You’ve probably seen a movie from the James Bond franchise. What’s striking is that a casino is a regular setting. Why is this? Where did the inspiration come from?
What inspired Ian Fleming?
British author Ian Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964) initially worked as a journalist. At the beginning of the Second World War he was hired as a personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence where he was involved in several secret operations.
There are rumors that James Bond is based on Ian himself, but he always denied this. However, his own experiences undoubtedly contributed to the creation of James Bond.
First book series, then movies
Fleming published his first book with James as the main character, Casino Royale, in 1953. And he stated that this story is based on a true event during the war in het casino of Estoril in Portugal. Fleming played poker against German agents and lost.
In the first book James fights Le Chiffre who works for a criminal organization. This organization entrusted him with a lot of money, but Le Chiffre gets himself into trouble by losing this money and being left with huge gambling debts.
To try to make up for this, he organizes a large-scale baccarat tournament in Casino Royale. If he wins the tournament, he can win back the money he lost and pay off his debts to the criminals. But if he fails and the organization discovers that he has lost their money, he will have to fear for his life. And there is a certain James Bond who also takes part in the tournament. Thus, James and the game of baccarat were already linked. The tone for the book series was set!
In 1962 the first movie “Dr. No” with Sean Connery as James Bond was released. We also see James playing baccarat, namely the variant Chemin de fer.
In 2006, the first book “Casino Royale” was finally officially filmed with Daniel Craig, James does not play baccarat, but Texas Hold em’ poker. And James also occasionally ventured into a game of blackjack in his films.
The casino and a game of baccarat as a popular setting
Why did Ian Fleming choose baccarat as his favorite game for James? The simple rules of the game may have played a role in making it accessible.
The game also provides the necessary suspense due to its simplicity. Everything revolves around the hand that comes closest to 9. Which hand will win? The player or the bank? Or will it end in a draw? The game rounds can follow each other quickly in this way, which increases the tension and provides flashy, compelling scenes. We can certainly understand Fleming’s choice of baccarat as the favorite game for this creation.
In the first book “Casino Royale” we already met James at the gaming table. And if we study the further history around this secret agent we can only conclude that the casino as a setting came up very often.
In which films does James Bond visit a casino?
- Dr. No (1962)
- Thunderball (1965)
- Diamonds are forever (1971)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (1974)
- GoldenEye (1995) (James visits the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco which of course still exists)
- Casino Royale ((2006)
- Skyfall (2012)
By the way, both fictional and real casinos were reviewed. Mostly it was (maybe strange but true) just a decor, but where a lot of attention was paid to with an eye for detail. These scenes symbolize luxury, exclusivity, entertainment en glamour. They breathe the atmosphere and allure of a real casino.
Stunts, gadgets, recurring elements and legendary actors
The films have certainly gained fame thanks to strong stories with accompanying stunts and a love of gadgets.
There were also recurring elements such as his trusted Vodka Martini (shaken, not stirred), his favorite car brand (Aston Martin), his favorite casino game baccarat and the presence of Bond girls.
But we must also not forget that they always managed to find a charismatic actor to give shape to this secret agent. (Better known as 007)
Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig have all played James. Regardless of who plays the lead role, James Bond continues to delight a loyal fan base after all these years.