7 replies to this topic

[Major Tallon]

I've recently posted quite a bit about my trip to the Casino Royale 60th Anniversary Exhibition at the University of Illinois.  One of the exhibits is a detailed facsimile of the original first manuscript page of Fleming's novel, in which the first line was originally "Scent and smoke and sweat hit the taste-buds with an acid thwack at three o'clock in the morning."  That part is fairly well known, but as I was examinng my photo of the page, my attention drifted down a little further.

 

There, in the middle of what was to have been the manuscript's fifth paragraph was its first reference to the villain:  "Baum was still playing and still, apparently, winning."  The name "Baum" was crossed out in pencil and "The Number" written above it in Fleming's handwriting.  That, in turn, was crossed out in ink and the name "Le Chiffre" substituted. 

 

The exhibition did not feature subsequent manuscript pages, so I am unable to tell how far the references to the other names carried on.  Fleming would return to the name Baum as the heroine of the short story "Risico."  Perhaps he felt the name too close to "Bond" to be featured prominently in the initial novel.

 

Still, I am left to wonder -- was the villain of Casino Royale originally to be named Baum?

 

 

[glidrose]

Any chance his first name was May?

 

I agree with your theory that Baum and Bond sound too much alike.

[Revelator]

Fascinating find, Major! It does indeed look like Baum was Fleming's original name for Le Chiffre. No surprise that he would have changed it, since it not only sounds close to "Baum" but also sounds too bland (whereas Bond was intentionally meant to sound dull). Le Chiffre is vastly more evocative and memorable, and exemplifies Fleming's mastery in naming.

Incidentally, where are your other posts about the Casino Royale 60th Anniversary Exhibition? I seem to have missed them.

[Major Tallon]

Hi, Revelator.  I posted them in the International Events section under "United States of America."  It's about the fourth topic down inside the forum. 

 

In addition to the matters discussed there, I got back for Cork's lecture on "Thunderball."  He spoke for about 50 minutes without notes and was a knowledgable and entertaining lecturer.  Nothing terribly new for those of us versed in this topic, but certainly time well spent.  He's obviously no fan of Kevin McClory.  The introductory weekend events are past, but the exhibition continues.

[Dustin]

He's obviously no fan of Kevin McClory.

Fans of McClory seem to be few and far between when one delves into the matter.

[Revelator]

Hi, Revelator.  I posted them in the International Events section under "United States of America."  It's about the fourth topic down inside the forum. 

 

In addition to the matters discussed there, I got back for Cork's lecture on "Thunderball."  He spoke for about 50 minutes without notes and was a knowledgable and entertaining lecturer.  Nothing terribly new for those of us versed in this topic, but certainly time well spent.  He's obviously no fan of Kevin McClory.  The introductory weekend events are past, but the exhibition continues.

 

Thank you Major--your write-up makes me doubly regret missing the event. If I remember correctly, several years ago John Cork write a masterly article tracing the evolution of Thunderball from script to novel to film. He went through every draft of every screenplay, tracked the contributions of McClory and Whittingham, and came to conclusion that the project didn't really succeed on an artistic level until Fleming wove the elements into his novel. The article demonstrated better critical judgement than anything in the Battle for Bond and I hope it resurfaces online.

As for McClory, I'm not a fan either. He reminds me of one of those characters in Dickens who spend their lives in court and have almost nothing to show for it. If he were anything resembling an artist, he would have gone on to make films out from his own ideas and characters, rather than wasting his and other people's time in grasping for another man's creation. And what came of all his effort? A remake of Thunderball whose best parts came from other people than himself. McClory got all that was owed to him when Broccoli and Saltzman let him have producer's credit and proceeds from Thunderball. After that, nothing but greed was at work.

Edited by Revelator, 08 May 2013 - 07:06 PM.

[Major Tallon]

I've noticed another change that Fleming made to the manuscript.  He deleted a one-sentence paragraph describing the casino that would have read, "It was a decorous and almost elegant scene except for the smell of the gamblers."

 

Not, I imagine, the image of the casino that Fleming hoped to convey.

[Dustin]

Fleming was very fond of the term 'elegant'. Probably the odious allusion didn't go well with the elegance he wanted to describe. It really reads a bit odd, quite satirical.