Reviews

If you are a traditionalist, there’s only one James Bond: Sir Sean Connery, who passed Oct. 31, aged 90. In tribute, BBC America runs a trio of classic Bond films tomorrow (Nov. 6), starring Sir Sean as the understated, unflappable secret agent 007. Each film has its moments beyond Connery’s consistent performance. In “Dr. No” (3:30pm), the initial filmic version of the Ian Fleming novels, watch for Ursula Andress as the deadly, beautiful Honey Ryder (some of the women’s names in these films should prompt the type of disclaimer Disney+ is adding to its archive). It’s also the inspiration for Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil spoof. In “From Russia with Love” (6pm) the draw is Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb, who has her kicks (you’ll see). It’s hard to forget Gert Fröbe as Goldfinger in the eponymous “Goldfinger” (8:30pm). Nice of BBC America, though, to be diverse with its Bond retrospective, not assuming everyone sees 007 films without Connery as espionage sacrilege. Accordingly, later this month, as Thanksgiving fades (Nov. 29), the network re-runs all three classics and adds “The Spy Who Loved Me,” with Roger Moore, “GoldenEye,” with Pierce Brosnan, both of whom were rather stiff Bonds and the most rugged Bond, Daniel Craig, in the excellent “Casino Royale.” Let the comparisons begin and continue into December.