Pelikulang Casino Royale [1967]

Ang Casino Royale, British-American spy film, na inilabas noong 1967, iyon ay isang parody ng unang nobelang James Bond ni Ian Fleming (1953). Nasaksihan ng isang magulong produksiyon, ang pelikula ay kapansin-pansin sa pagiging kalakihan.

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Ang bono (na ginampanan ni David Niven) ay nabubuhay sa kalakal matapos ang kanyang pagretiro mula sa MI6. Gayunpaman, kasunod ng mahiwagang pagpatay ng mga ahente mula sa iba't ibang mga bansa, siya ay pinipilit na bumalik sa serbisyo ng kanyang dating boss, M (John Huston), at iba pang mga opisyal ng pandaigdigang paniktik. Nalaman ng Bond na ang isa sa mga target ng pagsisiyasat ay isang mayamang sugal na nagngangalang Le Chiffre (Orson Welles), na talagang isang pangunahing operative sa isang sindikato ng krimen na kilala bilang SMERSH. Nagpasya si Bond na malito ang kanyang mga kaaway sa pamamagitan ng paglista ng maraming mga ahente upang mag-ampon ang pangalang James Bond. Ginagamit niya ang mga serbisyo ng ahente na si Vesper Lynd (Ursula Andress) upang pukawin si Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers), ang pinakamahusay na baccarat player sa buong mundo. Sumasang-ayon si Tremble na mag-opose bilang James Bond at hamunin si Le Chiffre sa isang high-stake game sa sikat na Casino Royale, na isang harapan para sa operasyon ng SMERSH.Panalo ang laro, na nagdulot ng pagkawala ni Le Chiffre ng malaking halaga ng pera ng sindikato ng krimen - isang pagkakamali na nagresulta sa pagkamatay ni Le Chiffre. Kapag si Lynd ay inagaw mula sa casino, si Tremble ay tumakas upang iligtas siya. Gayunpaman, natuklasan niya ang lahat na huli na siya ay isang dobleng ahente, at pinapatay siya.

Meanwhile, the real Bond succeeds in confronting the secret head of SMERSH, Dr. Noah, who is actually his nephew Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen). Jimmy has devised a series of incredible schemes, including the elimination of all men taller than him and the development of a time-release atomic bomb concealed in a pill. A British agent (Daliah Lavi) surreptitiously slips one of the pills into Jimmy’s champagne, turning him into a walking atomic time bomb. Meanwhile, a wild battle ensues in Casino Royale, with MI6 and its allies (including U.S. agents dressed as cowboys and Indians) fighting the forces of SMERSH. No one emerges as a winner, however, because Jimmy’s bomb explodes, killing everyone in the casino.

The film is loosely based on Fleming’s Casino Royale, the only Bond book for which producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman did not hold the rights. Rather than try and compete with the popular Sean Connery movies, the filmmakers decided to shoot the novel as a spoof. However, the production quickly spiraled out of control with five directors working simultaneously but never in conjunction with each other. Eight writers (most uncredited) also worked on the screenplay, including Billy Wilder, Joseph Heller, and Ben Hecht. In addition, there were problems with the performers, most notably Sellers, who reportedly did not get along with Welles and refused to shoot scenes with him. Eventually, Sellers left the production. The resulting film is disjointed and nearly impossible to follow. However, with an all-star cast, an outstanding production design, and a soundtrack that included Burt Bacharach and Herb Alpert, Casino Royale was a box-office hit, and it later became a cult classic. A second big-screen adaptation of Casino Royale was released in 2006 to great acclaim; a dramatic version of Fleming’s novel, it starred Daniel Craig.

Production notes and credits

• Studio: Columbia Pictures

• Directors: Val Guest, Joseph McGrath, John Huston, Ken Hughes, and Robert Parrish

• Producers: Charles K. Feldman and Jerry Bresler

• Writers: Wolf Mankowitz, John Law, and Michael Sayers

• Music: Burt Bacharach

• Running time: 131 minutes

Cast

• Peter Sellers (Evelyn Tremble)

• Ursula Andress (Vesper Lynd)

• David Niven (Sir James Bond)

• Woody Allen (Jimmy Bond)

• Orson Welles (Le Chiffre)

Academy Award nomination

• Song (“The Look of Love”)