Novel Idea

The producers of the Bond films have decided that with the upcoming 21st film Casino Royale (this book portrays Bond at his coldest and most ruthless) they will endeavor to return to the spirit of the actual Ian Fleming books. This is an entirely new take on the matter, since the films, after the first few, slid quickly into camp (after Connery) and as far away from the original source as one could get.

The literary Bond is nothing like the film version. Fleming's Bond was entirely humourless and ran through the novels kicking arse and taking names whilst smoking 70 custom cigarettes and drinking several quarts of liquor per day. He does this with a bare minimum of quirky devices and there was no one in the books named "Q". There was, of course, the numerous women that Bond met each day, with subtle names like "Pussy Galore". Well, that was certainly back in the day...

I understand that the final torture scene from the novel Casino Royale will be used in the new film. For you gentlemen out there, be aware that this scene, if true to the book, will cause you to cringe for about a week. Better read it first in order to be better prepared. Actually, it was so outlandish when published in 1953, that even Simon Raven thought it a bit much.

Note: The American first edition of Casino Royale was entitled You Asked For It. This was due to the fear that most Americans would not know how to pronounce "royale". Fleming himself pronounced it "royal", as in royal family.

Actors who have played Bond: the first Casino Royale film does not count...

Sir Sean Connery (Scotland) 6 films (1 "other" JB film)
George Lazenby (Australia) 1 film
Sir Roger Moore (England) 7 films
Timothy Dalton (Wales) 2 films
Pierce Brosnan (Ireland) 4 films
Daniel Craig (England) 1 film

In the books Bond's father was a Scot and his mother Swiss.