Casino Royale
Reviews
Wuchak
_**Psychedelic secret agent satire with a superlative cast**_ A mysterious organization named SMERSH is killing off notable spies from top countries compelling James Bond to come out of retirement (David Niven). Peter Sellers plays a younger “James Bond” agent while Woody Allen is on hand as a diminutive “James Bond.” Orson Welles plays the lead heavy while William Holden and John Huston have small roles. “Casino Royale” (1967) is notorious in cinema and generally loathed by critics & cinephiles, but it’s actually superior to contemporaneous spy satires like “In Like Flint” (1967) and “Fathom” (1967). It was intentionally made with four different directors in mind for four separate segments, but ended up with six directors. There were originally 4 writers (if you include Ian Fleming’s book), but ended up with a total of 11. Welles and Sellers didn’t get along and refused to work together. It was one of the most expensive films of its day and cost more than any of the James Bond flicks up to that time. Surprisingly, it all sort of comes together for a madly amusing 60’s secret agent farce despite the problematic Sellers being fired before all of his scenes were shot. I suggest using the subtitles so you can make out all the witty verbiage and follow what’s happening. The female cast is outstanding with Barbara Bouchet (Moneypenny) and Joanna Pettet (Mata Bond) leading the way, but also featuring Ursula Andress (Vesper Lynd), Jacqueline Bisset (Miss Goodthighs), Deborah Kerr (Lady Fiona) and several others, including Caroline Munro and Veronica Carlson in cameos. The movie is overlong at 2 hours, 11 minutes. It was shot in Ireland, Scotland and England. GRADE: B-
drystyx
Very boring comedy. Mostly just forgettable. Niven plays Bond, and the story tries to be funny, but the humor is too dry for me, or too lame. I'm not sure which it is. I couldn't follow the story line, so let us just say it is confusing. A big climax at the end is something you probably won't expect. Still, at 3/10, it is three times better than the serious 007 version of Casino Royale.
CinemaSerf
I've given up counting the number of times I've tried to make it all the way through this film, and now that I finally have I didn't hate it. There's a nefarious plot gripping the world and "M" (John Huston) has convinced his opposite numbers in France, Russia and the United States that there's only one way to thwart this dastardly plotting. Enter the original, newly knighted, "Sir James Bond" (David Niven) who undertakes the task of heading up the new "007" division and tracking down the criminal mastermind behind "SMERSH"! What now ensues is split into segments and each involves a separate strand in their search. It's not that these aren't entertaining enough, up to a point, it's that they are all just bit contrived to maximise the faux-menace whilst providing us with as many cameos as the five directors behind this over-long project can squeeze in - even Peter O'Toole must have had a bar bill to pay. Peter Sellers and original "Bond" girl Ursula Andress help to keep Niven and the ship afloat and for me, the "Le Chifre" (Orson Welles) scene at the gambling tables steals what there is to show. I think it does quite successfully parody the worst excess of the kitsch, the jingoistic and the kaleidoscopically coloured 1960s, rife with sexism and chauvinism and Niven seems to be very much in on the joke. No, it's not good and it's portmanteau style misses more than it hits but it's of it's time and still just about worth a watch.
Movie Recommendation
The Paper Chase1973-10-16A first-year law student struggles with balancing his coursework and his relationship with the daughter of a stern professor.More...
Casino Royale1954-10-21American spy James Bond must outsmart card wiz and crime boss LeChiffre while monitoring his actions.More...
My Favorite Year1982-10-01Fledgling comic Benjy Stone can't believe his luck when his childhood hero, the swashbuckling matinee idol Alan Swann, gets booked to appear on the variety show he writes for. But when Swann arrives, he fails to live up to his silver screen image. Instead, he's a drunken womanizer who suffers from stage fright. Benjy is assigned to look after him before the show, and it's all he can do to keep his former idol from going completely off the rails.More...
Mafia Millionaires2014-10-19The rise and fall of a Neapolitan criminal clan through the story of a boss and his family, divided between the aspiration for a bourgeois life and the deep impulses of oppression. Thirty years of history of one of the most beautiful and discussed cities in the world, the dream of a boy who is overwhelmed by the desire for power as an end in itself, to become the nightmare of a man and those who live next to him.More...
Harlow1965-06-23Jean Harlow arrives in Los Angeles as a teenager, pushed into showbiz by her mother and stepfather. Kindhearted agent Arthur Landau becomes Jean's mentor, while a devious Howard Hughes-like mogul grows infatuated with the beautiful young actress. Harlow herself falls for producer Paul Bern before tragedy strikes.More...
Casque bleu1994-06-15Winegrower Patrick Ponsac comes close to ruining his marriage when he has an affair with another woman. By way of atonement, he takes his wife back to the Mediterranean island where, 13 years earlier, they spent their honeymoon. Not such a good move, as it turns out. The peacemaking holiday coincides with the outbreak of a bloody civil war. Having failed to leave the country, Patrick, his wife and their eccentric entourage are taken hostage by merciless guerrillas…More...
The Battle of the Sexes1960-02-25Angela Barrows is a man-eating business woman sent by her American employer to investigate their export opportunities in Edinburgh. En route she meets Robert MacPherson, a businessman who asks for her help to bring his company into the 20th Century. The staff, led by Mr Martin, has other ideas—and a battle between the old and new business methods soon breaks out.More...
Alles Verbrecher: Eiskalte Liebe2014-04-17You: an experienced vixen with the fashion sense of a random generator. He: an Italian pretty boy who swallowed all American action films with his mother's milk. Together are Herta Frohwitter, played by Ulrike Krumbiegel, and her assistant Marco Petrassi, played by Daniel Rodic Frankfurt's new investigator duo. They successfully fight "Verbräschä" and also the quirks of each other. The first common case leads them to a wedding fair. Rosi Döpfner, a hotel manager who is no longer completely fresh, reports her fiancé Rüdiger Vogelsang as missing.More...
What's New Pussycat?1965-06-22A playboy who refuses to give up his hedonistic lifestyle to settle down and marry his true love seeks help from a demented psychoanalyst who is having romantic problems of his own.More...
What's Up, Tiger Lily?1966-11-02In comic Woody Allen's film debut, he took the Japanese action film "International Secret Police: Key of Keys" and re-dubbed it, changing the plot to make it revolve around a secret egg salad recipe.More...
Operation Crossbow1965-04-01Allied agents infiltrate the Nazi rocket complex at Peenemunde in order to obtain their secrets and sabotage the plant. The film alternates between German developments of the V-1 missile and V-2 rocket (with a German cast speaking their own language) and discovery by British Intelligence of the weapon.More...
Gad Elmaleh - Papa est en haut2008-11-06Dans ce spectacle, mis en scène par sa soeur Judith Elmaleh, il parle de son enfance, de son fils et de son père ; 750 000 places seront vendus.More...
On Her Majesty's Secret Service1969-12-18James Bond tracks his archnemesis, Ernst Blofeld, to a mountaintop retreat in the Swiss alps where he is training an army of beautiful, lethal women. Along the way, Bond falls for Italian contessa Tracy Draco, and marries her in order to get closer to Blofeld.More...
Up to His Ears1965-12-04A millionaire realizes he really wants to live after he has hired an assassin to kill him.More...
The Party1968-04-04Hrundi V. Bakshi, an accident-prone actor from India, is accidentally put on the guest list for an upcoming party at the home of a Hollywood film producer. Unfortunately, from the moment he arrives, one thing after another goes wrong with compounding effect.More...
The Night Caller1975-04-09A serial-killer frightens Paris by phoning young ladies at night, telling them insults about their lives. Minos, as he calls himself, wants to prevent the world from free women and he targets at first these ones. Commissaire Letellier is given the investigation and he has hard work with the maniac.More...
The Shepherd: Border Patrol2008-03-04A Texas cop battles ex-navy seals who are trying to traffic drugs from Mexico into the USA.More...
The Pink Panther1963-12-18The trademark of The Phantom, a renowned jewel thief, is a glove left at the scene of the crime. Inspector Clouseau, an expert on The Phantom's exploits, feels sure that he knows where The Phantom will strike next and leaves Paris for the Tyrolean Alps, where the famous Lugashi jewel 'The Pink Panther' is going to be. However, he does not know who The Phantom really is, or for that matter who anyone else really is...More...
Kind Hearts and Coronets1949-06-21When his mother eloped with an Italian opera singer, Louis Mazzini was cut off from her aristocratic family. After the family refuses to let her be buried in the family mausoleum, Louis avenges his mother's death by attempting to murder every family member who stands between himself and the family fortune. But when he finds himself torn between his longtime love and the widow of one of his victims, his plans go awry.More...
Similar Movies
Roman Holiday
1953-08-26Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.Airplane!
1980-06-27An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.Austin Powers: Intern...
1997-05-02As a swinging fashion photographer by day and a groovy British superagent by night, Austin Powers is the '60s' most shagadelic spy. But can he stop megalomaniac Dr. Evil after the bald villain freezes himself and unthaws in the '90s? With the help of sexy sidekick Vanessa Kensington, he just might.Austin Powers: The Sp...
1999-06-08When diabolical genius Dr. Evil travels back in time to steal superspy Austin Powers's ‘mojo,’ Austin must return to the swingin' '60s himself - with the help of American agent, Felicity Shagwell - to stop the dastardly plan. Once there, Austin faces off against Dr. Evil's army of minions to try to save the world in his own unbelievably groovy way.Austin Powers in Gold...
2002-07-26The world's most shagadelic spy continues his fight against Dr. Evil. This time, the diabolical doctor and his clone, Mini-Me, team up with a new foe—'70s kingpin Goldmember. While pursuing the team of villains to stop them from world domination, Austin gets help from his dad and an old girlfriend.This Island Earth
1955-06-01Aliens have landed and are hiding on Earth, but need Earth’s scientists to help them fight an inter-planetary war.American Graffiti
1973-08-11A couple of high school graduates spend one final night cruising the strip with their buddies before they go off to college.Duel
1971-11-13Traveling businessman David Mann angers the driver of a rusty tanker while crossing the California desert. A simple trip turns deadly, as Mann struggles to stay on the road while the tanker plays cat and mouse with his life.Willow
1988-05-20The evil Queen Bavmorda hunts the newborn princess Elora Danan, a child prophesied to bring about her downfall. When the royal infant is found by Willow, a timid farmer and aspiring sorcerer, he's entrusted with delivering her from evil.Planet of the Apes
1968-02-07Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.Singin' in the Rain
1952-04-10In 1927 Hollywood, a silent film star falls for a chorus girl just as he and his paranoid screen partner struggle to make the difficult transition to talking pictures.What's New Pussycat?
1965-06-22A playboy who refuses to give up his hedonistic lifestyle to settle down and marry his true love seeks help from a demented psychoanalyst who is having romantic problems of his own.Secret Agent Super Dr...
1966-02-17A series of murders in Michigan lead an American secret agent to Amsterdam, where he uncovers a plot to imperil the world with a potent new drug.La Talpa
2023-12-04There is no descriptionHunters' Crossing
2017-04-21Hank Williams, a bona fide idiot, teams up with Bigfoot Hunter, Trevor Farleys, and an aging bear slayer, Willis Hampton, to sabotage a crazed hunter and win a local hunting competition.That Man from Rio
1964-02-05French military man Adrien Dufourquet gets an eight-day furlough to visit his fiancée, Agnès. But when he arrives in Paris, he learns that her late father's partner, museum curator Professor Catalan, has just been kidnapped by a group of Amazon tribesmen who have also stolen a priceless statue from the museum. Adrien and Agnès pursue the kidnappers to Brazil, where they learn that the statue is the key to a hidden Amazon treasure.Siren of Atlantis
1949-01-04Two Foreign Legion soldiers, Jean (Dennis O'Keefe) and Andre (Jean Pierre Aumont), accidentally discover the famed lost continent of Atlantis. Bewitched by the sultry, beauty of the Queen of Atlantis (Maria Montez) the two men vie for her affections; little realising that her previous lovers have been embalmed into statues that line the passages of her kingdom.Journey Beneath the D...
1961-05-05A helicopter crashes in the desert, and the crew winds up in the underground city of Atlantis and get mixed up in a slave revolt.National Lampoon's Lo...
1993-02-04An LA detective is murdered because she has microfilm with the recipe to make cocaine cookies. Two cops partner to find and stop the fiends before they can dope the nation by distributing their wares via the 'Wilderness Girls' cookie drive.Operation Petticoat
1959-12-05A World War II submarine commander finds himself stuck with a damaged sub, a con-man executive officer, and a group of army nurses.