Casino Royale (1967)

Directors:

Val Guest
Ken Hughes

Writers:

Wolf Mankowitz (screenplay) &
John Law (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 April 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Action | Adventure

Tagline:

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

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

James Bond | Baccarat | Spy | Retirement | Nephew

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

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 aka Lady Fiona
William Holden	...	Ransome
Charles Boyer	...	Le Grand
John Huston	...	McTarry - M
Kurt Kasznar	...	Smernov
George Raft	...	Himself
Jean-Paul Belmondo	...	French Legionnaire (as Jean Paul Belmondo)
Terence Cooper	...	Cooper, James Bond-007

Also Known As:

Charles K. Feldman's Casino Royale

Runtime:

131 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Canada:A (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:PG (DVD/video rating) | USA:Approved (certificate #29446) | Germany:12 (f) (re-rated) | West Germany:16 (f) | Brazil:14 | Austria:16 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:U (original rating)

Filming Locations:

County Galway, Ireland

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Peter Sellers and Burt Kwouk played Inspector Clouseau and Cato several times together. This movie and The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu (1980) are the only two movies outside of the Pink Panther movie series that they both appear in.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: Sir James received the Victoria Cross at Mafeking - a siege that took place in 1899-1900. David Niven was in his late 50s here, but that would put Bond well into his 80s.

Quotes:

Vesper Lynd: Mr Evelyn Tremble?
Evelyn Tremble: Yes, that's right.
Vesper Lynd: Isn't Evelyn a girl's name?
Evelyn Tremble: No, it's mine, actually.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Unknown Peter Sellers (2000) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Casino Royale

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.