Tools of Characterization

Characterization in From Russia with Love

Actions

We know that Bond's our hero because he's the first character we see, turning to the camera, and shooting us in the face.

Wait, what? Our hero just shot us?

It's a weird little tradition in the Bond universe, introducing Bond by having him shoot at the audience. Yet we still consider him the hero. He performs a selection of other not-quite-good-guy actions throughout From Russia with Love, like backhanding his love interest and making jokes about sexual assault that make us wonder just who, exactly, we should be rooting for.

Bond's actions put him in a weird little gray area between hero and anti-hero. He's brave, clever, and tough, for sure—we see him outwitting his many enemies and not shying away from fights with Grant— but he's got his share of moral failings, particularly in regard to women.

Maybe the canon of movie heroes admitted him into their camp because SPECTRE's actions are uniformly villainous. They cheat, blackmail, manipulate, and steal. And one nefarious action they commit is one Bond would never (we think) consider: they kill their own.

Location

We have to wonder if Bond ever considers quitting the spy game and getting away from it all. When we first see him and when we last see him on camera, he's in or near a boat near moving water. Whether he's in the arms of Sylvia on the banks or a river, or nestled up with Tania in a Venetian gondola, Bond seems most happy when he's not working. Is it the thrill of sailing away, or simply being in close proximity to a woman that gets him to let his guard down?

Nature brings out the softer side of Bond. But we rarely see SPECTRE in a natural environment. Like any stereotypically evil criminal organization, SPECTRE agents do much of their work in shadowy underground bunkers.

Even so, they do acknowledge that even the most hardened killer needs some down time. They make sure that Grant gets his share of pampering on SPECTRE Island surrounded by scantily clad beauties. Rosa Klebb's intrusion into this idyllic scene is jarring; it tells us that Grant isn't just luxuriating in his massages. He's being manufactured into an assassin.

Physical Appearances

The scariest villain in From Russia with Love is the one you can't see. No, not the lung cancer from all the smoking going on in the 1960s. We're talking about SPECTRE's leader, Number One. Visible only from the neck down, his true identity remains unknown. All we really know about him is that he's devious, has no problem killing his own agents, and loves cats. Who could he truly be? The resurrected Dr. No? A new character? Jon Arbuckle?

Because most characters have a face, From Russia with Love also tells viewers about its characters through their physical appearances. Tania is beautiful, so we're supposed to be enticed by her, like Bond is. Rosa Klebb is severe looking, adding to her "angry Russian lesbian" stereotype. And Morzeny has a scar on his face. Everyone with a scar on his face is evil.

And then there's Bond. Handsome, fit, impeccably dressed: every inch the hero.