In every James Bond film, there's an opening set piece that sets the tone for the movie. In the openings of movies that gave us a new actor playing Bond, these were even more important, as they told us what we need to know about this Bond. That was never more masterfully done than in the 2006 movie Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first Bond film. Craig would go on to appear as James Bond in four more films. Craig was meant to be a more vulnerable but less experienced Bond, but the opening scene presents him as an unstoppable action-oriented superhero of sorts, more than making up for any deficits in the name of realism elsewhere in his character. It worked, as Craig's Bond reinvigorated the film series decades after it debuted in 1961. (via Digg)
Technically, the first instance of Bond on screen was on CBS TV show "Climax" in 1954; it was Casino Royale.
ReplyDeleteCBS did make many changes due to being recorded live--plus, they made Bond an American: Jimmy Bond. I believe he was in the CIA.
Since Ian Flemming sold the rights of Casino Royale to CBS, this should be part of the Bond world--but since the Broccoli family had nothing to do with it, it is mostly forgotten.
It did, however, follow the plot of Casino Royale pretty well.