James Bond: From Russia With Love - 10 Biggest Differences Between The Novel & Movie
After Dr. No laid the groundwork for the cinematic iterations of James Bond, it was From Russia With Love that cemented him as a franchise figurehead. The movie that made it clear that Sean Connery's super-spy wasn't a one-hit-wonder, From Russia With Love is generally seen as the best Bond film next to Goldfinger.
While the film is actually very similar to Ian Fleming's version, it's also just as good. But it must be said that in order to adapt the book to the screen, Eon Productions ended up having to leave out some of the details from the original pages.
10 Placement
Fleming's Bond novels felt more in line with a serialized TV show in terms of their structure, so it may have been a bit jarring for fans of the book to see the movie version of From Russia With Love. From Russia With Love set up Dr. No in the novel series, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case in the films.
Since Dr. No, which was the next book in Fleming's series, had already been adapted, From Russia With Love's story was tweaked to feel more like a standalone film, particularly with the ending. While the tweaks made for a better film, they were probably a headache for die hard fans of the books.
9 The Villain Organization
Nowadays, the name SPECTRE is synonymous with James Bond, but back when Ian Fleming wrote From Russia With Love, they weren't even a twinkle in his eye. Back in the day, the thorn in Bond's side was SMERSH, which was a villainous offshoot of The U.S.S.R.
Fleming co-created SPECTRE with screenwriters Kevin McClory and Jack Whittingham for a movie that never got made. Fleming's Thunderball led to SPECTRE's inclusion, as well as some headache-inducing legal trouble.
8 Blofeld Isn't In It
Ernst Stavro Blofeld, who was also created for Thunderball, made an intimidating cinematic debut in From Russia With Love. Though he wasn't seen, his vocal menace left many audience members wondering who SPECTRE's Number One was.
As previously stated, Blofeld was invented for a later novel, so he obviously does not appear in From Russia With Love. The novel, instead, features the heads of SMERSH, assigning Rosa Klebb to enact the sinister scheme.
7 The MacGuffin
Regardless of the fact that it doesn't play a huge role in the plot, The Lektor is the whole reason that James Bond even travels to Russia. A cipher machine used by the U.S.S.R. to protect their interests, a similar device is in the novel, but it features a fascinating name change.
From Russia With Love's novel features a device known as The Spektor, which essentially serves the same role. Though it has no association with the organization, it is an interesting coincidence that ties into the Bond's future.
6 Sylvia Trench Doesn't Appear
The first-ever Bond Girl on film, Sylvia Trench made her debut in Dr. No as a woman Bond encounters at the beginning of the movie. The character also appears in James Bond's introduction in From Russia With Love.
Her appearances in the movies are interesting as the character has no presence in the books. Ian Fleming never featured the character of Sylvia Trench in any of his novels, with the character being an invention for the screen.
5 Bond & M Are Easily Duped
SMERSH's plan in the novel must truly be foolproof based on how quickly MI6 takes the bait. It doesn't really matter that Tatiana Romanova's proposal is clearly suspicious, the novel's versions of Bond and M are drawn in by the promise of The Spektor.
The movie portrays James Bond and M as far less gullible, with the pair showing appropriate apprehension towards the issue. Though both versions see Bond going ahead with the plan, at least Sean Connery's Bond isn't so easily duped.
4 Rosa Klebb's LGBTQ+ Issues
Very little is known about the villain Rosa Klebb in the movie outside of what director Terrence Young and actress Lotte Lenya offer the audience. The novel gives fans a little more to work with, but it really doesn't age well.
Klebb is insensitively portrayed as a "toad-like figure" who is heavily implied to be a lesbian, which in Ian Fleming's mind, explains why she's evil. It can be assumed that Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman were a tad more progressive than Mr. Fleming, as they kept this issue vague.
3 Red Grant's Motivation To Kill
Both the book and film versions of assassin Red Grant are creepy murderers who are practically unnatural supermen. That said, while the movie character's motives for murder aren't made clear at all, it's made more clear in the book.
Red Grant's literary version has a lot more background, with the character's weird eccentricities laid bare. One such eccentricity is that Grant is driven to end lives by the full moon, almost akin to a werewolf.
2 Kronsteen's Fate
Kronsteen, SMERSH/SPECTRE's head of planning, doesn't hold the same villainous depth as Klebb and Grant, but his death in the film indicates just how little Blofeld plays around. Kronsteen is summoned with Klebb to Blofeld's office, where he dresses down their failures.
Whereas Klebb is visibly terrified, Kronsteen is cool as a cucumber until one of Blofeld's lieutenants murders him from behind with the iconic poison blade-tipped shoe. Kronsteen doesn't die in the novel, with little information being given as to his fate.
1 The Ending
The film ends with Bond and Tatiana absconding on a romantic boat ride, which is a far more low-key ending than the novel. In the novel, after Grant meets a similar demise and Bond drops off both Tatiana and The Spektor, he goes after Klebb.
With the help of Rene Mathis from Casino Royale, Bond battles Klebb, who actually manages to stab him with the poisoned blade, leading to him nearly dying. This ending sets up the next novel, but it could prove to be truly odd to anyone reading the book after watching the film.
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