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There's hardly any reason to discuss the plot of the what is coined, "The Greatest James Bond Show on Earth," because delineating the cast alone reveals why this 1967 motion picture still works even though the plot is utter chaos: Peter Sellers plays multiple roles as Evelyn Tremble/James Bond/007 Ursula Andress plays multiple roles as Vesper Lynd/007 Orson Welles plays Le Chiffre Woody Allen plays multiple roles as Dr. Noah/Jimmy Bond James's bumbling nephew Deborah Kerr plays multiple roles as Agent Mimi/Lady Fiona McTarry William Holden plays Ransome Charles Boyer plays Le Grand John Huston plays multiple roles as McTarry/M Peter O'Toole makes a cameo appearance & David Niven plays the original aging Sir James Bond who comes out of retirement to take on SMERSH. "Casino Royale," (1967) is a sequence of spoofs, comical gags, one-liner classic, oft times political, puns & remarkable visual effects in spectacular scenes. The spoofs are on hippie psychedelic LSD imagery, German expressionism, & certain cold war satire (SMERSH actually stood for "Death to the Spies" in Russian, during WWII). Surely the more politically enlightened audience finds the greatest amusement in this spastic, truth-exploiting show. However, because the cast delivers such entertaining performances, even a less intellectual crowd would be spellbound by the comical chaos. This show ranks as a cult classic spy spoof in hindsight because of such scenes as these: Bond (David Niven) is attacked by decoy ducks; Bond's daughter by Mata Hari, Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet), is kidnapped by a UFO; double agent Vesper (Ursula Andress) hides bodies in a deep freezer; counter-agent Mimi (Deborah Kerr) dangles from a Scottish castle's drain pipe . . . & then there's the usual antics I've come to expect of Peter Sellers & Woody Allen! Sellers does his classic bumbling buffoon/faux suave playboy, plus Chinese & Indian caricatures. Allen does his New York Jewish neurotic caricature. Welles does his elder statesman ala "Citizen Kane," adding a cigar & some of his famous magic tricks. The story, is (ultra) loosely based on Ian Fleming's original 1st James Bond novel, "Casino Royale," published in 1953. This show had 5 directors (including Billy Wilder) & 10 directors. I imagine each generation that views "Casino Royale" (1967) will recreate the show's meaning(s). That's precisely the magic of it--it's timeless, but a retrospective changling.Read full review
You need to strap on your patience pants for this one: this was made during the 60s when almost everything was a parody, including the original James Bond. This version of Casino Royale is a parody of the parody, and not just once but five times. It had five directors, telling five plus tales derived from Ian Fleming's original story. Continuity is not a strong suit here. It begins w David Niven as a reclusive, retired James Bond, and things start going down hill from there. Viewed as separate skits, there are some very amusing vignettes, and all are filled w plenty of eye-candy, including Deborah Kerr, Ursula Andress, Joanna Pettet, a very young Jaqueline Bisset, Barbara Bouchet as Moneypenny, and Dahlia Lavi. When Peter Sellers and Woody Allen show up as James Bond as well, you know sanity has just left the room. Orson Welles appears as Le Chiffre, and a raft of other stars begin popping up as cameos to further the action. This starts looking more like Rowan and Martin than Broccoli and Saltzman. Think James Bond in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, or What's New, Pussycat or The Twilight Zone and the parody emerges. This is 60s metier. Sit back w the popcorn and enjoy the many laughs.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
So many memorable scenes and groovy music. Funky actors with men being men, women being women and Woody Allen. Of course Peter Sellars steals the show ( as usual ). David Niven's best role. Daniel Craig resurrected the role later with a different theme and I can't remember anything much about his rendition.
Just as I remembered it.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
It is exactly what I wanted.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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