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 (as Kenneth Hughes)

Writers:

Wolf Mankowitz (screenplay), John Law (screenplay)

Stars:

David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

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

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Plot Keywords:

spy spoof | 007 | spy | parody | spoof | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French Scottish Gaelic German Japanese

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)

Gross USA:

$22,744,718, 31 December 1967

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,744,718, 31 December 1967

Company Credits

Production Co:

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:

Black and White (archive footage: Keystone Cops) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several actors have appeared in this and the official EON James Bond films, they are: Ursula Andress (Dr. No (1962)), Vladek Sheybal (From Russia with Love (1963)), Angela Scoular (On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)) and uncredited Burt Kwouk (Goldfinger (1964), You Only Live Twice (1967)), John Hollis(For Your Eyes Only (1981)), Milton Reid(Dr. No (1962), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)), Jeanne Roland (You Only Live Twice (1967)), Caroline Munro(The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)) and Peter Burton(Dr. No (1962)). The prize, however, must go to Nikki Van der Zyl, who dubs Bond Girls in this, as she does in most official films. As ever, she is uncredited.

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Goofs

How did Mata Bond, Detainer, and Moneypenny die so they wound up in heaven at the end of the movie? When last seen all three had left the Casino long before Jimmy blows it up?

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Quotes

Sir James: You better bring me up to date. Who is on what assignment?
Hadley: Well, it's not a very happy picture, sir.
Sir James: [Looking at a map] Why all the black flags there?
Hadley: They've been liquidated, I'm afraid, sir. Our Finland, stabbed to death in a ladies sauna bath, sir. Our Madrid, burned in a blazing bordello, sir. And, Tokyo, sir, garroted in a geisha house.
Sir James: It's depressing that the words "secret agent" have become synonymous with "sex maniac."

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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 Fat City (1972)

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Soundtracks

Have No Fear, Bond Is Here
Music by Burt Bacharach
Lyrics by Hal David
Performed by Mike Redway

User Reviews

"Too many cooks spoil the broth".

What a mess of the royal proportions - such a great cast (Peter Sellers, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr, and Jean-Paul Belmondo), the James Bond's story, plenty of beautiful (and I mean it) girls, the music by Burt Bacharach, most famous sets - but the movie is almost totally unwatchable. It started funny enough - at Sir James Bond's (David Niven) home where he was approached by four international agents that forced him to come out of retirement and head up the operation against the evil organization SMERSH. His mission is to destroy Topple LeChiffre (Orson Welles} at the baccarat tables where he never loses and wins a lot of money to supply SMERSH. Then, the movie becomes silly, stupid, pointless, and (what is the worst) not funny. Only Woody Allen, (as Bond's incompetent nephew, Jimmy Bond) brilliant as usual has appeared in two scenes and made them silly and hilarious. I think that "Casino Royale" (the way it was made) illustrates the fact that bigger is not always better - overlong and overblown, written and directed by five or more writers and directors, it brings to mind an old saying, "Too many cooks spoil the broth".

OT: the abbreviation SMERSH really existed during the WWII. It means "Death to the Spies" in Russian.