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• directorMartin Campbell

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Apr 15, 2009 The Final Poker Hand of Casino Royale. Math and odds are important parts of Texas Hold’em poker. James Bond knows this (of course). In the final hand of Casino Royale, four players move all-in on the river and Bond scoops the $115 million pot, thanks to smart play. As we can se, Bond had an unbeatable hand on the turn, but with the help of. Mads Mikkelsen and Daniel Craig Wanted to Make the Casino Royale Torture Scene Even More Graphic In a new interview, the Le Chiffre actor says the director stepped in to stop them: 'This is a Bond.

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Soundrack Albums

• You Know My NameInterscope Records

  Released: November 21, 2006

  Formats: CD, Digital

• Casino RoyaleSony Classical (88697-02369-2)

  Released: November 14, 2006

  Formats: CD, Digital (88 min)

Compilation Soundtracks

What Happened To The Money In Casino Royale 4

• Released: November 12, 2012

  Format: Digital (84 min)

• Released: November 6, 2012

  Format: CD

• Best of Bond... James Bond: 50th Anniversary CollectionCapitol Records

  Released: October 9, 2012

  Formats: CD, Digital (77 min)

• Best of Bond... James Bond: 50 Years - 50 TracksCapitol Records

  Released: October 9, 2012

  Formats: CD, Digital (155 min)

• The Best of James BondSeyffert Music

  Released: June 1, 2012

  Format: Digital (75 min)

• The Best of BondRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO SP 017)

  Released: October 27, 2008

  Format: CD (53 min)

Review: Casino Royale (3-disc Collector's Edition DVD)

After Die Another Day, the producers of the highly successful James Bond franchise decided to convert the last remaining Ian Fleming novel yet to truly be brought to the big screen, which also happened to be the very first James Bond adventure - Casino Royale. The decision to go back to the beginning also required getting a new actor to play the British secret agent. With the controversial choice of Daniel Craig (dubbed by some 'James Blonde'), much intrigue was swirling around Casino Royale, which was to be directed by GoldenEye director Martin Campbell, based on a screenplay by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and Oscar-winner Paul Haggis.

Casino Royale follows Bond on his first real mission as a 00-status agent (with a license to kill). Bond follows a lead that brings him to Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), a banker servicing many of the world's terrorists. After Bond thwarts a plan by Le Chiffre to short airline stock, Le Chiffre suddenly owes his clients a lot of money - or his life is forfeit. Sensing an opportunity, M (Judi Dench - the only holdover from the previous Bond films) sends Bond to compete against Le Chiffre in the high-stakes poker tournament at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. Joining Bond is Treasury agent Vesper Lynd (Eva Green), who is assigned to keep an eye on the money: Bond has to win the tournament to force Le Chiffre into surrendering to the British authorities.

Casino Royale was a smash hit, proving skeptics wrong about Craig, and successfully rebooting the franchise for a new generation of fans. Released on DVD back in 2007, the original 2-disc release was surprisingly light on extras, and rumors of a more substantial 'special edition' were floating around. Finally, just in time for the sequel Quantum of Solace, the new 3-disc DVD 'Collector's Edition' of Casino Royale was released, and it is certainly the release that fans have been eagerly awaiting.

With the first disc containing the feature film, the visual quality is actually improved a bit from the original 2007 DVD release. The transfer is identical, but there seems to be less compression artifacts. It's certainly an excellent image, with the opening grainy black-and-white sequence looking very film-like, and the remainder of the film maintaining a natural quality and color balance throughout, with strong contrast and black levels. The audio is presented in English and French Dolby Digital 5.1, and like the original DVD, packs quite a whollop. An immersive sound field plunks the viewer right in the middle of the action, dialogue is crisp and clear, and David Arnold's punchy and emotional score shines nicely.

Conspicuously missing from the original DVD release was a commentary track. Making up for that omission, we're given a rather informative track by director Martin Campbell and producer Michael G. Wilson. They discuss the evolution of the project, and the challenges faced with rebooting the Bond franchise. It's a great conversation that the two have, as they reminisce about the ups and downs they experienced making the movie. Even better, a second track features a crew commentary - with edited comments from seventeen(!) individuals who worked on the film, from the screenwriters, to composer David Arnold, to the stunt coordinator, and more. It's a fascinating track, and you learn an immense amount of material, compacted down into the film's running time. Well worth a listen.

On the second disc, we're given the same extras that were on the original 2007 2-disc DVD release. Slightly fluffy, they still give a taste of deeper things to come. 'Becoming Bond' (26-minutes) is a condensed making-of featurette that looks at the film from the novel through the adaptation, casting, and filming. 'James Bond: For Real' (23-minutes) focuses more on a few of the action sequences, and how the filmmakers decided to take Bond back to basics, with less fantasy and more realism. 'Bond Girls are Forever' (49-minutes) was a 2006 television special hosted by Bond girl Maryam d'Abo (The Living Daylights), and takes a look at a significant chunk of the female cast from throughout the Bond series, and their experiences with their respective films. 'You Know My Name' is the music video featuring singer Chris Cornell as he sings the film's main title.

The third disc brings us all the new featurettes - finally! First up are four 'Deleted Scenes' (8-minutes), which expand out some moments from the film, including Bond's hospital recovery towards the end, an expanded prologue, a bit more dialogue and banter between Bond and Vesper. Short but sweet, and all presented in 16x9 anamorphic video. 'The Road to Casino Royale' (26-minutes) is a great look at the long journey that Casino Royale had, from the original novel to the modern film version. Featuring interviews with a huge array of people including producers, screenwriters, friends of Ian Fleming, historians and more, the various attempts are explored (including the Peter Sellers spoof), and all of the legal battles are discussed candidly and informatively. The logical follow-through, 'Ian Fleming's Incredible Creation' (21-minutes) takes a more in-depth look at the novelist himself, his background and how Bond was created. An exploration of the origins of the modern spy community is also looked at, and it's a truly fascinating piece.

'James Bond in the Bahamas' (24-minutes) looks at the pivotal role that this small Caribbean country has played through the history of James Bond, from acting as Fleming's home, through to serving as a location shoot for the various Bond films. The companion piece to this featurette is 'Ian Fleming: The Secret Road to Paradise' (24-minutes), which looks more at Ian Fleming's associates and how they directly (or indirectly) influenced his work on the Bond novels. 'Death in Venice' (23-minutes) brings us back to the filmmaking of Casino Royale with an in-depth look at the challenges faced with bringing the Venice climax of the film to life. From location shoots, to miniatures, to stage shoots, and even underwater tanks, every aspect is explored. 'The Art of the Freerun' (14-minutes) looks at the fascinatingly fluid 'urban sport' created by Sebastien Foucan (who also appears in the film). A lot of behind-the-scenes material from the Madagascar sequence is included here, and it's great stuff to see. 'Catching a Plane: From Storyboard to Screen' (14-minutes) takes us through the Miami Airport sequence with storyboard comparisons, behind the scenes footage, and more. We're also given a chance to look at a 'Storyboard Sequence' which lets us watch the Freerun chase through storyboards (11-minutes), or with a storyboard comparison (10-minutes).

Finally, we have 'Filmmaker Profiles'. Not to be mistaken for some EPK-styled text screens, we instead are given solid featurettes on each major filmmaking crew member, with additional behind-the-scenes footage and interviews. Running 53-minutes long, we look at director Martin Campbell (11-minutes), special effects supervisor Chris Corbould (8-minutes), cinematographer Phil Meheux (8-minutes), stunt coordinator Gary Powell (8.5-minutes), 2nd unit director Alexander Witt (7-minutes) and composer David Arnold (10-minutes). Obviously the last segment is most interesting to SoundtrackNet readers, and we get some great comments from Arnold about the evolution of the themes in the film, as well as behind-the-scenes footage from the scoring sessions and song recording sessions with Chris Cornell. What is still missing? The theatrical trailers and any marketing. Oh well.

Casino Royale successfully rebooted the Bond franchise. It's a high-octane film, with plenty of action and emotion. It shows us how Bond became the Bond that we all know, and makes him human - flaws and all. It took a while, but we're finally given the extras that we really wanted the first time around, and if you haven't picked it up yet, Casino Royale is worth snagging. Even better, it will come with MovieCash towards Quantum of Solace, so you essentially get another movie for free.

Trailer Music Used From

• Theatrical Trailer
• 'Original Trailer Music' - Pfeifer Broz. Music
• 'Unstoppable' Makara(2010) - E.S. Posthumus

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Mission
The very first screen appearance of James Bond 007, made in 1954 for US TV channel CBS. Bond's task is to destroy the evil Le Chiffre, and his plan is to force him to lose a large sum of money at the gambling tables of Casino Royale.

What Happened To The Money In Casino Royale Full

Release Data
US Premiere: October 21, 1954 (CBS)
Part of the 'Climax!' TV Series (1954-1958)
Running Time: 60 minutes

Best Line
US Leiter: 'Are you the fellow that was shot?'
Bond: 'No, I'm the fellow that was missed'

History
Contrary to popular belief, the honour of being the first actor to play James Bond fell not on Sean Connery, but on American Barry Nelson, who starred in this live 1 hour production of Ian Fleming's Casino Royale. The performance on 21st October 1954 (8.30pm EST) was the first in CBS's 'Climax' series of dramas.

What Happened To The Money In Casino Royale Full

CBS brought the rights for Fleming's first book for $1000. Since then the rights have gone via Charles Feldman's spoof of 1967 to Eon Productions, who picked them up in early 2000. The film, which is black and white, was actually lost until 1981, and even then all of the various VHS incarnations (except the Special Edition from Spy Guise Video) lack the climax of the film, stopping with Le Chiffre apparently dying, but having just got the razorblade from his hat.

Plot
The film is quite loyal to Fleming's version, with a few changes of nationality and sides. It starts with Bond being shot at but ducking behind a pillar outside the casino. Leiter (who is English and whose first name is Clarence) approaches 'Card Sense Jimmy Bond' as he is nicknamed, and is met by the first Bond one-liner (see 'Best Line').

Over supper Bond explains Baccarat to Leiter and the audience, and Leiter explains the CIA's Bond (not 007) his mission: Le Chiffre, the Soviet spymaster in France, is in financial difficulty, but intends to save his life and Communist funds by winning it back at the casino. Bond's job is to clean him out.

Matters are complicated when Bond's former lover, Valerie Mathis turns out to be a communist agent with Le Chiffre. They meet in Bond's room, and knowing about Le Chiffre's bug they turn up the music and kiss, before acting their parts for the villain.

The next night at the casino the game takes place. Bond is told if he wins, Valerie will die. Bond is beaten by Le Chiffre, but then gets an extra donation, with which he cleans out the 'toad'-like villain. Valerie disappears, and Bond returns to his room after dealing with a henchmen using a gun disguised as a cane. He hides the cheque just before Valerie comes (she is in fact a French agent, who supplied the extra donation), but Le Chiffre and his men capture them. Bond is tied to a bath and tortured by having his toenails removed with pliers (rather than Fleming's version using a seatless cane chair and carpet beater).

Valerie gives away the location of the cheque, but helps Bond reach the razorblade in Le Chiffre's cigarette case, which he had left on the bath. Bond escapes, and overcomes a henchmen. Le Chiffre enters the bathroom with a gun, and he and Bond shoot each other. Le Chiffre is more seriously hurt, but reaches another razorblade, hidden in his hat. Bond says 'call the police' just as Le Chiffre lunges. Bond fans with bad videos will now be infuriated as they miss the climax. Bond dodges the razor blade and finally overcomes Le Chiffre.

Above: The final scene which is missing in all VHS releases except the 1997 Special Edition by Spy Guise Video.

In Casino Royale What Happened To The Money

Review
Peter Lorre is superb as the villain Le Chiffre. His toad-like looks and menacing acting make him a great villain. Michael Pate is annoying but acceptable as Englishman Leiter, and Linda Christian is competent enough as Valerie Mathis, although her looks are taken away from by the black and white.

But what about the first James Bond? Barry Nelson is just about okay. He is handsome and about the right age, and unlike Roger Moore he has at least read the books, although his Americanisation of Bond takes away slightly from Fleming's cold character. Nelson was born in San Francisco, California on 16th April 1920, and was a regular actor in mid-sized roles on Broadway in the '40s. Since Casino Royale he has appeared in 'Airport' (1970) and 'The Shining' (1980). So how did he do? Certainly he is credible as Bond, although he lacks flair. He delivers the one-liners sharply, and his interpretation of the role is not too bad, although being an American he will always look out of place. Nelson's Bond is hard and cold, as 007 should be. He struggles at the fight scenes (hardly surprising considering the production was filmed live) but he does a reasonable job, with a similar quality of acting to Lazenby.

The picture itself, directed by William H Brown Jr. and written by Antony Ellis and Charles Bennet, with music by Jerry Goldsmith is reasonably filmed, and remains tense throughout (an effect slightly spoiled by the needless use of Act intros). Obviously the usual special effects are lacking, but overall this is a credible performance of Fleming's book, with good production values and passable performances.

Availability
Spy Guise Video now made this amazing and historic program available back in 1997 - complete with the restored ending missing from previous video versions. The added ending restores the final confrontation between Bond and Le Chiffre in which Bond comes out victorious. There is a traditional Bond ending 'with a kiss' and then the credits appear.

This deluxe collector's edition also featured many extras: an exclusive overview of the life of Ian Fleming and the 'Casino Royale' legacy hosted by Lee Pfeiffer, co-author of the best-selling book 'The Essential Bond: An Authorized Celebration of 007'.

Additionally, this version contained rare promotional advertisements, photographs, and information about James Bond clubs, magazines and officially licensed collectibles.

What Happened To The Money In Casino Royale Cast