The synopsis is a follows: James Bond (David Niven) is forced out of retirement to battle the organisation SMERSH and their grip on the Casino Royale... I think. There are also other characters called James Bond including one played by Peter Sellars and one by Woody Allen.
You can probably tell from the brief and fairly confused synopsis that this is a fairly confused film that unfortunately is not mercifully brief. With a star-studded cast such as the one assembled here (add to these Orson Welles, William Holden, Ursula Andress, Deborah Kerr and Ronnie Corbett to name just a few) it is surprising how this fails to be entertaining.
One of the key problems is that it makes very little sense. The plot is incredibly confused and although perhaps not essential to such a film, you do need to have some understanding of what is going on. This was not helped by the fact that 5 directors were on board (including Huston). It also suffers from actually not being very funny too despite the roster of 'comic' actors.
Niven probably fairs the best as the aging Bond and is classically charming and suave. Beyond that it seems most of the cast phoned in their performances including Sellars who baring the odd moment is generally quite flat. Otherwise the stars come and go and do little to add to the entertainment beyond star spotting with each cameo turn.
The only saving grace is the score written by Bacharach and David and performed by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. This film also gave the world the song The Look of Love for which we should all be eternally grateful
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John Huston was only one of five directors onCasino Royale, the expensive, all-star 1967 ... more
spoof of Ian Fleming's 007 lore. David Niven is the aging Sir James Bond, called out of retirement to take on the organised threat of SMERSH and pass on the secret...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Awesome action, emotional depth, believable story and characters. In a Bond movie! Disadvantages: No Q, no Moneypenny, fewer gadgets, fewer laughs
MBC16 27.09.2008 (27.09.2008)
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Review of Casino Royale (DVD)
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