From Russia With Love…1963 BBFC cinema cuts

By Gavin Salkeld

From Russia With Love is a 1963 UK James Bond film by Terence Young (MGM) The BBFC cut the cinema release in 1963. Some footage was later restored but most cuts persist in all prints worldwide. Sexual dialogue early in the film about lovers and physical enjoyment have been removed The gypsy dance has been shortened, removing in particular almost all shots of the dancer wriggling her stomach and bending right over backwards The fight that happens soon after between the two women has been heavily cut Tania walking nude towards the bed was cut for cinema release, but has since been restored for all video releases The reference to searching Tania has been cut soon after Bond and Tania’s kissing in bed has been trimmed The footage of Bond and Tania being filmed and photographed by two men through the mirror has been darkened and shortened through the introduction of an early fade to black When M and other’s listen to the recording of Bond questioning Tania, the line Was I as exciting as all those Western girls? has ‘was’ changed to ‘am’, as it was considered less sexually suggestive On the train, Bond lowering the blind in his cabin and his quip of Two hours should straighten this out has been cut When Grant reveals the roll of film to Bond, his comment of What a performance has been removed The famous fight between Grant and Bond has been shortened Kleb’s death has been shorted, reducing the sight of her protracted suffering, and her death cries have been partially muted on the soundtrack Bond’s remark to Tania of What a performance has been cut at the very end of the film, resulting in a particularly bad jump-cut on the print, which affects the soundtrack particularly badly For video and DVD releases the old cinema cut to Tania walking nude towards the bed has been restored