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BY RICHARD CROWTHER |
PRICE SEARCH
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PART ONE INTRODUCTION AND TWO VERSIONS OF CASINO ROYALE (Note: All timings quoted refer to the PAL releases, unless otherwise stated) To date, there have been an almost-countless number of releases of the James Bond films, on just about every home video format, from VHS to Laserdisc, from VCD to DVD, often with multiple releases in each format. No doubt we will soon see them make their debut in High Definition. After studying the films’ home video history two things have become apparent. Firstly, some of the films have been treated better than others over the years, and secondly, many of the films have been released in such a variety of cuts, that it is hard to determine which - if any - are the definitive versions. This guide does not pretend to be the last word on the subject, but it does attempt to provide some information about each film, and how they have been treated over the years. It also provides information about the variant cuts of some of the films which have appeared over the past five decades. Hopefully the Guide will provide answers to some long-standing questions, and even offer some information you never thought you’d need to know! Along the way we shall also be taking in the first ever live-action depiction of James Bond, in the 1954 TV adaptation of Casino Royale, and the two “unofficial” James Bond movies (the 1967 version of Casino Royale and Never Say Never Again). CASINO ROYALE - 1954 We start with the television adaptation of Casino Royale, first broadcast as part of the Climax Mystery Theater series, on the 21st October 1954. Barry Nelson starred as James Bond, and Peter Lorre played his nemesis, Le Chiffre. Although long thought lost, this has since been released all over the world, in a variety of different prints. The version that most people will be familiar with is the one included as an extra on the Region 1 release of the 1967 film version of Casino Royale (see below). This version on this disc, as with most other versions in circulation, is missing the very ending of the show, and cuts to the end credits just as Bond asks Valerie to telephone the police. The most complete version to date would appear to be an American VHS released by Spy Guise Video in 1998. This version includes the whole of the final scene. Spy Guise announced that they had plans to release the same uncut print on DVD, but it has yet to appear. It should be noted that none of the versions available in any format are in particularly great shape, but we should be grateful that it exists at all. CASINO ROYALE - 1967 Upon securing the film rights to the novel Casino Royale (which, because of the 1950s TV adaptation, were still up for grabs, unlike the rest of Fleming’s novels) noted film producer Charles K. Feldman initially tried to interest Harry Saltzman and Cubby Broccoli in co-producing a new version of the tale, this time for the big screen. However, they turned his offer down. Colombia, however, jumped at the chance, and decided to press ahead with their own version. Initially, the film was to be a very serious adaptation, one very faithful to the source material. Feldman even approached Sean Connery to see if he’d be interested in taking the lead role. Connery also turned him down, however. It was at this point that Feldman decided that the only way to approach the material was to make it a spoof of the “official” Bond series. In the end, the film, beset with production problems, wound up costing between twelve and thirty-four million dollars to make (depending upon which sources you believe), making it by far the most expensive Bond film produced to that point, and quite some time after, come to that. In the end, at many as five directors and at least ten writers contributed to the final product, which, perhaps understandably, was more than a little difficult to follow in places, not least because Peter Sellers, finding it impossible to work with Orson Welles, walked off the film before he’d finished shooting all his scenes. Nevertheless, the film does have a special place in many fans’ hearts.
The premiere and press screenings of the film contained a “comedic” gunbarrel sequence at the start of the film, involving a champagne bottle that disappeared by the time the film premiered to the public, but that would hardly account for a fifteen minute discrepancy. So, the question is, what happened to that 142 minute version? Onto the various DVD releases of this film, and, perhaps not surprisingly, Casino Royale has never really been given the sort of tender, loving care it deserves, with neither the Region 1, nor the Region 2 releases distinguishing themselves. The anamorphic R1 release contains both the original mono mix, and a new, 5.1 Dolby track and, generally speaking, looks very nice indeed. However, the original Columbia logo is replaced by a modern day MGM one, and moments of (easily repairable) film damage make their presence felt, as if to remind you of the film’s bastard status. One particular sequence, in which Evelyn Tremble is talking to Vesper, whilst performing press-ups, suffers from a gigantic tear during one shot (at 52’ 29”). This tear is not in evidence in the R2, though, interestingly, the footage from some of that sequence on the R2 does look to be slightly faded and pinkish in tone, possibly indicating that they lifted sections of the scene from another, inferior, print to cover similar, or perhaps even the same, damage. It is down to personal taste which is more objectionable; the tear, or the badly colour-timed replacement footage. The R2 also retains the original Columbia logo at the start, but, unfortunately, is non-anamorphic. It is also missing the 5.1 remix, a Val Guest interview, and the TV edition of Casino Royale, all of which can be found on the R1. The R2 release does, however, contain two trailers to the R1’s one. The Theatrical Trailer (which urges the audience to “Join the Casino Royale Fun Movement!”) is common to both regions, though whilst the R1 version is in widescreen and taken from a decent source, the R2 is in far rougher condition, and cropped to 4:3, resulting in some painfully bad compositions. For instance, it takes whoever is in charge of the transfer two attempts at getting Barbara Bouchet’s name on screen without cropping it. Perversely, the second, “teaser” trailer on the R2 copy is presented with anamorphic enhancement, unlike the film itself. Both trailers contain footage that didn’t make it to the final cut, which makes them both invaluable to completists. |
