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

This movie was aired for the first time in Guatemala on the night of 3 February 1976, only hours before the devastating earthquake that rattled the country and killed thousands. The movie is known in Guatemala as "The Movie of the Night Before the Earthquake".

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Goofs

During the car chase, the milk van drops half of its cargo in a sharp turn. Later on, when the van passes the camera, the van is fully loaded again.

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Quotes

Frau Hoffner: The Mata Hari School of Dancing is the only truly international school of espionage in the world.
Polo: In the world.
Frau Hoffner: There is no political prejudice here.
Polo: Prejudice.
Frau Hoffner: We train Russian spies for America.
Polo: America.
Frau Hoffner: And American spies for Russia.
Mata Bond: Very democratic.
Frau Hoffner: *Very* democratic.

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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

References Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (1957)

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Soundtracks

La Marseillaise
(uncredited)
written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
(played when Bond is dressed as Napoleon)

User Reviews

The Royale Treatment

CASINO ROYALE is one of the truly great bad movies of all time. It is a wonderfully weird, bold, funny and incoherent mess of a movie. What should stink of embarrassing desperation, instead proves to cheerfully insane, unpredictable and remarkably free of common sense.

The film was intended to be the ultimate spy spoof, an attempt to out-Bond the James Bond movies and their innumerable imitators. To this end, the untold number of writers and directors involved have opted to take the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to storytelling, mixed with a cut-and-paste style of editing. It is obvious that no one gave the slightest thought to creating a genuine spy film and instead approached the film with a devil-may-care attitude. As far as the actors are concerned, CASINO ROYALE seems to be little more than an excuse to have a multimillion dollar party at the studio's expense. As a satire of Bond films, CASINO is adequate; as a satire of the then trendy-swinging-cool-hip-with-it-now youth films of the era, it succeeds beautifully.

Basically you have a whole bunch of big name stars -- past their prime, but still with box office credibility -- ridiculing the very youth market that was squeezing them off the theatre marquees. Yet, the film has no malice; it is as bright and breezy as a screwball comedy with just a touch of British absurdity. It is amazing that a film that is so overblown, over produced and over budgeted can still be so light and airy. Despite a chaotic recipe, the film has a lot of really great ingredients. The cast is slumming in style (where else can you find Orson Welles, John Huston and Woody Allen hamming it up in the same film or Peter O'Toole, George Raft, Charles Boyer and Jean-Paul Belmondo dropping in for fleeting cameos?) And you have one of the best soundtrack albums ever, including Herb Alpert's title track and Dusty Springfield's sexy, sultry rendition of the Bacharach and David classic "The Look of Love." Plus, you get Woody Allen as an evil genius out to take over the world and Deborah Kerr dangling from the drain pipe of a Scottish castle.

And, to some extend, the film gets Bond right. As the legit James Bond series grinds on, getting ever more pompous, humorless and heavy-handed, CASINO ROYALE sees the whole genre for what it is: an absurdist lark. Indeed, if CASINO ROYALE has a soul mate, it is not GOLDFINGER, but the "Batman" TV series, another pop culture phenomenon designed to deflate pretense with overblown villains, outrageously silly situations, off-the-wall cameos and a tongue placed firmly in the cheek.

What's not to love?