But I'd also love to see somebody do at least a low budget "France 1953" version.
Was the 1954 TV movie like the following? If so, can one buy it via Amazon?
I realize that the French could never film this because its largely about bankrupting the communist trade unions that have since taken over.
I guess that also means HBO, the American alphabet stations and the BBC would refuse to film it as well.
We could have Bond meeting with Vesper at lunch across the park from his hotel before heading back to it via the park. Suddenly two Bulgarians blow themselves up not understanding that their Soviet masters have rigged their blue smoke bomb to dispose of them after they throw the red bomb at Bond (they pull the tab on their smoke bomb first).
A tree saves Bond who is brought into his hotel (the Splendide). The concierge is paid by the enemy and a married couple above Bond's room is trying to listen to what he says in his room via a bug and wire.
Bond sleeps the entire day in order to be rested and ready to play cards all night (I can relate to this). Then, around 6PM, he goes over to the casino and wins maybe $20,000 at the roulette table (I can't relate to this).
Then he goes back to his hotel where Vesper meets him for a sumptious meal. Bond tells her to order the most expensive stuff and goes into his philosophy of always wanting the best of the best. She agrees. The reader has no idea that this woman is being blackmailed by the Soviets who say they will kill her Polish boyfriend if she doesn't cooperate with them.
At the game, Vesper makes sure that Bond's allies are not standing behind him when he almost gets his spine shot off for not withdrawing the big bet that crushes Le Chiffre. She then tricks him into the car chase scene which was a real long chase scene in the book. He almost dies as a result.
Then a lot of the book is James falling in love, including sitting on the beach and deciding that he wants to marry her...but also sensing something wrong before Vesper's suicide (sleeping pills).
The letter causes him intense pain. And then he says to the go-between over the phone "Pass it on. 3030 was a double agent working for Redland. Yes, I said was dammit. The bitch is dead now."
Edited by VeteransAbroad, 27 November 2006 - 09:35 PM.