Casino Royale Names
'You Know My Name' is the theme song of the 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale, performed by American musician Chris Cornell.Cornell wrote and produced it jointly with David Arnold, the soundtrack's composer.The film producers chose Cornell because they wanted a strong male singer. Cornell and Arnold tried to make the song a replacement theme for the character instead of the 'James Bond. Here are the cast and characters of the original, star-studded 1967 version of James Bond's Casino Royale.In 2020, Casino Royale is widely known as the film that launched Daniel Craig's 007 career and breathed new life into the franchise, but the same story was adapted decades previously.
Entertainment December 28, 2020
Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress and Orson Welles pictures on a lobby card for 'Casino Royale.' Source: IMDB
The 1967 James Bond comedy Casino Royale assembled one of the greatest cast lists in movie history, including Peter Sellers, Woody Allen, Orson Welles, Ursula Andress, David Niven, William Holden, Barbara Bouchet, George Raft, Deborah Kerr and more. The list of stars makes the poster look like a page out of a phone book -- well, if you look past Robert McGinnis' iconic image of a body-painted pistol-packin' model. This farce, which featured numerous James Bonds and which isn't at all part of the Eon 007 canon (which had kicked off with Sean Connery in Dr. No five years earlier), is the sort of kitchen-sink '60s comedy that tried to be hip but seems incredibly square today. It also tried to be funny, with mixed results.
The poster Welles attributes the film's success to. (thedigitalbits)Bond, James Bond, the seductive secret agent with no equal, never encountered a situation without a pun at the ready. Unless, of course, you’re talking about Casino Royale” that starred Woody Allen, David Niven, Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, and Orson Welles as opposed to Sean Connery or Daniel Craig. The ‘67 Casino Royale in no way resembles a James Bond film because it really isn’t one. Producer Charles K. Feldman secured the rights from Ian Fleming but failed to rope in any of the major players. So instead, Feldman, coming off the major success of the purposely incongruous, “What’s New, Pussycat,” went the spoof route for his swing at 007.
Casino Royale was a star-studded debacle -- not an unsuccessful film, owing probably to its A-list cast, but not a classic. It was painful to watch at the time (as contemporary reviews make clear); today it's kitschy fun for the dated visuals and verges on so-bad-its's-good. Eon productions, the company headed by the Broccoli family that is responsible for the Bond cinematic canon, was horrified by the tarnishing of the James Bond brand. Ever since, Eon has been famously protective of the rights to Ian Fleming's work, lest some other inferior version of the secret agent make it to the big screen. (Eon's failure to lock down exclusive rights to Thunderball resulted in the non-canon Never Say Never Again, but that's another story.)
Woody Allen As Jimmy Bond (Dr. Noah)
Allen attributed the film’s crazy atmosphere pushing him to start directing his own films. (amazon)The controversial but undoubtedly talented Woody Allen, who was primarily a writer and standup comedian, signed on to play Jimmy Bond in Casino Royale after his successful experience with Feldman on What’s New, Pussycat. Unfortunately, Allen probably didn’t realize that Feldman would use as many as six directors all shooting at the same time without consulting one another.
Casino Royale Free Online
Naturally, that created some confusion, to say the least. Apparently, said confusion delayed Allen’s final day of shooting so many times, he left the set in a huff and flew directly to New York without even changing out of his costume. Such angst was common during Casino Royale. Part of the problem may have laid with the fact that most of the stars had no idea they signed on for a comedy and not a real James Bond movie.
In a hilarious letter penned to a friend, Allen lays out the litany of problems with the film:
I haven't begun filming yet but saw the sets for my scenes. They are the height of bad pop art expensive vulgarity. Saw rushes and am dubious to put it mildly, but probably the film will coin a mint. (Not money, just a single peppermint.) I play the villain (okay to give that out) and also James Bond's bastard nephew (not all right to give that out) and my part changes every day as new stars fall in. ... I would like it emphasized and made quite clear that I am not a writer of Casino. I'm adding a few ad-lib jokes to my own part but that's all. In fact ... we demanded a letter saying my name cannot appear on screen as a writer. This because everyone who contributed a comma is demanding his name on the film.
Peter Sellers As Evelyn Tremble (James Bond 007)
Source: IMDBSellers was another of the actors playing a James Bond (there are at least four) in Casino Royale, and was also alarmed by the chaotic nature of the concept and shoot -- so much so that he hired his own writer, Terry Southern, to write his dialogue so he could outshine Allen and Orson Welles. He also made the executive decision to play it straight, despite starring in what amounted to Monty Python’s version of James Bond.
His decision to not go along with the tone of the film created extraordinary tension between Peter Sellers and Orson Welles as well as director, Val Guest. Allegedly, Sellers and Welles hated each other so much that they couldn't be in the same room together. Their scene at the gambling table had to be shot over multiple days, with doubles standing in for the other actor. Supposedly, the rift between Sellers and Welles started when Princess Margaret, with whom Sellers was familiar, visited the set and completely ignored him to swoon over Welles. Guest, on the other hand, was so sick of Sellers' behavior that he fired him before the actor had even finished all his scenes. Rewrites were required to remove Sellers from the film.
Jacqueline Bisset As Miss Goodthighs
Even more disturbing, Sellers, during one of his serious ad-libs, also shot Jacqueline Bisset in the face with a blank. The gunpowder burned her face and the tiny shards from the round actually made her bleed. As Bisset remembered,
First I thought I had been actually shot and then when I realized it had been a blank, I thought I'd been blinded. My face looked like a shower spout of pinpricks leaking blood. I was panicked whenever I had a scene with Peter Sellers. To get shot in your first scene with a big star, that is a nightmare.
To cap it all off, Sellers punched friend and director Joseph McGrath in the face when he complained about the actor’s behavior.
David Niven As Sir James Bond
It may not have been a real Bond movie but Ian Fleming did get his wish to see Niven as Bond, James Bond. (cinefilesreviews)Niven was actually Ian Fleming’s first choice for the real James Bond, but was overruled by producers who selected Sean Connery. Niven got his chance, of sorts, to play “Sir James Bond” in what Woody Allen called “a madhouse” of a production. Niven's character is in a sense the 'real' James Bond, a dashing and successful British secret agent who retired 20 years before the film begins but is drawn out of retirement. In the face of an imminent and convoluted threat, Sir James Bond decrees that all MI6 agents be renamed 'James Bond' to confuse the villains (and, unfortunately, the audience).
When considering Casino Royale, it’s better to think of it as an Austin Powers movie rather than an actual James Bond movie. Thanks to the complete chaos involved from top to bottom, it doesn’t really work any other way.
Joanna Pettet As Mata Bond
Source: IMDBAs Mata Bond, Joanna Pettet plays the daughter of the legendary femme fatale/spy Mata Hari. Her father, from whom she is estranged, is Sir James Bond (Niven). Bond, a famous ladies' man, finds old habits die hard, even around his own daughter, who tends to dress in skimpy belly-dancing outfits. He's also constantly cracking wise about Mata Hari's sexual aptitude and enthusiasm:
Mata Bond: Oh! You want me to be a spy - like mum, huh? Well.
Sir James: Family tradition, my dear.
Mata Bond: Do I get an exploding brief case and a secret transmitter?
Sir James: That won't be necessary.
Mata Bond: Well, I have to have some equipment.
Sir James: Your mother wiped out three divisions of infantry and five brigades of cavalry and, well, frankly, she had much less equipment than you have.
Pettet continued to make movies for years after Casino Royale, but never had a hit. She was considered a virtual Sharon Tate lookalike, which is interesting because she and Tate were actually good friends in real life. Pettet was one of the last people to see Sharon Tate alive, having been at the pregnant actress' house the day she was murdered. In Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood, Pettet was played by Rumer Willis.
Orson Welles As Le Chiffre
Welles participated in “Casio Royale” as a lark and likely to fund his next film. (bondsuits)Casino Royale Actors Names
Orson Welles played the evil mastermind, “Le Chiffre” and got the role, ironically, in part thanks to Sellers’ recommendation. Unfortunately, whether it was Princess Margaret’s unintentional snub of Sellers, her fawning over Orson Welles, or Welles' own adamant desire to perform magic in the movie, the two Hollywood heavyweights despised one another almost immediately.
We certainly aren’t taking sides but stories like Sellers demanding a set be taken down because he had a dream in which his mother disapproved of the background, making the animosity understandable. Interestingly, the iconic polymath Orson Welles, director of the masterpiece Citizen Kane, attributed the relative success of the film to an ad featuring a naked tattooed woman.
Ursula Andress As Vesper Lynd (007)
Ursula Andress, Stunning as always. (amazon)Ursula Andress played Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale and unlike her subsequent movies which earned her the nickname, 'Ursula undress,' did not actually get naked. She did wear a skin color bodysuit that assuredly got many men hot under the collar and likely led to years of research by internet sleuths. Unlike her male counterparts who sparred like wild animals, Andress stirred clear of most of the controversy surrounding the cast of the film. She did, however, manage to get an eye injury while feeding deer at Hampton Court.
From the Web
Rarely Seen Photos From The 70s for Mature Audiences Only
History Daily
67 Colorized Photos Captured Way More Than Expected
History Daily
Tags: Cast Lists From Popular Movies David Niven James Bond Orson Welles Peter Sellers Ursula Andress Woody Allen
Like it? Share with your friends!
Kellar Ellsworth
Writer
A look at what 007 drinks in Daniel Craig’s debut as James Bond.
The first drink of the Daniel Craig era is served around half an hour into Casino Royale. After arriving at the One and Only Ocean Club (now known simply as The Ocean Club) Bond heads for the bar where Alex Dimitrios is playing poker. Bond orders a Mount Gay rum and soda at the bar before asking if he can join the game.
While Dimitrios faces Le Chiffre aboard his boat Bond uses his charms on Solange to try and found out what Dimitrios is up to. As they roll on the floor together you can see two flutes of champagne on the table behind them.
Soon after Bond calls room service. Requesting a bottle of Bollinger Grand Année and Beluga caviar the voice at the other end of the line asks if it is for two.
“No, for one”, he responds abruptly and promptly leaves Solange headed for Miami.
On the train to Montenegro Vesper joins Bond in the dining carriage. He has a whisky on the rocks in front of him as he peruses the menu. With their meal they have a bottle of Château Angélus 1982 Premier Grand Cru Classé Saint-Émilion. Barbara Broccoli is a friend of the co-owner of the winery, and approached him to provide the wine for this scene.
At a cafe where he and Vesper meet Mathis, Bond takes two glasses of champagne from a passing waitress before they even find a table. Mathis appears to have a glass of still water with a slice of lemon.
While playing poker Bond orders what he later names the Vesper – three measures of Gordon’s, two measures of vodka and half a measure of Kina Lillet shaken and served with a thin slice of lemon peel. Two other players ask for the same and Leiter, not yet introduced, tells the waiter to “bring me one as well, keep the fruit”.
Ian Fleming’s one and only mention of the Vesper can be found in the pages of Casino Royale. Bond orders it prior to facing Le Chiffre at the Baccarat tables of Royale-les-Eaux’s casino.
The recipe that appears in the films is exactly the same as the drink that James Bond orders in Ian Fleming’s book, although in the films it is served in a cocktail glass rather than a champagne goblet.
The problem with the recipe is that Kina Lillet is no longer available. The same company currently produces Lillet Blanc which lacks the quinine found in quinine and therefore lacks its bitterness.
Bond is standing with Vesper at the bar by the time his drink is brought to him. Sipping it he tells Vesper “you know, that’s not half bad. I’m going to have to think up a name for that.”
Back in their room after surviving a fight in the hotel stairwell Bond grabs a decanter of whisky and tumbler. In a very Flemingesque scene he finishes cleaning himself up, pours a large slug into the glass and knocks it back.
After being wiped out by Le Chiffre the tournament director calls for an hour break. During the break Bond fails to convince Vesper to give him more funds and so he heads for the bar and orders a vodka martini. “Shaken or stirred?” asks the bartender. “Do I look like I give a damn” is the reply.
Luckily Felix finally introduces himself soon after and offers to bankroll Bond for the remainder of the game. But soon after he sits back at the table Bond realises his martini has been poisoned. Staggering through the restaurant he grabs a tumbler and salt and heads for the toilet where he makes himself sick.
Bond then heads outside to his Aston Martin DBS. From there he contacts the MI6 medical boffins for advice on what to do. He follows their instructions only for the defibrillator to fail because of a loose wire. Vesper seems to be quite handy as an electrician though. When she finds Bond unconscious with his heart stopped she reconnects the wire and restarts his heart.
After finally beating Le Chiffre Bond dines with Vesper in the hotel restaurant. Sipping his cocktail he tells her “you know, I think I’ll call that a Vesper”.
“Because of the bitter aftertaste?” she replies.