Saturday, October 20, 2012

The 10 Best Moments from Casino Royale (1967): Countdown to Skyfall— Nov. 9th!


Spoilers, of course. Although at times I've been purposefully oblique: if you're a fan, you'll get the references.

Here's my list of the top ten best moments from the spoof Casino Royale (1967). I've tried to pick actual individual moments rather than sequences. What are your favorite moments?

10. Sir James Bond (David Niven) karate chops the cement ball in half to the delight of Lady Fiona McTarry/ Agent Mimi (Deborah Kerr).

9. Peter O'Toole's cameo in the bagpipers sequence.

8. Orson Welles, hamming it up to the hilt as Le Chiffre, conjures numerous international flags in his scarf trick, accompanied by flying doves, sparklers, and flashing light.

7. Dr. Noah's evil plan is revealed.

6. Mata Bond (Joanna Petit) first appears, dancing amidst the scarves and petals in the Indian temple.

5. Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen) attempts to talk his way out of his execution: "What if I told you I was pregnant?"

4. Evelyn Tremble as "James Bond" beats Le Chiffre at baccarat.

TOP THREE

3. Evelyn Tremble poses on the rotating bed [itself parodied by Mike Myers in Austin Powers].


2. To the strands of "The Look of Love," Vesper Lynd invites Evelyn Tremble into her home: in slow motion, we see them through a fish tank, with the fish appearing in suspended animation.


1. Jimmy Bond uses an exploding cigarette to escape the firing squad ("So long suckers!") and jumps over the wall— finding a firing squad in the midst of another execution on the other side.


For good measure, what I think is the worst moment from Casino Royale (1967): I was never a big fan of this movie but it has great music, fun cameos, and both Woody Allen and Peter Sellers are quite funny; every other joke is kind of a misfire, however, and I suppose the worst "moment" for me is when the Indians arrive in the climactic fight at the casino, jumping out of a plane with teepee-shaped parachutes.

1 comment:

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