The only property not initially bought by the producing team of Albert “Cubby” Brocolli and Harry Saltzman is the perfect example of its handlers not knowing the material. How do you spoof a character that is already winking at himself?
Producer Charles Feldman, who obtained his sole James Bond story, “Casino Royale,” first adapted Bond as a television entity in a 1957 episode of “Climax Theater” on CBS. Intended as a back-door pilot, American actor Barry Nelson, playing 007 as a yank, Jimmy Bond, did nothing to impress. A tedious production shot on video tape with no action and all talk, was a ratings flop; Bond as a weekly television series was quickly scrapped. Moving towards the big screen, he was however beaten to the punch by Brocolli and Saltzman in 1962’s “Dr No,” the film that launched 007 into the pop culture stratosphere. Undaunted, he finally got a script commissioned and a studio bankroll. With Bond-mania at fever pitch in the mid- 1960’s, Feldman even tried to woe Sean Connery away, but his contract strictly forbade it. Without a credible lead, Feldman instead decided to poke fun at Bond, spoof the over-the-top action, the countless sexual conquests and the clever gadgets. Released in 1967, “Casino Royale” was met with mostly negative reviews and dismal box-office. An interesting concept is conceived here as we are introduced to the real James Bond, an older, refined gentleman, played by the charismatic David Niven, retired from the spy game, he’s horrified by the activities of the current holder of his former “name” and number. M, (John Huston) appeals for the elder Bond's return to active duty after MI6 spies all over the world are being killed, and the governments of the Soviet Union, France, the United States, and England have temporarily set aside their differences to combat SMERSH, the criminal organization suspected of the murders. At first, Bond refuses, but, after M is killed, he changes his mind and agrees to come back. The first thirty minutes or so work wonderfully. The humor is clever, the story smooth and the target is easily defined. The gadgets, the women and the entire spy movie genre take a nice ribbing. Peter Sellers as the current 007 sends up then-current Bond, Sean Connery’s image with great zeal as he plays the spy as an unctuous twit. Sellers, who was never better at playing likeable buffoons, is fantastic in these opening moments, acting very similar to Austin Powers only not quite so helpless. Burt Baccarat’s score is of the film’s only bright spot, fun and bouncy, it fits perfectly. It’s criminal to see such a gifted cast wasted; David Niven, Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Orson Wells, John Huston, and Jacqueline Bisset are betrayed by a screenplay and Direction that loses focus after the introductory sequence. With one dumb joke and absurd situation after another, the humor dries up and the film becomes an incoherent mess, by film’s end, nearly every agent has been named James Bond, including the daughter of Sir James Bond with Mata Hari, Mata Bond. In a wasted supporting role, Bond’s sniveling, weakling nephew Jimmy Bond, played by a very young Woody Allen is not funny enough to sit through this train wreck. Other notable cameos include actors from official Bonds; Ursula Andress, Honey Rider from “Dr No,” as the film’s femme fatale. Vladek Sheybal, was SPECTRE agent Kronsteen in From Russia With Love. And Angela Scoular, Casino Royale's Buttercup, would later appear in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" allergy girls. Five Directors were responsible and it shows as none have a clear story idea or theme. The film becomes aimless as each Director’s segment feels just like that- segmented, the film never gels as a whole feeling very much like an unfunny SNL sketch. For Bond completists, this is an interesting peek into the pop culture thunderclap created by the first Bond films and if you are a Peter Sellers whore, he’s at least worth a look, but for an expected fun comedy, stay away.