So when Bond’s new wife, Tracy (the excellent Diana Rigg) is bumped off by Irma Bunt, it’s a rare emotional gut punch in a series where tales of the unexpected are at a premium. Bond movies have many virtues, but given the tight formula and franchise demands, dramatic surprises are not high on that list. But the film critic Roger Ebert probably nailed it when he called it “a definitive example of what can happen when everybody working on a film goes simultaneously berserk”. But that needs to be set against a nonsensical plot featuring David Niven as Sir James Bond and a host of stars – among them Peter Sellers, Woody Allen and Ursula Andress – impersonating 007 and indulging in madcap adventures, culminating in a nuclear explosion. In its defence it did earn an Oscar nomination for Bacharach and David’s beautiful The Look Of Love.

It is best understood as an unholy mess, although, incredibly, it was also a hit. The final showdown of the film finds Bond at a high-stakes poker game at the luxurious Casino Royale in Montenegro, and ultimately to a jaw-dropping finale on the Grand Canal in Venice.The original Casino Royale – not to be confused under any circumstances with the Daniel Craig version – was produced outside the official Bond franchise by the enigmatic lawyer-agent Charles Feldman, who had acquired the film rights to the novel years earlier and then spotted an opportunity to cash in. Along the way, Bond meets the beautiful British Treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), assigned to keep a watchful eye on 007 as he risks it all to bring down Le Chiffre. Bond’s first mission will see him pitted against the ruthless terrorist financier known as Le Chiffre, played by Mads Mikkelsen (Hannibal, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore).įrom the jungles of Madagascar to the white sand beaches of the Bahamas, Bond’s pursuit of Le Chiffre takes Bond (and the audience) deep into danger. From the moment the iconic James Bond Theme begins, prepare to be transported into the world of the Secret Intelligence Service (aka MI6) for Casino Royale in Concert.ĭirected by Martin Campbell, Casino Royale brings us Bond at the start of his career, having just earned 00 status by assassinating the traitorous Dryden and his contact as the British Embassy in Prague. This action-packed blockbuster, complete with the force and energy of a live orchestra is an experience not to be missed.

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