Movie. Casino Royale, 1954. (HIx: 1)
This is a one-hour version of Ian Fleming’s first Bond novel, done in 1954. The characters actually make sense; Bond’s sarcasm is haughty yet brave, and nested in a context that makes it enjoyable. Peter Lorre is right in his element as the bad guy. We also learn how the poker game Baccarat is played. Worth a watch. But it is a bonus feature on another DVD; to get it, you will have to rent,
Casino Royale, 1967 (HIx: 0)
This is a parody of the campy Bond flicks that had already begun coming out. It fails, though from the opposite end of the field from its 2006 namesake. It is simply overdone and overdrawn. In addition, there is an excessive play on Scottish-ethnic stereotypes that will tend to fall flat for Americans I think. Don’t suffer through it — it never gets better than the first 10 minutes, despite one’s optimistic belief that it has to, it just has to.