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1. SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL BUILT ENVIRONMENTS
NAME: PANG KHAI SHUEN
STUDENT ID NO: 0318423
FILMS SELECTED: CASINO ROYALE (1967) & CASINO ROYALE (2006)
WORD COUNT: 988
ENGLISH 2 (ELG 30605)
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT 1: COMPARE – CONTRAST ESSAY
LECTURER: CASSANDRA WIJESURIA
SUBMISSION DATE: 5TH DECEMBER 2014

2. Bond, James Bond
Being a legendary series for five decades, the Bond movie series was a big hit after hit.
Whenever anyone speaks of Bond movies, we would naturally expect some dangerous
stunts, guns, that gadget- filled Aston Martin, and of course, sexy ladies who most of
the time die in the end. It is a franchise whose storyline – Shoot, explode, escape – has
been retold in so many different settings. However, many young readers may not
know how different a James Bond movie today is compared to the ones made 50
years ago. This contrast is rather obvious, especially when we compare the only two
Bond movies with the same title. You guessed it, it’s Casino Royale. There were two
productions of the movie, one in 1967 and another one is 2006. They are both based
on Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, which was the first James Bond novel ever written.
Even though the former gained huge popularity, its remake after almost 40 years later
shows how the movie is supposed to be.
First of all, let us look at the Bond characters in both versions. In the 1967
production, James Bond (played by David Niven) is an old spy enjoying his
retirement (“a good spy is a pure spy”). In the 2006 film, James Bond, now played by
the younger, buffer, and blonde Daniel Craig, is a fresh agent that had just gained the
“00” status. The two Bond characters have very contrasting characteristics. In the
1967 version, James Bond is more of a ‘gentle’ gentleman, as it is apparent
throughout the movie that he did not spill a drop of blood. It was also only occasional
that he had some hand to hand combat with his enemies, and even those scenes are
backed with comedy- like music which made it look more like some sort of joke. He
almost never left his coat and didn’t even sweat. The 2006 version Bond seems to be
the exact opposite. First of all, he is buffer, and he kills. A lot. This is apparent in the
conversation with Vesper (“It doesn't bother you? K illing all those people?” “Well I

3. wouldn't be very good at my job if it did.”) He also does a lot of pursuit on his own, a
brutal one right at the start. In conclusion, the latter James Bond seems more of a
stuntman than a spy.
Now we look at the Bond girls. Vesper Lynd was played by Ursula Andress in
1967 and Eva Green in 2006. The most obvious thing we could see is that one is
blonde and one is not. The 1967 Vesper Lynd has less prominence in the movie, as
the spotlight is more on the villain and the multiple James Bonds (which we will talk
about later). In the 2006 remake, Vesper stands out more as a Bond woman, perhaps
because she was involved in various dangerous scenes (when she assists Bond with
his struggle with Steven Obano), and her emotional conflicts with James Bond. She
even saved his life when he went into cardiac arrest. This version of Vesper Lynd is
given more deepness in character, as she melted Bond’s cold heart and soon became
Bond’s true love. Both versions of Vesper Lynd betrayed Bond, but in completely
different ways. In the 1967 film, Vesper betrayed Bond (a fake one) by killing him
with a machine gun hidden inside a bagpipe. The 2006 film however, is much more
complicated as it was revealed in the end that Vesper was a double-agent working for
Quantum, which was exactly the organisation MI6 was trying to stop. The reason she
did that is because Quantum kidnapped her boyfriend and threatened to kill him if she
did not cooperate.
Next I would like to compare two scenes from both adaptations. The first one
is the card battle between James Bond and Le Chiffre. The card game played in the
1967 version was baccarat, while in 2006 it was poker. The buy- in also differs,
costing 100 thousand in 1967 and 10 million in 2006. In 1967 the game was won
swiftly without sweat. On the contrast, the 2006 remake prolonged the game to a
whole night and added a lot more heart-stopping elements. For instance, Le Chiffre

4. and his girlfriend Valenka were threatened by Obanno to return the money he had lost,
and Bond got into a bloody fight that shook Vesper badly. Besides, Bond was also
poisoned by Valenka halfway through the card game. It was a game not bound by the
table. The scene following James Bond’s win against Le Chiffre is perhaps the most
intriguing scene in the movie, where rarely Agent 007 is in deep trouble. As Vesper
was kidnapped by Le Chiffre’s thugs, James Bond went on a pursuit, only to find
himself trapped and kidnapped by Le Chiffre. He went through mental torture in the
1967 rendition, but is not so lucky in the later version. In Casino Royale 2006, poor
James Bond was stripped and strapped into a chair with the bottom cut off, exposing
his crotch. He was then hit by Le Chiffre on his scrotum multiple times using a
knotted rope.
Generally, the classic production of Casino Royale showcases a lot of
futuristic technology that really could blow the audiences’ minds back then, like the
“two-way television and radio wrist watch”. In the 2006 production, however, the
gadgets are not quite as flashy, most of the spy devices being Sony Ericsson phones.
Casino Royale 1967 has more of comedy genre instead of action genre compared to
its remake. It is ridiculous to have 7 ‘James Bond’s in one movie. It should be
considered a parody instead of a true Bond movie. Luckily, the 2006 remake restored
our hopes in the story, with a heap of suspense and surprise elements embedded
throughout the 2 and a half hour long screening. It was a very successful production
indeed.
References:
Wilson, M. & Broccoli, B. (Producer) & Campbell, M. (Director). (2006). Casino Royale [Film].
Feldman, C. & Bresler, J. (Producer) & Hughes, L. (Director). (1967). Casino Royale [Film].