Yesterday evening I watched Casino Royale again—the Daniel Craig one from 2006. I enjoy the James Bond movies, I confess. (Especially those with Daniel Craig, I confess.) After it ended, I was looking through some old 15s (the daily writing/journaling I do) from December 2011. When I checked out yesterday's date, December 11, what did I find? We watched Casino Royale that evening, with our good friend, now departed, Duane. It's just a silly coincidence—but aren't coincidences cool?
Anyway, the movie gave me a potentially good quote for an essay I'm working on about death: "Being dead doesn't mean one can't still be helpful" (Giancarlo Giannini, whom I first fell for in Lina Wertmüller's Swept Away [Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto, 1974]).
Also, here's how the final implosion of the palazzo scene was created (I love behind-the-scenes movie magic):
And while we're at it, the amazing opening scene (no making of, though that would certainly be interesting):
But mostly, I wanted to comment on the genesis of the name James Bond, which I learned about in a book I edited recently. Ian Fleming was an avid bird watcher, and while visiting Jamaica he used the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies, by an American ornithologist named James Bond (1900–1989). He was also working on his first book, Casino Royale, published in 1953. He wanted a name for his protagonist that "sounded as ordinary as possible." James Bond fit the bill. The two did meet. In 1964, Fleming gave Bond a first edition copy of You Only Live Twice signed, "To the real James Bond, from the thief of his identity." In December 2008 the book was put up for auction, eventually fetching $84,000 (£56,000).
Sorry, this post is all over the place. But I did enjoy watching Casino Royale again.
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