted and it ended up looking silly.
Dr. No and From Russia With Love are my favorites. They are simple, straight forward and don't rely on gadgets. I also like the George Lazenby movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service. The only gadget heavy movie I liked was Goldeneye.
@@ShanWatchesMoviesI realize it's a lot to ask to see all the Bond films, but the next one, "From Russia With Love", I really think you should watch. 👍
Typical Bond day at work: 1.) Get to office. 2.) Flirt with Moneypenny. 3.)"M" bitches at you over how you handled LAST mission. 4.) Get briefed on CURRENT mission. 5.) Cool gadgets on parade. 6.) BA or BOAC first-class ticket. 7.) Off to exotic locale.
My Favorite Bonds that make me happy: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence to Kill, Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Skyfall. Lovely.
No one is better than Sean. The prototype for sure. And you get to see a young Jack Lord from the original Hawaii Five-O. The original was that and intro to better films. “You Only Live Twice” is my favorite with Connery
I would say that each Bond film is a good representation of the fantasy of each era and the mindset of it. I hope you see them all because they each have something of worth from Connery (the prototype) Moore (the suave) Lasenby (the story) and Dalton ( the vengeful).
The original Casino Royale (1967) is a truly bizarre satire of the series that you could even call psychedelic. A huge cast of big name (for the time) cameos, a delicious musical score and some surprisingly funny bits make it well worth watching after you have a few more of the Connery films finished.
Each era of Bond has it's charms to it so I'd recommend checking all of them out. The Craig era isn't as good in my opinion though. Too much of it seemed to be trying to emulate the Jason Bourne films that came out around the 2000's. Speaking of there was actually a 1954 adaptation of Casino Royale with Peter Lorre as the villain. You can watch the whole thing on CZcams.
Next 'From Russia with Love' then 'You only live twice' which is the movie that introduced cliche's like the hollowed out volcano base,, the Evil Bald Dude in the grey suit stroking a white cat, the monorail used to get around the evil lair, the 'Gallant Allies assisting Bond in the final action scene'...a whole bunch of stuff.
The watch is actually a Rolex Submariner. Bond wears Rolex in the books. James Bond only started wearing Omega from the Pierce Brosnan era as it is paid product placement. Rolex never paid for product placement.
The first three Connery Bond movies get better as they go on. Goldfinger is my favorite, but I do suggest From Russia With Love before viewing GF. In my opinion Red Grant, the villain from FRWL, is the gold standard to which all other Bond villains are measured. Robert Shaw is just so intimidating and menacing as Red Grant.
“Tell me which Bond film I should watch next!”
Shan, you’re going to watch all of them, in order, surely? So, it’s From Russia With Love!
Yea.. even if in my opinion... From Russia with love is... well not my favorite.. its always the second to look at.
The problem is when you come to Casino Royal or Here majesties secret service.... Should you look at Casino Royal or not..
Then later its Never say never again or The man with the a view to a kill.
This is the only option
@@kenbean75 yea.. the movies in order. I seen them every 3 or 4 year sice like 1997...
@@matsv201 From Russia With Love is pretty slow
agreed, Even the "Bad" ones are worth the watch for the context of when they nail the franchise. And even some of the "Bad" ones transcend in to Proper "Cheese" classics, Moon Raker is one of those in my opinion :)
ANY BOND FLICK W SEAN CONNERY ( RIP ) IS WORTH A WATCH. DEFINITELY
Weeeeell, Diamond Are Forever isn't worth all that much. And You Only Live Twice is debatable, but would probably be worth it for the spectacle.
I also didn't like Never Say Never Again, but you are also right in that all of Sean Connery's Bond films should be watched. In fact I think all the Bond films should be watched.
@@richardcramer1604 Never Say Never Again is not part of the official series, though.
> ANY BOND FLICK W SEAN CONNERY ( RIP ) IS WORTH A WATCH.
Zardoz wants to know your location.
Goldfinger.
I'd say that the next film, From Russia with Love is a must, as that feels like the first REAL Bond film where all the standard tropes are more established, and it's a stronger story than Dr. No.
Agreed, I grew up with Roger Moore but From Russia is still my fave Bond movie.
Agree.
"From Russia With Love" is, hands down, the best film in the franchise.
Don't be afraid to watch Lazenby's Bond, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, regarded by many Bond fans as one of the best. My favourite for sure.
Yeah is a good one
It's my #2 currently, but it may as well be my favorite. I love it dearly.
true to that... it was the best story, and Lazenby did a good job
The most grounded and realistic Bond.
Especially for the EPIC SWEEPING SKI CHASES which are the HIGHLIGHT of the film...and the QUEEN OF THORNS Diana Rigg. :D
"That's a Smith and Wesson. And you've had your six."
My favorite line from any Bond movie.
The funny thing is, it's actually not even a S&W
Back in the days when they didn't expect films to be viewed as much as we do now. :D
This is one of the coldest moments in all the films. The sound mix on those bullet impacts, especially the ones where he's prone on the floor. Just brutal.
Except that t's obviously an M1911 and those hold 7. : D
R.I.P. Sean Connery !
RIP
I doubt he's resting peacefully. He's probably causing some kind of ruckus somewhere....in perfect style!
Goldfinger is one of the best ones!
It is "cheesy" because it has been copied so much.
Exactly. Its been copied so many times he thinks he's seeing another copy. So many iconic scenes,__ the girl ( u know which one) the car, the raid on fort knox, the exceptional title song , the slam bang first scene, .I could go on....and Connery never looked better
.
Even though this was the first James Bond movie they absolutely nailed it. It is in my opinion one of the best bond movies. Sean Connery gave an amazing performance.
there is older ones out there. seen a very old version of casino royale, they run it on TV and I just thought it was the one with Daniel Craig, but it sure wasnt.
the book was released 1953, so the movie probably came soon after. but I cant find it when I try and search it. Im sure it wasnt just a movie with a same name but based on the book.
@@KossolaxtheForesworn there was a live TV version done in the 50s with Barry Sullivan as American agent "Jim Bond" which still exists.And due to Eon productions not owning that book,another company did a Casino Royale movie in '67 with David Niven,Woody Allen and Peter Sellers.It's a comedy,and the disastrous behind the scenes stories are more entertaining than the movie itself.
Fleming liked his performance so much he made Bond himself scottish. Connery is the greatest Bond hands down.
It doesn't have the baggage of later films of trying to pull off the same old formulaic tropes. That's why I like the first 3 and Casino Royale the most. No fan-servicey stuff. Just straight up Bond. None of the baggage other films in the series carry.
@Maya Nightwolf I have seen the 1967 movie, it wasnt that one.
but what are changes there is an old black and white spy movie with same name that I cant find when I search it.
so I probably remember wrong.
Best James Bond actor forever. i think the first 3 are the best Dr. No, From Russia with love and Goldfinger.
Shan, and everybody out there.
Just a piece of trivia.
What year did Roger Moore appeared as 007, James Bond, in any public capacity (it can be radio, tv, commercial etc....)
Hint: It's before his first cinematic output as Bond, 1973's Live and let die.
Goldfinger is proby my favorite until Craig's Casino Royal
@@davidmeir9348 it was in a skit, on a variety show.
@@codyt821
Indeed, in 1964, few weeks before Goldfinger came out.
“What are you doing here? Looking for shells?”
“No, I’m just looking.” 😂😂
"Objectification" was the norm back then for both men and women.
House appliances and daycare hadn't fully liberated the woman yet, so most of them where still living in the old habit of making their living through men. Don't judge the past based on modern standards.
Next in series is "From Russia With Love". Brilliant film, and the closest to any of the books
My Favourite as well as Thunderball
I heard the movie was made specifically for President John F. Kennedy, as "From Russia With Love" was his favorite book
@@k1productions87 that's the tale apparently
@@k1productions87 Nope. He just had a special advanced screening.
@@eatsmylifeYT I am talking about the decision to make the film in the first place, since they were all made in essentially random order.
Goldfinger was always my favorite Bond movie, and had the best line of all the movies "Do you expect me to talk?!" - "No, Mr. Bond! I expect you to die!"
The way the villain delivers that line is, for me, the highlight of the Connery/Moore era...never bothered with the newer Bonds, saw one with Craig, good movie, but it all seems soooo familiar...I think people assume Arnie invented the action 'one-liner', but I think it's Bond
Wow. I would never slam a door that loudly. I think that's what you call a spoiler. Best. Leo.
@@michaelbastraw1493 Well. Mr Leo, since the line is based on surprise, yeah, a spoiler. but was it in the film Shan said he saw? It's hard for me to believe there are 30-somethings unfamiliar with it, but possible
@@porkfrog2785 You could be right. As Shan was unclear how much of the film he actually watched, I probably would have erred on the side of caution. Now that the Pussy's out of the bag, here is Gert Frobe's actual voice in the scene: czcams.com/video/esOKJZnItX4/video.html Best. Leo.
The best thing is the Airplane where you could take your Car with you on the journey.. It actually existed a bref period in the 60-tys.... But Goldfingers car would be waaaay to heavy.
Thunderball, From Russia with love are great Sean Connery Bond films.
Roger Moore Live and let die, The Man with golden gun, For your eyes only and The Spy who loved me.
Dalton Living daylight and License to kill are some of my all-time favorites!!!
Dalton only did two movies
Can't believe you forgot Goldfinger
Never liked the Moore Bonds. They are cartoon Bonds.
@@QuayNemSorr Shan said he didn't like Goldfinger when he saw it 15 years ago.
@@QuayNemSorr Goldfinger was great too!!
Goldfinger and From Russia With Love Is my Favorite Connery Bond movies. With Pierce Brosnan my favorite Bond.
From Russia with Love is the next one released, you my as well do them in release order. FRWR also probably the most iconic connery film.
In the book, which wasn't the first Bond novel, the spider is instead a centipede, but later Bond has to crawl though hundreds of tarantulas (a test from Dr. No) as well as fight his pet GIANT SQUID.
And in the original cut of the film Honey was reportedly menaced by a horde of killer crabs while tied down. I think the scene was in the preview but they just couldn't edit it to not look ridiculous.
@@porflepopnecker4376 the crabs they imported were still frozen so they were too slow to be seen as a threat.
At the time, the intro - especially the color - was revolutionary.
Cinema-goers were quite shocked.
I understand you'd probably rather not commit to this but I'm bringing my hooded Kermit the frog to say: "React to them all!" Thanks from this Bond fan for any you choose to cover. Love your videos!
Also, from my understanding, a shaken martini is more watered down because more ice melts when you shake it than when you stir it. Point being you can drink and get drunk slower. Useful for a secret agent...
Ill watch them all but probably upload the good ones. I heard that some of them are downright bad lol
@Shan Watches Movies:
Only a couple of them are genuinely bad. For the most part, the Bond series is consistently very enjoyable, or would at least make for great reactions.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Some are bad but I love them anyway. They're never boring.
I'd recommend:
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1967) - Lazenby's one off, it was unloved originally but many modern fans put it among their favorites.
Live and Let Die (1973) - Moore's first. It's really fun and has a unique feel for a Bond film.
Moonraker (1979) - many will say this one is bad they are dead wrong in my opinion. It rocks. Famously it's the one that puts Bond in space. However it's well executed. If you can accept that concept and roll with some of the silly elements it's so much fun. Top five for me.
License to Kill (1989) - a flop in its day that was ahead of its time. It's my second favorite film in the franchise. It's Bond meets an 80s action movie (in the vein of Die Hard). For my money it's really well done. It also has my favorite villain of the franchise.
@@ShanWatchesMovies Honestly, even the bad ones have their charm. In fact, it may be entertaining to watch your reactions to the silly ones like Moonraker or Diamonds are Forever.
Dr. No had one of my favorite lines. “That’s a Smith and Wesson. And you’ve had your six…”
Martin Sheen as POTUS In The West Wing TV series (1999), pointed out in an episode that Bond, snootily ordering a shaken martini, is going to receive a watered-down drink. That's why martinis are stirred with a special spoon so as not to break the ice and dilute the beverage. Welcome to my house of useless knowledge. Best. Leo.
Yes, but there's a reason for that. Potato vodka - which would have been predominant when Fleming began writing the books - typically contains more fuselols than grain vodka, and a less stringent production process leaves them in, which would make a stirred vodka martini taste distinctly oily. Shaking is one method to reduce the oily flavour.
Bond in fact discusses this with the barman in the novel of Dr No.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t Just the sort of detail the worldly Fleming would have known about.
There are many Bond films worth a watch, but, imo From Russia With Love is a must. No spoilers, but it has one of the best hand to hand fight scenes that you will see in any Bond film
Yeah, that's a pretty famous one. Maybe after Goldfinger!
@@ShanWatchesMovies No no no. From Russia with love then Thunderball.
@@ShanWatchesMovies From Russia with love comes before Goldfinger
The films MUST be watched in chronological order.
Yes. And the female lead is one of the most beautiful women on film ever..
Just don't skip the two Timothy Dalton films please, they stand out for their realism and more complex characterization of Bond.
Although in my opinion the second one, License To Kill, takes that to a ridiculous degree with Bond becoming a vengeful renegade on a killing crusade which MI6 would never forgive.
@@porflepopnecker4376 I think they would, think of how many times he has saved the world. And all he did was take down a drug lord.
For the spider scene, apparently they tried shooting the spider on top of a glass plate so it didn't touch Connery's shoulder, but it didn't work. So they got the spider to crawl up a stuntman's arm, intercut with closeups of Connery's face. The stuntman said it was the most terrifying stunt he ever had to do XP
With the spider scene, they did in fact use a piece of glass for the shots with Connery, for the shots with his stuntman they actually put the spider on him. And he was super scared and demanded a bunch of extra money for it, which is funny nowadays considering tarantulas aren't deadly poisonous.
Tarantulas are poisonous. Their venom will cause humans pain, but not death.
@@markhamstra1083 Right. That's what I meant.
Technically tarantulas are (mildly) venomous not poisonous. Poison you eat, venom gets injected into you.
HOLY S***!!
I'm not giddy right now, YOU are! Thanks for this one, Shan. I'm so glad you're going down this road of early Bond. I hope you do Lazenby's 'version' as well.
Up next: Hunt For Red October ;)
Yeah OHMSS is supremely underrated
"This looks like a villain's lair for sure." Get used to Ken Adam designing some of the most gorgeously mind-bending abodes for the bad guys. Best. Leo.
His designs are so hyper-stylized and make no logical sense but are amazing. Drax's station is completely unsymmetrical and confusing, like it was designed by M.C. Escher.
When the series lost him, it lost its distinctive look. I believe he also designed the war room set for "Dr. Strangelove."
Shan. The set design in this film was done by architect Ken Adam. He created the 'signature' bond feel in the series, i.e., using sleek materials, odd angles and minimalist and of course, those automatic stainless steel sliding doors. Other films include Goldfinger, Thunderball, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, Moonraker, The Spy Who Love Me.
Pure Bond,before the over-the-top gadgets and goofiness took over.
Yeah I was surprised that it was remarkably grounded
@@ShanWatchesMovies Dr. No and From Russia With Love are definitely the most realistic or plausible movies. They are closer to a John Le Carre spy story than the unbelievable campiness of Moore’s Bond or the later superhero Bonds.
I grew up in the 60s, this is a fine example of how I remember that era.
_From Russia With Love_ is the next film in the series, and it's among my favorites. It's the last one that could be called a "Serious spy film" before the series starts showing more extravagant gadgets.
" i didn't know if he was a good guy or a bad guy until he revealed himself to be CIA", the CIA in a nutshell.
"until he revealed himself to be CIA"
And he is still in the dark
😂😂😂😂 winning comment
Omg, I'm so happy you're reacting to the older Bond movies! I've been asking for this in your last few videos. This makes me so happy. I am a huuuuuuge Bond nerd. Will give you lots of additional info :)
Cool bit of trivia for you, when Bond walks into his Hotel room the furniture is made 2/3 regular size. They wanted Bond to look "larger than life".
Wow! Thank you for the insight!
@@ShanWatchesMovies here's the ones worth reacting to
From Russia With Love(1963)
Goldfinger (1964)
Thunderball (1965)
You Only Live Twice (1967)
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Live & Let Die (1973)
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
For Your Eyes Only(1981)
Octopussy(1983)
The Living Daylights (1987)
License To Kill(1989)
My day is done. You've taught me something new. Best. Leo.
@@jesselester9722 What about Casino Royal from 1969... yea i know its not a "real" bond movie.. but.. well its a bond movie anyway. Never say never gain from 1983? That is sort of a real bond movie
@@jesselester9722 I don't exactly agree with the list, as the ones you left out are still worth reacting to
Plus, if you're going to go on a James Bond journey, watch them all
... and seriously, are you going to deprive yourself the pleasure of watching him watch Moonraker?
The car is a Sunbeam Alpine Roadster. The Astin-Martin was introduced in Goldfinger, film #3.
I'm sure you'll watch them all sooner or later but here are my top 5 recomendations of the older films: From Russia with Love (the closest Bond comes to be a cold war spy thriller), Goldfinger (this is really where the franchise turned into high gear), On Her Majesty's Secret Service (people either really love or really hate this one, personally I love it), The Spy Who Loved Me (is to Moore era what Goldfinger is to Connery era) and Licence to Kill (the darkest, most brutal Bond).
You could set your drink on Dr. No’s helmet... . Btw, Ursula Andress was en fuego in this film. Absolutely lovely.
The "stereotypical villain lair" was one of the first from which the type is derived. It's good to keep the sequence of tropes in mind. There were evil hideouts before Dr. No, but far, far more after the film made it sexy. Cheers on an overall good reaction.
The blue sports car was a Sunbeam Alpine, which was one of the cars used in the TV series Get Smart.
Please do "Waterloo", "Tora Tora Tora", and "Zulu" if you want some amazing action/war movies with stunning, entirely practical effects.
Would love to see him do Waterloo. IF anyone is going to appreciate what that movie is, it would be him with his style of analysis.
Love Zulu
Zulus to the southwest. Thousands of them...
Tora Tora Tora actually means Attack Attack Attack in Japanese... Great film.
Zulu and Waterloo are great too!
Also the underrated Lion of the Desert, also starring Rod Steiger
The exterior of Dr. No's "lair" was filmed at a Bauxite Mine in Jamaica in Ocho Rios. The buildings look different, but it's still an industrial area(Look up Reynolds Pier )
Felix is played by the infamous Jack Lord who lands the role of Steve Mc Gaggart of Hawaii 5-0 in 1968. This show continues to play 24 hours a day on Hawaiian television today. "Book Em Danno!!"
I should point out that after Sean Connery, Timothy Dalton is my favourite Bond. They practically drew up the template for what makes the character of Bond for their respective eras (Connery for the cold war era, Dalton for the modern era). They both played the character almost the way they were written in Flemming's books, they looked excellent on the screen, and you really don't want to get on the wrong side of either of their Bonds.
The car used in the chase scene in this film was a Sunbeam Alpine, the Aston Marton doesn't make an appearance until the third film Goldfinger
Lois Maxwell, who played Moneypenny, had considered the part of Sylvia Trench but figured should get more mileage out of being M's secretary. Best. Leo.
You Only Live Twice.
Fantastic sets, some of the best stuntwork and a beautiful film score.
Ken Adams, the set designer outdid himself with the volcano set.
All practical effects, simply stunning.
This film was done on $1 million dollars so it's considered low budget. The exterior was an actual business on the location and they could only shoot there on Sundays. They signed a contract with Monty Norman who got all the "music" rights, hence he claimed the James Bond theme as his own, even though John Barry arranged it and included two jazz parts (the opening jazz big band part was the theme for, I believe, Artie Shaw).
Bikinis were new when this movie came out, named after the Bikini Atoll on which the atomic bombs were dropped. The shot was iconic because it was the first time a bikini was warn in a major picture.
No gadgets yet. The focus is the character, that's what makes the movie a classic. Connery creating an icon.
Delighted you started on the 007 franchise
Holy shit, James Bond, this should take us the rest of the year, keep in mind not all of them are good films, but all of them work as a time capsule for the year it came out.
My fave Connery Bond effort is clearly You Only Live Twice. Yeah, ol' Sean is kinda phoning it in, but it's the only movie ever made to feature ninjas, piranhas and spaceships all in one.
Not to mention a volcano lair.
DR No was the first, although techically Hitchcock's North by Northwest is the major inspiration for the Bond character because the books character was completely different and also inspired the look of this film, go and watch that one and you'll notice the similarities.
Bur as this was the first Broccoli film they were still working out the style, characters and editing, which all get better as the series moved on and budgets were increased.
Also every Bond fan has his own favorites and ones they don't like, so you should just do them in order and judge for yourself,
The character of Felix next appears in "Goldfinger." The character was recast with an older actor because it was felt that someone as cool as Jack Lord threatened to upstage Sean Connery.
From Russia With Love is my favorite.
18:42 Jack Lord was later famous for starring as Steve McGarrett in "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980 TV series).
Hey Shan, excellent movie choice today. I'll throw in my suggestion too and do "From Russia With Love" next as many others have suggested. And after that one do the third Connery 007 flick, the even more awesome "Goldfinger". Keep 'em coming, man! ✌️😎
Sean Connery, an absolute legend! My favorite of the classic Bond movies is 1965's Thunderball.
Sean Connery was just a simple truck driver in Scotland when given the opportunity to play the legendary secret agent 007 James Bond. and soon a star was made and a franchise was born. without Sean there was no Bond.
Ian Fleming wrote a book called Chitty-Chitty Bang Bang, The film adaption was directed by Albert R, Broccoli and features Gert Frobe AKA Goldfinger. Its a musical, comedy, adventure but the James Bondisms are going on in the background.
Correction - It was directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli.
Hey Shan! I'm glad I discovered you, you're making videos in a concept I've had in my head for a while. You're making me excited to try it out like this!
Also, the set-design, which you praised, was done by the great Ken Adam. He designed sets for 7 Bond films and went on to work with Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove (The War Room especially) and Barry Lyndon.
Thanks for inspiring me and have a great day!
The scene where Honey was tied up was originally going to involve killer crabs like in the book but unfortunately the crabs they got for the film were frozen and lifeless when it arrived and they had to make do by drowning.
Jack Lord, who played Felix Leiter, was the lead n the original Hawaii 5-O television series.
That was fun. Just watch them all in order. Most Bond films are standalone adventures, but some of them are direct sequels.
Ironically, the music was yet to become iconic. Best. Leo.
I wonder how the film was received when it came out. And how long the music took to become 'iconic'
@@ShanWatchesMovies It was well on its way when I bought the soundtrack album on release. They were still figuring out where to go with the music, but some of the original themes have held through all the movies. His Bonds grew in popularity to Thunderball (1965). Best. Leo.
My friend’s mom was one of the dancers during the scene with the photographer. She was chilling there that night and they needed extras and it was a cheap film.
So the woman sneaking pictures of Bond was Marguerite LeWars and was Miss Jamaica the year before this movie. The people making this movie saw her working at the Kingston airport and just asked her to be in the movie.
Bond represents VERY many of my TV Saturday nights from the time I was 10 years old until about 16 years old...
From Russia With Love is the next movie and has the most espionage feel of all the Bond movies.
The second film, From Russia With Love, is my all-time favorite. Very Hitchcock-inspired.
Original scene the girl being tied up and the water coming in was to be straight from the book where she was being tortured with crabs. Dr no Love to experiment on how much pain people can endure. Unfortunately the live crabs I ordered to be shipped into the studio we're half Frozen and half dead. They would barely move if at all. Time and money made them scrapped the scene. But they left in the rescue scene minus the crabs. Keep watching the movies in order. You are going to Love from Russia with Love
Wow, a James Bond reaction, never thought I'd see the day.
I'd prefer you react to all of them (the Connery/Moore era anyway), as I love to hear your insight.
Even though they work as standalone films, the Connery films actually have a Continuous storyline, that pretty much ended when Moore took over the role. They do establish that he's the same Bond though.
Here's the order of the first films after this one:
From Russia With love
Goldfinger
Thunderball
You only live twice
In her Majesty's secret service. Starring George Lazenby
Diamonds are forever. Connery reprises his role in his last Bond movie (not counting the Thunderball remake of the 80s)
This is when Roger Moore took over and the franchise took on a more comedic approach. Personally I love the Roger Moore films as they are very entertaining, but I have to admit, the writing was mostly better in the Connery era.
The Moore era has its own storyline from The Spy Who Loved Me to A View to a Kill. Instead of having a recurring enemy in SPECTRE, Bond instead has a recurring sometimes-ally, sometimes-rival in General Gogol of the KGB.
Late the the comments. Just watch all the bond movies you haven’t seen in chronological order. I’m here for it
"Thunderball" was kind of remade in spirit with an older "retired" Bond recalled to active service in 1983 "Never Say Never Again". Connery reprised his role, but for legal reasons some familiar Bond-esque touches were missing from the film. It was produced by a different movie studio, but hey.....Connery is back as Bond.
This movie was done on a low budget, and was considered by the studios as a B movie, was first shown at the drive ins where most B movies were shown at the time. However it became more popular than they expected and because of it's popularity a James Bond movie was never shown again at a drive in. You are use to Bond movies, remember, up to this time, this was not like anything audiences had seen before.
Terence Young, the director, and Seans favorite director to work with in this franchise, was responsible for Connery's style in this movie as Sean was a little rough for a gentleman spy.
The next Bond adventure From Russia With Love was Sean Connery's favorite out of all his Bond films and mine too. The first gadget is in that movie you will see what I mean. It had a lot spy intrigue that reminded you of a Hitchcock style. Highly recommend it.
Dr No only had a budget of 1 Million and Ursula Andress who played Honey Rider was paid only 6 000 $ can you imagine that now in modern movies . Sir Sean Connery in his two Bond movies was not wearing a hairpiece , althought he was already balding he still had a decent amount of hair and he was also deathly afraid of spiders.
The gadget craze began with Goldfinger. After that, Broccoli and Saltzman just followed a formula and the ingenuity and charm of Ian Fleming's books were lost.
Yes, i had previously noticed that there was a pane of glass between Sean Connery and the spider. Just like the snakes close up scenes in Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
A still from the scene between Bond and the chauffeur fighting actually appeared in the family Encyclopedia Americana annual for that year. Best. Leo.
"I wonder how many on the stunts were actually done by Connery, because this was clearly done by him"
- meanwhile the worst body double shot I've ever seen is on screen
From Russia with Love is my favorite Bond film. Plus, the plot derives from Bond's actions in this film. I think you should watch them as, even though they are largely standalone films, there is something of a continuity (On Her Majesty's Secret Service leads straight into Diamonds are Forever and the relationships between Bond and M, Moneypenny and Q grow with each installment).
One of my favorite Bond movies has always been 'Live and Let Die'. Partially nostalgic because it was also the first of his movies I saw. I remember the skulls in the opening sequence scared me. I was a few yrs younger back than.
It was also my first, so Roger Moore is my idea of Bond. It wasn't until a few years later I saw my first Sean Connery Bond film.
Please watch ALL the Bonds through 1989’s LICENCE TO KILL on your channel. Would love to see you react to the progression of the series. Watch them in order and rank them. YES!
These were the Bond movies that I grew up on in the 60s! I can still remember going to the movie theater for a quarter, Saturday matinee to watch the James Bond movie and then at the end (which you will see if you continue to watch these in chronological order) it will say "the next Bond movie is due out such-and-such a date" and we would be so excited and couldn't wait for that day to come and we could go back to the theater and see another episode of James Bond!! So for me Sean Connery will always be the quintessential Bond!! None of the others ever quite measured up, in my opinion, although most of them were not bad! But I would say at least the first five Bond films which I believe the next one in line would be From Russia with Love and then Goldfinger You Only Live Twice and Thunderball. Watch those films and I believe you will be a true Sean Connery as Bond, James Bond 007 fan!! RIP MR. CONNERY!
In the original novel, Doctor No had a hobby that involved “studying” the endurance of the human body. Bond’s escape from his cell was actually a setup for an “obstacle course” of various tortures that ended with Bond fighting the Doctor’s pet giant squid. When Bond rescues Honey she is being attacked by hundreds of crabs, not just left to drown. They tried to use the crabs in the movie but couldn’t get the crabs to do what they wanted and it ended up looking silly.
Connery had sever arachnophobia. The scene with the spider was extremely difficult for him.
Dr. No and From Russia With Love are my favorites. They are simple, straight forward and don't rely on gadgets. I also like the George Lazenby movie On Her Majesty's Secret Service.
The only gadget heavy movie I liked was Goldeneye.
Dude, what a great choice for a video! Love your channel! Keep up the good work 😁😁👍
Thanks friend!
@@ShanWatchesMoviesI realize it's a lot to ask to see all the Bond films, but the next one, "From Russia With Love", I really think you should watch. 👍
Typical Bond day at work:
1.) Get to office.
2.) Flirt with Moneypenny.
3.)"M" bitches at you over how you handled LAST mission.
4.) Get briefed on CURRENT mission.
5.) Cool gadgets on parade.
6.) BA or BOAC first-class ticket.
7.) Off to exotic locale.
My Favorite Bonds that make me happy: Dr. No, From Russia with Love, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, For Your Eyes Only, Licence to Kill, Goldeneye, Casino Royale, Skyfall. Lovely.
The car is a Sunbeam. A British design with an American v8 engine.
No one is better than Sean. The prototype for sure. And you get to see a young Jack Lord from the original Hawaii Five-O. The original was that and intro to better films. “You Only Live Twice” is my favorite with Connery
I love how Bond cozies up to Moneypenny in this very first movie !
I would say that each Bond film is a good representation of the fantasy of each era and the mindset of it. I hope you see them all because they each have something of worth from Connery (the prototype) Moore (the suave) Lasenby (the story) and Dalton ( the vengeful).
The original Casino Royale (1967) is a truly bizarre satire of the series that you could even call psychedelic. A huge cast of big name (for the time) cameos, a delicious musical score and some surprisingly funny bits make it well worth watching after you have a few more of the Connery films finished.
Each era of Bond has it's charms to it so I'd recommend checking all of them out.
The Craig era isn't as good in my opinion though. Too much of it seemed to be trying to emulate the Jason Bourne films that came out around the 2000's.
Speaking of there was actually a 1954 adaptation of Casino Royale with Peter Lorre as the villain. You can watch the whole thing on CZcams.
The car in Dr No is a Sunbeam Alpine- another British sportscar of the late 50s/early 60s. Bond doesn't get the Aston Martin until Goldfinger.
Next 'From Russia with Love' then 'You only live twice' which is the movie that introduced cliche's like the hollowed out volcano base,, the Evil Bald Dude in the grey suit stroking a white cat, the monorail used to get around the evil lair, the 'Gallant Allies assisting Bond in the final action scene'...a whole bunch of stuff.
The watch is actually a Rolex Submariner. Bond wears Rolex in the books. James Bond only started wearing Omega from the Pierce Brosnan era as it is paid product placement. Rolex never paid for product placement.
The first three Connery Bond movies get better as they go on. Goldfinger is my favorite, but I do suggest From Russia With Love before viewing GF. In my opinion Red Grant, the villain from FRWL, is the gold standard to which all other Bond villains are measured. Robert Shaw is just so intimidating and menacing as Red Grant.