Project Bond: Casino Royale (1967)

In a slight change to the schedule, I’ve decided to slot in the non-Eon films here, because I believe the changeover from Pierce Brosnan to Daniel Craig serves as something of a reboot, so this seems an ideal opportunity for something completely different. (I also doubt that I’d be entertained by this version of Casino Royale after watching Craig’s, with no disrespect meant to David Niven.)

Well, now. At first, I had no idea what to make of this highly ridiculous film. As time went on, though, I found myself enjoying it more and more, but only because it was so very, very daft. This rather farcical film reminded me very strongly of The Pink Panther, and not just because of the presence of David Niven and Peter Sellers, although that did help. The tone is very much tongue-in-cheek, almost like a send-up of the early Eon films, which I suppose is what it was intended to be.

We meet an older James Bond, retired, being invited back to MI6 to deal with SMERSH, which is a thing. This Bond, however, is enjoying the quiet life, and is content to sit back in his mansion house, twiddling his wee moustache. Niven’s wee twiddly moustache, incidentally, makes him the only Bond so far to have facial hair (other than Brosnan’s brief, unintentional beard growth in Die Another Day). He eventually agrees to return after being made head of MI6, when M is killed in his attempt to blow up Bond’s house. As you do. Before that, however, Bond has to go up to Scotland to pay his respects to M’s wife, because to do anything else would be considered rude. There are then some scenes in a castle featuring truly awful Scottish accents, if you’re into that sort of thing. Upon his return to work, Bond orders that all MI6 agents are renamed James Bond, for some reason, including Evelyn Tremble (Sellers). (It is interesting to note that Sellers is credited above Niven here, while Niven is billed before Sellers in The Pink Panther, in which Sellers plays the lead. Then again, it’s possible that Sellers actually has more screen time than Niven in Casino Royale, his role being less prominent than that of the ‘real’ Bonds.)

Bond tracks down his estranged daughter and sends her to Berlin (in a taxi, from London, somehow) to infiltrate SMERSH. Meanwhile, Tremble is taking on Orson Welles at baccarat in a casino (nudge nudge, etc.) using some magic sunglasses. In his fury at being beaten, Orson Welles jumps into Tremble’s mind for some reason, and sends him round the twist. He is eventually killed, much to the envy of everyone else still in this madhouse.

This film features such silly things as Woody Allen, Peter Sellers, and Woody Allen jumping over a wall to escape a firing squad, only to land in front of another firing squad. Sellers is, as ever, excellent value, with far too many great lines to include here. (“Isn’t Evelyn a girl’s name?” “No, it’s mine.”) Allen, too, is very funny, and I suspect wrote some of his own dialogue, since it’s just so perfectly him. Even at their silliest, the Eon Bond films were never as silly as this. I’m hoping for something a bit less ridiculous from Never Say Never Again, not that this wasn’t enjoyable, as a one-off.