How effectively does the opening sequence of casino royale signal their intentions for a different type of bond for a modern audience?

The opening sequence of “Casino Royale” is very interesting.  There are three parts to this; the introduction, credits and the stunts/chase. The first scene is filmed in black and white and so is the opening.  In this scene we see the camera slowly moves inside to a building showing an unknown character walking in.  He walks into an office to find James bond sat casually in a chair.  They start speaking and participating in dialogue.  The audience seem to interpret the idea that the character of James bond is telling the unknown male character and the audience in fact, a story from the past.  The unknown male character then tried to kill James Bond but the audience sees that the character’s gun has no bullets in them.  This can be interpreted as comedy and James Bond’s smartness.  James Bond then pulls his own gun out and kills the male character.  After this action or maybe comedy, the music starts.  Gradually the producers start filming in colour.  I think the producers are trying to imply that they are moving to a new generation and therefore leaving the old black and white world behind.  Also the makers are trying to show it may have happened in the past.  With the opening action, we realise that the ‘new’ James Bond has become smarter with his quick thinking moves and also he is very smart in the way he finishes his dirty work.  The theme for “Casino Royale” is called “You Know My Name”.  I believe that this music was chosen specifically for the character of James Bond.  It’s as if he is shouting to the world of his new hyped up return as a different bond.

  Usually in a Bond movie, there would be a huge high flying stunt and then the titles would appear, but in “Casino Royale” the titles appear before the stunts and death defying action.  However this is not the case in “Casino Royale”, there is a scene of Bond in a fight, showing him killing someone.  This is a very different approach compared to the earlier movies which is demonstrated in the first scene which consists of the fight between Bond and an enemy in the public toilets. We see our hero defeating him and killing him in very different but interesting ways.  Normally a Bond would make use of a pistol to kill the rival, but the new bond drowns his face in a sink killing him.  Also this new bond looks very modern and grittier.  He has a loose tie and changes the classic black suit with a grey one plus he has blonde hair.  This is a sign that he has definitely been altered physically.

After the first fighting scene, the credits begin.  James Bond movies are famous for their ‘Bond Girls’.  The credits do not seem to involve any women apart from when it shows the queen from a deck of playing cards, and the face has the face of the bond movie girl.  This is the only time the audience witnesses the face of this girl.  Also on the film poster, the girl is in silhouette form as they want the new James Bond to stand out.  Furthermore after the credits have rolled, the new James Bond goes on a chase after some one.  He is in a hot country like Africa for example because of the cloths James Bond is wearing and also the colour of the scene.  The sky is strangely orange which gives us a description of where he could be.  James Bond finds his target in a matter of seconds and the chase begins. There are death defying stunts during this chase which implies that there is a similarity between “Casino Royale” and the earlier movies.  Our hero and the enemy go from high up in the sky on a crane to running around buildings with the use of personal weapons.  Some of these events which take place are very heart drenching and I felt as if I didn’t expect what would happen.  The creators achieved in creating tension throughout this scene, the audience also realise that James Bond has become stronger and ruthless compared to the earlier bonds.


The overall impression I have from this new character of James Bond is that he has changed immensely.  I seem to think he may have changed too much because the older James Bond was incredibly classy. The character which Daniel Craig plays is very ruthless, aggressive and definitely untidy.  The unique genre has been altered.  Although I think this I have to give the director of “Casino Royale” credit as it is very effective and has been pulled off cleverly.  This is because this type of character will apply to a lot of new fans and he will be favoured by many.  As I said they have modernised him so therefore in my opinion he will use new methods of violence. In the first scene he killed a man in a public toilet.  He later blew up a whole building and killed most of the people there just to get a back pack.  From the first scenes this was my opinion and you can see a real difference in his character.  

The female characters are not seen in the first scene.  The only female character we observe is in the credits and it’s her face only.  From this we can presume she is the main female character.  They don’t show much of the female character for the reason that I think they want the new James bond character to really stand out and make an impact.  If they can make the new character stand out more than the women, he will be a focal point in the movie and many people who watched the movie will remember him.  The producers wanted this movie to be all about Bond, so therefore I believe this is why female characters are not used too strongly in the beginning of the movie.  

This movie is definitely different from the rest of the franchise.  Although at the same time I still believe it is an improvement.  Never the less the older fans of the classical James Bond will involuntarily dislike the movie in my opinion because they will like the old Bond too much.  In their minds he is a great icon n then this new bond from “Casino Royale” ruins the whole legend of “James bond”.  There are two sides of the argument but my personal opinion is with the intention of this new Bond character was a good idea as he will appeal to most fans and as the whole world has hit a new era, I think it’s fair that the movies should as well.