The Dragon – Runs On Diesel Engines! Quarrel has talked about the island legend of a fire-breathing dragon on Crab Key and that is why no locals want to venture to this island. After Bond and Quarrel arrive at Crab Key, after meeting Honey Rider, they find that they must do battle with this fire-breathing dragon. It is a dark scene, in all respects: a night scene, and a battle with the dragon operated by merciless killers. A tough scene for Quarrel, to be sure.
The Dragon is of course, is some type of specially equipped vehicle outfitted with a flamethrower and run by some of Dr. No’s henchmen. It’s the intro of technology to do things you need to do –here, to scare people away from Crab Key. Of course, later we see Dr. No’s real technology – interfering with the USA Missile launches with a sophisticated nuclear facility and radio beam (in the movie version of course).
Beyond the Dragon – Gadgets in Spy Movies
In future Bond films and in virtually all spy movies after, we will see all kinds of technological gadgets – some to aid the spies on the good side, some to aid the evil villains they combat. But in Dr. No, there are not a lot of gadgets for Bond to use. He is pretty much on his own, finding himself in certain situations and trying to figure his way out, MacGyver-like. Yes, he got his new Walther PPK with a silencer. Yes, he uses a Geiger-counter sent from MI6. But what else? Just his wits and abilities and training as a good spy. So in our first glimpse of Bond stepping off the pages of Fleming’s novels and into the movies, we see a man who is well-trained, is suspicious of much in his surroundings and is ready to deal with whatever might come his way.
The Dragon Smokes Quarrel
Quarrel, who had believed in the dragon, is consumed in its flames, and Honey Rider and Bond are captured. Notice, Bond goes back to look at Quarrel after he is handcuffed, and the henchman says, “sorry we ain’t got any flowers.” When Bond walks over to look at Quarrel, it is a revealing moment where we see Bond’s more human side – where he feels bad that the guy who became his buddy in Jamaica has been killed so violently.
We learn again, that this spy business is a brutal business. Quarrel was a very likable character in this film. While The Dragon – Runs On Diesel Engines, this scene runs on adrenalin.
I did some research on the name Quarrel and could not find it as a first name. It is a surname, meaning your family probably originally lived near a quarry. Of course, in the dictionary, it is an argument, etc. If anyone of our listeners knows, shoot us an email! Dan@SpyMovieNavigator.com or Tom@SpyMovieNavigator.com
The swamp where they filmed this scene is at Falmouth, about 40 miles west of Ochos Rio.
