It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
^ Back to Top
The MI6 Community is unofficial and in no way associated or linked with EON Productions, MGM, Sony Pictures, Activision or Ian Fleming Publications. Any views expressed on this website are of the individual members and do not necessarily reflect those of the Community owners. Any video or images displayed in topics on MI6 Community are embedded by users from third party sites and as such MI6 Community and its owners take no responsibility for this material.
James Bond News • James Bond Articles • James Bond Magazine
Comments
Sean Connery: I think a lot depends on when in his era CR would have been adapted. If it was still early-on (Pre-Goldfinger), I think we would have got a very faithful version of the story. Any later, it may have suffered from overkill. I think an early Connery version of CR would be like FRWL and OHMSS coming together. I think had CR been made in 1964 with Terence Young directing, it would arguably have been the best Bond film.
Roger Moore: The book would be totally wasted. They would have cut out the card game as it would probably be considered too dull, add a comic female character or alternatively drop the Vesper character entirely as her suicide would be a far too dark and ending. Many of the story beats would be entirely abandoned replaced with copious action sequences.
Timothy Dalton: I think it could possibly reach for greatness but ultimately fall short of its grasp. CR isn't a story I feel is very '80's friendly and, as such, the chic 1950's style would have been lost on Dalton's Bond more gaudy era where the production values were on the skids. Having said that, if Dalton was given a chance to do this story he would have given a stunning performance.
Pierce Brosnan: Action overkill. Puns overload. I guess it wouldn't be dissimilar to a Moore film attempting to do an impression of a Craig era movie. All in all, a bit of an embarrassment. I'm glad Brosnan didn't get a crack at it, his acting is distracting at best and repellent at worst.
A better question would be: Who would play Le Chiffre, Mathis and Vesper in each respective actors film?
For Brosnan, I think Brian Cox for Le Chiffre:
Catherine Zeta-Jones for Vesper:
Jean Reno for Mathis:
Harsh. Brosnan in 95, no way. Brosnan in 87, could've been a cracker. As it is, the CR 06 is definitive.
One thing that I believe does the film enormous credit as it stands in time was the decision to change the game from baccarat to poker. From a popular standpoint, it was an obvious creative liberty to take with the frenzy surrounding the poker boom in the early 2000s. It also serves the film well critically by maximizing the strength of the dialogue and performances between Craig and Mikkelsen since the game develops into a battle of wits. Especially when Bond starts getting the better of Le Chiffre and has his martini spiked, Bond comes back with one of the most memorable lines his character has ever produced with, "That last hand... nearly killed me." That's an atmosphere that Cubby would not and could not have created by producing the film in his lifetime.
I shudder to think what CR with RM would have looked like. It would probably have opened with some sort of airplane stunt with RM parachuting into the casino pool. LeChiffre would have had a glass eye with an x-ray laser. Q would have supplied Bond with a deck of cards in which the values on the cards could be changed with a trick watch. Bond would later be strapped to a chair in full tux with LeChiffre telling Bond all the terrible things that would happen to him after he leaves the building. Bond cuts the ropes with his razor-ring. The end comes for Vesper when Bond says he "must pull out now" and leaves her heartbroken, but better for having met the spy who loved her for a while.
Though not perfect for me, I am so glad we got CR. I believe I have watched that film more than any other Bond film.
@Pierce2Daniel, I like the idea of Catherine Zeta-Jones as Vesper.