Casino Royale debuted on October 21st 1954 on a TV series called Climax! on CBS. The few episodes I've seen of this series were quite good and if you enjoy Jekyll & Hyde you should also seek out the Climax! version of the story adapted by Gore Vidal and starring Michael Rennie who most people know as the alien from The Day The Earth Stood Still. Because Fleming's novel was being done for television the story does come across as rushed and a bit one dimensional. Barry Nelson does a so-so job as an American version referred to more often as "Jimmy" Bond than James. He's kind of cool, not real sly and reminds me of how someone like Dick Van Dyke would have handled the role. His style of acting seems to be based on films of the 1930s and most of the time he comes across more as a concerned boyfriend than some amazing secret agent. By no means a great or memorable performance, but regardless Barry Nelson is THE first on screen James Bond and should be recognized as such.
On the other hand, Peter Lorre unsurprisingly steals every scene he's in. I don't know if it gets any cooler than having a legend like Peter Lorre portraying the very first James Bond villain. In this original adaptation, Le Chiffre is a bit gullible and his henchmen are completely inept. Nonetheless when they do finally capture Bond the intensity increases. Not that the earlier parts of the film aren't thrilling, you'd be surprised how much the long baccarat game keeps your interest, it's just during these scenes Peter Lorre gets to really excel. This is by no means Lorre's first experience with having his character threaten or perform torture. Of course this is TV and everything has to be hinted rather than shown, but Lorre is simply menacing in these scenes. Other than Lorre, a lot of the characters are interesting looking and distinctive. The other main actors Linda Christian (the very first Bond girl) and Michael Pate as the British contact for American secret agent Bond, do a fine job so in the end the only real flaw is our hero along with a few boom mic shadows. It is definitely not a movie so flawed that it should be wiped from 007's universe. It is a wonderful first attempt to show someone who would become a legendary character and if you say you are a James Bond fan there's no reason this shouldn't be in your collection...just line it up right before Dr. No.
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An introduction explains the game of Baccarat
Jimmy meets his British contact
Linda Christian the screen's first portrayal of a Bond girl
Peter Lorre and his henchmen flunkies
007 is threatened that he better lose at the gaming table
Tired of playing games Le Chiffre pulls out his gun
Despite his stature Lorre is always terrifying when he needs to be
This is clearly the end for James Bond...or is it?
