Casino Royale1967

If you’re making a parody film, then it should probably be funnier than the source material. And yet I don’t think any joke here is funnier than a single quip from Sean Connery’s Bond. Why is this movie longer than any of the previous Bond films? It feels like two different Bond parodies stuck together, which is essentially what it is.  Peter Sellers plays James Bond in a comedic version of Casino Royale while David Niven stars in a wacky parody as a retired Bond who becomes head of MI5 and has to defeat his nephew, the evil Dr. Noah.  And honestly, those ideas individually could work. There are brief moments where it feels like the production all comes together, but you blink and it’s gone.  It seems the big problem is due to creative differences with Peter Sellers, and his beef with Le Chiffre (Orson Welles in an inspired casting choice) caused Sellers to leave the project early, and the crew scrambled to fill in the rest of the film. Enter David Niven. This leaves the film incredibly disjointed. It is a mixed-up scramble that the real James Bond probably couldn’t decipher.  There is fantastic production design and glorious psychedelic effects. There’s a world where this could have surpassed any of the original Bond films. But we do not live in that world.  The entire Casino Royale portion of the film is maybe ten minutes long, and that’s being generous. But it’s decent and close to what I want from a Casino Royale film. Funnily enough, this started as a serious production of Casino Royale with Connery, but when he declined to star, they changed tacks and made it a parody instead. Oh well.  It’s at least worth watching for some beautiful imagery and as a Bond curiosity. There might even be a good film in here with a different edit.  Another time, another place. James Bond Ranked