The decision is made that, in order to stop SMERSH, every agent in the field should be called James Bond, in order to confuse, and, finally, thwart the enemy. The film sees our protagonist, 'Sir' James Bond (played by David Niven) called out of retirement after the death of M, in order to stop the criminal organisation, SMERSH, and its big noise, 'Le Chiffre' (played, bizarrely, by Orson Welles). It's therefore all the more disappointing that this film was a critical flop. Feldman, and directed by Val Guest, this is a film which features a top-billed cast, with names such as David Niven, Peter Sellers, William Holden, Orson Welles, and Woody Allen, to name but a few. Casino Royale (1967) is a rogue production, and, as a result, it fails to be taken seriously as true 'Bond' matter. As a fan of pure Bond, that is to say the 'official' Bond film series under the direction of the Broccoli family, this is a film I usually would mention in hushed tones.
