If you have never read any of Ian Fleming's James Bond stories, I am sure you'll like this odd television version a lot less that those who have read them. Gone are the gadgets, sex and style you assume is Bond--none this was in the first book from his series ("Casino Royale") and aside from some sex, there aren't too many similarities in any of the books to the films...aside from the titles.
It is very odd, then, that this first incarnation of Bond is the closest...yet in it Bond is an American here! And, his friend Felix Leiter (here, oddly called 'Clarence Leiter') is a Brit! Why they reversed their nationalities is probably because the show was made for American television but it is disconcerting seeing him played by Barry Nelson--a man without a hint of a British accent. As for Nelson, he was a solid square-jawed sort of guy...but hardly a sex symbol! There are a few other differences as well, such as Bond NOT having his testicles zapped with electricity (they could NEVER have gotten away with this on TV), the femme fatale was 100% good down deep in the TV show (she was conflicted and helped Bond in the end, but she was BAD in the book) and a relatively low-speed car chase is missing--mostly because it was made on a film set. Yet, despite these many differences, it IS the closest version to the books. Even though the recent James Craig version is the closest of the movies to the original stories, it is still not as close to the story as this show from "Climax!".
The show, like the book, is set almost entirely within a casino and the mission is for Bond to bankrupt a vicious Communist agent, Le Chiffre. But this Le Chiffre is played by a chubby Peter Lorre and the action is rather muted. Because of this, the film seems more stagy and less exciting--but that WAS the book. The only huge changes I resented in the TV version is that Bond lacked the cynicism and misogynistic outlook he developed by the end of the novel.
Overall, this is a curious oddity that probably will bore most Bond fans, but readers will appreciate. It's only 50 minutes long and is worth a look regardless.
It is very odd, then, that this first incarnation of Bond is the closest...yet in it Bond is an American here! And, his friend Felix Leiter (here, oddly called 'Clarence Leiter') is a Brit! Why they reversed their nationalities is probably because the show was made for American television but it is disconcerting seeing him played by Barry Nelson--a man without a hint of a British accent. As for Nelson, he was a solid square-jawed sort of guy...but hardly a sex symbol! There are a few other differences as well, such as Bond NOT having his testicles zapped with electricity (they could NEVER have gotten away with this on TV), the femme fatale was 100% good down deep in the TV show (she was conflicted and helped Bond in the end, but she was BAD in the book) and a relatively low-speed car chase is missing--mostly because it was made on a film set. Yet, despite these many differences, it IS the closest version to the books. Even though the recent James Craig version is the closest of the movies to the original stories, it is still not as close to the story as this show from "Climax!".
The show, like the book, is set almost entirely within a casino and the mission is for Bond to bankrupt a vicious Communist agent, Le Chiffre. But this Le Chiffre is played by a chubby Peter Lorre and the action is rather muted. Because of this, the film seems more stagy and less exciting--but that WAS the book. The only huge changes I resented in the TV version is that Bond lacked the cynicism and misogynistic outlook he developed by the end of the novel.
Overall, this is a curious oddity that probably will bore most Bond fans, but readers will appreciate. It's only 50 minutes long and is worth a look regardless.