Action/Adventure
Casino Royale 1967
As I type this blog post, QUANTUM OF SOLACE is at #1 in US box office charts. This most recent Bond film stars Daniel Craig, and just opened a couple of days ago. I haven’t seen it yet, but I enjoyed the last Daniel Craig feature CASINO ROYALE (2006) so much, I saw it 5 times. Did you know the 2006 Bond film isn’t the first CASINO ROYALE? That same title graces a so-bad-it’s-awesome 1967 spy spoof flick from Columbia Pictures. You can watch it in entirety on Fancast.
The spectacularly schlocky CASINO ROYALE 1967 was directed by not one but *five* people. It’s a complex mess of a satire, sending up both the James Bond film series and the spy genre in general. It’s sort of based on Sir Ian Fleming’s first James Bond novel, but with great emphasis on the “sort of.”
David Niven stars as Sir James Bond 007, who has been forced out of retirement to investigate the mysterious deaths and disappearances of various global spooks. Bond is called into battle against the mysterious Dr. Noah (sounds like Dr. No, right?) and SMERSH (rhymes with “smurfs.” Again, sort of.).
The schlock-flick’s tagline: “Casino Royale is too much … for one James Bond!” alludes to the protagonist’s plan to trick SMERSH with six other double-agents all operating under the name “James Bond.” There’s Baccarat guru Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers); super-rich femmespy Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress); Bond’s administrative hottie Miss Moneypenny (Barbara Bouchet); the daughter Bond sired with legendary she-agent Mata Hari, known as Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet); and Brit agents “Coop” (Terence Cooper) and “The Detainer” (Daliah Lavi).
A bit of film biz trivia: the 1967 movie’s producer, Charles Feldman, planned to make Casino Royale as an actual James Bond movie after acquiring the film rights. But the producers of the official series, Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, nixed that plan. When their company Eon Productions turned him down, Feldman decided to produce CASINO ROYALE as a satire.
And a bit of Bond trivia: This turkey of a movie is notable as being the only 007 film in which James Bond dies.
Permalink:
http://www.fancast.com/ourtvpicks/?review=201
Chas Edwards
I love the fashion aesthetics of this period. It’s much of what I love about Mad Men too.
Rook
This has been one of my favorite movies since I was a kid. I think my brother and I are the only two people to feel that way!
TharkLord
Rook: You are not alone. Casino Royale is one of the finest films ever made.
Reasons:
5. Fine theme song by Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass.
4. “I’ll have to have that check Mr. Bond” endlessly reverberating in my mind.
3. German expressionist spy school set.
2. Fine actors permanently tainting their careers.
1. and the top reason: Daliah Lavi
Robert Berger
And how could you not mention that Woody Allen played James Bond’s Son and the evil genius that was killing all the agents!
I saw this as a kid when it first came out in the theaters (!) with memories of it being hilarious. Then saw it again on DVD a few years ago. Boy, its amazing how much comedic timing has changed since then! It was not nearly as good as my memories of it were 
November 20th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Man, Boing Boing is all sorts of into pareidolia today. (Woman behind the ear)