Producer Charles Feldman controlled the rights to Ian Fleming’s first novel but was unable to make a deal with Albert R. With five directors, eight writers (only three credited), two second unit directors, and plot holes you could drive Aston Martins through, Casino Royale is one of the worst film spoofs ever made. All roads eventually lead to the baccarat table in Monte Carlo, where agent James Bond / Evelyn Tremble (Peter Sellers) takes on Le Chiffre in a high-stakes card game. His plan: confuse his enemies by giving his name to dozens of other agents, male and female. In this undisguised parody, which has little to do with any of Ian Fleming’s original books, Sir James Bond ( David Niven) emerges from retirement to confront twin evils: the nefarious activities of Soviet master spy and super gambler Le Chiffre ( Orson Welles) and the more deadly international scheme of Bond’s own nephew Jimmy Bond ( Woody Allen). Worldwide box office gross: $41.7 million (US gross: $22.7 million international gross: $19.0 million).
★: James Bond spoof produced by Charles K.
