This past weekend I went to see Casino Royale, the new addition to the Bond brand mythology, as Seth Godin defines it. The movie is the prequel to the whole 007 mystique.
This was a first:
It was my first time watching a Bond movie at the theater. I saw all the others on tape or DVD.
It's the first in Ian Fleming's timeline, the story where the famous MI6 British agent gets his '00', the license to kill.
It was the first played by a fabulously buff Daniel Craig who managed just the right mix of strength, skill, ingenuity, and vulnerability with realism.
It was the first 007 movie to be co-produced by Columbia.
To my knowledge, it was also the first Bond release to star two Italian actors, Giancarlo Giannini, a practiced and acclaimed actor, and a nascent star, Caterina Murino, in her first English-language movie. She has a few frames, but I'm certain many will remember her sultry role.
The story:
The Bond movies contain all the elements of a good story: the good guy, the bad guy(s), protocol, honor, transgressions, the rescue(s), the romance(s). Yes, many possibilities, and all quite imaginative, some less credible than others, but certainly made believable for the purposes of our hero saving the day.
This version of Casino Royale does not mind changing some of the facts in the original book. On the other hand, it captures the spirit of Fleming's work more closely.
The spirit:
According to Seth: Mythological brands make a spiritual connection with the user, delivering something that we can't find on our own... or, at the very least, giving us a slate we can use to write our own spirituality on.
The Bond franchise is alive with great storytelling and once again it connects with our spirit and imagination. While you're holding your breath through the action, don't miss those breathtaking Italian landscapes. Those and some of the verbal and non verbal dialogues alone are worth experiencing.
Can brands be more like this? I agree with Seth, it's worth trying.
Good observations on the Bond "brand." For some of us in a certain age demographic, Sean Connery will always be THE James Bond, but I'm willing to give Mr. Craig a fair chance.
It will be interesting to see if Sylvester Stallone can reinvigorate the Rocky brand with his latest milking of the Oscar-winning original script.
Posted by: Marco | December 12, 2006 at 08:46 AM