Casino Royale, the first James Bond novel published by Ian Fleming in 1953, is highly reflective of the environment in which it was released. The character of James Bond, 007 was, to a certain degree, autobiographical—Ian Fleming himself shared many of Bond’s tendencies, especially his womanizing—and Bond’s history with British Naval Intelligence Fleming’s own. As for the novel itself, Casino Royale’s origins are important in that they reflected the post-World War II environment, as well as established a character that would be, far and away, the most recognizable in their genre.
The basic backstory is certainly influenced by the ever-rising tide of the Cold War; the primary antagonist, Le Chiffre, has a background with Soviet Russia. As a whole, the story seems to encapsulate the kind of paranoia that the Cold War engendered, albeit in a different context; in this book the uncertainty took place in a card game, where in real life it took place through the mutual distrust of nations.
In addition, gender roles are easily observed to be indicative of the times. James Bond views women as interference, minor distractions to his job; he only indulges them on purely physical levels. Even when playing the role of the knight in shining armor rescuing Vesper, her assigned sidekick, it comes across as more self-serving than anything; his chivalry is purely incidental, and secondary to constantly establishing his own manhood. The torture scene bears elements of this as well; to any male reader the damage done to Bond's genitals is truly horrifying. Despite his unwavering refusal to meet Le Chiffre's demands, he also is quite concerned about his ability to perform sexually. This is just about Vesper's biggest role in the story; sexual temptation and getting kidnapped. The damsel in distress is by no means an obsolete concept these days, but it has certainly become trite by now and to many in the potential audience, it is alienating.
In addition, gender roles are easily observed to be indicative of the times. James Bond views women as interference, minor distractions to his job; he only indulges them on purely physical levels. Even when playing the role of the knight in shining armor rescuing Vesper, her assigned sidekick, it comes across as more self-serving than anything; his chivalry is purely incidental, and secondary to constantly establishing his own manhood. The torture scene bears elements of this as well; to any male reader the damage done to Bond's genitals is truly horrifying. Despite his unwavering refusal to meet Le Chiffre's demands, he also is quite concerned about his ability to perform sexually. This is just about Vesper's biggest role in the story; sexual temptation and getting kidnapped. The damsel in distress is by no means an obsolete concept these days, but it has certainly become trite by now and to many in the potential audience, it is alienating.
In addition, the idealized setting in the novel is markedly indicative of the 50’s; dress is constantly formal, and cigarettes and alcohol are highly pervasive in the culture. A common stereotype of the period was the bizarre prevalence of business suits and dresses; an image which, if Casino Royale is anything to go by, is hardly unfounded. While these idealistic elements are certainly present today—the added “coolness” of a cigarette most prominently—the overall atmosphere seems a bit like a college campus with a strict formal dress code.
Casino Royale held up the original novel beautifully as a movie, but it was also changed somewhat; Bond's reluctance in the original novel about his organization is less prevalent in the movie. Additionally, while James Bond has always been something of a misogynistic prick in the movies, the movie tones him down considerably from his version in the novels, which is only natural given the changing times.
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