I came across a used DVD of this film a couple of days ago, and there is a fascinating interview with Val Guest in the special features. He explained the background, and why this film turned out the way it did. The producers couldn't use Flemings book, because parts had been used in all the other serious Bond flicks and all that was left was the Casino, Baccarat game, and Vespers' treachery - everything else was created for this film.
Four directors were hired to each do a segment, but they were hired by a time limit, not project, so many segments overlapped in filming, and were left unfinished by the directors, including John Huston's segment. On top of this, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles HATED each other, and Sellers pulled a 'I'm too sick to come in and I have a doctor's note" routine, so he was fired. In the end, there were unfinished shoots and incomplete parts, so Val Guest was hired to cobble everything together and create a thread of a plot line to unify the film and make some sense. Guest added a couple of scenes with the help of David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and Bill Holden, and did the best he could to salvage this dog's breakfast of a film.
Despite the problems, parts are greater than the whole of this film and some scenes are truly funny, others are campy, and many are sharp spoofs of 60s Bond films - The German school of spying is great, as is any scene with Woody Allen, and all of the bond girls in their over- the-top outfits are entertaining.
So, if you think this film looks like it was shot on acid, there is a reason!
Four directors were hired to each do a segment, but they were hired by a time limit, not project, so many segments overlapped in filming, and were left unfinished by the directors, including John Huston's segment. On top of this, Peter Sellers and Orson Welles HATED each other, and Sellers pulled a 'I'm too sick to come in and I have a doctor's note" routine, so he was fired. In the end, there were unfinished shoots and incomplete parts, so Val Guest was hired to cobble everything together and create a thread of a plot line to unify the film and make some sense. Guest added a couple of scenes with the help of David Niven, Deborah Kerr, and Bill Holden, and did the best he could to salvage this dog's breakfast of a film.
Despite the problems, parts are greater than the whole of this film and some scenes are truly funny, others are campy, and many are sharp spoofs of 60s Bond films - The German school of spying is great, as is any scene with Woody Allen, and all of the bond girls in their over- the-top outfits are entertaining.
So, if you think this film looks like it was shot on acid, there is a reason!