Casino Royale (1967)

In an early spy spoof, aging Sir James Bond comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH.

Directors:

Val Guest, Ken Hughes,

Writers:

Wolf Mankowitz (screenplay), John Law (screenplay),

Stars:

Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Sellers	...	Evelyn Tremble / James Bond 007
Ursula Andress	...	Vesper Lynd / James Bond 007
David Niven	...	Sir James Bond
Orson Welles	...	Le Chiffre
Joanna Pettet	...	Mata Bond
Daliah Lavi	...	The Detainer / James Bond 007
Woody Allen	...	Jimmy Bond (Dr. Noah)
Deborah Kerr	...	Agent Mimi / Lady Fiona McTarry
William Holden	...	Ransome
Charles Boyer	...	Le Grand
John Huston	...	M / General McTarry
Kurt Kasznar	...	Smernov
George Raft	...	Himself
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	French Legionnaire (as Jean Paul Belmondo)
Terence Cooper	...	Cooper / James Bond 007

Storyline

After the death of M, Sir James Bond is called back out of retirement to stop SMERSH. In order to trick SMERSH and Le Chiffre, Bond thinks up the ultimate plan. That every agent will be named James Bond. One of the Bonds, whose real name is Evelyn Tremble is sent to take on Le Chiffre in a game of baccarat, but all the Bonds get more than they can handle, especially when the ultimate villain turns out to be Bonds nephew, Jimmy Bond.

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Plot Keywords:

spy | baccarat | nephew | retirement | villain | 

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Taglines:

CASINO ROYALE . . . the greatest JAMES BOND! 007 show on earth ! [Australian Daybill Movie Poster]

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

28 April 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Charles K. Feldman's Casino Royale

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Famous Artists Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

131 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System) (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Peter Sellers and Burt Kwouk played Inspector Clouseau and Cato in several Pink Panther movies. Casino Royale and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu are the only two non-Panther movies they both appear in.

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Goofs

When David Niven (Sir James Bond) introduces himself to Moneypenny, he says "... I'm partial to Jasmine Tea." MoneyPenny: "Jasmine tea, Sir?" Bond: "Lapsang Soochong". These are two very different teas. Since Bond (and Niven) would certainly know the difference, this may be an intentional joke, e.g. a reference to the "real" Bond's "Martini... shaken, not stirred", or (as much of the dialog was improvised) a cast in-joke.

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Quotes

Evelyn Tremble: If I'm not back in five minutes, start without me.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credit animation by Richard Williams parodies illuminated manuscripts with cartoon-style calligraphy. It sets the tone for the film as a psychedelic "knight's tale" of Sir James Bond.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Peyton Manning/Carrie Underwood (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Rule Brittania"
(Excerpted)
by Thomas Augustine Arne

User Reviews

Great giggly nostalgia from stellar cast

I can't believe how many people have posted such negative comments about this film - those who try to compare it with the serious Bond series are as witless as those who find the plot too complicated for their tiny little minds. I saw this first when I was about 12 years old, and it seemed clear enough to me then - there are some baddies, and the goodies have to stop them. With some gags and lots of style.

OK maybe with maturity I can see it has dated a little, some scenes may drag a bit and a few people may be offended by the sixties outlook on life, but hey whadda you expect from a sixties film? What it boils down to is a series of comic vignettes featuring just about every famous face in the movies at the time, bringing Sellers and Niven together again after the first Pink Panther movie, which practically founded the whole crazy sixties anything-goes genre, of which this is the pinnacle and epitome. Set to some fabulous tunes and on a collection of extraordinary sets, dozens of master mirthmakers perform a loopy little dance around the plot of Fleming's novel (this film actually contains a lot more of the novel it is named after than most of the "proper" Bond series). Some of the faces only feature for a few moments (Peter O'Toole's part is tiny, for one), others, like Sellers, Allen, Niven and Welles, do enough to create truly memorable characters despite the frantic pace of much of the film (I still cannot think of Welles' face without those scary shades). Sellers does his multi-talented thing as usual, Niven plays Bond to a tee as the quintessential unflappable Englishman (his screen persona provided much of the inspiration when Fleming created Bond), and Allen plays his nervy, sexmad little stereotype as well as in any of his own films.

I can see that this will not appeal to some people, but anyone who can lighten up, enjoy a little silliness and appreciate that 60s sense of humour will find this a hilarious jaunt round the spy genre. If you do like it, check the other installments in this classic period for Sellers - What's New Pussycat, After the Fox, the Wrong Box and of course, the awesome Magic Christian. Beats the pants off yer Austin Powers any day of the week.