Evelyn Tremble
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''Casino Royale'' is a 1967
spy Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...
parody film A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by cri ...
originally distributed by
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
. It is loosely based on the 1953 novel of the same name by
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
, the first novel to feature the character
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
. The film stars
David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...
as the "original" Bond, Sir James Bond 007. Forced out of retirement to investigate the deaths and disappearances of international spies, he soon battles the mysterious Dr. Noah and the ruthless counter-intelligence agency
SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...
, inspired by actual organizations in the
USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
. The film's tagline: "Casino Royale is too much... for one James Bond!" refers to Bond's plan to mislead SMERSH in which six other agents are pretending to be "James Bond", namely,
baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...
master Evelyn Tremble (
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
); millionaire spy
Vesper Lynd Vesper Lynd is a fictional character featured in Ian Fleming's 1953 James Bond novel '' Casino Royale''. She was portrayed by Ursula Andress in the 1967 James Bond parody, which merely contained vague elements of the novel, and by Eva Green ...
(
Ursula Andress Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss actress and former model who has appeared in American, British, and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' (1962). She later star ...
); Bond's secretary
Miss Moneypenny Miss Moneypenny, later assigned the first names of Eve or Jane, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M (James Bond), M, who is Bond's superior officer and head of the British Secret Intelligence Serv ...
(
Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...
); Bond's daughter with
Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...
, Mata Bond (
Joanna Pettet Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a Canadian and English former actress. Early life Pettet was born in London, England, daughter of Harold Nigel Egerton Salmon and Cecily J. Tremaine, who were married in Chelsea, Lon ...
); and British agents Cooper (
Terence Cooper Terence Cooper (5 July 1933 – 16 September 1997) was a British film actor, best known for his roles in Australian and New Zealand television and film. Biography Born in 1933 at Carnmoney, a district of the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey ...
) and the Detainer (
Daliah Lavi Daliah Lavi (born Daliah Lewinbuk or Levenbuch, ; 12 October 1942 – 3 May 2017) was an Israeli actress, singer, and model. Early life Daliah Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch) was born in Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel). Her mother Ru ...
). Charles K. Feldman, the producer, had acquired the film rights in 1960 and had attempted to get ''Casino Royale'' made as an
Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...
Bond film; however, Feldman and the producers of the Eon series, Albert R. Broccoli and
Harry Saltzman Herschel "Harry" Saltzman (; – ) was a Canadian theatre and film producer. He is best remembered for co-producing the first nine of the ''James Bond'' film series with Albert R. Broccoli. Apart from a ten-year stint living in St. Petersbu ...
, failed to come to terms. Believing that he could not compete with the Eon series, Feldman resolved to produce the film as a satire. The budget escalated as various directors and writers became involved in the production, and actors expressed dissatisfaction with the project. Released on 13 April 1967, two months prior to Eon's fifth Bond film, '' You Only Live Twice'', ''Casino Royale'' was a financial success, grossing over $41.7 million worldwide, and
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...
's musical score was praised, earning him an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...
nomination for the song " The Look of Love", performed on the film's soundtrack by
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
. Critical reaction, however, was generally negative, with many reviewers regarding it as a baffling, disorganised affair. Since 1999, rights have been held by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
, distributors of the Bond films by
Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...
.


Plot

Sir James Bond 007, a legendary British spy who has been retired for 20 years, is visited by M, the head of British
MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
,
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
representative Ransome,
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
representative Smernov, and
Deuxième Bureau The ''Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major général'' ("Second Bureau of the General Staff") was France's external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. It was dissolved together with the Third Republic upon the armistice with Germany. ...
representative Le Grand. The four implore Bond to come out of retirement to deal with
SMERSH SMERSH () was an umbrella organization for three independent counter-intelligence agencies in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially announced only on 14 April 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin. The form ...
, who have been eliminating agents, but Bond refuses, as well as chastising M for continuing to use his name for other field agents. M orders a mortar attack that destroys Bond's estate, but is himself killed in the process. Bond returns M's remains (a toupée) to his widow, Lady Fiona McTarry, at M's Scottish estate. However, the real Lady Fiona has been replaced by SMERSH's Agent Mimi, and the household replaced with beautiful women in an attempt to destroy the true Bond's "celibate image". The women fail to seduce Bond, and Mimi is so impressed that she helps Bond foil the plot against him and joins a convent. Back in London, Bond is named head of MI6. Bond is told that agents around the world are being killed by SMERSH due to their inability to refuse sex, and also that the " sex maniac" who was given the name "James Bond" when he (Bond) retired has gone to work in television. To confuse SMERSH and expose their masterplan, Bond orders that all remaining MI6 agents be codenamed "James Bond 007", and creates a rigorous programme to train male agents to ignore women's advances. Moneypenny recruits Cooper, a karate expert, and meets an exotic agent known as the Detainer. Bond hires Vesper Lynd, a retired agent turned millionaire, to recruit
baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...
expert Evelyn Tremble, whom he intends to use to beat SMERSH agent Le Chiffre, who has embezzled SMERSH's money and is desperate to cover up his theft before he is executed. Following a clue from Agent Mimi, Bond instructs his estranged daughter, Mata Bond, to travel to
West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...
and infiltrate International Mothers' Help, an
au pair An au pair (; : au pairs) is a person working for, and living as part of, a homestay, host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family’s responsibility for child care as well as some homemaking, housework, and receive a monetary ...
service that is actually a SMERSH training centre. Mata uncovers a plan to sell compromising photographs of military leaders from the US, USSR, China, and Great Britain at an "art auction", another money-raising scheme from Le Chiffre. Mata destroys the photos, leaving baccarat as Le Chiffre's only remaining option. Evelyn arrives at the Casino Royale accompanied by Vesper, who foils an attempt by seductive SMERSH agent Miss Goodthighs to disable him. Later that night at the casino, Evelyn realises that Le Chiffre is using infrared sunglasses to cheat. Vesper steals the sunglasses, allowing Evelyn to beat Le Chiffre. Vesper is apparently abducted outside the casino, and Evelyn is also kidnapped while pursuing her. Le Chiffre, desperate for the winning cheque, tortures Evelyn using hallucinogens. Vesper rescues Evelyn, only to subsequently kill him, while SMERSH agents kill Le Chiffre. In London, Mata is kidnapped by SMERSH in a giant
flying saucer A flying saucer, or flying disc, is a purported type of disc-shaped unidentified flying object (UFO). The term was coined in 1947 by the United States (US) news media for the objects pilot Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting, Kenneth Arnold claimed fl ...
, and Sir James and Moneypenny travel to Casino Royale to rescue her. They discover that the casino is located atop a giant underground headquarters run by the evil Dr. Noah, who is revealed to be Sir James's nephew Jimmy Bond, a former MI6 agent who defected to SMERSH. Jimmy reveals his plan to use
biological warfare Biological warfare, also known as germ warfare, is the use of biological toxins or Pathogen, infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, insects, and Fungus, fungi with the intent to kill, harm or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an ...
to make all women beautiful and kill all men over tall, leaving him the "big man" who attracts all the women. Jimmy has also captured the Detainer, and he tries to persuade her to be his partner. She reluctantly agrees, but only to dupe him into swallowing one of his atomic time pills, turning him into a walking atomic bomb. Sir James, Moneypenny, Mata, and Cooper escape from their cell and fight their way back to the casino director's office, where Sir James establishes that Vesper is a double agent. The casino is overrun by secret agents and a battle ensues. American and French support arrives, adding to the chaos. Meanwhile, Jimmy counts down a series of hiccups, each bringing him closer to doom. The atomic pill explodes, destroying Casino Royale and killing everyone inside. Sir James and his agents appear in Heaven, while Jimmy descends to Hell.


Cast

*
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
as Evelyn Tremble / James Bond: A
baccarat Baccarat or baccara (; ) is a card game. It is now mainly played at casinos, but formerly popular at house-parties and private gaming rooms. The game's origins are a mixture of precursors from China, Japan, and Korea, which then gained popularit ...
master recruited by Vesper Lynd to challenge Le Chiffre at ''Casino Royale''. *
Ursula Andress Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss actress and former model who has appeared in American, British, and Italian films. Her breakthrough role was as Bond girl Honey Ryder in the first James Bond film, '' Dr. No'' (1962). She later star ...
as
Vesper Lynd Vesper Lynd is a fictional character featured in Ian Fleming's 1953 James Bond novel '' Casino Royale''. She was portrayed by Ursula Andress in the 1967 James Bond parody, which merely contained vague elements of the novel, and by Eva Green ...
/ James Bond: A retired British secret agent forced back into service in exchange for writing off her tax arrears. *
David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was an English actor, soldier, raconteur, memoirist and novelist. Niven was known as a handsome and debonair leading man in Classic Hollywood films. His accolades include an Academ ...
as Sir James Bond: A legendary British secret agent forced out of retirement to fight SMERSH. *
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
as
Le Chiffre Le Chiffre (, 'The Cypher' or 'The Digit') is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Ian Fleming's 1953 James Bond novel, ''Casino Royale (novel), Casino Royale''. On screen Le Chiffre has been portrayed by Peter Lorre in the Casino Ro ...
: SMERSH's financial agent, desperate to win at baccarat to repay the money he has embezzled from the organisation. *
Joanna Pettet Joanna Pettet (born Joanna Jane Salmon; 16 November 1942) is a Canadian and English former actress. Early life Pettet was born in London, England, daughter of Harold Nigel Egerton Salmon and Cecily J. Tremaine, who were married in Chelsea, Lon ...
as Mata Bond / James Bond: Bond's daughter, born of his love affair with
Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (, ; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari ( , ; , ), was a Dutch Stripper, exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for German Empire, Germany during World War ...
. *
Daliah Lavi Daliah Lavi (born Daliah Lewinbuk or Levenbuch, ; 12 October 1942 – 3 May 2017) was an Israeli actress, singer, and model. Early life Daliah Lewinbuk (or Levenbuch) was born in Haifa, British Mandate of Palestine (now Israel). Her mother Ru ...
as the Detainer / James Bond: A British secret agent who successfully poisons Dr. Noah with his own atomic pill. *
Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
as Jimmy Bond / Dr. Noah: Bond's nephew and head of SMERSH under his Dr. Noah alias. Because he is rendered mute in the presence of his uncle, he uses a pre-recorded voice (that of
Valentine Dyall Valentine Dyall (7 May 1908 – 24 June 1985) was an English character actor. He worked regularly as a voice actor, and was known for many years as "The Man in Black", the narrator of the BBC Radio horror series '' Appointment with Fear'' ...
) in some scenes. *
Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...
as Agent Mimi / Lady Fiona McTarry: A SMERSH agent who masquerades as the widow of M but cannot help falling in love with Bond. *
William Holden William Franklin Holden (né Beedle Jr.; April 17, 1918 – November 12, 1981) was an American actor and one of the biggest box-office draws of the 1950s. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for the film '' Stalag 17'' (1953) and the Pri ...
as Ransome: A
CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
executive who accompanies the cross-spy-agency team to persuade Bond out of retirement, then reappears in the final climactic fight scene. *
Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...
as Le Grand: A
Deuxième Bureau The ''Deuxième Bureau de l'État-major général'' ("Second Bureau of the General Staff") was France's external military intelligence agency from 1871 to 1940. It was dissolved together with the Third Republic upon the armistice with Germany. ...
executive who accompanies the cross-spy-agency team to see Bond. *
John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...
as M / McTarry: Head of
MI6 The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 ( Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligenc ...
who dies from an explosion caused by his own bombardment of Bond's estate when the cross-spy-agency team visits. *
Kurt Kasznar Kurt Kasznar (born Kurt Servischer; August 13, 1913 – August 6, 1979) was an Austrian-American stage, film and television actor who played roles on Broadway, appearing in the original Broadway productions of '' Waiting for Godot'', ''The ...
as Smernov: A
KGB The Committee for State Security (, ), abbreviated as KGB (, ; ) was the main security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1991. It was the direct successor of preceding Soviet secret police agencies including the Cheka, Joint State Polit ...
executive who accompanies the cross-spy-agency team to see Bond. *
George Raft George Raft (né Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembe ...
as himself, flicking a coin as he did in '' Scarface''. *
Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...
as French Legionnaire *
Terence Cooper Terence Cooper (5 July 1933 – 16 September 1997) was a British film actor, best known for his roles in Australian and New Zealand television and film. Biography Born in 1933 at Carnmoney, a district of the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey ...
as Cooper / James Bond: A British secret agent specifically chosen, and trained for this mission to resist the charms of women. *
Barbara Bouchet Barbara Bouchet (born Bärbel Gutscher; 15 August 1943)
, glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; ...
as
Miss Moneypenny Miss Moneypenny, later assigned the first names of Eve or Jane, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M (James Bond), M, who is Bond's superior officer and head of the British Secret Intelligence Serv ...
/ James Bond 007: The beautiful daughter of Bond's original Moneypenny, who works for the service in the same position held by her mother years earlier. Major stars, such as Raft and Belmondo, were given top billing in marketing and screen trailers despite only appearing for a few minutes in the final scene. Supporting cast * Angela Scoular,
Gabriella Licudi Gabriella Licudi (born Gabrielle Carmen Stuttard, 14 September 1941 – 18 September 2022) was a British actress. Biography Born in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, Licudi was the daughter of Northern Ireland-born naval engineer Wilfred James Stutta ...
, Tracey Crisp, Elaine Taylor and
Alexandra Bastedo Alexandra Lendon Bastedo (9 March 1946 – 12 January 2014) was a British actress, best known for her role as the secret agent Sharron Macready in the 1968 British espionage/science fiction adventure series ''The Champions''. Bastedo was a veg ...
as Buttercup, Eliza, Heather, Peg and Meg: A quintet of SMERSH agents undercover as M/Lord McTarry's daughters. *
Jacqueline Bisset Winifred Jacqueline Fraser Bisset ( ; born 13 September 1944) is a British actress. She began her film career in 1965 and first came to prominence in 1968 with roles in ''The Detective (1968 film), The Detective'', ''Bullitt'', and ''The Sweet ...
(credited as Jacky Bisset) as Miss Giovanna Goodthighs: A SMERSH agent who attempts to kill Evelyn at Casino Royale. She also appears as an
extra Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...
who stands behind Le Chiffre at the casino. * Anna Quayle as Frau Hoffner: Mata Hari's teacher, portrayed as a parody of Cesare in the
German expressionist film German expressionist cinema () was a part of several related creative movements in Germany in the early 20th century that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in Northwester ...
''
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' () is a 1920 German silent horror film directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. The quintessential work of early German Expressionist cinema, it tells the story of an insane hypno ...
'' (her school is modelled on that film's expressionist decor). *
Derek Nimmo Derek Robert Nimmo (19 September 1930 – 24 February 1999) was an English character actor, producer and author. He is best remembered for his comedic upper class "silly ass" and clerical roles, including Revd Mervyn Noote in the BBC1 sitcom ...
as Hadley: A British secret serviceman who briefs Mata Bond on her mission to Berlin. *
Ronnie Corbett Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish actor, broadcaster, comedian and writer. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC television comedy sketch show ''The Two Ronnies''. He achieved promine ...
as Polo: A SMERSH agent at the International Mothers' Help, in love with Mata Hari and expresses the same feelings for Mata Bond. *
Colin Gordon Colin Gordon (27 April 1911 – 4 October 1972) was a British actor. Although primarily a stage actor he made numerous appearances on television and in cinema films, generally in comedies. His stage career was mainly in the West End, but he w ...
as Casino director *
Bernard Cribbins Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over eight decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" ...
as Carlton Towers: A British Foreign Office official who drives Mata Bond all the way from London to Berlin in his taxi. * Tracy Reed as Fang Leader *
John Bluthal John Bluthal (born Isaac Bluthal; 12 August 1929 – 15 November 2018) was a Polish-born Australian actor and comedian, noted for his six-decade career internationally in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. He started his care ...
as Casino doorman / MI5 man *
Geoffrey Bayldon Albert Geoffrey Bayldon (7 January 1924 – 10 May 2017) was an English actor. After playing roles in many stage productions, including the works of William Shakespeare, he became known for portraying the title role of the children's series '' C ...
as Q * John Wells as Fordyce: Q's assistant. * Duncan Macrae as Inspector Mathis: He shows Evelyn his "credentials" in the pre-title sequence. *
Graham Stark Graham William Stark (20 January 1922 – 29 October 2013) was an English comedian, actor, writer and director, known for his close, personal friendship with Peter Sellers, appearance in several The Pink Panther films and Victor/Victoria.
as cashier *
Chic Murray Charles Thomas McKinnon "Chic" Murray (6 November 1919 – 29 January 1985) was a Scottish comedian and actor. He appeared in various roles on British television and film, most notably in the 1967 version of ''Casino Royale'', and portrayed ...
as Chic * Jonathan Routh as John *
Richard Wattis Richard Cameron Wattis (25 February 1912 – 1 February 1975) was an English actor, co-starring in many popular British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s. Early life Richard Cameron Wattis was born on 25 February 1912 in Wednesbury, Staffords ...
as British Army officer *
Vladek Sheybal Vladek Sheybal (born Władysław Rudolf Zbigniew Sheybal; 12 March 1923 – 16 October 1992) was a Polish character actor, singer and director of both television and stage productions. He was well known for his portrayal of the chess grandmaste ...
as Le Chiffre's representative * Percy Herbert as first piper * Penny Riley as control girl * Jeanne Roland as Captain of the Guards *
Burt Kwouk Herbert Tsangtse Kwouk ( Kwouk; ; ; 18 July 1930 – 24 May 2016) was a British actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as Cato in the '' Pink Panther'' films. He made appearances in many television programmes, including a portrayal of I ...
(''uncredited'') as Chinese general *
Caroline Munro Caroline Jane Munro ( ; born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in ...
(''uncredited'') as a guard ''Casino Royale'' also boasts the greatest number of actors in a Bond film either to have appeared or to go on to appear in the rest of the Eon series – besides Andress in '' Dr. No'', Sheybal appears as Kronsteen in '' From Russia with Love'', Kwouk features as Mr. Ling in '' Goldfinger'' and an unnamed
SPECTRE Spectre, specter or the spectre may refer to: Religion and spirituality * Vision (spirituality) * Apparitional experience * Ghost Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Spectre'' (1977 film), a made-for-television film produced and writt ...
operative in '' You Only Live Twice'', Roland plays a
masseuse Massage is the rubbing or kneading of the body's soft tissues. Massage techniques are commonly applied with hands, fingers, elbows, knees, forearms, feet, or a device. The purpose of massage is generally for the treatment of body stress or pa ...
in ''You Only Live Twice'', and Scoular appears as Ruby Bartlett in '' On Her Majesty's Secret Service''.
Jack Gwillim Jack William Frederick Gwillim (15 December 1909 – 2 July 2001) was an English character actor. Career Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he joined the Royal Navy at 17 and served for over twenty years. During his time in the Navy, he became ...
, who has a minor role as a British Army officer, plays a Royal Air Force officer in '' Thunderball''.
Peter Burton Peter Ray Burton (4 April 1921 – 21 November 1989) was an English film and television actor. Early life Peter Ray Burton, was born in Bromley, Kent, to Frederick Ray Burton and Gladys Maude (née Frazer). Career Burton played Major Boothr ...
, who appears in the lineup of possible Bonds with Cooper, had previously played Q in '' Dr. No''.
Caroline Munro Caroline Jane Munro ( ; born 16 January 1949)McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 538; is an English actress, model and singer known for her many appearances in ...
, seen very briefly as one of Dr Noah's gun-toting guards, went on to play Naomi in '' The Spy Who Loved Me'', and also appears with other models on the cover of the 1969
Pan Books Pan Books is a British publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. History Pan Books began as an indepe ...
edition of ''On Her Majesty's Secret Service''.
Milton Reid Milton Rutherford Reid (29 April 1917 – c. 1987) was a British-Indian actor and professional wrestler. He was born in India, the son of a Scottish-born Customs and Excise inspector and an Indian woman. He wrestled in England under the name of ...
, who appears in a bit part as the temple guard, opening the door to Mata Bond's hall, plays one of Dr. No's guards and Stromberg's underling, Sandor, in ''The Spy Who Loved Me''. John Hollis, who plays the temple priest in Mata Bond's hall, went on to play the implied
Ernst Stavro Blofeld Ernst Stavro Blofeld is a fictional supervillain in the ''James Bond'' series of novels and films, created by Ian Fleming. A criminal mastermind with aspirations of world domination, he is the archenemy of British MI6 agent James Bond. Blofel ...
character in the pre-credits sequence of '' For Your Eyes Only''. John Wells, Q's assistant, appears in ''For Your Eyes Only'' as
Denis Thatcher Sir Denis Thatcher, 1st Baronet, (10 May 1915 – 26 June 2003) was an English businessman and the husband of Margaret Thatcher, who served as the first female British prime minister from 1979 to 1990; thus, he became the first male prime min ...
. Hal Galili, who appears briefly as a US Army officer at the auction, had earlier played gangster Jack Strap in '' Goldfinger''.


Uncredited cast

Well-established stars such as
Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...
and sporting legends such as
Stirling Moss Sir Stirling Craufurd Moss (17 September 1929 – 12 April 2020) was a British racing driver and sports broadcasting, broadcaster, who competed in Formula One from to . Widely regarded as one of the greatest drivers to never win the Formula On ...
took uncredited parts solely in order to work with the other cast members. Moss played Evelyn's driver. O'Toole supposedly took payment in a case of champagne. Stunt director
Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born American actor, stuntman and film director. Early li ...
employed
Geraldine Chaplin Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944) is an American actress whose long career has included multilingual roles in English, Spanish, French, Italian and German films. Geraldine is a daughter of Charlie Chaplin, the first of his eigh ...
to cameo in a brief
Keystone Cops The Keystone Cops (often spelled "Keystone Kops") are fictional, humorously incompetent policemen featured in silent film slapstick comedies produced by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Film Company between 1912 and 1917. History Hank Mann creat ...
insert, where he also appears. The film proved to be young
Anjelica Huston Anjelica Huston ( ; born July 8, 1951) is an American actress, director and model. She is best known for playing Morticia Addams in the ''The Addams Family'' and '' The Addams Family Values'', as well as often portraying eccentric and distincti ...
's first experience in the film industry as she was called upon by her father, John Huston, to cover the screenshots of Kerr's hands. It features the first theatrical appearance of
David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder, strongman and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film '' A Clockw ...
as
Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...
.
John Le Mesurier John Le Mesurier (, born John Elton Le Mesurier Halliley; 5 April 191215 November 1983) was an English actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedic role as Sergeant Arthur Wilson in the BBC television situation com ...
features in early scenes as M's driver.


Production


Development

In November 1952, several months before the publication of his first James Bond novel '' Casino Royale'',
Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) was a British writer, best known for his postwar ''James Bond'' series of spy novels. Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co., and his ...
purchased the small theatrical agency Glidrose Productions Limited to produce a
screen adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...
of the novel. After the publication,
Curtis Brown Curtis Lee "Curt" Brown Jr. (born March 11, 1956) is a former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force colonel. Background Colonel Brown was born March 11, 1956. He graduated from East Bladen High School in Elizabethtown, North Carolin ...
, Associated British Pictures and the
Music Corporation of America Music Corporation of America, formerly known as Universal Music Group Nashville, is Universal Music Group's country music subsidiary. It was officially opened in 1945 as MCA Nashville and Mercury Nashville which opened on New Year's Day 1950 a ...
all expressed interest in purchasing the film rights. Curtis Brown later licensed the rights to produce a one-hour Americanized television adaptation for ''
Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS pro ...
'' on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
. In March 1955, Fleming sold the film rights of his novel ''Casino Royale'' to the producer
Gregory Ratoff Gregory Ratoff (born Grigory Vasilyevich Ratner; ; April 20, c. 1893 – December 14, 1960) was a Russian-American film director, actor and producer. As an actor, he was best known for his role as producer "Max Fabian" in ''All About Eve'' (195 ...
for $6,000 ($ in dollars) after Ratoff had bought a $600 six-month option from Fleming the previous year. Ratoff commissioned Lorenzo Semple Jr. to write a script, but both men thought Bond was "unbelievable" and "stupid". According to Semple, Ratoff considered the project needed Bond to be female and wished to cast
Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrener; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Clarence Thornton, Walt ...
as 'Jane' Bond. In January 1956, ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' reported Ratoff had set up a production company with Michael Garrison to produce a film adaptation, but their pitch was rejected by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...
and they were unable to find financial backers before his death in December 1960. Talent agent Charles K. Feldman had represented Ratoff and bought the film rights from his widow. Albert R. Broccoli, who had held an interest in adapting James Bond for some years, offered to purchase the ''Casino Royale'' rights from Feldman, but he declined. Feldman and his friend, director
Howard Hawks Howard Winchester Hawks (May 30, 1896December 26, 1977) was an American film director, Film producer, producer, and screenwriter of the Classical Hollywood cinema, classic Hollywood era. Critic Leonard Maltin called him "the greatest American ...
, had an interest in adapting ''Casino Royale'' and considered
Leigh Brackett Leigh Douglass Brackett (December 7, 1915 – March 24, 1978) was an American author and screenwriter. Nicknamed "the Queen of space opera, Space Opera", she was one of the most prominent female writers during the Golden Age of Science Fiction. ...
as a writer and
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English and American actor. Known for his blended British and American accent, debonair demeanor, lighthearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing, he ...
as James Bond. They eventually decided not to proceed after they saw '' Dr. No'' (1962), the first Bond adaptation made by Broccoli and his partner
Harry Saltzman Herschel "Harry" Saltzman (; – ) was a Canadian theatre and film producer. He is best remembered for co-producing the first nine of the ''James Bond'' film series with Albert R. Broccoli. Apart from a ten-year stint living in St. Petersbu ...
through their company
Eon Productions Eon Productions Limited is a British film production company that primarily produces the ''James Bond'' film series. The company is based in London's Piccadilly and also operates from Pinewood Studios in the UK. ''James Bond'' films Eon wa ...
. By 1964, with Feldman having invested nearly $550,000 of his own money into pre-production, he decided to try a deal with Eon Productions and
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
. The attempt at a co-production eventually fell through, for Feldman frequently argued with Broccoli and Saltzman, especially regarding the profit divisions and when the ''Casino Royale'' adaptation would start production. Feldman eventually decided to offer his project to
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
through a script written by
Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...
, and the studio accepted. Given that Eon's series had led to spy films being in vogue at the time, Feldman opted to make his film a spoof of the Bond series instead of a straightforward adaptation. Hecht's contribution to the project, if not the final result, was in fact substantial and he wrote several complete drafts. In May 1966, ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine reported that Hecht had "three bashes" at completing a script, while his papers contained material from four surviving screenplays by Hecht. His treatments were almost entirely "straight" adaptations, far closer to the original source novel than the spoof which the final production became. A draft from 1957 discovered in Hecht's papers—but which does not identify the screenwriter—is a direct adaptation of the novel, albeit with the Bond character absent, instead being replaced by a poker-playing American gangster. Later drafts see
vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, Habit (psychology), habit or item generally considered morally wrong in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character trait, a defect, an infirmity, or a bad or unhe ...
made central to the plot, with the Le Chiffre character becoming head of a network of brothels (as he is in the novel) whose patrons are then blackmailed by Le Chiffre to fund Spectre (an invention of the screenwriter). The racy plot elements opened up by this change of background include a chase scene through
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
's red-light district that results in Bond escaping disguised as a female mud wrestler. New characters appear such as Lili Wing, a brothel
madam Madam (), or madame ( or ), is a polite and formal form of address for Woman, women in the English language, often contracted to ma'am (pronounced in American English and this way but also in British English). The term derives from the French la ...
and former lover of Bond whose ultimate fate is to be crushed in the back of a garbage truck, and Gita, wife of Le Chiffre. The beautiful Gita, whose face and throat are hideously disfigured as a result of Bond using her as a shield during a gunfight in the same sequence which sees Wing meet her fate, goes on to become the prime protagonist in the torture scene that features in the book, a role originally Le Chiffre's. Virtually nothing from Hecht's scripts was ever filmed, although a draft dated to February 1964 has a line of dialogue containing the idea of MI6 having given multiple agents the name of James Bond after Bond has died to confuse the other side. Hecht died from a heart attack in April 1964, two days after finishing his script and before he was able to present it to Feldman.
Joseph Heller Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel '' Catch-22'', a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for ...
(and his friend
George Mandel George Mandel (11 February 1920 – 13 February 2021) was an American author and artist. His first novel is considered to be an early work of the east coast Beat Generation. His novels, interviews, novellas, cartoons and short stories have been c ...
) worked on the project for a few weeks in early 1965, submitting more than 100 pages after Feldman offered Heller $150,000. Heller later wrote about this episode in the essay ''How I found James Bond, lost my self-respect and almost made $150,000 in my spare time''. The script was then completely re-written by
Billy Wilder Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an American filmmaker and screenwriter. His career in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and ver ...
, and by the time the film reached production, only the idea that the name James Bond should be given to a number of other agents remained. This key
plot device A plot device or plot mechanism is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelief ...
in the finished film, in the case of Hecht's version, occurs after the demise of the original James Bond (an event which happened prior to the beginning of his story) which, as Hecht's M puts it, "not only perpetuates his memory, but confuses the opposition." In addition to the credited writers,
Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...
,
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
,
Val Guest Val Guest (born Valmond Maurice Grossman; 11 December 1911 – 10 May 2006) was an English film director and screenwriter. Beginning as a writer (and later director) of comedy films, he is best known for his work for Hammer Film Productions, ...
, Ben Hecht, Joseph Heller, Terry Southern and Wilder are all believed to have contributed to the screenplay to varying degrees. Feldman called it "a four ring circus". Sellers had hired Southern to write his dialogue (and not the rest of the script) to "upstage"
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American director, actor, writer, producer, and magician who is remembered for his innovative work in film, radio, and theatre. He is among the greatest and most influential film ...
and Allen.


Casting

Feldman approached Sean Connery to play Bond, but rejected Connery's offer to do the film for $1 million. Feldman originally intended to cast
Terence Cooper Terence Cooper (5 July 1933 – 16 September 1997) was a British film actor, best known for his roles in Australian and New Zealand television and film. Biography Born in 1933 at Carnmoney, a district of the modern-day borough of Newtownabbey ...
as Bond and had him under personal contract for two years prior to production. Feldman had worked with Sellers on ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965) and offered the actor a part as Bond. Sellers originally turned him down saying he felt the image of Bond was "too fixed". Feldman persuaded Sellers to change his mind by asking the actor to instead play a "little man", who plays Bond.
Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward, frequently portraying police officer ...
and
George Raft George Raft (né Ranft; September 26, 1901 – November 24, 1980) was an American film actor and dancer identified with portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. A stylish leading man in dozens of movies, Raft is remembe ...
received Billing (performing arts), major billing, even though both only appear briefly during the climactic brawl at the end, Raft flipping his trademark coin and promptly shooting himself dead with a backward-firing pistol, while Belmondo appears wearing a fake moustache as the French Foreign Legion officer who requires an English phrase book to translate ''"Shit, merde!"'' into "ooch!" during his fistfight. Raft's coin flip, which originally appeared in '' Scarface'' (1932), had been spoofed by Raft a few years earlier in ''Some Like It Hot'' (1959). At the Intercon science fiction convention held in Slough in 1978,
David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder, strongman and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film '' A Clockw ...
commented on his part, apparently his big-screen debut. He claimed that he was originally asked to play "Super Pooh", a giant Winnie-the-Pooh in a superhero costume who attacks Evelyn Tremble during the Torture of the Mind sequence. This idea, as with many others in the film's script, was rapidly dropped, and Prowse was re-cast as a Frankenstein's monster, Frankenstein-type monster for the closing scenes. The final sequence was principally directed by former actor/stuntman
Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born American actor, stuntman and film director. Early li ...
.


Filming

Filming began on 11 January 1966. Principal photography took place at Pinewood Studios, Shepperton Studios and Twickenham Film Studios, Twickenham Studios in London. Extensive sequences also featured London, notably Trafalgar Square and the exterior of 10 Downing Street. Mereworth Castle in Kent was used as the home of Sir James Bond, which is blown up early in the film. Much of filming for M's Scottish castle was done location shooting, on location in County Meath, Ireland, with Killeen Castle, Dunsany, Killeen Castle as the focus. However, the car chase sequences where Bond leaves the castle were shot in the Perthshire village of Killin, with further sequences in Berkshire (specifically Old Windsor and Bracknell). Filming had wrapped by October 1966, at which stage Feldman said the budget was between $8.5–9.5 million, of which the cast cost $3 million. Sellers was to receive a percentage of the gross after the takings reached $17.5 million. Five different directors helmed different segments and stunt coordinator
Richard Talmadge Richard Talmadge (born Sylvester Alphonse Metz; 3 December 1892 – 25 January 1981) also known as Sylvester Metzetti, Ricardo Metzetti, or Sylvester Ricardo Metzetti, was a German-born American actor, stuntman and film director. Early li ...
co-directed the final sequence. Feldman said that Huston contributed 38 minutes in the final cut, Hughes 25 minutes, McGrath 20 minutes, Parrish 20 minutes, and Guest 26 minutes. Huston's sequence involved Sir James Bond meeting the representatives of agencies. It was shot in Ireland and Kent in April 1966. Huston worked on his section of the script with Wolf Mankowitz. Huston had written most of ''Beat the Devil (film), Beat the Devil'' (1953) on location, but says "that was discipline compared to this. It was day to day then it's moment to moment here." Huston wanted Robert Morley as M, but when he was unavailable, the director decided to play the role himself. Huston says the film "was broached to me as a lark, which it was." McGrath shot for six weeks. Parrish filmed the segment with Andress and Sellers at Shepperton. Hughes was not known for comedies generally but had just directed ''Drop Dead Darling'' (1966). Guest wrote and directed the last section and was given the responsibility of splicing the various "chapters" together. Feldman says Parrish was to provide "suspense" while McGrath did "Sellers like comedy". He was offered the unique title of coordinating director but declined, claiming the chaotic plot would not reflect well on him if he were so credited. His extra credit was labelled 'additional sequences' instead. Guest, Hughes, Huston, McGrath, Parrish, and Talmadge received the directorial credits for ''Casino Royale''. Part of the behind-the-scenes drama of production concerned the filming of Sellers' segments. Screenwriter Wolf Mankowitz declared that Sellers felt intimidated by Welles to the extent that, except for a couple of shots, neither was in the studio simultaneously. Other versions of the legend depict the drama stemming from Sellers being slighted, in favour of Welles, by Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Princess Margaret (whom Sellers knew) during her visit to the set. Welles also insisted on performing magic tricks as Le Chiffre, and the director obliged. Guest wrote that Welles did not think much of Sellers, and had refused to work with "that amateur". McGrath, a personal friend of Sellers, was punched by the actor when he complained about Sellers' on-set behaviour. Some Sellers biographies suggest that he took the role of Bond to heart, and was annoyed at the decision to make ''Casino Royale'' a comedy, as he wanted to play Bond straight. This is illustrated in somewhat fictionalised form in the film ''The Life and Death of Peter Sellers'' (2004), based on the biography by Roger Lewis (biographer), Roger Lewis, who has claimed that Sellers kept re-writing and improvising scenes to make them play seriously. This story is in agreement with the observation that the only parts of the film close to the book are the ones featuring Sellers and Welles. In the end, Sellers' involvement with the film was cut abruptly short. Additionally, Sellers went absent for days or weeks at a time, refused to appear in his scenes with Welles and exited before all of his scenes had been shot. As a result, Sellers was unavailable for the filming of an ending and other interlinking scenes, leaving the filmmakers to devise a way to make the existing footage work without him. The frame story, framing device of a beginning and ending with Niven was created to salvage the material. Guest, who had been given the task of creating a narrative thread which would link all segments of the film, chose to use the original Bond and Vesper Lynd as linking characters. Signs of missing footage from the Sellers segments are evident at various points. Evelyn is not captured on camera; an outtake of Sellers entering a racing car was substituted. In this outtake, he calls for the car, à la ''The Pink Panther (film series), The Pink Panther'', to chase down Vesper and her kidnappers; the next thing that is shown is Evelyn being tortured. Outtakes of Sellers were also used for Evelyn's dream sequence (pretending to play the piano on Andress' torso), in the finale – blowing out the candles while in highland dress – and at the end of the film when all the various "James Bond doubles" are together. In the kidnap sequence, Evelyn's death is also very abruptly inserted; it consists of pre-existing footage of Evelyn being rescued by Vesper, followed by a later-filmed shot of her abruptly deciding to shoot him, followed by a freeze-frame over some of the previous footage of her surrounded by bodies (noticeably a zoom-in on the previous shot). As well as this, an entire sequence involving Evelyn going to the front for the underground James Bond training school (which turns out to be under Harrods, of which the training area was the lowest level) was never shot, thus creating an abrupt cut from Vesper announcing that Evelyn will be James Bond to Evelyn exiting the lift into the training school. Many sequences were dropped, so that several actors never appeared in the final cut, including Ian Hendry (as 006, the agent whose body is briefly seen being disposed of by Vesper), Mona Washbourne and Arthur Mullard.


Music

For the Film score, musical score, Feldman decided to bring in
Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...
, who had composed Feldman's previous production, ''What's New Pussycat?''. Bacharach worked for over two years writing for ''Casino Royale'', in the meantime composing ''After the Fox'' and being forced to decline participation in ''Luv (film), Luv''. Lyricist Hal David contributed with various songs, many of which appear in instrumental versions. Herb Alpert, Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass performed some of the songs with Mike Redway singing the title song as the end credits roll. The title theme was Alpert's second number one on the Adult Contemporary (chart), Easy Listening chart where it spent two weeks at the top in June 1967 and peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Alpert would later contribute a trumpet solo to the title song of the 1983 James Bond film ''Never Say Never Again'', which was performed by Alpert's wife, Lani Hall. The film features the song " The Look of Love" performed by
Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...
. It is played in the scene of Vesper recruiting Evelyn, seen through a man-size aquarium in a seductive walk. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The song was revisited in the first ''Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers'' film, which, to a degree, was inspired by ''Casino Royale''. For European release, Mireille Mathieu sang versions of "The Look of Love" in both French ("Les Yeux D'Amour"), and German ("Ein Blick von Dir"). Bacharach would later rework two tracks of the score into songs: "Home James, Don't Spare the Horses" was re-arranged as "Bond Street", appearing on Bacharach's album ''Reach Out'' (1967), and "Flying Saucer – First Stop Berlin", was reworked with vocals as "Let the Love Come Through" by orchestra leader and arranger Roland Shaw. A clarinet melody would later be featured in a Cracker Jack peanut popcorn commercial. As an in-joke, a brief snippet of John Barry (composer), John Barry's song "Born Free (Matt Monro song), Born Free" is used early in the film. At the time, Barry was the main composer for the Eon Bond series, and said song had won an Academy Award over Bacharach's own "Alfie (Burt Bacharach song), Alfie". The cover art was done by Robert McGinnis, based on the film poster. The original LP was later issued by Varèse Sarabande in the same track order as shown below. It has been re-released under licence by Kritzerland Records and again by Quartet Records, the latter to mark the film's 50th anniversary. This latest issue has included almost all of Bacharach's Underscoring, underscore, representing 35 tracks in total. Soundtrack listing The album became famous among audio purists for the excellence of its recording. It then became a standard "audiophile test" record for decades to come, especially the vocal performance by Springfield on "The Look of Love". The soundtrack has since been released by other companies in different configurations (including complete score releases). The highly regarded master tapes were damaged, however, during a 1990s remastering, so none of the subsequent re-releases is considered to be as fine as the original LP release.


Release

Columbia at first announced release in time for Christmas 1966; however, problems during production postponed the release until April 1967. ''Casino Royale'' had its world premiere in London's Odeon Leicester Square on 13 April 1967, breaking many opening records in the theatre's history. Its American premiere was held in New York City on 28 April, at the Capitol Theatre (New York City), Capitol and Cinema I theatres. It opened two months prior to the fifth Bond film by Eon Productions, ''You Only Live Twice''.


Box office

Despite the lukewarm nature of contemporary reviews, the pull of the James Bond name was sufficient to make it the 13th-highest-grossing film in North America in 1967 with a gross of $22.7 million ($ million in dollars) and a worldwide total of $41.7 million ($ million in dollars). Welles attributed the success to a marketing strategy that featured a naked tattooed woman on the film's posters and print ads. The campaign also included a series of commercials featuring British model Twiggy. In its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, it set a record three-day gross for Columbia of $2,148,711. As late as 2011, the film was still making money for the estate of Peter Sellers, who negotiated an extraordinary 3% of the gross profits (an estimated £120 million), with the proceeds currently going to Cassie Unger, daughter and sole heir of Sellers' beneficiary, fourth wife Lynne Frederick. When domestic box office receipts are adjusted for inflation, ''Casino Royale'' is 20th-largest grossing of the entire Bond franchise.


Critical reception

No advance press screenings were held, leading reviews to only appear after the premiere. Roger Ebert, in his review for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'', wrote "[t]his is possibly the most indulgent film ever made". ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'' magazine described ''Casino Royale'' as "an incoherent and vulgar vaudeville". ''Variety (magazine), Variety'' declared the film to be "a conglomeration of frenzied situations, 'in' gags and special effects, lacking discipline and cohesion. Some of the situations are very funny, but many are too strained." Bosley Crowther of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' considered ''Casino Royale'' had "more of the talent agent than the secret agent". He praised the film's "fast start" and the scenes up to the baccarat game between Bond and Le Chiffre. Afterward, Crowther felt, the script became tiresome, repetitive and filled with clichés due to "wild and haphazard injections of 'in' jokes and outlandish gags", leading to an excessive length that made the film a "reckless, disconnected nonsense that could be telescoped or stopped at any point". Writing in 1986, Danny Peary noted, "It's hard to believe that in 1967 we actually waited in anticipation for this so-called James Bond spoof. It was a disappointment then; it's a curio today, but just as hard to sit through." Peary described the film as being "disjointed and stylistically erratic" and "a testament to wastefulness in the bigger-is-better cinema", before adding, "It would have been a good idea to cut the picture drastically, perhaps down to the scenes featuring Peter Sellers and Woody Allen. In fact, I recommend you see it on television when it's in a two-hour (including commercials) slot. Then you won't expect it to make any sense." A few recent reviewers have been more impressed. Andrea LeVasseur of AllMovie called the film "the original ultimate spy spoof", and opined that the "nearly impossible to follow" plot made it a "satire to the highest degree". Further describing it as a "hideous, zany disaster", LeVasseur concluded that it was "a psychedelic, absurd masterpiece". Cinema historian Robert von Dassanowsky has written about the artistic merits of the film and says "like ''Casablanca (film), Casablanca'', ''Casino Royale'' is a film of momentary vision, collaboration, adaption, pastiche, and accident. It is the anti-auteur work of all time, a film shaped by the very zeitgeist it took on." Romano Tozzi complimented the photography, sets and special effects, but viewed the film as "senseless parody—a disconnected hodgepodge of all the gimmicks and sex-ridden cliches imaginable." In his review of the film, Leonard Maltin remarked, "Money, money everywhere, but [the] film is terribly uneven—sometimes funny, often not." Simon Winder called ''Casino Royale'' a "pitiful spoof", while Robert Druce described it as "an abstraction of real life".


Accolades


Home media and film rights

Columbia first issued ''Casino Royale'' on VHS in 1989, and on LaserDisc in 1994. In 1999, following the Columbia/MGM/Kevin McClory lawsuit on ownership of the Bond film series, the rights were transferred to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...
(whose sister company
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
co-owns the franchise) as a condition of the settlement. MGM then released the first DVD edition of ''Casino Royale'' in 2002, followed by a 40th anniversary special edition in 2007. Years later, as a result of the Sony Pictures, Sony/Comcast acquisition of MGM, Columbia would once again become responsible for co-distribution, as well as the entire Eon Bond series, including the Casino Royale (2006 film), 2006 adaptation of ''Casino Royale''. However, MGM Home Entertainment changed its distributor to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in May 2006. Fox was responsible for the distribution and debut of the 1967 ''Casino Royale'' on Blu-ray in 2011. While the rights today stand with
United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...
(under MGM, who currently maintains home entertainment rights), Danjaq, Danjaq LLC, Eon's holding company, is credited as one of its present copyright owners, the other being original production unit Famous Artists Productions.


See also

* Outline of James Bond


Notes


References


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links

* * *
Casino Royale
' at the British Film Institute * *
Casino Royale
' at FrenchFilms.org * {{Authority control 1967 films 1967 action comedy films 1960s American films 1960s British films 1960s English-language films 1960s parody films 1960s satirical films 1960s spy comedy films American films about gambling American films with live action and animation American parody films American satirical films American spy comedy films British films about gambling British films with live action and animation British parody films British satirical films British spy comedy films Casino Royale (novel) Cold War spy films Columbia Pictures films Cultural depictions of Mata Hari English-language action comedy films English-language spy comedy films Films about baccarat Films about the Berlin Wall Films about nuclear war and weapons Films based on thriller novels Films directed by John Huston Films directed by Joseph McGrath (film director) Films directed by Ken Hughes Films directed by Robert Parrish Films directed by Val Guest Films scored by Burt Bacharach Films set in Berlin Films set in casinos Films set in East Germany Films set in London Films set in Scotland Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films shot at Twickenham Film Studios Films shot in Berkshire Films shot in County Meath Films shot in London Films shot in Scotland Films with screenplays by John Law (writer) Films with screenplays by Wolf Mankowitz James Bond films Parody films based on James Bond films Psychedelic films