Not one but two versions of Casino Royale
Finally this comedic take on the James Bond series makes its way onto DVD, and for completists and fans of James Bond this 2002 DVD promises not only the 1967 version of Ian Flemings first 007 novel but also an edited down version of the very first James Bond movie, the 1950s CBS TV movie that starred Barry Nelson as James Bond (thats right, Sean Connery was NOT the first actor to portray 007). Made for an American audience, the character of James Bond is a CIA agent in that show and Leiter is the British intelligence agent. That movie, which is listed as a special feature on this DVD, also starred Peter Lorre as the villain Le Chiffre. Made in the days of live television this entertaining oddity is worth watching for the bloopers alone.
Years later, the rights to "Casino Royale" made it into the hands of another movie producer who, convinced that any attempt to make a serious version of "Casino Royale" would be doomed without the talents of Sean Connery, decided to make the...
How Many 007s Does It Take To Change a Light Bulb?
Eon Production's DR. NO was a great hit in the early 1960s, and Eon quickly snapped up the rights to the rest of Ian Flemming's novels about super spy James Bond--except for the CASINO ROYALE, which had already been purchased earlier by CBS for a 1950s television adaptation. When the property wound up at Columbia Pictures, they decided to create the satire to end all satires with a host of writers, five famous directors, and an all-star cast led by Peter Sellers. But Sellers' ego reached critical mass during the production and he was fired mid-way into filming--and suddenly roles that were originally envisioned as cameos had to be expanded to finish the project. The result is one of the most bizarre films imaginable. The story, such as it is, finds James Bond (David Niven) called out of retirement to deal with the sudden disappearance of secret agents all over the world. In order to confuse the unknown enemy, Sir James orders ALL secret agents to use the name James Bond--and...
Excellent '60s Magic; Acid Soaked Bond Spoof
As a '60s afficionado I finally got around to seeing this great psychedelic mindblower of a film. It starts off slow....enter Ursula Andress. There are at least 100 beautiful European girls in this film and I can see Woody Allen's motivation to kill all men taller than him so he can get them all. As the film takes off you realize that you have to be on Acid to understand the plot, as everyone remotely connected with this film must've been. The sets range from a Scottish castle to a Berlin haunted house to Orson Wells' psychedelic torture chamber complete with mod spiral funhouse rooms, and it gets more bizarre from there. Great music by Burt Bacharach (The Look of Love).
Has cameos from practically every British star of the time, has a Spaceship full of Woody's duplicate World Leaders...it has everything. What can I say, if you like the '60s you'll love this if you possess that '60s Psychodelic Consciousness that is.
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