Casino Royale

As a fan of the original 1967 Casino Royale, I thought this was a dreadful remake. No Bacharach and David songs, only one person playing James Bond, and the actor playing Le Chiffre was rubbish compared to Orson Welles. They could at least have recreated the climactic 'Cowboys and Indians' fight in the Casino before it blew up and everyone died. No, of course I'm not being serious, the new film was a kickstart (or ret-con, I think the current parlance is) for the EON franchise and a return to Ian Fleming's first Bond novel.

And as a fan of the novel, they managed not to ruin it too much. It's a long time since the films were really based on the books, especially with too many inserted Whicker's World travelogues featuring Roger Moore in a safari suit. Eventually EON Productions were dredging the short stories for film titles and miniscule aspects of the plot. None of Brosnan's films even vaguely resembled a Fleming novel.
But in the new film, after a bravura Daniel Kleinman title sequence, and free-running escapade in Madagascar, it sticks closely to the plot of the book. We have Vesper Lynd, a cool Treasury official, Mathis, Bond's contact in Montenegro, Le Chiffre (I'm entranced to hear it means 'The Statistic') who's an intellectual bad guy, and even a new face for Felix Leiter.
The film's biggest flaw is Judi Dench. She and Brosnan had established a real rapport, developing an understanding that Connery and Moore never had with Bernard Lee. But if you're going to ret-con the whole premise, you need a fresh face at the top. Instead we see Bond breaking into her home, her repeated terse dismissals of his personality, and worst of all, we see her in bed with her husband. Dench should have followed Samantha Bond's example and refused to come back.

On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my favourite Bond film, and in many ways, it is the closest forbear of the new Casino Royale. Craig and Lazenby are both even-numbered Bonds, and when you recall the other was the short-lived Dalton, it seems almost like the kiss of death for the actor. Craig does have a contract for 2 more films, but this then suggests he will manage only a Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum trilogy before fading back out of the picture.
Other obvious links with OHMSS are the romantic montage (remember Lazenby and Diana Rigg trotting on horses?), his resignation for love, and the downbeat ending to the romance. Women have often asked Bond why he keeps them at a distance, and with his recent track record of dead partners, we're definitely not meant to root for him as an Austin Powers-type swinger.
Finally the lack of gadgets is another similarity. Lazenby had the oft-mocked radioactive lint, and Craig has a mobile phone with sat-nav and an in-car defibrillator. At least we are spared the invisible car and Madonna as a fencing instructor!
I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would, and as a new start, it almost hits the spot. I'll be waiting for Craig's return in 2008. (And was I the only one to spot the Don't Look Now reference?)

	As a fan of the original 1967 Casino Royale, I thought this was a dreadful remake. No Bacharach and David songs, only one person playing James Bond, and the actor playing Le Chiffre was rubbish compared to Orson Welles. They could at least have recreated the climactic 'Cowboys and Indians' fight in the Casino before it blew up and everyone died. No, of course I'm not being serious, the new film was a kickstart (or ret-con, I think the current parlance is) for the EON franchise and a return to Ian Fleming's first Bond novel.
	And as a fan of the novel, they managed not to ruin it too much. It's a long time since the films were really based on the books, especially with too many inserted Whicker's World travelogues featuring Roger Moore in a safari suit. Eventually EON Productions were dredging the short stories for film titles and miniscule aspects of the plot. None of Brosnan's films even vaguely resembled a Fleming novel. But in the new film, after a bravura Daniel Kleinman title sequence, and free-running escapade in Madagascar, it sticks closely to the plot of the book. We have Vesper Lynd, a cool Treasury official, Mathis, Bond's contact in Montenegro, Le Chiffre (I'm entranced to hear it means 'The Statistic') who's an intellectual bad guy, and even a new face for Felix Leiter. The film's biggest flaw is Judi Dench. She and Brosnan had established a real rapport, developing an understanding that Connery and Moore never had with Bernard Lee. But if you're going to ret-con the whole premise, you need a fresh face at the top. Instead we see Bond breaking into her home, her repeated terse dismissals of his personality, and worst of all, we see her in bed with her husband. Dench should have followed Samantha Bond's example and refused to come back.
	On Her Majesty's Secret Service is my favourite Bond film, and in many ways, it is the closest forbear of the new Casino Royale. Craig and Lazenby are both even-numbered Bonds, and when you recall the other was the short-lived Dalton, it seems almost like the kiss of death for the actor. Craig does have a contract for 2 more films, but this then suggests he will manage only a Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum trilogy before fading back out of the picture. Other obvious links with OHMSS are the romantic montage (remember Lazenby and Diana Rigg trotting on horses?), his resignation for love, and the downbeat ending to the romance. Women have often asked Bond why he keeps them at a distance, and with his recent track record of dead partners, we're definitely not meant to root for him as an Austin Powers-type swinger. Finally the lack of gadgets is another similarity. Lazenby had the oft-mocked radioactive lint, and Craig has a mobile phone with sat-nav and an in-car defibrillator. At least we are spared the invisible car and Madonna as a fencing instructor! I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I would, and as a new start, it almost hits the spot. I'll be waiting for Craig's return in 2008. (And was I the only one to spot the Don't Look Now reference?)